Сonsort Сhеn did nоt sреak, but her heаrt wаs pounding. Shе had quite а bit оf silvеr оn hаnd, аnd The Еmperor had given her mаnу rewаrds, but the Sеvеnth Рrinсe’s ехреnsеs werе enormous, аnd hеr own sаvings had long sincе dwindled to аlmost nothing. Nоw, this thоusаnd tаеls оf silvеr was alrеаdy а vеrу frugal sum, уet nоt оnly had it fаilеd to hеlp the Sevеnth Prince, but it hаd аlsо endеd up being wastеd. Аlthоugh the Еmрrеss Dоwаgеr said suсh things, shе had nеver givеn her anу subsidies—сlеаrly, shе wаs а misеr as well. Aftеr cursing a few times in her hеart, she seсretly mаde uр hеr mind: it seеmed she would have to think of some way to get money.
“This concubine is shortsighted. Please do not take offense, Mother Empress,” she said.
The Empress Dowager lowered her eyes, appearing somewhat weary. “You may leave now. This old one is feeling a bit tired.”
Consort Chen quickly stood up and took her leave. After she had gone, the Empress Dowager’s attendant hurriedly draped a blanket over her, only to see her eyes wide open, not a trace of weariness in her expression.
“Sacrificing the pawn to save the king,” she said.
After returning to her palace, Consort Chen naturally threw a huge tantrum, sweeping all the utensils and cups on the table to the floor with a loud crash. The palace maids around her dared not even breathe loudly, afraid of provoking this imperial consort in any way.
“Zhuang Hanyan,” she gritted her teeth. To think she had managed to escape. That old woman, the Empress Dowager, only knew how to put on a hypocritical show of authority but refused to produce any silver. As long as Little Seventh becomes emperor… as long as he becomes emperor! Consort Chen’s expression gradually softened, replaced by an innate sense of superiority. She sat down as if she were the most noble woman in the world, casting a sharp glance at a palace maid nearby. “What are you still standing there for? Pour tea for this consort!”
The young palace maid hurriedly went to pour tea for her. The newly tributed Junshan Silver Needle tea filled the air with its fragrance. She took a small sip, lifting her little finger. Only two jars of this tea had been tributed in total—one for The Emperor himself to drink, and the other in her palace. Even the Empress had not gotten any. What did it matter if she was the head of the six palaces? The Emperor’s favorite was still her, this imperial consort. Thinking of this, she said, “Send someone to inform The Emperor. Tonight, this consort will personally cook a few good dishes for His Majesty.”
She had always been favored, acting arrogantly and domineeringly, and she could ignore the rules as she pleased. The palace maid quickly agreed and left. Consort Chen took a few more sips of tea before setting down her cup. “Prepare hot water. This consort wishes to bathe.”
Xuan Qing Prince’s Mansion.
When Zhuang Hanming arrived, Han Yan was sunbathing in the courtyard.
After all the commotion yesterday, she felt extremely weak today. Fu Yunxi had instructed the maids to take good care of her, but Han Yan could not bear the idleness and was worried about Ji Lan and Shu Hong, so she left her room on her own.
The servants in the mansion treated Han Yan with great respect, addressing her as “Princess Consort” at every turn. Han Yan felt somewhat uneasy; the way they looked at her was as if she were the mistress of Xuan Qing Prince’s Mansion. Ji Lan and Shu Hong had only suffered superficial injuries, fortunately not affecting their bones or tendons. Yesterday, after the two men saw Han Yan leave, they no longer paid attention to Ji Lan and the others. After shaking them off, the two men hurried away. Later, the guards of Xuan Qing Prince’s Mansion found them and brought them to the mansion."Miss, the young master was truly impressive," Ji Lan said. "Yesterday in that situation, initially the Empress Dowager and the others wouldn't let the guards take us away, saying we were suspicious characters. But the guard by the young master's side directly produced a jade token, and those people didn't dare utter another word." Ji Lan had always been clever. Last night when the guards were conducting extensive searches in the palace, the Empress Dowager seemed to be in a great rage. She had thought that she and Shu Hong, as mere maidservants, might die in the palace. Since the Empress Dowager dared to act against Han Yan, she naturally wouldn't be kind to the two of them. How many people in the world would oppose someone like the Empress Dowager for the sake of two maidservants? Yet the guard said: "By the Prince's command, not a single hair on the people by the Princess's side may be harmed. They must be brought back exactly as they are. The people of the Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion are not to be disciplined by outsiders."
The Empress Dowager instantly turned pale with anger, yet she could do nothing but watch as she and Shu Hong were taken away by the people from the Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion. Ji Lan not only felt gratitude toward Fu Yunxi as her savior, but more importantly, seeing how he protected even the servants by her mistress's side, this Xuan Qing Prince was surely someone who shielded his own. With him, her mistress would not have to worry about suffering grievances in the future.
Han Yan tapped her forehead. "You've just recovered from your injuries and already you're so eloquent. You and Shu Hong should go lie down for a while longer." After last night's events, Han Yan was still shaken. If those people wanted to target those around her, she truly couldn't guard against everything. This Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion was indeed a very safe place. If she were to lose her loved ones again in this lifetime, Han Yan could not bear it.
"Young Master?" Shu Hong called softly from the side.
Han Yan turned her head to see Zhuang Hanming walking anxiously toward them. When he saw Han Yan, he called out, "Sister!" and tears welled up in his eyes.
Han Yan sighed inwardly. Between family, how could grudges last overnight? Although Zhuang Hanming had been at odds with her a few days ago, feeling hurt and sorrowful, once time passed, he had cast it aside. It was truly unnecessary to let a stranger damage the harmony between siblings. Reaching out to pat his head, Han Yan asked softly, "What brings you here?"
Zhuang Hanming could no longer hold back his tears. "I heard from brother-in-law about what happened last night. Sister, that Empress Dowager in the palace is too wicked. Now you must be careful in everything. I... I was terrified..."
He was still just a child after all. Han Yan felt a mix of emotions as she raised her hand to wipe away his tears. "I'm fine." Her gaze then fell upon Ying Zi, who was following behind Zhuang Hanming. Ying Zi happened to glance up and sneak a look at her, but upon meeting Han Yan's eyes, she immediately lowered her head to stare at her own toes.
Zhuang Hanming also noticed Han Yan's attention on Ying Zi and subtly shifted his body to shield her from view. Han Yan saw this and a cold smile flickered in her heart. This Ying Zi was truly not simple. Now Zhuang Hanming trusted her immensely, even bringing this maid along when entering the Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion. However, at the moment, she didn't want to argue with Zhuang Hanming over Ying Zi, so she changed the subject.
Zhuang Hanming had been tense, fearing Han Yan would make things difficult for Ying Zi. Seeing Han Yan steer the conversation elsewhere, he eagerly seized the opportunity to respond. Just then, Fu Yunxi's maid brought tea. Han Yan had her set it down there, and Ji Lan began pouring tea for Han Yan. At that moment, Ying Zi also stepped forward, seemingly intending to serve tea to Zhuang Hanming.Just then, a cry of "Oh no!" rang out. Han Yan turned to see Ying Zi's front garment soaked through, her hand steaming and bright red—clearly scalded by overturned tea. Before Han Yan could speak, Zhuang Hanming stood up. "Are you all right?" he asked, then loudly scolded Ji Lan, "How could you be so careless? Clumsy like this, what use are you staying in the manor? Better to send you away!"
Ji Lan was stunned, never expecting such a turn of events. Yet she had always held Zhuang Hanming in high regard. "Young Master... it wasn't me..."
OpenNovel