With his mind full of thoughts, the Emperor followed An Ke and the others all the way to Cining Palace.
The Empress Dowager was already waiting inside the hall, constantly looking around anxiously at them. However, the Emperor told her to go and check on the situation first, so the Empress Dowager could only suppress her worries.
The moment An Ke stepped into the palace gate, the Empress Dowager quickly descended from the head of the table, took An Ke's bandaged right hand, and gently touched it with concern, "It's bandaged up, is the injury very serious?"
Seeing the Empress Dowager's actions, An Ke knew that the Empress Dowager had misunderstood. She waved her hand and said repeatedly, "It's alright. The Empress Dowager's bandaging is just a bit exaggerated. It's just a little red and swollen. It will be fine after a few days of changing the dressing."
The Empress Dowager nodded in relief, but still did not let go of An Ke's injured hand. "Emperor," the Empress Dowager glanced sideways at the Emperor beside her.
The Emperor naturally knew why the Empress Dowager had called him. He immediately summoned Li Yu and said in an unfriendly tone, "Li Yu, go and keep watch at the palace gate. If Princess Huanzhu returns to the palace, bring her to Cining Palace."
Li Yuzhe gave a shout and then withdrew.
Then the Empress Dowager pulled Anke and Qing'er aside and asked them all sorts of questions, while the Emperor could only stand by and watch.
*
Little Swallow hesitated, looking at the majestic palace gates before her. She knew she had caused trouble again today, and once inside the palace, she probably wouldn't be able to leave anytime soon. Reluctantly, she gazed back at the bustling street.
Ziwei wasn't as worried as Xiaoyanzi, after all, she hadn't gone off to cause trouble with Xiaoyanzi today. But thinking about the big mess Xiaoyanzi had made today, Ziwei was still somewhat concerned.
Seeing Xiao Yanzi lingering there, Ziwei could only tug at Xiao Yanzi's sleeve, urging her to hurry back to the palace and apologize to her father.
Little Swallow could only avert her gaze and head towards the palace gate with a death-defying resolve. She bumped right into Li Yu, who was waiting for her.
"Princess, you're back?" Li Yu asked with a smile that concealed a knife. "His Majesty sent me to invite you directly to Cining Palace."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yanzi's heart skipped a beat. Even though she had mentally prepared herself, she still couldn't control her fear when the moment actually arrived.
Whether it's being punished with a cane or forced to write characters, Xiao Yanzi has tried every punishment she could think of recently. But Xiao Yanzi is still afraid.
"Princess," Li Yu noticed that Xiao Yanzi was distracted and patiently called her name again.
Xiao Yanzi only came to her senses after Li Yu called out to her and Ziwei tugged at her sleeve. She took a deep breath and followed Li Yu to Cining Palace.
Throughout the journey, no matter how much Xiao Yanzi pleaded with Li Yu, he refused to reveal anything. This made Xiao Yanzi even more uncertain.
We dawdled our way to Cining Palace.
Little Swallow stood outside the palace gate, listening to the joyful laughter inside, hesitating whether to go in.
Li Yu pushed open the door and entered, telling the Emperor that Little Swallow had been brought there.
As soon as those words were spoken, the Cining Palace fell completely silent, without a single sound. It was so quiet that you could hear your own heartbeat.
Little Swallow was caught in a dilemma, forced to grit her teeth and withstand the oppressive aura of the Empress Dowager. She bowed to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, then stood obediently to the side with her head bowed.
"I heard that you pushed Granny Fang to the ground and then forcibly left the palace. Is that true?" The Emperor's question came in a cold tone, devoid of any warmth.
Xiao Yanzi nervously swallowed, about to offer some explanation, when she saw Ziwei shake his head at her. "Yes, but Father Emperor, we still have days to leave the palace, don't we?" Xiao Yanzi couldn't help but argue for herself.
"I have already issued a decree that you should stay in the palace today to properly learn palace rules and etiquette, but instead you pushed over the nanny, forced your way out of the palace, and even got into a fight with Saiya outside the palace." The Emperor berated Xiao Yanzi one by one. "If An'an hadn't stopped you, would your whip have struck the defenseless Qing'er?"
Faced with the Emperor's irrefutable accusations, Xiao Yanzi was dumbfounded and didn't know what to say in her defense. Ziwei wanted to defend Xiao Yanzi, but seeing the looks on Anke's and the Empress Dowager's faces, she immediately forgot what she wanted to say.
