jdhmnovel Chapter 246 Extra 22
Chapter 246 Extra 22
Having weathered yet another storm together, the family is now even more harmonious, loving, and joyful. Even Consort Qin and Zisu have grown closer and more trusting of each other.
It is said that the Shangguan Mufeng and Yu Zhe families, out of concern for Zisu, both came to the Prince's Mansion at the same time.
Jin'er was extremely worried and anxious. Upon seeing Madam Yu, she could no longer hold back and rushed to her, tears streaming down her face: "Grandma, Father has been imprisoned! Grandmother and Mother have gone to kneel at the palace gates. Waaah..."
Madam Yu couldn't help but burst into tears, and comforted him through her sobs, "Good child, don't worry too much. With your father's merits, the Emperor shouldn't do anything to him."
However, she was unaware that her daughter and Consort Qin had gone to kneel at the palace gate.
Jin'er cried, and Hua'er and her younger siblings also burst into tears. Before, they had tried their best to hold back their tears, but now that they had seen their relatives, they could no longer suppress them.
Shangguan Mufeng bent down and picked up Lang'er. His eyes didn't seem to be brimming with tears, but as a grown man and the pillar of the family, he naturally couldn't cry out loud. Moreover, unlike the others, he wasn't pessimistic. He believed that as long as the Emperor Emeritus was willing to intervene, the matter wouldn't be so serious.
Prince Duan will probably be released in a few days.
The fact that Consort Qin and Zisu knelt at the palace gate will surely alarm the Empress. The Empress is a good person, and she has always had a good relationship with Zisu. He believes that the Empress will not stand idly by and will definitely seek the Empress Dowager's help. Once the Empress Dowager finds out, the Emperor Emeritus will naturally find out as well.
Unexpectedly, at noon, they received tremendous good news.
Prince Duan is back! Although he looks disheveled, he is not injured, which is wonderful news.
The children rushed forward, surrounding Prince Duan and calling out "Father!" repeatedly. Lang'er even clung tightly to his father's leg, wailing, "Father, it's so good you're back! Where's Grandmother? Where's Mother? Where did they go? Why haven't they come back yet?"
Prince Duan was greatly alarmed and hurriedly asked Jin'er, "Where are your grandmother and mother?"
Jin'er smiled faintly at her father: "Father, don't worry, Grandmother and Mother went to kneel at the palace gate. I sent someone to check on them, and they are both fine." In this kind of weather, there is no scorching sun, but it's just that the knees are suffering.
Prince Duan was shocked: "Why are you kneeling at the palace gate? I'll go and bring them back right now!" With that, he headed towards the stables.
Just then, Lichun rushed back: "Your Highness, the Dowager Consort and the Princess Consort have been personally invited by the Empress to the palace to rest. There's nothing wrong with them. The Princess Consort sent me back to report, so please don't worry! They will return to the Prince's residence once the Dowager Consort has rested enough! Her Majesty instructed everyone not to go looking for them, lest it arouse the Emperor's suspicion again."
Shangguan Mufeng also advised, "You've just returned. Go take a bath and change your clothes. Zisu might be back after lunch."
Prince Duan must not have had lunch while he was in prison, right?
Prince Duan looked at his wrinkled clothes, thought for a moment, and finally nodded: "Alright, then I will go to bathe and change first. If they haven't returned by the time I finish eating, I will go to the palace to fetch them."
As a result, after the meal, Zisu and Consort Qin had not returned.
Prince Duan couldn't sit still any longer: "No, I have to go to the palace. Who knows if the Emperor will make things difficult for the two of them!"
Shangguan Mufeng quickly advised, "Yesterday you disobeyed the imperial decree. It's best not to linger in front of the Emperor, otherwise, Zisu and the Empress Dowager's situation will probably become even worse! Who knows, the Emperor might arrest you again in a fit of anger!"
Upon hearing this, Lang'er immediately hugged his father's leg again: "Father, Lang'er won't let you go. I'll stay home and wait for Mother and Grandmother. Mother is so smart, she'll be alright!"
Hearing the child's innocent words, Yu Zhe, who had been very worried about Zisu, couldn't help but laugh: "Lang'er is right, you should stay at home! Wait a little longer, and if they still haven't returned by dark, I'll go to the palace with you!"
Prince Duan looked anxious: "No, I'll wait at the palace gate!"
Just then, Lixin brought over a young eunuch: "Your Highness, this is Eunuch Liu from the palace, an eunuch from Kunning Palace. He's here to help the Princess deliver a message."
Prince Duan quickly smiled at the young eunuch and said, "You've worked hard, sir. Please sit down and have a cup of tea!"
Little Eunuch Liu waved his hand: "I have to rush back to the palace, so I won't sit down any longer. Her Highness the Princess sent me to inform you that Consort Qin is taking a nap in the palace. Once she wakes up, I will return with her. Please don't worry, Your Highness!"
After hearing his words, everyone's mood brightened considerably.
After seeing the young eunuch off, Shangguan Mufeng said to Prince Duan, "Now you can rest assured. You don't need to personally pick up Zisu and the others. During this time, you should avoid wandering around the palace. Just send Lichun with a few people to wait at the palace gate. Once Zisu and the Empress Dowager come out, escort them back!"
Lang'er hugged his father's leg again: "Father, listen to Grandpa, don't go wandering around the palace anymore, lest the Emperor arrest you again. I miss you, Father, I don't want you to be thrown into jail again! I heard there are fleas and rats in the prison, how scary!"
Prince Duan smiled helplessly, bent down and picked him up: "Alright, Father will listen to Lang'er and Grandpa and won't go to the palace! Father will stay at home with little Lang'er. Little Lang'er, be a good boy and practice your calligraphy. Father won't go anywhere!"
