jdhmnovel Chapter 62 Preparing to Return to the Palace
Chapter 62 Preparing to Return to the Palace
Days flow by quietly, like a gentle stream. Before we know it, the long days have passed in a flash, and the end of the month is upon us.
Just then, a message spread like wildfire throughout the palace—the Empress had issued a decree that in three days, everyone would embark on their journey home and return to the palace.
This means that the summer retreat has come to an end this year, and those who enjoyed the coolness and tranquility of summer will return to the hustle and bustle of court life.
However, although the summer retreat was nearing its end, the palace had been rife with turmoil and incidents in the preceding two weeks.
The most eye-catching incident was when Consort Qing was framed and nearly lost the Emperor's favor. Unexpectedly, the source of this turmoil was Consort Qing's secret instigation of Consort Li, attempting to harm Su Nuannuan.
Initially, Su Nuannuan was completely unaware of the intricate reasons behind this. If Li Quan hadn't later reported the details, she probably wouldn't have been able to guess, even racking her brains, why Consort Li would suddenly turn against Consort Qing. It turned out that it was all because Consort Qing harbored ill intentions, attempting to use Consort Li to suppress her.
Fortunately, at the crucial moment, Consort Li heeded the advice of her attendant, Granny Guo, and stopped her further provocations. Otherwise, if the situation had been allowed to escalate, given Su Nuannuan's personality, she certainly wouldn't have let it go and would have personally taught those who dared to offend her children a lesson. After all, in Su Nuannuan's heart, any attempt to harm her children was an unforgivable crime punishable by death.
Having experienced this incident, Su Nuannuan deeply understood the treacherous and cunning nature of palace intrigue. Even if she didn't participate in palace politics herself, to protect herself, she decisively instructed Li Quan to strengthen surveillance of the various palaces, ensuring meticulous observation and prevention of any potential problems. Only in this way could she remain undefeated in this turbulent palace situation.
Secondly, Consort Jiang indeed caused quite a stir. However, what was unexpected was that the target of her disturbance was none other than the Princess Consort of Qi.
In just ten days, Consort Jiang arrogantly demanded that Princess Qi kneel in the courtyard under the scorching sun or in torrential rain as many as eleven times. Such behavior truly provided ample entertainment for the entire harem.
At first, everyone just watched with the mentality of enjoying the show, but as the situation escalated, even the King of Qi couldn't sit still and had to humble himself and personally beg the Empress.
Seeing this, the Empress did not shirk her responsibility and did try to mediate. Although on the surface the farce seemed to have been temporarily quelled, who could really know what they were thinking? In any case, the Empress had never bothered to delve into such scheming and intrigue.
At this moment, Yaoqin, who was tidying up her things, couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle, saying, "In my opinion, Princess Qi must be regretting it to the core right now. If she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have pushed her half-sister to the Emperor in the first place."
Su Nuannuan, who was sitting upright in the armchair, shook her head slightly and sighed, "I thought Princess Qi would be a smart person, but I never expected her to be so foolish. If you ask me, the best course of action is to keep this half-sister firmly under our control. But she actually sent her half-sister to the Emperor's bed herself. Now look what she's done, she's brought such a big trouble upon herself."
Indeed, the reason why Consort Jiang was fortunate enough to become the current emperor's woman was because of her so-called good elder sister—Princess Qi.
Who could have predicted that Princess Qi would end up shooting herself in the foot, and in a rather painful way at that?
However, Li Quan still hasn't figured out exactly what items Princess Qi presented to Prince Qi on their wedding night.
Just then, a shout of "Ya! Ya!" suddenly rang out, which came from Cang Lan Jingcheng.
Upon hearing her beloved son's voice, Su Nuannuan quickly stood up and hurried towards the direction where Su Yueniang was.
Looking at Cang Lan Jingcheng again, he had already impatiently spread his arms and reached out towards Su Nuannuan, like a little bird eager to return to its nest.
"Fifth Prince, don't worry." Su Yueniang held Canglan Jingcheng tightly while gently comforting him. She was very nervous, afraid that she might accidentally drop the Fifth Prince in her arms.
However, Cang Lan Jingcheng refused to listen to advice and shouted anxiously, "Ah!"
Seeing this, Su Nuannuan quickly smiled and replied, "Alright, alright, Mother, come and hug my little baby!" With that, she reached out and took the adorable son who was rushing towards her from Su Yueniang's arms.
After Su Nuannuan held her son securely, Su Yueniang carefully released her hands. Then, Su Nuannuan began asking Su Yueniang about details such as her son's usual milk intake and whether his bowel movements and urination were normal.
Su Yueniang dared not be negligent in the slightest, and reported in detail: how many times the child drank milk each day, how much he drank each time; when he defecated and urinated, and the color and state of his feces and urine, etc. Su Nuannuan listened attentively, nodding gently from time to time to show her approval.
"Your Highness, the little princess is still fast asleep, so Honglian didn't bring her over." As she finished speaking, Su Yueniang seemed to suddenly remember something and quickly explained on Honglian's behalf.
"Oh? That's rare! Usually these two little ones wake up almost at the same time, but today is different." Su Nuannuan said with a smile, gently bouncing her son in her arms.
After a brief pause, Su Nuannuan looked down at her quiet and well-behaved son in her arms, then looked up at Su Yueniang and continued to ask, "Have Cheng'er and Yao'er's things been packed?" After saying that, she carried her son and moved to sit down on the small couch next to her.
"Your Majesty, apart from the daily necessities, the rest of the less frequently used items have been mostly sorted out," Su Yueniang replied respectfully.
Just then, Jinse hurriedly entered the room, curtsied to Su Nuannuan, and reported, "Your Highness, Eunuch Li sent me to ask you if the items in the east wing have been packed up?"
"I will pack up those things myself in a little while. Once they're packed, I can put them on my carriage on the day I leave."
"Yes, ma'am."
The item in the east wing is currently a half-finished kingfisher feather phoenix crown. Although it hasn't been assembled yet, anyone with a discerning eye can tell what it is. Therefore, the fewer people who know about it, the better; she doesn't want to cause herself unnecessary trouble because of a birthday gift.