"When he grows up, he naturally won’t be able to impersonate a man anymore. Otherwise, is he seeking the emperor’s favor, or his disdain?"
"You don’t even need to think about it; it’s undoubtedly the latter."
"The glory of the Eighteenth Prince, I reckon, is just the glory of these recent two years, nothing worth concerning over."
A child over two years old doesn’t yet have particularly distinct male or female characteristics on appearance, so dressing as the opposite gender is not a big deal. However, once children reach four or five, the differences in appearance become very pronounced.
At that time, distinguishing a girl from a boy becomes immediate.
The Eighteenth Prince is seeking glory for these two years without considering the future, alas...
To have such a blemish as male impersonation, and to make it known to everyone, he will likely be completely cut off from that position beneath only the emperor. Follow current novels on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚✦𝕟𝕖𝕥
Because, no minister would support such a prince.
The palace attendants might not understand these deeper matters, but the obvious things are clear to them. The Eighteenth Prince allows himself to be manipulated by the emperor for the sake of favor, which is truly laughable.
The palace attendants laughed for several days and gradually began to disregard the suddenly announced Eighteenth Princess, no, Prince.
Instead, they are all waiting for the day when the Eighteenth Prince will fall out of favor with the emperor.
Then, there will be a good show to watch.
As the Queen and the head of the harem, before being confined, she had spies throughout the harem. Even now, after being confined, her spies are still functioning.
She is aware of all the major and minor happenings in the harem.
The gossip among the palace attendants quickly reached her ears.
At the moment, as she heard from her spies the news of a new princess named Jun Ning, with the title Anle, she wondered when such a princess appeared, from where, and who the mother was. Then, she heard from the spy that this princess was no other than the Eighteenth Prince himself, who, in order to please the emperor, agreed to impersonate a female.
The entire harem found it disgraceful.
The Queen paused slightly after hearing this, then couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
"Haha... hahahaha..."
It had been a long time since the Queen laughed so heartily, and now she laughed until her stomach ached.
Once she felt slightly better, she suppressed her laughter and asked the person beside her with some doubt, "Nanny, did I hear wrong? Did the Eighteenth Prince really agree to such an absurd demand from the emperor and became the Eighteenth Princess for the sake of his favor?"
Nanny Li massaged the Queen’s shoulders, saying, "Madam, you did not hear wrongly."
The Queen shook her head, "How could he be so foolish!"
The course of events change, there is no certainty, today’s Crown Prince may not necessarily ascend to the throne in the future.
Thus, all seventeen, no, eighteen sons of the emperor originally had a chance to succeed. But now, the Eighteenth Prince sealed his own future with his own hands.
"It must be that woman, Qiong Hua, pulling the strings behind the scenes; otherwise, why would the emperor suddenly want the Eighteenth Prince to impersonate a princess?" Nanny Li speculated.
"Who else could it be but her, haha, a short-sighted woman who only seeks temporary glory without considering her son’s future!" The Queen mockingly fiddled with the Jade Pendant at her waist.
"Your Highness is right, however..." Suddenly a gleam flashed in Nanny Li’s eyes, "Your Highness, this Eighteenth Prin... no, Eighteenth Princess might not be entirely useless to us now."