jdhmnovel Chapter 150 Summoned by the Queen Mother
Chapter 150 Summoned by the Queen Mother
Su Yinyin led Su Nian'an and the others to the porridge distribution site. The servants who were distributing porridge to the people saw Su Yinyin arrive.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and greeted her in unison: "May the Princess be well!"
Seeing this, the common people also followed suit and bowed, saying, "May the princess be well!"
Su Yinyin smiled and said, "No need for formalities, please continue!"
When Lin Jie heard the servants and common people call his elder sister "Princess", he was shocked. He did not expect his elder sister to have such a status. She was a member of the royal family!
Seeing Lin Jie's shocked expression, Su Nian'an chuckled inwardly and leaned closer to whisper, "Husband, now you know how amazing my eldest sister is, right?"
Lin Jie was still in a daze and just nodded blankly.
At this moment, several people in the crowd, dressed in shabby clothes but with unfriendly eyes, exchanged glances.
One of them suddenly shouted, "Princess, you're putting on a show, aren't you? You must have ulterior motives!"
The atmosphere froze instantly upon hearing this.
Su Yinyin looked up, her expression calm: "This princess distributes porridge only to relieve the people. If I harbor any ill intentions, may I be struck by lightning. As for you, you've stirred up trouble for no reason. What are your intentions?"
The man was intimidated by Su Yinyin's imposing manner and took a half step back, but still forced himself to say, "Who knows if you're just trying to fob us off with some leftovers?"
Su Yinyin sneered, stepped forward and personally ladled out a bowl of porridge for him, saying, "Have a taste."
The man dared not accept it, so Su Yinyin ordered someone to force-feed him. After tasting it, his expression changed. It turned out that the porridge was fragrant, thick, and made with plenty of ingredients.
Seeing this, the surrounding people criticized the troublemakers, who then slunk away.
But Su Yinyin didn't give them that chance. The fifth brother alone subdued everyone and sent these troublemakers to the government office.
Su Yinyin once again won the genuine respect of the people.
A scholar-looking man emerged from a short distance away. He stepped forward and respectfully bowed to Su Yinyin, saying, "My name is Gu Feng. Today has truly broadened my horizons! The princess is indeed benevolent; such a good deed will surely be passed down as a beautiful story."
Su Yinyin gently shook her head, "Young Master Gu, you flatter me. It was just a small favor."
At that moment, an old man in the crowd suddenly collapsed to the ground, causing the surrounding people to gasp in surprise.
Su Yinyin rushed forward to check on him and found that the old man had simply fainted from hunger.
She instructed her servants to help the old man into a nearby room to rest, and personally fed him porridge.
Su Nian'an said from the side, "Sister, it wouldn't be good if you got your clothes dirty while doing all this yourself."
Su Yinyin didn't care, saying, "A life is much more valuable than clothes."
Looking at Su Yinyin's actions, Lin Jie couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.
Just then, the sound of hooves came from afar. A fast horse galloped towards them, and the rider dismounted. It turned out to be a palace eunuch.
The eunuch announced in a shrill voice, "Princess, receive the imperial decree." Everyone was taken aback, wondering what this sudden imperial decree was about.
Su Yinyin hurriedly straightened her clothes and led everyone to kneel down to receive the imperial decree. The eunuch unfolded the imperial edict and read aloud: "It is now known that Princess Su Yinyin is virtuous and kind, and cares deeply for the common people. Therefore, she is hereby summoned to the palace to accompany the Empress Dowager. This is the imperial decree."
Su Yinyin accepted the imperial edict, her heart filled with joy; the real show was about to begin.
Entering the palace may seem like an honor, but it is actually fraught with hidden dangers, with every step within the palace walls fraught with peril. However, the emperor's command is not to be disobeyed, so he has no choice but to comply.
The eunuch still asked respectfully, "Princess, would you like to enter the palace now?"
