Chapter 82 In the Yong'an Marquis's residence, the eunuch should address me as...

Chapter 82

"Mother!"

He Hansheng quickly stepped in to stop the princess from harming herself. He restrained his emotions and gritted his teeth as he said, "Your Majesty is getting on in years, but you still remember the deep bond between sisters. Mother, you are already ill, so please don't upset yourself."

Since He Changxin's death, perhaps out of guilt, or perhaps because the Yong'an Marquis's mansion no longer held any power, Li Bo had been very protective of the Princess and her son. He was He Hansheng's maternal uncle and had always treated him well, which was why He Hansheng had never doubted him before.

Even now, He Hansheng still feels as if he has just woken up from a dream, his mind filled with sorrow, astonishment, and resentment.

That was the Marquis of Yong'an, whom he had personally appointed; the subordinate who had firmly chosen him when he was unknown and who had helped him ascend to the supreme position with his own flesh and blood; the brother he had always called his brother. How could he possibly dare to betray him when the world was just beginning to be at peace and do such an inhumane thing?

"He killed my husband, took advantage of us, a widow and orphan, and had no one to support us. He took back the power that rightfully belonged to my Yong'an Marquis's mansion. Now, seeing the two factions vying for power in the court, he is isolated and helpless, needing you, his own nephew, as his good helper. Yet he pretends to pity you as a sister," the eldest princess said with a desperate sneer. "Does this mean he can cover up his crimes as an emperor who cannot distinguish between loyalty and treachery and who has harmed loyal and virtuous people?"

He Hansheng clenched his fists, trying his best to control himself. "A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. Mother should also recover her health as soon as possible. Before His Majesty suspects you, find a reason to leave Huadu and return to your fiefdom of Jinling, so that you can protect yourself."

The eldest princess closed her eyes and nodded. This was her original plan. Knowing that there was a blood feud between the emperor and the Yong'an Marquis's family, she, as a woman, could not avenge her husband, but she also could not become a burden. With her leaving Huadu, He Hansheng would be able to act more freely.

“Then… Ningning, she…”

The eldest princess hesitated before speaking, observing He Hansheng's expression.

No one knows a son better than his mother. The princess could see what was on He Hansheng's mind. Although he was reserved, his deep affection for Shen Suining was obvious to everyone. If it weren't for the current situation, he would never have been willing to write such a letter of divorce to her, severing all ties.

Seeing his dejected expression, the princess sighed and said with exasperation, "If you're so reluctant to part with him, why pretend to be so magnanimous? You're just like your father! You don't understand women's feelings at all!"

A faint medicinal fragrance emanated from the brazier, which Shen Suining had specially brought to soothe the princess's nerves. After Ming Le sprinkled some in, the princess felt drowsy.

He Hansheng gave Mingxi and Mingle a few instructions and then left quietly.

After leaving the princess's residence, He Hansheng hesitated for a long time before finally asking Jing Yue, "Madam, she..."

Jing Yue looked at him strangely, thinking that the entire Marquis's mansion now knew that Shen Suining wanted to sever ties with him, yet he still called her "Madam".

He Hansheng's heart skipped a beat, and he pursed his lips. "Once she leaves this door, she is Shen Suining. But as long as she comes back, she will always be the lady of my Yong'an Marquis's mansion, understand?"

"Understood, Your Majesty," Jing Yue quickly bowed in response, noticing He Hansheng's displeasure. He glanced at He Hansheng's expression and hesitated before speaking, "Eunuch Wang just came by. It seems His Majesty heard that the Princess was unwell and came to inquire about her. The Lady just... went into the palace with Eunuch Wang."

Upon hearing this, He Hansheng suddenly turned his head, "Who...did you say?"

Half an hour ago.

Shen Suining emerged from the Princess's bedroom with a blank expression. Although everyone in the mansion knew that she had divorced He Hansheng, everyone still treated her with utmost respect, and even their way of addressing her remained unchanged.

At first, Shen Suining would correct him, but as more people came, she became too lazy to say it outright. When she was about to leave the front yard, she bumped into Wang Jingde, the chief eunuch of the emperor.

Shen Suining had never seen Wang Jingde during her previous visits to the palace. The only time she encountered him was when he announced the imperial decree to confer the title of Marquis upon Shen Yan. However, Shen Suining had a deep impression of this man because, although he was a eunuch, he did not always wear a fawning smile like other eunuchs in the palace. On the contrary, he always had a sour face, as if someone owed him money.

Everyone said that Wang Jingde was Li Bo's right-hand man. Although Shen Suining disliked him, she still treated him with respect and took the initiative to step forward, saying, "Eunuch Wang."

Wang Jingde flicked his whisk and bowed slightly, "Princess Tangxi."

Shen Suining frowned slightly. She had explained many times on the way out that Wang Jingde was the only person who addressed her as "Princess" instead of "Madam" without her having to say it.

