Little Swallow raised her head somewhat nervously. Ziwei, standing to the side, was probably sweating bullets for her.
"The Emperor already told me your story clearly yesterday. It seems I've missed quite a few good shows while I was away from the palace," the Empress Dowager said with a hint of sarcasm.
Little Swallow turned to look at Ziwei behind her and asked cautiously, "Should I answer?"
Seeing this, Anke just wants to say, could you be any more blatant? Do you really think we're blind? Can't you see you turning your head?
How could she not answer the Empress Dowager's question? Ziwei nodded.
"It's alright, it's alright. Your Majesty, what you missed was something you were meant to miss. I've been making mistakes ever since I entered the palace. Please forgive me for what I missed," Xiao Yanzi said, lowering her head.
Well, I have to admit, Little Swallow was a tiny bit cute at that moment. A genuinely adorable kind of cuteness.
An Ke glanced at Qing'er discreetly and saw that Qing'er had a smile on her lips.
The Emperor immediately stepped in to smooth things over. "Haha, that's just how the Empress Dowager and Little Swallow are."
Ziwei quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Your Majesty, the Princess is kind and warm-hearted by nature. Although she may not be considered well-educated, she is honest and pure. Sometimes she can be a bit impulsive. Yesterday, after she realized she had caused trouble, she stayed in her room reflecting on her actions, feeling extremely remorseful. She kept telling us how she could appease Your Majesty's anger."
The Empress Dowager, being the person she was, saw through the problem at a glance. The Emperor intervened to smooth things over because... this was his daughter whom he had recognized. But Ziwei?
"Little Swallow, so you brought a spokesperson with you. Although you haven't learned the rules well, I've done a good job leading her." The Empress Dowager was looking at Little Swallow with wide eyes.
So, when Xiao Yanzi turned to Ziwei for help, the Empress Dowager immediately looked at her. "Why do you always look at the palace maids behind you when I ask you questions?"
"I... because I was afraid of saying the wrong thing. You're so dignified, and I caused a huge mess yesterday. I was terrified. Since Ziwei is stronger than me, I had her remind me so I wouldn't say anything wrong," Xiao Yanzi said frankly.
That's a good point, and it's exactly what the Empress Dowager wanted. Sometimes, honesty is a virtue.
"You're quite frank now, I see." As expected, the Empress Dowager nodded in agreement. "Alright, from now on, answer whatever I ask you, and don't look at Ziwei behind you anymore. I've heard many stories about you since I came back, and you're different from how you are today. Do you think I'm a tiger that'll eat you up?"
"Your Majesty, you won't eat me, but you will eat Fei'er," Little Swallow replied, her words completely irrelevant.
"Fei'er? Who is Fei'er?" The old lady was completely confused.
Well, if Anke hadn't been holding the script, she probably would have asked who Fei'er was upon hearing this.
"Fei'er is the horse that bumped into you yesterday. Your Majesty, I'll confess for you, okay? I shouldn't have gone yesterday." Then Xiao Yanzi went on to say a whole bunch of things. (ps: A lot of words are omitted here.)
After Xiao Yanzi confessed, the Empress Dowager naturally became devout Buddhist. "So that's how it is."
Little Swallow hurriedly knelt down to plead for Fei'er's life.
I have to say, Anke was really moved, pleading for a horse. Xiao Yanzi really made Anke cry her eyes out!
"Your Majesty, Fei'er did nothing wrong, it's all my fault. Please, have mercy and don't cut off Fei'er's head. I don't want it to die, Your Majesty," Xiao Yanzi pleaded tearfully.
The Empress Dowager was also moved and quickly asked, "Who wants to kill Fei'er?"
"Your Majesty, horses that cause trouble and go out of control are usually executed," the Emperor said, answering the Empress Dowager's question.
The Empress Dowager frowned as expected. "Amitabha, I observe a vegetarian diet and chant Buddhist prayers for the Qing Dynasty. How could you commit such a heinous act of killing over a horse that stole some food?"
"Can the Empress Dowager spare the horse?" Little Swallow asked immediately upon hearing there was hope.
"No killing, no killing, of course not killing." The Empress Dowager also didn't want to see bloodshed.
The Empress Dowager was really good in the early stages! It's just that she listened too much to the Empress's slander later on.
The Empress wasn't exactly a bad person. Having lived in the palace for so many years, she had long been blinded by power. She was only thinking of her son. More often than not, she wasn't just making things difficult for Xiao Yanzi; she simply wanted the princesses to behave properly.
The Empress had lived her entire life in the palace and was long bound by rules and regulations. In her eyes, Xiao Yanzi was not following the rules and was improper. Rather than saying the Empress was bad, it would be more accurate to say that Consort Yu was bad.
The Empress never insulted Xiao Yanzi. An Ke secretly glanced at the Empress and found that she was staring straight at the Emperor.
Sigh, so what's so great about the palace? The people in the palace are pitiful, and the women trapped inside are even more pitiful!
"Now, Your Majesty, you can punish me." When Xiao Yanzi heard that Fei'er wouldn't have to die, she felt relieved. As for herself, she didn't care.
