Chapter 69 Yixiu Relocation
"Your Majesty, please forgive me."
As soon as Yixiu spoke, everyone's expression changed drastically, and they all immediately knelt down.
Fucha Langhua was alarmed, but had to make amends for Qingying: "It must be that Sister Qingying was too worried about the Empress Dowager's health and made a mistake in serving the wrong food."
Speechless, Fucha Langhua looked at Qingying kneeling in front of her, holding the soup bowl blankly. She was impatient, but had no choice but to tug at her sleeve to remind her.
Qingying, who had just come to her senses, blinked and explained, "I was only thinking about what Your Majesty usually likes, and I didn't realize what Your Majesty's current appetite was. It was really my fault."
Is this a matter of appetite?
The women kneeling below were inwardly screaming, "Qingying, do you even know how to explain yourself?! Do you even understand what an explanation is?!"
Yi Xiu coldly looked at Qing Ying, who had a wronged expression, and saw the obvious dissatisfaction with Qing Ying on the faces of the others below. He sighed inwardly.
Qingying, despite being out of favor, has managed to become a public enemy—that's quite an achievement, isn't it? Her future days in the harem are likely to be bleak. But she's Rouze's niece; what does her well-being have to do with her?
"Alright, get up, everyone. Have someone take this dish away. I don't have an appetite anyway."
It wasn't that she wanted to make amends for Qingying, but rather that she didn't want to cause trouble for Hongli at this time; Qingying was simply benefiting from the situation.
Everyone stood up. Qingying had ruined the atmosphere. As the future empress, Fucha Langhua still needed to make amends.
She picked up a bowl of millet porridge and handed it to her, saying, "Empress Dowager, even if you don't want to eat, please have a bowl of porridge for the sake of the late Emperor."
Yi Xiu choked, and mentioning the late emperor made her unable to eat anymore. If Fucha Langhua hadn't been unaware of this, she would have suspected that she was being sarcastic towards her.
At this moment, the young eunuch serving the meal bowed and reported, "This is made with rice newly arrived from the imperial fields. His Majesty specially instructed us to add a little tender ginger to the porridge to warm the stomach and soothe the body. It is specially presented to the Empress Dowager."
Yixiu then smiled and said, "Your Majesty has put in a lot of effort."
Finally, he took the bowl of porridge from Langhua's hands and used quite a bit of it. Seeing this, the group of women breathed a sigh of relief.
...
After seeing off Hongli's wives and concubines, Yixiu couldn't help but shake her head and sneer. After this incident, Qingying would probably have stirred up even more resentment.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."
Jianqiu suddenly walked in with a look of surprise, completely forgetting that it was still the mourning period for the late emperor.
"What's wrong?"
"Your Majesty," Jianqiu rushed to Yixiu's side, her eyes filled with tears of excitement, "His Majesty, His Majesty has just issued an edict posthumously conferring the title of Prince Duan upon the eldest prince!"
"Are you serious?!"
Yixiu suddenly stood up, looking at Jianqiu in disbelief. Seeing Jianqiu nod vigorously, tears instantly streamed down her face. "Good, good... My Honghui, my Honghui will be worshipped in the future... Hongli is a good child, a good child..."
Yixiu's emotions surged, and she could hardly contain them. She thought she could empathize with Nian Shilan, who knew she could fake her death and leave the palace. At this moment, she was extremely grateful that she had treated Hongli kindly and helped him ascend to the throne.
"Jianqiu".
"This servant is here."
Yixiu gripped her hand tightly. "Go, go and instruct the imperial kitchen to prepare a proper dinner, and then invite the Emperor to dine here tonight."
"Yes, this servant will go right away."
Soon after, Hongli, dressed in plain clothes, entered Jingren Palace. At this time, he was still in mourning, and the ranks of the women in the harem had not yet been determined. The late emperor's concubines were still living in their original palaces, while Fucha Langhua, along with the concubines from the Prince's residence, lived in the Qianxi Fourth Palace.
"Greetings to the Empress Dowager."
"Get up quickly." Yixiu excitedly stepped forward to help Hongli up, looking at him with heartache: "You've been busy with affairs these past few days, and I know you're grieving the passing of the late emperor. But you must take care of your health; I see you've lost weight."