She was quick to correct him, saying, "In the Yong'an Marquis's residence, you should address me as 'Madam'."

Wang Jingde, who had been by the emperor's side for many years, was a shrewd man. He let out a long "Oh," as if he had suddenly realized something. "Everyone said that Young Marquis He and his wife had divorced, so I changed my tune. It turns out I misunderstood."

Shen Suining explained with a smile, "It's just playful banter, nothing more than marital fun."

“I see,” Wang Jingde said with a forced smile, “I thought that Young Master He was so audacious as to openly defy the imperial decree and disobey the emperor’s will.”

Sensing the warning in Wang Jingde's words, Shen Suining's smile vanished instantly. She then remembered that He Hansheng had previously said that their marriage was bestowed by the emperor, and that a divorce would be disobeying the emperor's will.

Shen Suining lowered her head and chuckled softly, composing herself. "The Princess is unwell today, and He Hansheng is attending to her. She may not be able to come out so soon. Please wait a moment, Eunuch."

After saying that, Shen Suining instructed Ling Rui, who had come with her today, to call He Hansheng.

Wang Jingde stopped her, saying, "It turns out that the Empress Dowager has not seen Her Highness the Eldest Princess for a long time and misses her dearly. She wants to summon Her Highness to Shou Kang Palace to have a private chat. Since Her Highness is unwell, I imagine that the Empress Dowager will be pleased to have Lady Hou accompany her to the palace."

Shen Suining's expression stiffened slightly, and she immediately understood Wang Jingde's purpose in coming today: to take her into the palace, and he deliberately chose a time when the Princess was not doing well.

However, Shen Suining never felt stage fright. Although she didn't know what everyone in the treacherous capital was up to, she simply told Ling Rui to go back first and summoned Xiang Ye and Ming Ke to accompany her into the palace.

This was Shen Suining's second visit to the Empress Dowager's Shou Kang Palace. Although she wasn't exactly an expert, she still knew the basic rules.

She entered the main hall and saw the Empress Dowager sitting above, seemingly having waited for a long time. She knelt down and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Empress Dowager."

"Get up," the Empress Dowager said, seemingly more amiable than before, perhaps because the Empress was not present. She offered Shen Suining a seat. "I have heard that Jinling has been bedridden since the beginning of winter, and his health is even worse than this old lady's. Sheng'er is busy with the court and has no time to come to the inner palace, so I had no choice but to summon you to inquire about him."

Shen Suining thought for a moment and replied, "The imperial physician said that the princess's old illness has flared up and there is nothing serious about it, but she will need some care to recover."

"That's not an old ailment; it's clearly a heart ailment." The Empress Dowager chuckled, as if she had seen through it all along. "Jinling and the Marquis of Yong'an have always been deeply in love. Since his passing, Jinling's health has deteriorated year by year. Now that Sheng'er has finally managed to bring her father's remains back for burial, she is also facing constant strife in the court, making her situation quite difficult. Now that you have married into the Marquis's household, you should share more of the burden with Jinling and Sheng'er."

Shen Suining clenched her hands tightly in her sleeves without saying a word.

The Empress Dowager looked her over, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "How has the Marquis of Pinghuai been lately?"

“Replying to Your Majesty,” Shen Suining lowered her eyes, “I have already married into the Yong’an Marquis’s household, so naturally I am unaware of the Pinghuai Marquis’s movements.”

"You child, you are indeed honest and kind-hearted." The Empress Dowager smiled, but the smile did not reach her eyes at all. Since returning to the capital, the Marquis of Pinghuai had repeatedly made the emperor break the rules. First, he was granted the title of Marquis, and then he was given an official position without any merit, in charge of the deployment of troops in the capital. Even if such an honor was fleeting, it was still unmatched by others. In addition, with this relationship with the Marquis of Yong'an's mansion, she could not allow the Crown Prince's henchmen to seize the opportunity.

Just as the Empress Dowager was about to speak again, a palace maid came to report that Young Marquis He had arrived.

"Look, Sheng'er usually doesn't come to Shou Kang Palace for half a month at a time, but he came here so soon after you were summoned today," the Empress Dowager said with a forced smile, instructing the palace maids to prepare a seat, "Go and invite the young marquis in."

After He Hansheng entered, he also paid his respects to the Empress Dowager. Only after the Empress Dowager spoke did he get up and sit down, shoulder to shoulder with Shen Suining. He was sitting closer to the Empress Dowager.

He glanced at Shen Suining, then turned to the Empress Dowager, "I wonder why Your Majesty has summoned Ningning here?"

"Just a casual chat, showing concern for your mother," the Empress Dowager said, noticing He Hansheng's wariness and finding it somewhat amusing. "What? Am I some kind of monster that could devour your precious wife?"

"That's not what I meant."