Zisu returned home, and everyone's hearts were finally at ease.
After dinner, Shangguan Mufeng and Yu Zhe took their families home.
Prince Duan knelt before Consort Qin: "Mother, I'm sorry to have troubled you today. It's all my fault."
Consort Qin sighed, "It's not your fault at all. It's clearly the Emperor who's confused. He's so young, yet he's done such a foolish thing. In my opinion, he's not as good as his father, who was completely manipulated by a woman."
Back then, although the Emperor Emeritus had bestowed a concubine upon Prince Duan, it was out of affection for his nephew, and it was at her insistence. Now, the Emperor has granted Prince Duan a woman, only to have her manipulate him.
The current emperor has such a wonderful empress, yet he doesn't cherish her; instead, he's taken in over a hundred women. He must have slept with countless palace maids without official titles as well. If this continues, he'll be ruined by women sooner or later.
Zisu quickly lowered her voice: "Mother, don't say such things. You should know that walls have ears." Who knows if there are any of the Emperor's spies in the Prince Duan's mansion?
Consort Qin lowered her voice: "I understand, I won't speak ill of the Emperor in the future, but today I was really angry. I feel very uncomfortable if I don't say something."
Prince Duan couldn't help but laugh: "It's fine to say a word or two occasionally, but it's best not to say a single word in front of outsiders. His Majesty is not the retired emperor, and he won't have much patience or tolerance for Prince Duan's family."
He and the Emperor were merely cousins from different branches of the family. But to the Emperor Emeritus, he was like a nephew to him, as if he were his own son. This was, of course, quite different.
Zisu couldn't help but sigh.
Everyone faces various troubles in life. For example, poor families worry about food, drink, and the lack of money to send their children to school. The Prince Duan's mansion, though wealthy and powerful, harbors an even greater crisis, constantly worrying whether the Emperor will take action against it.
No one can be perfect in this world!
After this incident, Prince Duan realized that he needed to reduce his publicly known businesses, but the strength of his secret guard organization had to be increased.
That's right, he did cut a large portion of those shops, but he kept the more profitable ones under wraps, not completely letting go of them. He and Zisu had naturally discussed this matter, and Zisu agreed.
Prince Duan and Zisu discussed: "We must strengthen our secret guards and prepare several hidden places. In case things go wrong, our family will have a way out."
Zisu: "You're right. I think we can start with the Charity Hall to manage the Dark Guards' manpower."
Prince Duan nodded: "Very good, just as I thought. Our charity hall can take in a large number of orphans, and select those with good character and martial arts talent from among them, and train them vigorously. In time, they will become our most loyal and capable assistants!"
Zisu: "You'll have to worry about this a bit more; I don't really know much about it." The main reason is that she lacks talent in martial arts and can't personally train anyone in that area. As a bodyguard, one naturally needs to be highly skilled in martial arts; otherwise, how can they protect their master?
Prince Duan said, "Very well, I will personally select talents and entrust the specific task of cultivating talents to Lixin. I will also supervise and improve the process from time to time, and strive to cultivate a group of people in the shortest possible time."
Zisu nodded: "Yes, the children all lack loyal and skilled guards. Especially female warriors, they are in very short supply. It's not a big deal now that the children are young, but when Jin'er gets married, she will definitely take some capable people with her. At that time, there won't be any suitable female warriors to protect Yu'er!"
Currently, Jin'er and Yu'er share several maids. When Jin'er's family goes to other people's homes, they will definitely prioritize Jin'er's needs, since there are many uncertainties involved, and there might be life-threatening dangers from her husband's family.
Prince Duan: "I know, I will work harder to train a few good female warriors in the shortest possible time. Now, you don't need to worry too much. After all, the children are all at Wuliping Academy, and everyone can share guards. Moreover, with Shen Laihui and Xia Tian in charge at Wuliping, it is relatively safer than the Prince's Mansion."
After the controversy surrounding Prince Duan's defiance of the imperial decree subsided, Yu Han came to the Prince's residence.
Zisu asked with concern, "Han'er, what are your thoughts now? Do you want to stay in the capital, or do you want to take up a post outside the capital?"
Yu Han said, "Elder sister, I want to go to take up a post outside the capital. If I stay in the capital, I will have to go home every day. Although Princess Jiahe is nice, I feel that I will feel pressured to face her every day."
Zisu nodded: "How about I, as your eldest sister, decide to give you a separate share of the family property?"
Yu Han shook her head: "Eldest sister, if Princess Jiahe is not good, I can also propose to separate the family. However, the problem is that she is actually quite good. If I propose to separate the family, it will definitely put a lot of pressure on Father and Grandmother. I think it's better to forget it. I will go to serve in a post outside the capital for a few years. When I return to the capital, I can get married. It will be easier to separate the family after I get married."
Zisu couldn't help but sigh. On the surface, Princess Jiahe treated Yu Han well, but in reality, there wasn't much genuine affection. Most of it was just for show, for Yu Zhe's benefit. Yu Han, being such a smart child, naturally could sense whether someone was truly sincere towards her.
“Actually, you’re not young anymore, you can get married!” Zisu said.
Yu Han: "Big sister, I haven't met anyone I like yet. I want to wait two more years. If I meet someone I really like who also truly loves me, that would be better. If I still haven't met anyone I like after two years, please help me choose a good girl!"
Zisu smiled with relief: "Good child, I promise you! If you have a girl you like, you must tell me, and I'll help you choose. Nowadays, there are many girls who are two-faced. You can't judge a book by its cover. If you fall for someone, you must thoroughly investigate her background and temperament before deciding whether to be with her!"