"Father-in-law, I will return to my residence to pack my things and then proceed to the palace immediately." Seeing this, Biyu secretly slipped a red envelope to Biyu when no one was looking.
The eunuch touched the red envelope in his hand, beaming. "Princess, please feel free to do as you please. I will go ahead and report to the Empress Dowager."
The eunuch leaped onto the horse and rode away.
Watching the departing figure, Su Nian'an asked anxiously, "Will my eldest sister be in danger on her journey?"
Su Yue and Li Lan held Su Yinyin's hands, their faces full of worry.
Su Yinyin looked at Su Yue and Su Nian'an, understanding their thoughts, and simply said, "After I send you back, do not leave the Su residence until I return. Remember that!"
After the two women agreed, Su Yinyin led them into the carriage and back to the Su residence.
Upon arriving at the Su residence, Su Yinyin briefly recounted her trip to the palace to her maternal grandmother, repeatedly assuring her that there was no danger whatsoever.
Back in her room, she changed into a more formal outfit. Then she picked out some gifts from her storage space.
She instructed Bixia to prepare two large wooden crates. Su Yinyin carefully arranged them neatly.
After everything was prepared, Su Yinyin and Biyu boarded the carriage and headed towards the palace.
Upon entering the palace gate, the guards carefully searched the carriage and luggage, and only allowed them to pass after confirming that everything was in order.
Su Yinyin was brought before the Empress Dowager and gracefully bowed: "Greetings, Empress Dowager. May you enjoy good health and longevity."
The Empress Dowager slightly raised her eyes and looked at Su Yinyin. "Get up. I've heard that you've been doing good deeds outside the palace, and I'm very pleased." Su Yinyin responded humbly.
However, jealousy flashed in the eyes of all the concubines in the harem. The Imperial Concubine spoke first: "Oh, so this is the Princess Su that everyone outside praises. She looks like an ordinary person."
Su Yinyin lowered her head and said respectfully, "This princess is of humble appearance, how dare I compare with the ladies of the court." Although her posture was humble, her words were impeccable.
Another concubine retorted, "The princess is indeed arrogant; she doesn't even bow to me!"
The Empress Dowager, seated on her high throne, watched with a smile as she observed how Su Yinyin would handle the situation. Just yesterday, the Emperor had praised Su Yinyin to the Empress Dowager, calling her an extraordinary woman. Therefore, today she issued her decree.
Su Yinyin was startled, secretly thinking that this fabricated charge was not easy to deal with.
However, she remained calm and composed, and slowly explained, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I paid my respects to the Empress Dowager first, and was momentarily negligent. Please forgive me. However, I am a first-rank princess. May I ask what rank Your Majesty holds?"
Upon hearing this, the concubine's face turned bright red. She was merely a third-rank concubine, yet she dared to attempt to make things difficult for a first-rank princess. She was only asking for trouble.
The concubine snorted, still intending to make things difficult for him.
The Empress Dowager coughed lightly, "Alright, don't make things difficult for the princess anymore."
Seeing that the Empress Dowager had come to everyone's rescue, Su Yinyin said nothing more: "Empress Dowager, Yinyin has brought some gifts. I hope you will accept them."
Su Yinyin's approach is that before knowing whether someone is a friend or foe, she still needs to be adept at social etiquette.
The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "It's rare to see someone so thoughtful." She gestured for the palace maid to accept the gift.
Seeing this, the Imperial Noble Consort thought that Su Yinyin, being a down-on-her-luck person, could not possibly have anything of value, so she said, "What good things has the Princess prepared for the Empress Dowager? May we all have a taste?"
Su Yinyin smiled slightly and looked at the Empress Dowager. Seeing her confidence, and also out of curiosity, the Empress Dowager said, "Open it."
He then gestured to the palace maid to open the box.
As the lid was opened, a delicate fragrance wafted out.
"Your Majesty, this is the Essence-Nourishing Pill that Yinyin carefully selected." Su Yinyin introduced.
The concubines inside the palace craned their necks, eager to catch a glimpse.