As soon as He Hansheng arrived, the Empress Dowager stopped talking about court affairs and chatted about family matters for a while. Suddenly, she remembered something and said, "In previous years, the Winter Solstice Palace Banquet was the liveliest time in the capital. This year, I'm afraid your mother won't be able to come. She'll probably be lonely and sad at home alone. You, as her son and daughter-in-law, should spend more time with her and not let her keep thinking about those sad things with your father."

He Hansheng responded with a "Yes," and the Empress Dowager, feeling somewhat tired, dismissed the two men.

As the two left the palace, Shen Suining refused to walk alongside him, deliberately lagging behind by half a step. When they finally exited the palace gates and He Hansheng turned to look at her, only Xiangye and Mingke were still following behind; Shen Suining had long since disappeared.

He Hansheng stood frozen in place for a moment, then exhaled a breath of white air, seemingly deeply distressed.

He turned and got into the carriage. As soon as he lifted the curtain, he saw the girl sitting inside, leaning against the carriage wall, flipping through some kind of booklet. When He Hansheng got into the carriage, she said without looking up, "I'm going to Lanping Street. Give me a ride if you're going."

He Hansheng's eyes lit up with joy. He tried his best to restrain himself, responded with a "Yes," and then instructed Jiang Yuchu to go to Lanping Street.

Lanping Street is a street connecting Pingjiang Ward and Lanjiang Ward, where the Yong'an Marquis's residence is located. It was here that the Princess used to give alms to commoners.

He Hansheng got into the carriage and sat facing Shen Suining. Since it was probably today that she was going to the palace, she was wearing a royal blue long-sleeved dress with a warm silver-white fox fur cloak over it. Because there was a brazier in the carriage, it was much warmer than outside, so she took off the fox fur cloak and put it aside. Presumably because she was going to meet the disaster victims at the charity site, she specially took off the gorgeous pearl and jade hairpins from her head and put them aside, leaving only a simple hairpin with royal blue tassels that matched the color of her dress.

Shen Suining has always liked these luxurious items, but she rarely uses them to adorn herself. It is probably because the Empress Dowager summoned her today that she did so.

Having a background in martial arts, she always had a dignified and upright posture. Just sitting there, she already possessed an elegant and graceful bearing. Coupled with this outfit, she appeared less charming and naive than usual, and more aloof and unapproachable.

He Hansheng looked at her for a long time, but in the end he couldn't bear to make a sound and disturb her. He was afraid that if he spoke, she would ignore him again.

The carriage creaked and groaned as it moved forward, the tassels on Shen Suining's head swaying gently. She turned a page of the booklet in her hand and suddenly spoke: "So Wang Jingde, who is by the emperor's side, is actually the empress dowager's man."

He Hansheng paused slightly, seemingly not expecting her to speak to him, and even less expecting her to ask about this matter.

He didn't hide anything, and gave a soft "hmm," saying, "Our dynasty has long been wary of the maternal relatives. His Majesty has explicitly forbidden the harem from having any dealings with the court. As a result, the Empress Dowager colluded with the eunuchs around His Majesty to undermine His Majesty's real power."

"That's strange." Shen Suining's family relationships have always been harmonious, so it seems difficult for her to understand this relationship of mutual suspicion and distrust between mother and son.

She didn't even look up. "Is there some kind of grudge between them, mother and son?"

"I wouldn't call it hatred, but there's definitely some resentment."

"How so?"

He Hansheng hesitated for a moment, then asked her, "Do you still remember Princess Biyue?"

"Um."

He Hansheng explained, "Princess Biyue is His Majesty's eldest daughter. Her mother is the Empress Dowager's niece and His Majesty's beloved. Princess Biyue is their only child. In the early years, before His Majesty ascended the throne, he wanted to marry her as his principal wife, but the Empress Dowager believed that Princess Biyue's mother's family could not be of any help to His Majesty at the time, so she forced him to marry the current Empress instead, which led to Princess Biyue's mother dying with resentment. After Princess Biyue passed away, His Majesty almost never went to Shou Kang Palace again."

Moreover, ever since Li Bo's beloved Xu Jin died, the Empress Dowager had always feared that the emperor would settle scores with her once he had gained enough power. From the very beginning of Li Bo's reign, the Empress Dowager began to collude with eunuchs to check and balance the emperor. Later, she used the pretext of raising Prince Zhao to create connections with the previous dynasty and oppose the Crown Prince's faction. The two camps counterbalanced and restrained each other, effectively stripping Li Bo of his real power early on. This is why Li Bo claimed that there were no more loyal ministers in the court, because almost no one was truly his.

After He Hansheng explained the relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, Shen Suining fell silent. She had already obtained the information she wanted, so she treated He Hansheng as if he were invisible.

“Ningning, I…” He Hansheng opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but was ruthlessly interrupted by Shen Suining: “Don’t call me that so intimately.”

She didn't even look at him, as if he were someone completely unrelated to her. "I rode in your carriage because there are too many eyes and ears in the palace, and I didn't want to give anyone cause for gossip. I have nothing to do with you now."