Chapter 128 Stubborn to the end, Nan Ke teases his grandfather

"Just what?"

Seeing that Shen Cong had suddenly stopped and remained silent for a long time, Er Feng couldn't help but press him for an answer.

The night wind made the lanterns on the palace wall sway incessantly, and Shen Cong, hidden in the shadows, could not see the expression on his face.

His voice came after a long while, very soft, with a faint hint of laughter.

"I just want to see what kind of path this little girl will take. If she gets ruined now, it might take away some of the fun."

Erfeng pursed his lips and muttered under his breath.

"Your Highness is clearly kind-hearted, but your mouth is as hard as stone. Sooner or later you'll suffer the consequences of your stubbornness."

Shen Cong narrowed his eyes slightly.

"What did you say?"

Erfeng chuckled and made a sealing gesture.

Shen Cong handed him the stove and continued walking slowly forward.

Startled, Erfeng instinctively moved to stand upwind.

"Your Highness, it's the beginning of autumn, and the night breeze is getting cool."

Shen Cong tucked his hands into his cloak and gave a soft "hmm".

"Put the hand warmer away."

Perhaps we should try the method that girl suggested.

Shen Cong walked slowly for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, feeling so cold that he shivered all over, and then coughed up a mouthful of blood before finally getting into the sedan chair.

He closed his eyes, leaned back on the soft couch, adjusted his breathing, and gave instructions to Erfeng outside.

"The Empress Dowager will probably send the Xue family to Xuzhou as well. Once Qin Fei arrives in Xuzhou, let our people make clear handover to General Qin Fei and withdraw them all."

Erfeng: "Yes."

After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "From what His Majesty means, you still want Miss Ke'er to participate in the companion selection again, and then eliminate her from the list."

"Your Highness, should I send a message to Miss Ke'er?"

There was a moment of silence inside the sedan chair, followed by Chen Cong's calm voice.

"Didn't she say she had a way to handle the aftermath? Let her figure it out herself."

Second wind...

Li Nanke was unaware of what had happened after Shen Cong entered the palace. She and Song Yi returned to the Marquis's residence with the bestowed medicinal herbs, and Marquis Anping eagerly came to greet them.

"So, what did His Majesty bestow this time? What did he say?"

Song Yi skipped over the matter of asking Li Nanke to be her study companion, only mentioning it briefly.

"...His Majesty and the Empress only asked a few questions about the situation of harvesting grain before the rainstorm, and didn't say anything else."

"This box... is it something His Majesty bestowed upon me?"

Marquis Anping rubbed his hands together, staring at the box that Zilan was holding behind Song Yi, his eyes shining.

Song Yi's expression stiffened slightly, and then she opened the box under the expectant gaze of Marquis Anping.

"His Majesty and the Empress learned that Mother-in-law was in poor health, so they specially bestowed some of the finest medicinal herbs upon her to help her recover."

Sun, who had been eagerly approaching, glanced at the medicinal herbs in the box and pursed her lips.

"Oh, I thought it was something special. It's just some medicinal herbs. I thought it was something rare."

Song Yi glanced at her indifferently, with a hint of warning.

"This is a gift from His Majesty and the Empress. Even if it's just a handful of soil, it's still a favor to our Marquis's mansion."

If my second sister-in-law continues to speak so recklessly, don't blame me, as the eldest sister-in-law, for disciplining you.

Sun's expression changed slightly, and she subconsciously reached out to cover her left cheek.

The handprint from Song Yi's slap at noon was still visible on her, instantly reminding her of the humiliation she had suffered that afternoon, and she angrily shut her mouth.

"And me? Has His Majesty mentioned anything about rewarding me?"

Marquis Anping pressed on impatiently.

Song Yi shook her head awkwardly.

"His Majesty...did not say he would reward the eunuch."

"impossible."

Marquis Anping blurted out, glaring at Song Yi, "Did you say something about me to His Majesty?"

In the eyes of Marquis Anping, he was the true head of the Marquis's household.

