Even the usually picky Empress Dowager was satisfied and nodded. In her opinion, anyone praised by An'an was basically a person of impeccable character.
The Empress remained vigilant about everything, especially since this matter concerned the Princess. She needed to be even more cautious.
Consort Ling was quite shrewd. Today, Erkang was punished, and it was estimated that even after his confinement, the Emperor might not reuse him. It seemed she needed to find a way to contact Lord Fu and focus on cultivating Ertai! Consort Ling recalled the suspicious look the Emperor had given her earlier, and a chill ran down her spine.
Fu'ertai was overjoyed, frozen in place with excitement. He had not only received verbal praise from the Emperor but also personal commendation from the Princess, which filled Fu'ertai with elation. In Fu'ertai's eyes, the Princess's praise carried far more weight than the Emperor's.
Ertai: Hehe, An'an praised me today! (^o^) Oh yeah!
"It's getting late, so I'll head back to Cining Palace now." The Empress Dowager had been dealing with matters all day, sitting upright on a stool. After a long time, her back was starting to ache. Besides, she wanted to go back to Cining Palace to taste the food that An'an had meticulously prepared, and then take a nap.
Since the Empress Dowager had spoken, how could anyone else dare to disagree? "Your Majesty, I will go with you!" The Empress also took a bowl of cold noodles and followed the Empress Dowager out of the imperial kitchen.
"Respectfully seeing off the Empress Dowager! Respectfully seeing off the Empress!"
After these large Buddha statues left, the remaining ones also quickly departed as well.
Before leaving, Consort Ling gave Ertai a wink. Ertai knew what she meant, but he was conflicted and hesitant about whether to tell his father.
The Fifth Prince patted Ertai on the shoulder and sighed deeply. "Father Emperor is furious today; he even dismissed the four guards of Shufangzhai. It seems he won't be able to freely enter and leave Shufangzhai anymore. Benjamin doesn't know about this yet. I'll go to Ruyi Pavilion to tell him later, lest he be implicated. You should also go back today and persuade your father to restrain Erkang. Not everything can be said in the palace, especially not about An'an. Also, tell Erkang that if he still wants to be a palace guard, he'd better keep his mouth shut." Yongqi's eyes were also filled with resentment. No matter how bad his cousin was, they shouldn't be allowed to speak ill of her. Besides, his cousin was of noble birth, a mistress. Erkang's behavior today was utterly disrespectful!
"Yes, I'll tell Father about this when I get back today." Even without the Fifth Prince's instructions, Ertai would have told him anyway. Fortunately, the Princess was magnanimous today and didn't pursue the matter further. If she had, the entire Fu family would probably have been thoroughly investigated. If they didn't keep his brother's mouth shut, their Fu family wouldn't be far from being wiped out.
"It's getting late, I should go back to Yonghe Palace, otherwise Mother will worry." Seeing Ertai's serious expression, Yongqi felt relieved. He withdrew his hand from Ertai's shoulder and walked out with measured steps.
Ertai followed closely beside Yongqi. After leaving the imperial kitchen, the two said goodbye and walked in opposite directions.
After witnessing the punishment firsthand, Physician Hu patted his chest with lingering fear. OK, he was still alive. He strolled leisurely towards the Imperial Hospital.
After watching the giant Buddha statues depart, Master Zhuang had nearly finished his work in the imperial kitchen. He instructed the eunuchs to deliver the meals to the various palaces. Then, Master Zhuang strolled towards his room in the back courtyard to rest. With so many things to do each day, and the added mental strain, it was no wonder he was exhausted.
*
Shufangzhai
After finishing her lunch, Little Swallow wanted to cool off in the courtyard. She sat on the swing, letting Bright Moon push her along. Rainbow Clouds fanned her with a silk fan. The Four Great Scholars chatted with Little Swallow, telling her all sorts of stories to amuse her.
Jin Suo felt out of place, secretly pursing her lips. She didn't want to be in the heat or hear the laughter and chatter. After tidying up, she returned to her room at the back, intending to rest for a while before going to the imperial kitchen to visit her mistress.
Before Jin Suo could even enter the room, she heard Mingyue and Caixia calling out. She quickly turned around and saw her young mistress being carried back by two maids.