"Guards! From this day forward, Princess Huanzhu will not be allowed to leave the palace. She may only leave when she has mastered the rules. Send a team of guards to keep a close watch on Shufangzhai for me," the Emperor was truly enraged this time. "If the princess escapes, you will all be punished."
"Father Emperor," Little Swallow called out unwillingly.
The Emperor naturally understood what Xiao Yanzi meant, but he still said coldly, "If you escape once, they will take the punishment for you."
Little Swallow was immediately like a chicken whose life was being choked. She opened her mouth, but her throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, so she couldn't make a sound.
The Emperor's move was truly ruthless. Xiao Yanzi valued loyalty above all else; if she were punished herself, she could bear it, but if it caused the punishment of those around her, she would undoubtedly feel unbearable guilt. This, in turn, kept Xiao Yanzi in check.
"Furthermore, during the time Xiao Yanzi was confined to Shufangzhai, she had to recite the palace rules five times a day, with Granny Fang supervising these five recitations; no one else could be allowed to do it." The Emperor added, "In addition, Xiao Yanzi will be given ten strokes of the cane today."
Hearing the Emperor's words, Granny Fang could only hurriedly agree. Although Princess Huanzhu had managed to escape this time, Granny Fang was relieved knowing that the Emperor had sent guards outside, and this time, Princess Huanzhu would certainly not be allowed to leave the palace so easily as last time.
Seeing this, Li Yu quickly waved his hand, signaling two guards to take Princess Huanzhu away.
With all the unpleasant and unlucky people gone, the Empress Dowager suddenly felt that the air in the Cining Palace was much fresher. Her tone had also softened, "Would the Emperor like to have dinner in the Cining Palace tonight?"
"I will respectfully comply." The Emperor was also somewhat annoyed, but seeing his niece made him feel much better, so he decided to stay and have a free dinner.
Although the Empress Dowager had just said some harsh words, this was, after all, her son. She still wanted the Emperor to dine with her; otherwise, she wouldn't have offered him that opportunity.
The Empress Dowager was in a very good mood, having dinner with the Emperor, An Ke, Qing'er, and others. They chatted and laughed together, sometimes guessing riddles, sometimes solving word puzzles – it was all very enjoyable.
If it weren't for the urgent military report from the front lines, the Emperor would probably have stayed in the Cining Palace for several more incense sticks' worth of time.
After the Emperor left, the Empress Dowager was also feeling a bit weak. Only after repeated persuasion from Anke and Qing'er did she wash up and go to bed.
Qing'er and An Ke exchanged a glance, and then, as if on cue, went back to their own rooms to wash up and go to sleep.
*
A few days passed peacefully like this, and Anke's hand no longer needed bandaging. Saiya often came to Cining Palace to keep Anke company and would often pester Anke to teach her some martial arts. Qing'er would stay by her side, sometimes reading, sometimes embroidering.
Shufangzhai was unusually quiet for a few days.
"My father said we'll be setting off back in a few days." Saiya was in low spirits today, and only after Anke pressed her for details did she reveal what upset her. "But I really love the customs and culture of your Central Plains, and I'm also a little reluctant to leave you and Qing'er."
These past few days, the three girls have spent all their free time together, and have already forged an unbreakable friendship. The thought of returning to Mongolia inevitably brings a touch of sadness to Saiya.
Anke leaned forward to try and comfort Saiya, "It's alright, I can always come to Mongolia to see you later." Yes, Anke could leave the palace often.
"But didn't you come to the Qing Dynasty to choose a husband? Have you chosen one so quickly?" Qing'er asked the question she wanted to ask.
Anke then realized, "Oh right, Saiya came to the Qing Dynasty to choose a husband. Now that she's leaving, has she made her choice?" But these past few days, the three of them have been inseparable, and Saiya hasn't been seen spending time alone with anyone.
Saiya chuckled. "Ever since you told me last time that I should choose someone who is better to me, I feel that men from the Central Plains may not be suitable for me. So I suggested to my father that I go back to Mongolia to choose a husband."
Anke nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, the customs of Mongolia and the Qing Dynasty were different, and the resulting habits were naturally different as well. Mongolia placed greater emphasis on the status of women, while the Qing Dynasty, no matter what, had ingrained the concept of male superiority and female inferiority to its very core.
How can two people with different, even conflicting, cultural customs come together?
"That's fine, but it means we'll have less time together." Qing'er was also a little sad, and slowly put down the book in her hand.
"Alright, alright, let's make the most of our time before Saiya returns to Mongolia." Anke couldn't bear to see such a sad and reluctant scene, even though she herself felt a great deal of reluctance.
