thought
Ignoring the deposed concubine who was screaming in agony from the beating, Ping An skipped and hopped over to Guo Shu.
“Eunuch Guo, if you want her to stop talking nonsense, I have a way.”
"You?" Guo Shu gave the eunuch who was whipping the deposed concubine a look, and the eunuch immediately stopped. "Then go and try it. If you succeed, this jade pendant on my waist will be yours."
Ping An walked to the little eunuch with a smile on her face and took the whip. However, unlike the little eunuch or Guo Shu, she did not whip him indiscriminately. Instead, she only lashed him when the deposed concubine uttered the word "mei".
Although the deposed concubine was not very clear-headed, after being whipped like that by Ping An, even if her mind was muddled, she knew how to avoid being beaten. The words she muttered were no longer "Mei Wu dares not" but "I dare not".
Seeing this scene before him, Guo Shu couldn't help but marvel.
He casually took off the jade pendant from his waist and threw it into Ping An's hand: "Little Ping An, I thought you were just kidding. I didn't know you had some skills. Who taught you this?"
“I learned it from my mother,” Ping An said with a smile. “My mother greatly admires the Imperial Concubine, so when I was ignorant and spoke disrespectfully to her, my mother would punish me severely. Over time, I haven’t made that mistake again.”
“Not bad, you’re not bad either, and your mother is not bad either. You know how to apply what you’ve learned, and your mother knows how to teach her children.” Guo Shu pointed to a plate of pastries beside him, and the little eunuch beside him understood and took it to Ping An.
"Take it, this is an extra reward for you."
Ping An was overjoyed and accepted the plate of pastries. She thanked them sweetly and then happily went to find Qing Ya, wanting to share them with her.
But in the end, no one got to eat the pastries.
There is neither elegance nor peace.
Ping An had just walked up to Qing Ya and hadn't even had a chance to speak when Qing Ya slapped her hard, knocking her to the ground. Not to mention the pastries she was holding.
*****
Qingya looked at Ping An, who had been knocked to the ground and was sitting there in disbelief, and her eyes were full of disappointment.
"Ping An," Qingya's voice was filled with suppressed anger, "What were you doing just now!"
Ping An covered her face, looking completely bewildered.
"Mother, I didn't do anything. I just helped Eunuch Guo out, and he rewarded me with a jade pendant and a plate of pastries. I wanted to share them with you, so I brought them back. I was just about to ask you, what did I do that you're going to hit me for?!"
"Help? What kind of help is this? Ping An, do you even remember what your mother taught you?!"
"I remember, music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, songs, needlework..."
"That's not it!" Qingya shouted, raising her voice. "I taught you how to be a decent human being!!"
Ping An now knew why she had been slapped for no reason.
She rolled her eyes and said, "You taught me to be kind and sincere. Haven't I been doing what you said? If I hadn't helped, that deposed concubine would have been beaten by Eunuch Guo for who knows how long. Isn't that kindness? I told Eunuch Guo the truth. I just changed your respect for the Empress to respect for the Consort because you are attached to the Imperial Concubine. Isn't that sincere enough?"
Qingya was surprised to hear such an answer, her eyes widened in astonishment, and she was stunned for a long time.
"...You're just making excuses!"
“Mother, you say I’m just making excuses, then tell me what I should do? Should I rush up to shield the deposed concubine from the beating and take the beating myself instead? Or should I throw myself in front of Eunuch Guo and cry and beg him to stop beating the deposed concubine? Or should I come back to you crying because I feel powerless?”
Qingya wanted to teach Ping'an a lesson, but after hesitating for a long time, she couldn't say anything. She could only force herself to shout, "Ping'an, I'm your mother! I said you're wrong, and that's final!"
Upon hearing this, Ping An couldn't help but roll her eyes again.
When you can't win an argument, you resort to using your status to intimidate others. Tsk.
But Qingya wasn't wrong either. Qingya had raised her mother in this cold palace by washing clothes for Guo Shu and other eunuchs and embroidering handkerchiefs for them to sell. She really had no right to refute Qingya.
Ping An lowered her head, her eyes flickered, and after suppressing her resentment, she said with a hint of grievance, "Yes, I was wrong, I will never do such a thing again."
—Yeah, right!
*****
Guo Shu initially looked down on Ping An, an illegitimate daughter whose father was unknown and who had an affair without a matchmaker. However, because of the incident of educating the deposed concubine, Guo Shu developed some appreciation for Ping An and no longer looked down on her as much. He would even occasionally ask Ping An to do things, such as disciplining the other deposed concubines in the Cold Palace.
Over time, Ping An, though not officially a palace maid, effectively became one of Guo Shu's most trusted maids. Although she received no monthly salary, Guo Shu would reward her from time to time, making life much easier for the mother and daughter in the cold palace. Even when Cui Shenzhi was made crown prince, Guo Shu did not forget Ping An and casually tossed her two gold and silver ingots.
*****
Ping An was somewhat surprised when she received the gold and silver ingots from Guo Shu. Although this was not the first time she had received gold and silver ingots from Guo Shu, it was the first time in the years she had been by Guo Shu's side that she had received them outside of holidays and festivals.
Although it was her fourteenth birthday, Guo Shu would give her a birthday gift.