As she spoke, she personally ladled a bowl of ginseng soup for Hongli and handed it to him.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
There was no need for Wang Qin to taste the food; Hongli simply picked it up and drank it all in one gulp. There was no poison that could kill him. Even if there was poison, it would be like eating candy to him, and it would even give him a change of pace.
But seeing Hongli's trust, Yixiu felt even warmer and looked at him with emotion: "Your Majesty, I want to thank you. Thank you for posthumously honoring the First Prince..."
When Yixiu mentioned this, she couldn't control her emotions; her eyes instantly reddened, and her words choked with sobs.
Hongli gently comforted her: "Your Majesty, there's no need for that. He was my elder brother, and it's only right that he be posthumously honored."
"What obligation is there? Even the late emperor, who was my father, didn't remember him..."
The more Yixiu thought about it, the sadder she became, and the more grateful she was to Hongli. She tried to compose herself and changed the subject: "After the late emperor's twenty-seven-day mourning period, I want to go to the Yuanmingyuan to live, and I won't come back after that."
"Empress Mother, is there something wrong in the palace?" Hongli looked somewhat surprised.
Yixiu shook her head and smiled slightly. Hongli was willing, and she naturally didn't want to put him in a difficult position; there was no need for two empress dowagers to coexist. Moreover, she didn't want Rouze's niece to benefit from this.
"No, this palace holds too much of my sorrow and pain, and I don't want to stay here any longer."
Just like Nian Shilan, she also wanted to leave, starting from her self-identification to sever herself from the court.
Hongli remained silent, clearly understanding Yixiu's hidden meaning. He showed no panic or regret regarding her discovery of Nian Shilan's feigned death.
"Yuanmingyuan is a good place to live. Let me retire there."
Yixiu had never laughed so genuinely and relaxed before. Her thoughts drifted away. "After I die, there's no need for me to be buried with the late emperor. Let his beloved Empress Chun Yuan accompany him. Let me be buried with my son, so we can be mother and son again in the next life."
Meeting Yixiu's pleading gaze, Hongli nodded: "Alright."
Yi Xiu smiled brightly, revealing a sense of relief from the depths of her soul.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The two finished their dinner in a warm and harmonious atmosphere. Before Hongli left, Yixiu looked at him and apologized: "I'm sorry, I always thought you were like Honghui, so I was nice to you."
“Judging by actions, not intentions, my mother’s kindness to me is genuine.” Hongli said frankly, clearly not surprised, nor aggrieved.
Yixiu suddenly realized, looked at him deeply, and sighed, "Perhaps there was a moment of confusion, but apart from Honghui's reasons, Hongli, you are indeed a very good person. I am very fortunate to have met you after losing Honghui."
“You have never been a substitute for anyone; you are the best Hongli.”
...
After the twenty-seven-day mourning period, the emperor first conferred titles upon the late emperor's concubines and then conferred titles upon the two empress dowagers.
Empress Dowager Feng Ruozhao resided in Cining Palace, while Empress Dowager Yixiu moved to Yuanmingyuan Garden for recuperation at her request. The other imperial concubines and consorts lived in Shou Kang Palace.
"My aunt went to the Old Summer Palace for recuperation?"
Upon receiving this news, Qingying's usual smugness vanished instantly. She felt a mix of panic and resentment. Why didn't her aunt consider her feelings at all? Her rank hadn't even been decided yet, so why was she in such a hurry to leave the palace?
"Your Majesty, what should we do?"
Although her rank was not yet determined, A'Ruo had already started calling Qingying "Your Highness." Su Xin, standing to the side, twitched her brow but ultimately said nothing.
Qingying was uneasy. Over the years, no matter how much she deceived herself, she knew whether she was truly favored or not. She put on a brave face to the outside world, but deep down she was still hoping that the Emperor would grant her a high position out of respect for her aunt.
But now that her aunt has left the palace, it's clear she's no longer involved in palace affairs, so what about her...?
Qingying couldn't help but look in the direction of Cining Palace. "It's alright, let's go pay our respects to the Empress Dowager."
"You mean, the Empress Dowager?"
Qingying nodded, and Aruo suddenly understood. Behind them, Suixin closed her eyes. Help! What are you two up to now? Do you even know what it feels like to be mocked by the other Xin every time you go to report news?
Su Xin felt a wave of dizziness, realizing she was about to lose face again. She hoped that this time, Consort Qing would make a smaller fool of herself.
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