In the following days, the three girls slept together whenever possible and acted together whenever possible. This led to a rumor circulating in the palace that the Mongolian princess wanted to abduct Princess Yong'an and Princess Qing.
When An Ke heard the gossip from Xingxing, she couldn't help but chuckle. Thinking of the word "kidnapped," An Ke's thoughts drifted away. She wondered how Ertai was doing. Did he think of her in his spare time?
When Anke came to her senses, she couldn't help but pat her slightly flushed cheeks. Did she not expect that she also had the potential to be love-struck?
Just like in the drama, the Empress Dowager wanted to marry Xiao Yanzi off to Mongolia, along with Ziwei. This way, there would be no scandal within the royal family.
To mistake one's own daughter for another is simply a huge joke.
These past few days, Xiao Yanzi had been staying quietly in Shufangzhai, learning etiquette from Granny Fang. But when she heard that she was to be married off to Mongolia, and Ziwei would be going with her, Xiao Yanzi immediately became restless.
How could this be? I haven't even returned the position of princess to Ziwei yet, and Ziwei isn't with Erkang. How can I take Ziwei with me to marry into Mongolia? This isn't right, it shouldn't be like this.
Little Swallow hurriedly tried to rush out, but as soon as she opened the door of Shufangzhai, the guards outside blatantly blocked her way.
"Get out of my way, all of you! I need to see Father Emperor!" Little Swallow cried out anxiously from inside.
Ziwei was stunned by the news and slumped into her chair. But after hearing Xiaoyanzi's angry roar, Ziwei decided to go out and see what was going on.
Just as Xiao Yanzi was about to force her way in, Fu Erkang delivered a karate chop from behind, knocking all the guards to the ground.
Fu Erkang had obviously received the news, but he never expected that so many major events would happen in the palace while he was recuperating at home.
Father no longer told him everything that happened in the palace as he used to. If he hadn't entered the palace because he missed Ziwei so much, he probably wouldn't have seen her for several more days. Fu Erkang was suddenly somewhat alarmed.
The moment Fu Erkang saw Ziwei, all the fear and anxiety he had felt over the past few days vanished. Unable to contain his longing any longer, Fu Erkang rushed forward and hugged Ziwei tightly.
When Ziwei saw Fu Erkang, the anxiety that had been gripping her finally subsided. She was terrified that she would inexplicably marry into Mongolia with Xiaoyanzi, terrified that she would never see Fu Erkang again, and terrified that her own father would never know he was his daughter.
Fu Erkang was excited to see Ziwei. It had been so long since he had hugged her. He buried his head deep in Ziwei's neck, inhaling deeply. It was as if only in this way could he fill his heart, which had been parched with longing.
"Erkang, you only came because you heard the news, right?" Little Swallow, completely oblivious to the danger, moved closer to the two who were huddled together.
Ziwei then realized that they were still at the entrance of Shufangzhai, and quickly blushed as she withdrew from Fu Erkang's embrace.
Fu Erkang was still a little reluctant, secretly glaring at Xiao Yanzi who had ruined his plans. But the truth was that this matter was urgent and could not be ignored. "I just entered the palace when I heard that the Mongolian prince was going to return to Mongolia tomorrow. And Xiao Yanzi was going to marry the Mongolian prince, along with Ziwei."
Ziwei was initially incredulous, fearing the news might be wrong. Even now, hearing it still left her in disbelief. She took a few steps back, her face deathly pale.
Little Swallow muttered to herself, "Impossible, impossible," but Fu Erkang had regained some of his composure. "Now we only have one path to take, and that is to tell the Emperor our great secret. That way, none of you will have to marry into Mongolia."
The more Xiao Yanzi thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. The position of princess originally belonged to Ziwei, and besides, she had no intention of marrying into Mongolia. In the capital, she had her own companions and sisters. If she went to Mongolia, it would truly be difficult to see them again in this lifetime.
Without further ado, just as Xiao Yanzi was about to rush over, she was stopped by Ziwei.
Ziwei was still hesitant, biting her lip with a worried look on her face. "But we haven't obtained a pardon. If we go there rashly, I wonder if the Emperor will be furious? This matter involves too many people. Should we think of other ways?"
“Ziwei has already heard from Erkang. There’s no other way. The only way is to tell Father Emperor that you are his daughter, so that we can avoid being married off to Mongolia together.” Xiaoyanzi grabbed Ziwei’s shoulders. “Do you want to marry into Mongolia? Don’t you want to acknowledge Father Emperor? Are you going to abandon Erkang?”
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