The only person who could manage Concubine Fang in the Ding'an Royal Estate was the Old Dowager.
To say "manage" was an exaggeration; the Old Dowager merely lectured Concubine Fang a few times. After all, Concubine Fang's status was considerable, and she hadn't committed any heinous acts.
However, after being reprimanded by the Old Dowager, Concubine Fang would behave herself for quite some time.
With the Old Dowager keeping Concubine Fang in check, all those outside who were restless and secretly trying to offer women to Xiao Yun had to rely on Xiao Yun's own refusal.
Thus, it soon became known throughout the entire Duan capital that even if the Ding'an Royal Consort were blind, deaf, lame, or crippled, the Ding'an Prince's heart belonged only to her and would never stray to another woman.
For a time, the women of the entire Duan capital were unsure whether to envy Wang Qingyao or continue to pity her.
"Others can offer women to the Ding'an Prince, and he can refuse them. But what if the Emperor himself issues a decree?"
Wei Yu offered a suggestion to the Crown Prince.
"Due to the Eastern Palace's negligence, the Ding'an Royal Consort lost her sight. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess feel guilty and have specially selected ladies of noble status to serve the Ding'an Royal Consort and share her burdens..."
Wei Yu had gone to such great lengths to blind Wang Qingyao, so naturally, she wanted to do something while she was blind.
It wasn't necessarily about targeting the women sent to the Ding'an Royal Estate, but having pawns in place meant they could be useful later.
The Crown Prince pondered, "Do you have suitable candidates?"
"The daughters of the Wei family, the Ban family, the Yuan family, any of them would do. We can offer a few choices and let the Emperor choose. This is also our way of showing our concern. The Emperor has always doted on the Ding'an Prince, so he likely wouldn't bear to see him wronged."
The Crown Prince nodded, casting an appreciative glance at her.
Ever since he learned of the Emperor's eldest son's existence, the Crown Prince wanted Wang Qingyao dead more than anyone.
He had been aware of Wei Yu's scheme this time.
Compared to Wei Yu's minor act of merely blinding Wang Qingyao, he would have preferred to use poison, the kind that could kill.
However, Wei Yu had suffered losses at Wang Qingyao's hands multiple times and was more cautious, convincing the Crown Prince.
The next day, the Crown Prince went to the Imperial Study.
"...Your son and A'yun grew up together, and it's no exaggeration to say we are like brothers. The Ding'an Royal Consort's current condition is not unrelated to the Eastern Palace, and your son and the Crown Princess feel deeply guilty..."
He seized the opportunity to propose taking a secondary consort for Xiao Yun.
Unfortunately, he didn't know that before he arrived, Xiao Yun had already complained to the Emperor.
"One by one, they see our Royal Consort can no longer see, and they think she's useless, wishing I would immediately establish a secondary consort to replace her. Oh, if our Royal Consort knew, wouldn't her heart be broken... It's not her fault she can't see..."
"I haven't shown the slightest intention of taking a secondary consort. Those people, under the guise of acting for my benefit, merely want a piece of the Xiao family's enormous wealth..."
With Xiao Yun having spoken his mind beforehand, the Emperor naturally suspected the Crown Prince of having ill intentions when he heard his words.
"You are quite thoughtful," the Emperor remarked sarcastically.
Unfortunately, the Crown Prince didn't catch the sarcasm.
"Your son merely wishes to share your burdens, Your Majesty."
"You may leave," the Emperor waved his hand impatiently. "This matter is for me to decide."
The Emperor didn't express a preference for any particular family's daughter, leading the Crown Prince to believe the Emperor had his eye on someone else. He even discussed it with Wei Yu.
"If this lady comes from another family, then A'yu, you will have to do some socializing."
Wei Yu nodded, "This is what your concubine should do."
A few days later, the Emperor indeed issued a decree of marriage.
However, to everyone's surprise, the Emperor did not bestow a marriage upon the Ding'an Prince. Instead, he bestowed a secondary consort upon the Crown Prince.
This secondary consort to the Crown Prince was surnamed Lu. Her father was a Fourth-Rank official in the Imperial Music Bureau, and compared to the Wei family, it wasn't a particularly prominent household.
However, the maternal uncle of Consort Lu was the Grand General of the Dragon Guards, Zhou Yunxiang, who commanded a total of fifty thousand Dragon Guard soldiers.
By bestowing such a lady upon the Crown Prince as a secondary consort, the Emperor not only showed his favor towards the Crown Prince but also intended to find a worthy opponent for Wei Yu, preventing her from constantly bothering Wang Qingyao.
Consort Lu was handsome, had a cheerful disposition, and was close to her uncle. Her demeanor carried the unbridled spirit of a soldier.
She was a completely different person from Wei Yu.
The Crown Prince, however, liked her very much.
Of course, out of respect for General Zhou Yunxiang, the Crown Prince had to pretend to like her even if he didn't.
Moreover, Consort Lu was indeed likable, bringing a refreshing change to the Crown Prince, who was accustomed to gentle and demure ladies.
Wei Yu never imagined that she would end up shooting herself in the foot.
The Emperor had not revealed the slightest hint and directly appointed a secondary consort for the Crown Prince.
And it was a secondary consort of such standing.
Wei Yu tearfully complained to Noble Consort Wei, but Noble Consort Wei was currently busy with her palace infighting with Consort Chen and didn't have much energy to comfort Wei Yu.
"You are the Crown Princess, and she is merely a secondary consort. What is there to feel wronged about? When the Crown Prince eventually ascends the throne, with the front court and the harem closely linked, there will be many consorts of noble status. Will you feel wronged by every single one of them?"
"But, but..." Wei Yu's eyes were red. "I am not feeling wronged for myself, but for my mother. My mother is, after all, the Crown Prince's birth mother and my aunt. His Majesty has always doted on my mother, yet he didn't consult her at all about taking a secondary consort for the Crown Prince..."
Noble Consort Wei froze, her expression darkening as she remained silent, growing increasingly agitated.
"His Majesty is seeking justice for the Ding'an Royal Consort. It doesn't matter if I suffer a little grievance. As long as we can bring down the Ding'an Royal Consort, what does a little grievance matter? I just find it strange. His Majesty clearly looked down upon the Ding'an Royal Consort before..."
Wei Yu was very intelligent. Although Grand Tutor Wei had not explicitly told her about the Emperor's eldest son, she had deduced from Grand Tutor Wei's insistence on Wang Qingyao's death that Wang Qingyao harbored some secret, and this secret was definitely related to the throne.
Therefore, she uttered these ambiguous words to remind Noble Consort Wei that the most important thing now was to get rid of Wang Qingyao!
Noble Consort Wei's expression indeed grew even more somber.
For a moment, she almost thought the Emperor knew about the Emperor's eldest son.