Even if Your Majesty wants to bestow a reward, you should do so first.

Now that Madam He has received medicinal herbs, and Madam Song and Li Nanke have received gold, silver and silk, how could he, the master of the Marquis's mansion, not receive any reward at all?

Sun added fuel to the fire.

"Sister-in-law, really. Now that you've entered the palace, why don't you ask for some rewards for your father-in-law?"

Even if it's just to ask for a job for my father-in-law, or to beg His Majesty to stop punishing him for his salary.

"If I were to enter the palace today, I would risk everything, even my reputation, to obtain these things for you, sir."

Marquis Anping was furious and became even more convinced that Song Yi had spoken ill of him to His Majesty.

He roared, "What exactly did you say?"

Song Yi's face turned bright red with anger.

“I didn’t say anything. If you don’t believe me, you can go to the palace and ask His Majesty yourself.”

"Does my second sister-in-law think it's easy to go to the palace to ask for a reward? If that's the case, why don't you go to the palace with your father-in-law and ask His Majesty for something? Let's see what His Majesty can give you?"

Sun's face stiffened, and she said awkwardly, "I... I'm not the one who made the contribution, so how could I have the opportunity to enter the palace?"

Song Yi coldly scoffed, "So, even you, my second sister-in-law, know that you weren't the one who made the contribution. Since you know that, what right do you have to point fingers here?"

"I...I was just speaking out for my father-in-law."

"Let's wait until my second sister-in-law has made a contribution before we speak out against this injustice."

"you!"

Sun gritted her teeth, but couldn't find the words to refute him.

Li Nanke reached out and tugged at Song Yi's sleeve, grinning as he said, "Mother, you forgot? Although His Majesty didn't bestow any gifts upon Grandfather, he specifically asked about him."

Song Yi was bewildered.

Marquis Anping's eyes lit up, and he stared at Li Nanke eagerly.

"Tell me quickly, what did His Majesty ask me?"

Li Nanke's eyes darted around. "His Majesty heard that Grandfather was going to put on a three-day opera performance and specifically asked Grandfather what kind of opera he was good at."

He even asked his grandfather when he planned to put on an opera performance, saying that he might send Eunuch Ding over to listen.

Marquis Anping was struck dumb, stunned for a moment, and subconsciously opened his mouth to curse Li Nanke.

"You damned..."

Li Nanke suddenly took two steps back, his eyes wide, and shouted in a clear voice, "It was His Majesty who asked, Grandfather, please don't scold His Majesty!"

Marquis Anping's angry curse got stuck in his throat, causing him to cough and his face to turn as red as an eggplant.

Li Nanke secretly made a face and pulled Song Yi away.

The mother and daughter went directly to the main courtyard to see Madam He.

Li Nanke took out the medicinal herbs he had been given as a reward and showed them to Madam He one by one.

"Grandmother, His Majesty and the Empress have bestowed upon you a century-old ginseng, as well as cordyceps, and the finest donkey-hide gelatin and bird's nest."

Mother said these medicinal herbs are so valuable that even money can't buy them. With these good things, Grandmother's health will surely improve.

He Shi's eyes welled up with tears. She first kowtowed towards the direction of the palace, then reached out and rubbed Li Nanke's head.

"You and your mother are both good people."

Lady He knew perfectly well that if Song Yi and Li Nanke hadn't mentioned her to His Majesty, the reward would never have fallen on her head.

He turned to Sun Mama and instructed, "Keep the ginseng and cordyceps, and give half of the bird's nest and donkey-hide gelatin to Song Yi to take back."

Song Yi quickly waved her hand.

"Mother-in-law, keep it to recuperate. I don't want it."

Mrs. He patted her hand and sighed softly.

“You should take good care of yourself. When the eldest son comes back, you two can have another child. If you only have one child, there will be no one to support the family in the future.”

"With my old bones still here, the Marquis and the second wife wouldn't dare go too far. But if I were gone, and you're so soft-hearted, who knows how they'd bully you."

When the topic of having children came up, Song Yi couldn't help but tear up.