Chapter 233: Is Xiao Fu Bao Disliked? The Whole City Loves Me With Their Lives
Chapter 233: Dismissal
As soon as his arms were empty, Prince Qi realized something important—his precious little one had gone into someone else's arms.
Waaah!
To make matters worse, Suisui was now cuddling and kissing with her mother. He hadn’t received any of that affection himself!
Prince Qi was close to sulking.
The whole morning passed without focusing on anything else—just all the attention around the child. By the time Feng Xuanrui and the others arrived, Prince Qi couldn’t even get close to the children’s group.
Luckily, after breakfast, Feng Xuanrui and the others had to go to their studies.
When Suisui heard her brothers were going to study, she immediately exclaimed in delight, “Studying is great, I love studying!”
Even if she couldn’t understand much, she enjoyed being with her brothers and learning new characters.
Suisui’s fondness for study was something Prince Qi naturally encouraged.
Liu Hemeng also joined them, while Shen Huatang arrived with her father, Master Shen, who hadn’t planned specific beginner lessons today but decided to include some review content during the lecture, like parts of *The Three Character Classic* and *Thousand Character Text.*
Suisui didn’t understand, yet she imitated her brothers, chanting along, shaking her head earnestly.
As for the meanings of the passages? She had no clue at all.
When a complicated character came up, Suisui, having never heard it before, sometimes mispronounced it. But her enthusiasm remained unaffected.
Prince Qi sat nearby, watching her closely the entire time.
Master Shen sighed inwardly, although he understood. Considering the antics the prince had pulled over the years, seeking out fortune-tellers and trying unorthodox methods for the sake of a daughter, just sitting in on a lesson was comparatively mild.
Qi Wangfei would have liked to stay longer too, but the back and front courtyards demanded her attention. Unlike her husband, she couldn’t simply neglect things. Given her current health, she wanted even less to deal with tasks.
After listening to the class for a bit and seeing Suisui enjoying herself, she quietly left.
When Suisui noticed her mother hadn’t stayed, her lips pouted in disappointment.
They were on break when Prince Qi gently hugged her, saying, “My sweet girl, don’t cry, don’t cry. Seeing you sad breaks my heart.”
Feng Xuanrui, who had just taken a sip of water, heard his sister might cry and ran over, shouting, “What’s wrong? What happened to my sister?”
The others quickly gathered around too.
Embarrassed by all the attention, Suisui buried her face against her father’s shoulder, murmuring sadly, “Mother didn’t stay with me…with us.”
She initially wanted to say “me” but quickly added “us,” feeling it was more considerate.
Her brothers didn’t mind at all, surrounding her and offering comforting words, nearly pushing Prince Qi out of the way.
Prince Qi thought, *Hey! I’m still your father, you know. Do you really have to push me like that?*
With Suisui cheered up and class resuming, Qi Wangfei had Aunt Qiu record the names of the concubines and chambermaids willing to leave with compensation.
Many of the recent concubines in the residence were young, some barely twenty. Some had willingly joined, others had been pressured by their families, and a few had ulterior motives.
But the back courtyard was a tiring place to be. With only one prince and so many women, some might go days, even weeks, without seeing him.
Some had lost heart, some had grown weary. When asked if they’d prefer to leave with compensation, some felt it would be better to take the money and go home, maybe even remarry.
In Da Xia dynasty, remarriage carried little stigma; in some cases, families even preferred to marry a widow who had already borne children, considering them strong and healthy with better chances of raising healthy offspring.
Thus, for these concubines and chambermaids, leaving with funds offered a variety of new paths. And if nothing else, they could take the money and live quietly at a Taoist temple.
Qi Wangfei first dealt with those ready to leave.
After carefully verifying that leaving was truly their choice, she summoned the steward and accountant to distribute the compensation directly. They were given three days to vacate, with extensions available for those with special circumstances.
A total of twelve women left.
To be honest, Qi Wangfei couldn’t even recognize some of their faces.
Reflecting on the list of names, she realized that half of them were new faces. She secretly cursed her husband’s actions while resolving to keep better records herself to prevent future issues from catching her unaware.
Some of the young women left immediately, taking their compensation happily and quickly packing their belongings.
Some had been in the household for over five years, while others hadn’t even been there a full year. Yet, in that time, they’d grown accustomed to barely catching a glimpse of the prince every few weeks.
For them, staying wasn’t essential at all.
After all, what position did a chambermaid truly hold? They were barely above ordinary servants and often had to help with daily chores.
Going home and settling down felt like the better option for many. If things didn’t work out, they could donate to a temple and live there in peace. Even if the food was simple and the rules strict, life there could be more engaging than in Prince Qi’s residence.
Those who saw the bright side left joyfully, while those who didn’t stayed, clinging to their position, like the former Concubine Su.
Since it had rained the previous day and Chief Steward Chi hadn’t come in due to sore joints, Concubine Su had a rare moment of freedom. She inquired about the prince’s whereabouts and eventually learned he was at the small classroom.
Concubine Su wanted to go over, but… she didn’t dare!
After all, Concubine Che was taken away by the Ministry of Justice!
Seeing that had terrified countless people.
So Concubine Su, while tempted, stayed put, holding a potted flower and lamenting her misfortune and misery out loud.
But as soon as she spotted Chief Steward Chi in the distance, she immediately dropped her act and stood obediently at the door, not daring to lift her head.
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