Impossible, unless Guo Shu has gone mad, or... Guo Shu wants her to do something extremely dangerous, something that she might not live to see her next birthday.
The thought of this possibility made Ping An's heart skip a beat, and his breathing became a little erratic. He quickly took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.
She put away the gold and silver ingots with an expression of great delight, then walked behind Guo Shu and began to massage his shoulders. As she massaged, she asked with feigned curiosity, "Father-in-law, why are you suddenly giving me such a nice gift when it's neither a holiday nor a festival? I'm quite flattered."
Guo Shu glanced at Ping An and chuckled, saying, "Stop pretending. I can see right through you. Don't worry, I don't need you to do anything. This was a gift from the Imperial Concubine to celebrate the Crown Prince's coronation. If you weren't not a proper palace maid, you would have received more than this."
“What are you saying, Father-in-law? How could I dare to pretend in front of you? I am a little worried, but not because I am worried that you have something to tell me. I am worried that I will not be able to complete the task you have assigned me and delay your business. However… the Crown Prince?” Ping An asked with some doubt, “Father-in-law, didn’t you say that the Imperial Concubine only gave birth to one princess?”
"Yes, otherwise how could the prince born to the late Empress have become the Crown Prince? He was just a pretty face with a good reputation but no one the Emperor liked. If the Emperor hadn't only had him as his son, no matter what, the position of Crown Prince would never have fallen to him."
Ping An's eyes darted around, and he began to think.
Qingya revered the late Empress, and spoke of the Consort with mostly disparaging remarks. Guo Shu, backed by the Consort, revealed his contempt for the late Empress in his words and actions. This suggests that the Consort and the late Empress were likely at odds. Under such circumstances, how could the Consort not eliminate the late Empress's son? And why did she celebrate his ascension to the Crown Prince?
If the emperor valued his only son highly, that would be understandable. But Guo Shu said the emperor didn't like him and only chose him because he had no other choice. In other words, the crown prince was just a pitiful child with no father or mother. How could the imperial concubine, who held absolute power in the harem, not kill him? What was the imperial concubine thinking? Didn't she know to eliminate any potential threats at the root?
Ping An was puzzled, but she couldn't say it out loud.
“Your Excellency, you misunderstand. I wasn’t asking about the Crown Prince. I just thought the Crown Prince wouldn’t be decided so quickly. After all, the Imperial Concubine is so favored by the Emperor, and she only has one daughter, the Princess. I thought she would try to secure the position of Crown Princess for the Princess.”
"Crown Princess? Ping An, what are you talking about?"
Ping An thought Guo Shu was scolding her for saying something unlucky, so she quickly explained, "Father-in-law, I didn't mean that Her Highness the Princess would end up like Princess Anle. I also know that Princess Anle didn't become the Crown Princess. I just thought we should give it a try, what if it works out?"
Then Ping An saw the genuine confusion on Guo Shu's face.
She remained silent for a while before speaking softly, "Father-in-law, haven't you heard that Princess Anle, the beloved daughter of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, requested that he make her the Crown Princess?"
The only response from Guo Shu was that his face remained etched with confusion.
Ping An choked up.
She knew that most of the palace servants were not well-educated, but those were the lower-ranking servants. Guo Shu was the steward of the Cold Palace, so he was bound to be an uneducated man...
It's like casting a seductive glance at a blind man.
“Father-in-law, what I mean is…” Ping An paused, “The Imperial Concubine didn’t like the late Empress very much, and His Majesty didn’t like the son born to the late Empress very much either. So I thought that in order to prevent the late Empress’s son from ascending the throne, the Imperial Concubine would suggest that His Majesty adopt one from the imperial clan.”
Guo Shu understood what that meant.
"Then you've got it wrong. Although the Imperial Concubine doesn't like the late Empress very much, she does like the Crown Prince very much. The Princess and the Crown Prince are also as close as siblings with the same parents. If it weren't for the fact that everyone knows the Imperial Concubine only gave birth to one daughter, I'm afraid some people would doubt whether the Crown Prince is the late Empress's child or the Imperial Concubine's child."
“Besides, His Majesty has sons of his own, so why would he be willing to give the throne to someone else? Moreover…” Guo Shu beckoned and waited for Ping An to come closer before whispering, “His Majesty’s relationship with the imperial family is terrible. It’s not a matter of life and death, but he absolutely cannot stand to see them doing well. How could he possibly hand the throne over to those people’s sons?”
Ping An raised an eyebrow.
I get it now. No wonder the Consort didn't kill the Crown Prince. It turns out she had no choice. I guess the Emperor thought the same thing. He was annoyed by this son, but even more annoyed by the others. So he might as well hold his nose and choose a son. At least he's his own flesh and blood, which is worse than those relatives who are his enemies.
Wait, does this mean the Crown Prince is a shoo-in for the future emperor? Because the emperor dislikes those who are qualified to compete with him for the crown prince position even more, so even if the emperor dislikes him, he won't depose him and install someone else in his place?
Ping An lowered her eyes and looked at the ground, concealing the calculation in her eyes and said calmly, "Father-in-law is right. I was wrong. Of course, if there is a son, you should choose the son."
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