jdhmnovel Chapter 151 Slapped by a Fish
Chapter 151 Slapped by a Fish
The July weather was scorching hot, with the intense sunlight relentlessly drenching the earth, but this did not affect Su Nuannuan's comfortable life in the palace in the slightest.
On this day, Li Quanxing returned to the palace in high spirits, carrying a full bucket of lively grass carp.
He had barely stepped into the courtyard, and before he could even catch his breath, he was immediately surrounded by two adorable little ones who had just finished their class.
"Grandpa Li, I want to see the fish!" The two little ones were so excited that they waved their arms and legs and shouted happily around Li Quan.
Seeing this, Granny Jin and Granny Ru, who were following behind them, quickly stepped forward and coaxed them softly, "Your Highness, these fish are for lunch. Why don't we go play something else fun?"
However, the two little ones shook their heads vigorously, shouting in unison, "Oh no, we want to see the fish!"
Seeing this, Granny Ru's eyes lit up, and she had a sudden inspiration. With a smile, she suggested, "How about this, Granny Ru will take you to the lotus pond to see the fish? There are lots and lots of beautiful fish there."
To everyone's surprise, Canglan Jingcheng shook his head without hesitation, pouted, and said, "Oh no, all the fish in the lotus pond are hiding under the lotus leaves, so we can't see them at all."
Meanwhile, Canglan Jingyao blinked her big, watery eyes and looked at Granny Ru seriously, saying in a childish voice, "Mother said we can't go to places like the lotus pond or the water's edge, lest bad people push us into the water."
Granny Jin and Granny Ru exchanged bewildered glances, their faces filled with disbelief. They never imagined that their mistress would teach the children such things; she was truly prescient!
It should be noted that when Su Nuannuan teaches the children, apart from Jinse or Yaoqin who can serve her, everyone else can only wait quietly outside the pavilion.
Only when the lessons were scheduled in the side hall could Granny Jin and Granny Ru wait outside.
With a beaming smile, Li Quan spoke softly to the two children, "Your Highnesses, may this old servant first pour these fish into that large basin?"
"Eunuch Li, hurry up!" The two little ones were so excited when they heard that Li Quan was going to pour the fish from the bucket into the big basin that they danced around with excitement and kept clapping their hands to urge him on.
Before long, Li Quan steadily brought over a huge wooden basin. He carefully poured the lively grass carp from the bucket into it. Instantly, water splashed everywhere, eliciting another burst of cheers from the two little ones.
"Wow! This fish is huge!" Canglan Jingyao stared wide-eyed at the enormous grass carp in the wooden basin and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
Su Nuannuan sat leisurely on a chair to the side, a smile on her lips, her gaze tender as she watched the joyful scene before her.
At this moment, Li Quan quickly walked up to Su Nuannuan, bowed slightly, and respectfully reported, "Your Majesty, these fish were specially sent to you by Steward Wang of the Imperial Palace as a tribute."
"This Steward Wang is really thoughtful. But did he make any special requests of you?" Su Nuannuan asked softly, casually playing with the lotus leaf in her hand.
"Your Majesty, really...no! Steward Wang only said that this was specially prepared to honor Your Majesty, and even a portion was sent to the Empress Dowager." Upon hearing Su Nuannuan's question, Li Quan's heart tightened, and a layer of fine sweat instantly appeared on his forehead. If he hadn't been holding back, he probably would have knelt down on the spot.
"Your Highness, it's just a few fish. Surely Steward Wang wouldn't have such thoughts," Yaoqin, who was standing to the side, said, offering a pair of exquisite, finely crafted scissors.
Su Nuannuan took the scissors Yaoqin handed her, gently stroking the exquisite patterns on them, and slowly said, "Don't underestimate these fish. As the saying goes, 'He who takes a bribe is bound to be grateful.' This once or twice is fine, but if this happens too often, it will cause big problems sooner or later. As a person, you must never take chances and think that accepting small favors occasionally is harmless."
“Your Majesty is absolutely right. Then… then if Steward Wang sends us gifts again next time, should we just refuse them and not accept them?” Li Quan carefully bowed and asked Su Nuannuan for instructions.
"Of course we'll accept it! How could we not? But we can't just accept it directly like we did today; we need to find a different way."
"The key is to make sure that you don't annoy people, but also make them happy to accept the money." Su Nuannuan held a pair of delicate scissors and skillfully cut the emerald green lotus leaves into slender, silk-like shapes, while slowly saying these words.
Standing to the side, Li Quan nodded in understanding and quickly replied, "This servant understands."
At this moment, Su Nuannuan stopped what she was doing, looked up at Li Quan, and continued earnestly, "Remember, we're not short of money. Any trouble that can be solved with money isn't a big problem."
But once this debt of gratitude is incurred, it's not so easy to repay. We're different from the Empress Dowager; no matter how much others show filial piety to her, it's all perfectly natural and expected.
After hearing this, Li Quan once again bowed deeply to Su Nuannuan with utmost respect, and said with heartfelt admiration, "This servant has learned a great deal."
Did Li Quanneng not understand the principles Su Nuannuan was talking about? The answer is naturally no. He understood them perfectly well. He was just momentarily blinded by greed and confused.
He had thought it was only natural for his subordinates to be filial to their master. Now, after Su Nuannuan's guidance, he suddenly realized that he had almost made a grave mistake.
Most people would have accepted this act of filial piety without hesitation, but Su Nuannuan didn't want to cause herself any unnecessary trouble. After all, it's better to avoid trouble, and resolving the issue with money is always the best option.
Just then, a sudden cry rang out.
The crying came from Canglan Jingcheng, a heart-wrenching cry that seemed to shatter the entire palace. Immediately afterward, Su Nuannuan heard her daughter's furious rebuke: "How dare you cry? Look how much you hurt it! No wonder it's hitting you!"
Not long after, Granny Jin, looking flustered and walking hurriedly, carried the still sobbing Cang Lan Jingcheng to Su Nuannuan and reported to her, "Your Highness, the Fifth Prince... he was slapped hard by a grass carp's tail." At this moment, the left side of Cang Lan Jingcheng's originally chubby little face had become red and swollen.
Su Nuannuan quickly gestured to Granny Jin to put the wailing Cang Lan Jingcheng down, and then carefully examined her son's injured face. She then hurriedly instructed Granny Jin to quickly fetch some ointment to reduce swelling and relieve pain.
A moment later, Granny Jin rushed back with the ointment in her hands. She immediately knelt down, her face full of guilt and self-reproach, and said, "Your Highness, it is all my fault. I failed to take good care of His Highness. Please punish me."