Jin Suo rushed over to Ziwei in a few quick steps. She was utterly incredulous. "What happened? Little...Ziwei, weren't you in the imperial kitchen?" She then slapped down the hands of the two palace maids who were holding Ziwei.
Seeing this, Xiao Yanzi jumped off the swing. "What's going on? Don't you know Ziwei is from my Shufangzhai? Which palace are you from? What are you doing?" After intimidating the two palace maids, she then showed concern for Ziwei. "Ziwei, Ziwei, how are you? Did they give you any trouble?"
Ziwei remained blankly indifferent, offering no reply. She stared listlessly into the distance, like a soulless shell.
The two palace maids seemed to have seen this all along the way, and didn't notice anything amiss.
Seeing Ziwei's state, Xiaoyanzi assumed that Ziwei had been wronged in the imperial kitchen and was about to demand an explanation from the two palace maids when Xiaoluzi arrived with an imperial edict.
"Eunuch Xiao Lu, what's going on?" When Xiao Yanzi saw Xiao Lu arrive, she thought he knew the whole story (that Ziwei had been wronged in the Imperial Kitchen), so she surrounded him as if he were her pillar of support.
Xiao Luzi, having served the Emperor himself, could easily read the look on Xiao Yanzi's face. She clearly felt that Ziwei had been wronged in the Imperial Kitchen. But bound by propriety, Xiao Luzi remained respectful and said, "Princess Huanzhu, this is why I've come. Please accept the imperial decree!"
Little Swallow seemed to only then notice the bright yellow imperial edict in Xiao Luzi's hand. Following protocol, she knelt down to receive it.
After the imperial edict was read, Xiao Yanzi was still a little dizzy. Hadn't her father said he'd exempted her from the formalities in the palace? Why was he sending a tutor again? And specifically to discipline Ziwei? What was going on? Furthermore, why was Ziwei required to copy the palace rules 100 times? And why was she confined to her quarters? She quickly grabbed Xiao Luzi's sleeve. "Eunuch Xiao Luzi, what's going on? Father, what's happening? Why is Ziwei being made to copy the palace rules 100 times and confined to her quarters?"
Little Swallow didn't know what was wrong, but she felt extremely panicked. So, as if grasping at a straw, she clung tightly to Xiao Luzi's sleeve.
Xiao Luzi maintained his usual smiling demeanor. His master was the Emperor, and he handled everything with strict adherence to official procedures. "This servant is unaware of the details; it's His Majesty's decree. Furthermore, His Majesty also stated that from today onwards, Shufangzhai will no longer have its four great guards. This servant still has to attend to His Majesty, so I'll take my leave now." With that, he cruelly brushed Xiao Yanzi's hand away from his sleeve. Without looking back, he turned and left.
Xiao Yanzi felt as if she'd been struck by lightning. She was completely devastated by the news. She even forgot to stop Xiao Luzi to ask for clarification. By the time she reacted, Xiao Luzi was already gone.
Xiao Luzi: Luckily I ran fast, otherwise I would have been questioned endlessly!
After hearing the contents of the imperial edict, Ziwei finally came to her senses. Ignoring Xiaoyanzi and Jinsuo's expressions, she went straight back to her room, locked the door, sat on the floor, hugged her knees, and began to sob quietly.
Jin Suo was also completely bewildered, having no idea what had happened. Her young mistress had already locked the door. Judging from Xiao Yanzi's expression, it was clear that this matter was no small thing. Jin Suo was afraid something might happen to her mistress, so she stood guard at Ziwei's door.
The four talented men, Mingyue and Caixia, also realized the seriousness of the matter and quickly helped their princess to sit on the stone bench. They all tried their best to comfort her.
Little Table: "Princess, it's alright. From now on, I, Little Table, will protect you. I, Little Table, know all kinds of martial arts, Emei Kung Fu, Shaolin Kung Fu, Wudang Kung Fu." As he spoke, he enthusiastically demonstrated the skills.
Little Mosquito: "That's right, Princess, you're alright. We're here to protect you. No matter who it is, Little Mosquito can imitate the roar of a tiger to scare them away. No one will dare to bully Princess!" Little Mosquito thought Little Swallow was worried that the headmistress would be like Rong Momo. So, it quickly pledged its loyalty to Little Swallow and made its promise.