"What should I punish you for? Should I punish you for bringing me auspicious purple clouds from the east, or for stopping that horse for me? An'an, Qing'er, what do you think I should punish Princess Huanzhu for?" Hearing the Empress Dowager's tone, she naturally intended to stop there.
Qing'er, of course, understood what the Empress Dowager meant. "Empress Dowager, you clearly know the answer yourself, so why are you asking me?"
"An'an, what do you think?" The old lady suddenly asked An Ke again.
"The Empress Dowager practices vegetarianism and chants Buddhist scriptures; she wasn't originally here to kill. Besides, we weren't seriously harmed. This time, returning to the palace, I witnessed an unprecedented welcoming ceremony. It was much more lively than the rigid ones of previous years. We can say that we're fortunate to have the Empress Dowager's blessing." An Ke desperately recalled the plot, adding her own words as well.
Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei looked up at An Ke in surprise, not expecting her to speak up for them, given how cold and ruthless her words had been yesterday.
Unexpectedly, they spoke up for her today, and Xiao Yanzi was deeply moved. If it weren't for the presence of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, she would have wanted to take their hands and become sworn sisters with them.
"Little Swallow, you've got a good deal. You and Ziwei can go down now. The horse's life is saved, and so is yours. Go down before you say anything you shouldn't." The Emperor quickly gave Little Swallow a meaningful look.
"Yes, thank you for your grace, Empress Dowager, thank you for your grace, Father Emperor." Little Swallow hurriedly tried to back away.
"Alright, Qing'er, An'an, you don't need to serve us here anymore. If you want to go for a stroll in the Imperial Garden, go for a stroll; if you want to go down and rest, go rest." The Empress Dowager looked at Qing'er, then at An'ke.
"Yes!" Of course, I want to go out and catch my breath. Besides, there's that iconic scene of opening the door.
So, Anke secretly followed behind Xiaoyanzi and Ziwei, pulling Qing'er along. After all, they had left later than them anyway. Being a little slower was perfectly reasonable.
Just as Anke and Qing'er turned the corner, they saw the four guards lying on the floor of the Cining Palace.
"What are they doing?" Qing'er, a typical young lady from a respectable family, naturally didn't understand what was happening.
Unfortunately, although Anke knew what they were doing, she couldn't tell Qing'er directly. "They're probably waiting at the door because they're worried something might happen to Princess Huanzhu."
"Is that so?" Qing'er's tone carried a slight hint of disappointment.
An Ke knew why Qing'er was like this—it was because of Er Kang, of course! Thinking about their interactions during that time, An Ke got a headache. Why did all this have to happen before she arrived? Couldn't she have come sooner? Couldn't she have stopped the plot from unfolding earlier? It was so frustrating!
"Ouch, my arm hurts a bit." Having no other choice, Anke had to put on a dramatic performance first.
"Oh, what's wrong? What's wrong? I just told you to stay in bed a little longer, but you just couldn't stand it. I had Xingxing bring your breakfast to your room so you wouldn't have to get up." Qing'er couldn't help but nag An Ke. But as you can tell, Qing'er was all bark and no bite, and her tone was clearly caring. An Ke was thoroughly enjoying it.
"Okay, okay, it's my fault, it's my fault. Then, may I ask, Qing'er, can you come back to my room and lie down with me?" An Ke pouted and said coquettishly.
"I really can't do anything with you, let's go." What could Qing'er do? She could only spoil her, so she poked An Ke's little forehead and obediently took her back to her bedroom.
Seeing that her scheme had succeeded, An Ke smiled slyly.
*
"What? You said Princess Yong'an and Princess Qing just pleaded for you? Did you hear me wrong? Did they just happen to be talking about that place?" Er Kang speculated maliciously about them.
"It's true, it's true. I thought she was definitely hard to get along with! She talked like that yesterday. But she still helped us today." Little Swallow explained blankly.
"So, does that mean we can become friends with them? And they can become our allies?" Erkang was incredulous, but then he was overjoyed. One of them was a favorite of the Empress Dowager, and the other was also someone who was close to the Empress Dowager but could also make an appearance before the Emperor.
"Really? What are their identities? Why does the Empress Dowager listen to what they say? Why is An Ke a princess, while we are all princesses?" Xiao Yanzi asked a bunch of questions, but these were also the questions Ziwei wanted to know, and was eager to understand.
"Are those two also Father Emperor's daughters?" Ziwei blurted out involuntarily.
Benjamin looked around, afraid that someone might be nearby. After all, in the palace, walls have ears.
Erkang was a bit of a simpleton; he didn't care about anything and just looked at Ziwei with affection as he explained.
"No, neither of them are the Emperor's daughters. Princess Qing is the daughter of Prince Yu, who died in battle ten years ago, and his wife followed him in death. She is Prince Yu's only daughter, and the Empress Dowager took pity on her and brought her back to the palace to raise her. Princess Yong'an is the daughter of Prince Rui, who, along with his wife, only had one daughter. However, Prince Rui and his wife have gone on a trip, so they entrusted her to the Empress Dowager's care. Prince Rui is the Emperor's younger brother. Therefore, Princess Yong'an can call the Emperor her uncle. And don't underestimate Princess Yong'an; she is the only princess who receives a prince's stipend."
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