jdhmnovel Chapter 26 Consort De has been demoted!
Chapter 26 Consort De has been demoted!
As the lid of the box was lifted, Su Nuannuan stared in surprise. Inside was the complete set of tools she had longed to use for crafting jewelry! Looking at the dazzling array of tools before her, Su Nuannuan was overjoyed, but at the same time, her doubts grew stronger.
She turned to look at Jinse beside her, her eyes filled with confusion and doubt. She clearly remembered Jinse saying she wouldn't be able to leave the palace again for ten days, so why was she appearing before her in such a short time?
"Your Highness, I was afraid you would worry, so when Zhixiang left the palace today, I had her go back to the manor to deliver a message to the Third Young Master. I didn't expect the Third Young Master to send the things in so quickly."
"That's right! You can't leave the palace for now, but Yaoqin, Tingxue, and Zhixiang can!" After Jinse's reminder, Su Nuannuan suddenly realized and couldn't help but slap her head, saying self-deprecatingly, "Oh dear, how could I be so stupid? I've been so stubborn, only thinking about relying on you to do these things. I'm so utterly foolish!"
Su Nuannuan secretly regretted her previous stubbornness, always focusing on Jinse. She secretly pondered that if there were any matters to handle in the future, she could adopt a shift system to arrange manpower. This would not only reduce the burden on everyone but also improve efficiency. Wouldn't that be a win-win solution?
At this moment, Jinse keenly caught the fleeting change in her mistress's expression and instantly understood Su Nuannuan's thoughts.
So she quickly stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and then cautiously said, "Your Majesty, please forgive my bluntness, but please do not inquire about Xue's intentions. Since she followed Your Majesty into the palace, she has never stepped out of the palace gates. She truly never leaves the inner palace."
Hearing this, Su Nuannuan frowned slightly and asked with a suspicious look, "Why is that?"
Jinse sighed softly and replied, "Your Majesty, Tingxue is a quiet girl by nature and has never liked to join in the fun. She avoids crowded and noisy places like the plague."
"Oh? I see..." Su Nuannuan murmured softly, a modern term suddenly flashing through her mind—"social anxiety disorder." She couldn't help but mutter softly, "Social anxiety disorder..."
However, because the voice was too soft, Jinse couldn't hear what Su Nuannuan said, so she asked curiously, "Your Highness, what did you just say? This servant didn't hear you clearly."
Su Nuannuan snapped out of her daze, quickly waved her hand, and explained with a smile, "Hehe, it's nothing, I was just saying it casually. Since Tingxue doesn't like going out, we don't need to force her in the future. Let her stay in Cuiwei Palace and do what she likes."
"Your Majesty, you don't know, this afternoon Tingxue was overjoyed to receive the pattern for her new clothes from you. She was as happy as if she had found a treasure!"
After she happily returned with the blueprints, she immediately began cutting them out without saying a word. "Jinse described it to Su Nuannuan with a beaming smile.
Su Nuannuan was intently checking the contents of the box when she heard Jinse say this. She smiled slightly and replied casually, "Anyway, there aren't that many busy matters to handle in our Cuiwei Palace on weekdays. Let her tinker with it herself; it'll help her pass the time."
Then, Su Nuannuan raised her head and instructed Li Quan, who was waiting to the side, "Li Quan, tomorrow you should send someone to clean up the east wing and move all these tools inside and put them away properly."
Li Quan quickly bowed and replied, "Yes, Your Highness, this servant obeys. Oh, by the way, there is one more thing to report to you. The Third Young Master said that the various kinds of feathers you requested will probably not be delivered for a while."
Su Nuannuan waved her hand lightly, saying nonchalantly, "It's alright, there's no rush."
"It's getting late, you should all go back to your rooms and rest!" After saying that, he stood up and gestured for Li Quan and the others to carry the things away.
Upon seeing this, Jinse quickly stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said, "Your Majesty, this servant will be on night duty tonight. If Your Majesty has any needs, please feel free to call upon this servant."
Su Nuannuan smiled and nodded in agreement, "Okay, I understand." Then, everyone dispersed.
The night passed quietly. The next morning, sunlight streamed into the room through the window. Su Nuannuan slowly woke up, and with the help of Yaoqin and Jinse, she washed and dressed before enjoying a sumptuous breakfast.
After she finished eating to her heart's content, just as she was about to get up and go to the vegetable garden to check on the growth of the fruits and vegetables, suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from afar.
Before Su Nuannuan could fully stand up, Li Quan rushed in like a gust of wind. He was panting heavily, his face was flushed, and his forehead was covered with large beads of sweat.
Seeing Li Quan in such a disheveled state, Su Nuannuan couldn't help but frown slightly and gently scolded him, "Li Quan, how many times have I told you not to be so rash and hasty in your actions? You should be more composed."
Hearing Su Nuannuan's rebuke, Li Quan quickly stopped and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. He then said, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Consort De has been demoted! Not only has the Emperor stripped her of her title, but she has also been demoted directly from the rank of Consort to the rank of Noble Lady."
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan immediately looked surprised and quickly asked, "You said that Consort De was stripped of her title and demoted to Noble Lady? What exactly happened? How could she be demoted so suddenly without any reason? Could something particularly serious have happened in Qixiang Palace?"
Li Quan composed himself and then replied, "Your Majesty, as far as I know, this morning, Consort De—no, I should now call her Noble Lady Li—for some unknown reason, attacked the two young princes, and her attack was extremely vicious."
Just then, the Emperor, who had just finished the morning court session, went to Qixiang Palace and happened to witness this scene. Enraged, the Emperor immediately ordered that Consort De's title be stripped and her status demoted to Noble Lady.
Su Nuannuan nodded thoughtfully, then asked with a puzzled look, "Since the Emperor went to Qixiang Palace, didn't anyone inform him beforehand? That way, at least the Emperor could have been prevented from witnessing this heartbreaking scene."
"It was because the Emperor did not have anyone inform us in advance that we happened to witness that disgusting scene. According to the two wet nurses who were in charge of taking care of the prince, Consort De, no, she is now Consort Li."
According to the two wet nurses, whenever Consort Li was in a bad mood, she would vent her anger on the two poor little princes. Her cruelty was appalling! The two wet nurses tried to stop her, but not only did they fail, they were also beaten and punished by Consort Li.
As they spoke, the two wet nurses rolled up their sleeves, revealing their arms covered in bruises and welts to the Emperor. At the same time, they carefully lifted a corner of the young princes' clothing, allowing the Emperor to see the shocking injuries with his own eyes.
For this reason, the Emperor was furious and immediately ordered that Consort De be demoted to the rank of Noble Lady.
"His Majesty still truly loves Consort Li! Even after all this, he only demoted her to the rank of Noble Lady." Su Nuannuan couldn't help but purse her lips and say.
“Your Majesty, that’s not all,” Li Quan quickly added. “Besides being demoted, the Emperor also decreed that Consort Li be confined to the palace for a year to reflect on her mistakes and that she be stripped of her right to raise the two princes. Right now, the two princes have been sent to the Empress Dowager.”