Little Stool: "You silly goose, Princess is probably so sad because the Great Sage Ban can't come. Besides, how can your skills compare to the Great Sage Ban's?" Little Stool whispered to Little Mosquito and Little Table. "It's alright, Princess, if you still want to see 'Journey to the West,' we servants will perform it for you." Little Stool tried to change the subject.
The little bug said, "Yes, Princess, if you want to see it again, we'll act out the four of them as the master and his disciples again." No matter what, what they wanted to see was still their lively and bright princess.
Even Mingyue and Caixia chimed in, mainly because their princess was clearly not in a good mood. Moreover, the Emperor's decree was indeed difficult for everyone to accept. But the decree had already been issued, so all they could do was tell their princess to try to think positively and comfort her.
Xiao Yanzi lay silently on the stone table for a long time before finally speaking, "You all go and do your work. Go see Ziwei and prepare some food for her." Xiao Yanzi was thinking that she would go to the Emperor's place to find out some news later.
The four talented scholars and the two beauties couldn't offer any words of comfort and could only obey orders to go see Miss Ziwei.
Little Swallow lay there for a while, waiting until the four talented scholars and two beautiful women had gone far away before heading towards the gate of Shufangzhai. Before she even stepped out the door, she was stopped by two guards outside.
"Look carefully, I am Princess Huanzhu, and I'm going to see Father Emperor!" Little Swallow shouted at them.
“This servant knows you are Princess Huanzhu. The Emperor has ordered that everyone in Shufangzhai be confined to their quarters. They may only be released after a month of instruction by the teaching matrons. During this period, only the teaching matrons may freely enter and leave Shufangzhai; no one else is permitted. If you insist on barging in, we will have no choice but to offend you.” The guard bowed respectfully.
Little Swallow had no other choice. Dejected, she returned to her stone bench. Was her father, the Emperor, really so heartless?
*
The news of what happened at Shufangzhai did not reach Cining Palace. Anke and Qing'er were not affected by it.
After serving the Empress Dowager and having their meal and afternoon nap, the two sat in the room and talked about what had happened that day.
First, Qing'er launched the "attack," saying, "Tell me, what's going on? What you just said while leaning on the Empress Dowager's shoulder was just trying to sow discord between the Emperor and Fu Erkang, wasn't it?" Qing'er's conclusion hit the nail on the head.
An Ke didn't hide anything, knowing full well that her little tricks wouldn't fool Qing'er. "That's right, I'm trying to sow discord between him and the enemy. I am the most honored Princess Yong'an of the Qing Dynasty. Do you think I'll let a mere bondservant like him ride roughshod over me?"
Seeing An Ke's angry expression, Qing'er quickly patted his back to calm him down. "Alright, alright, don't be angry. Don't let unworthy people and things upset you. I heard from Granny Gui that you even hit someone today?"
"What else can I do? Just stand there and wait for him to hit me? This is called giving him a taste of his own medicine. It's perfect that Uncle Huang dismissed the four imperial guards. Otherwise, what kind of prince would serve as a bodyguard for a princess? Wouldn't that be utterly ridiculous? I don't think even my cousin Hejing would have such a grand display. How could she be so shameless?" An Ke felt this was a major plot hole while watching the drama. Even if he felt sorry for his adopted daughter, he wouldn't let a prince, a legitimate prince, serve as a bodyguard for a commoner princess.
"You're right. I just got back, and I was shocked when I heard the news." Qing'er recalled the news she had heard. She was so shocked that she couldn't recover for a long time.
“While talking to me, Fu Erkang kept bringing up his position as a royal bodyguard. Since that’s the case, I’ll just have to put him in his place and strip him of that prized title. That way, he won’t keep causing trouble for me. It’ll also give Lord Fu Lun a good talking-to about his good-for-nothing eldest son.” An Ke was delighted just thinking about it. Such a punishment would be a bolt from the blue for that arrogant and conceited Erkang. The better, so he’d realize who he shouldn’t have offended.
"You're still as naughty as ever." Qing'er chuckled, covering her face with her handkerchief, and then tickled An Ke's ticklish spot.
"No, no, I just figured out what he cared about and gave him what he cared about, so he wouldn't be so arrogant in front of me anymore. I was teaching him a lesson, teaching him to be more humble. How am I the bad one? I actually saved him, so he won't speak recklessly in front of people he shouldn't offend in the future. He won't be so lucky next time. He should be thanking me!" An Ke proudly raised her head.
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