Chapter 621 Children Need to Be Nurtured from a Young Age

As dawn broke, the Emperor's voice finally came from the bedchamber. Several maids carried toiletries into the room one after another, but after looking around, they did not see the Emperor.

Jiang Fenghua sat properly in front of the dressing mirror, tidying her long hair. The others breathed a sigh of relief, and Hongxiu quickly took the comb from Jiang Fenghua's hand, saying, "This servant will help Your Highness comb your hair!"

“Hongxiu,” Jiang Fenghua said.

Hongxiu was a little excited, "Your Highness still recognizes me."

"My most intelligent, capable, and beautiful head housekeeper, Hongxiu, is my right-hand woman." Jiang Fenghua's voice was light and cheerful, full of joy. She had already asked about the people around her and remembered their characteristics.

Lianye quickly squeezed in, "So, in Her Majesty's heart, Hongxiu is the smartest and most capable person, and there's no one else like her."

Jiang Fenghua held Lianye's hand, "Lianye is the smartest, most capable, most beautiful, and most adorable little beauty by my side."

Lianye rushed into Jiang Fenghua's arms, "Your Highness is my most, most, most adorable and dearest young lady."

Jiang Fenghua felt a warmth in her heart; she realized that so many people who loved her were waiting for her to come back.

Ao Xue stood cautiously by the door, not daring to come in. Jiang Fenghua said to her, "Ao Xue, the heroine who is best at protecting me, are you too embarrassed to come in and see me?"

Aoxue's eyes were red, and she ran to Jiang Fenghua, hugging her and crying, "Your Majesty, I'm sorry, it's all my fault that you lost your memory, I'm so bad, I..."

"Who dares to say anything bad about you? Tell me." Jiang Fenghua leaned closer to her, her voice softening. "Is it the Emperor who said that about you? He won't have the chance to bully you anymore, because I'm back."

She needed to find an opportunity to talk to Aoxue alone. Aoxue was Lin Yu's older sister, and she was the one who found the amnesia drug. She needed to ask her if there was an antidote. Xie Shang told her there was no antidote, and there were many things Xie Shang was unwilling to tell her. She didn't know what he was hiding from her, things that even the Jiang family didn't know.

The Jiang family knew very little about her life in the palace, but Lianye and Hongxiu, who had grown up with her since childhood, should know.

Granny Wang didn't tell her everything, and she felt that her life was still disjointed, as if something was missing.

None of them had ever seen Jiang Fenghua like this before. They didn't know if she was just pretending or if she was really that relaxed. Her smile was sweet and her voice was gentle and considerate.

They felt that she was still the understanding Empress, yet they also felt that she had changed; her eyes were no longer so piercing.

Aoxue said, "Your Majesty must be tired. Let me give you a massage. During the time you were away from the palace, Lianye taught me many massage techniques to relax muscles and improve blood circulation."

Lianye said, "This job used to be done by servants."

The two women vied to massage Jiang Fenghua, but Jiang Fenghua didn't understand what they meant. Hongxiu took the initiative to explain, "In the past, Your Highness paid the most attention to maintaining your figure and skin. Every time... we servants would massage Your Highness. Granny Wang has also prepared a medicinal bath. Your Highness, please go and take a bath first!"

Jiang Fenghua saw their flushed faces and instantly understood what they meant. Could it be that every time she and Xie Shang shared a room, they were under the watchful eyes of the maids?

To avoid awkwardness, she quickly changed the subject, "Which palace are Xiao Yan'er, Xiao Youyou, and Xiao Yuan'er staying in? I'll go and see them first!"

"The eldest prince and the eldest princess have gone to the study to read, and the wet nurse has also taken the fourth prince to listen to the lessons."

Jiang Fenghua was shocked. "They've all gone to school?"

The group nodded. "Yes!"

"Who made them go to school?" she asked.

Xie Shang came out from the inner room and said, "It was I who ordered Grand Tutor Jiang to teach them to read."

“They are so young and it’s so cold. How can you bear to make them get up so early? If I remember correctly, you said that Yuan’er was only seven or eight months old. Does he also need to attend classes? What are you thinking as a father?” And what are her father, Grand Tutor Jiang, thinking?

Xie Shang said, "I didn't make him study. I just had the wet nurse take him to experience the school atmosphere from a young age. You taught Yan'er and You'er from a young age. You left the palace when Yuan'er was only two months old. I thought that Ruan Ruan's education was also taught by your father. I am at ease entrusting our children to Grand Tutor Jiang. You are at ease too. Yan'er and You'er are very sensible!"

Yuan'er is the next crown prince of the Great Zhou Kingdom, so of course he must nurture him well. For the safety of the crown prince, he did not tell anyone about this, including Jiang Fenghua.

“What kind of school atmosphere can such a young child experience?” Jiang Fenghua said. “I’ll go and bring the child back. You said you can teach Yan’er and You’er, and you can also teach Yuan’er. It’s not too late to send him to Grand Tutor Jiang’s side to study when he grows up.” She believed that children should have a happy childhood.

“I want to teach them myself,” she added.

Jiang Fenghua smiled and said, "It's so boring in the palace. I'll be very bored if I don't find something to do. I'm taking care of the child, so my days are more fulfilling."

Xie Shang did not stop him. "Now that you are back, the power to manage the harem should be handed back to the Empress. I am afraid that you will be tired from taking care of the children and the harem."

"I'm not afraid of being tired, but I do have one request."

Xie Shang pulled her into his arms, his eyes full of doting affection. "This is the first time Ruan Ruan has made a request to me. Tell me, whatever you want, I will grant it."

Jiang Fenghua said, "It's not a request that would be difficult for the Emperor. I know that the Emperor is busy with state affairs, but no matter how busy the Emperor is, he should be able to take some time to spend with the children every day. My request is that the Emperor cannot just entrust the children's growth process to the Grand Tutor."

"I'm afraid I can't teach as well as the Grand Tutor. Everyone has their own expertise, and the Grand Tutor has his own methods for teaching the children. When my father was alive, he often praised your father for his effective teaching methods. For example, you, Jiang Jinyan, and Jiang Zhiqin are all full of poetry and theory."

“You didn’t ask the Emperor to teach them academic subjects, but you can teach them what you’re good at, like playing games, such as horseback riding, archery, chess, and so on,” she suggested.

Xie Shang agreed with her reasoning, and he suddenly kissed her forehead, then hugged her affectionately, saying, "I'll do whatever the Empress says."

Jiang Fenghua smiled slightly, her face full of shyness. There were other princes and princesses in the palace, and she had to fight for more rights for her child.

Granny Wang said that the power to manage the harem should still be in her hands. Before she returned, Xie Shang suddenly handed over the entire harem to Consort Gao. It seems that Xie Shang regards Consort Gao very highly!

Xie Shang still had state affairs to attend to, so they left Kunning Palace after having breakfast. Since they were going in different directions, they parted ways.

As soon as Jiang Fenghua and her entourage arrived at Chengqian Gate, Shang Hong came to greet her, saying, "This humble official greets Your Majesty the Empress."

She had already met Commander Shang yesterday and knew that he was in charge of the safety of the capital. She asked, "Commander Shang, where are you going?"

Shang Hong respectfully replied, "This humble official will go to inspect the various palaces and conduct routine checks."

"Thank you for your hard work, Lord Shang," Jiang Fenghua said.

Shang Hong glanced at the Imperial Garden in the distance and quickly said, "It's no trouble at all; it's all part of my job."

Jiang Fenghua didn't say anything more and left with her people.