Ziwei looked at her father with a puzzled expression. In the past, when she came to visit, her father would always try the pastries she had made herself. But today...
Although Ziwei was puzzled, she had more important matters to attend to, so she didn't dwell on it. "Father, I've been thinking about all that's happened these past few days. I think Xiaoyanzi and I should go out of the palace for a while to relax." After saying this, Ziwei waited quietly for the Emperor's next words.
The Emperor stared intently at Ziwei, somewhat puzzled as to when his daughter had begun to harbor resentment towards him. "In that case, you two should leave the palace for a while to clear your heads. There's no one to protect you now, so take two guards with you."
Ziwei's joy was short-lived, as she heard the Emperor ask her to bring two guards with her. Her face immediately darkened, but she quickly composed herself. "Father, no need. We're not going anywhere; we just want to relax and take a walk."
The Emperor was about to offer some advice when An Ke's words suddenly flashed through his mind. He swallowed back what he had said, "In that case, you may go tomorrow." With that, the Emperor waved his hand, dismissing Ziwei.
Seeing that her goal had been achieved, Ziwei assumed the Emperor was going to continue reviewing memorials and didn't want to linger any longer. So she followed the Emperor out.
Seeing that it was almost time, Li Yu went in to remind the Emperor that it was time for lunch.
"It's time for Your Majesty's lunch. Would you like to have the meal served?" Li Yu, worried that the Emperor might get too hungry and harm his health, went in and advised him with a troubled expression.
"Then send for the sedan chair. I'm going to Cining Palace this noon." The Emperor's face, which had been as cold as ice, immediately changed, and the snow melted away.
"Your Majesty," Li Yu thought the emperor would say to wait a little longer, but to his surprise, the emperor immediately said, "Yes, Your Majesty, this servant will go and fetch the sedan chair." He stood up and ran outside.
The Emperor watched from behind, shaking his head. Even Li Yu's back view revealed his joy. No wonder An'an always said that Li Yu was the most expressive person; now it seemed that she was right.
The Emperor was riding in a sedan chair, with a hot water bottle in his hand. Just as he reached the passageway, Consort Ling came out from the side, looking pitiful.
Consort Ling was momentarily surprised to see the Emperor, and quickly stepped forward to bow to him. The Emperor looked at Consort Ling, whom he hadn't seen for some time, and thought about how slippery the roads were in the snow.
He ordered his attendants to escort Consort Ling back to Yanxi Palace, while he himself prepared to go to Cining Palace. Unexpectedly, Consort Ling watched his retreating figure, nearly tearing the handkerchief in her hand to shreds.
She finally managed to wait outside for the Emperor's palanquin, but before she could even exchange a few words, he hurriedly departed. Even knowing that the Emperor wasn't going to the concubines' quarters but only to have lunch with the Empress Dowager, she still felt resentful.
But the Emperor did notice her eventually, didn't he? He couldn't be too greedy, so he allowed the guards to escort her to Yanxi Palace, and she even smiled and rewarded the guard with silver. The guard left, deeply grateful.
The Cining Palace, on the other hand, was filled with a harmonious and peaceful atmosphere, which reached its peak with the arrival of the Emperor.
"I thought An'an was joking. After all, I've been busy with state affairs these past few days and haven't seen the Emperor for a long time." The Empress Dowager teased the Emperor as soon as she saw him.
"It's my fault. I've been busy dealing with the aftermath of the White Lotus Sect these past few days and have neglected my mother." The Emperor smiled and agreed.
"Fortunately, An'an and Qing'er are still by my side." The Empress Dowager reached out and patted Qing'er's hand. An Ke had already gone to the small kitchen after informing the Empress Dowager.
"Yes," the Emperor nodded in approval. Leaving aside everything else, just consider the time he accompanied his mother to Mount Wutai to worship Buddha. Even the Emperor found it unbelievable. Qing'er was one thing, that child was extremely well-behaved, but An'an, with her lively and active nature, was also able to keep quiet.
"I would like to discuss with the Emperor the matter of their marriage after the New Year." The Empress Dowager, being of advanced age, enjoys seeing such joyous and harmonious events.
"Your Majesty," Qing'er called out, her eyes filled with tears.
The Empress Dowager patted Qing'er's hand to comfort her, "You're of marriageable age, and I can't keep you with this old woman forever. You can marry An'an together, and you can come back to visit me after you're married."
Qing'er wiped away her tears with a handkerchief and nodded vigorously.
"Since Your Majesty has made the decision, then I will have the Imperial Observatory choose an auspicious date." The Emperor was also overjoyed. Although he was somewhat reluctant to see his niece get married, it was as if his own carefully nurtured little cabbage had been eaten by a pig.
But Fu Ertai is a good man, and I've even bestowed upon him a mansion in the capital. They can both live there and return to the palace whenever they wish. Oh well, children have their own destinies.
"I'm afraid we'll have to bring Xinrong along too," the Empress Dowager said, looking at Xinrong who had just arrived, her face still flushed with shyness.
"Xinrong and Yongqi's matter cannot be rushed. We must wait until after their marriage. Your son has his own arrangements; he will have the Imperial Observatory choose an auspicious date." The Emperor was worried that the Empress Dowager would arrange for all three couples to be married at the same time. Where would he then be to sit and observe the ceremonies?
Personally, the Emperor prefers Anke and Yongqi, so he will definitely go. If they all have to attend on the same day, it will be too late. Besides, Qing'er was practically raised by the Empress Dowager herself, so he should at least go to the ceremony to support her.
We can't be careless or negligent; we can't let all three couples get together.
"The Emperor can decide for himself." The Empress Dowager also felt that her suggestion was a bit inappropriate, since the Emperor would be leaving the palace to attend the ceremony. It would be bad if he missed even one place, and if they were all crammed into one day, the Emperor would probably have to travel back and forth.
It doesn't matter if the emperor travels back and forth, the real concern is that he might miss the auspicious time.
Emperor: Hmm? So, Mother Empress wasn't worried about me after all?
Xinrong felt a little shy after what was said, and walked hesitantly to the Empress Dowager's side. Seeing this, Qing'er felt much better; it seemed she wasn't the only one who felt a little embarrassed.
Just then, An Ke led in a group of palace maids and eunuchs carrying trays. "An An has prepared lunch. Please do us the honor of having a taste, Grandmother and Uncle." An Ke's appearance helped ease their shyness.
"You, you, are just like your father." The Empress Dowager said with a smile, with Xinrong and Qing'er each supporting one side of her.
The Emperor followed behind, and together they arrived at the dining hall. Looking at the appetizing dishes on the table, he praised them once again.
*
Shufangzhai
After finishing all her chores, Xiao Yanzi returned to her room to clear her mind and then collapsed onto her bed.
When Ziwei returned, Xiaoyanzi was still in her room. "Where's Jinsuo and Xiaoyanzi?" Ziwei had just returned and hadn't seen Xiaoyanzi, so she quickly grabbed Jinsuo and asked.
"Little Swallow has gone back to her room to rest." Jin Suo pointed to Little Swallow's room.
After hearing this, Ziwei went towards Xiaoyanzi's room and knocked on the door. Xiaoyanzi heard the noise, got out of bed, and opened the door. "Ziwei?"
Ziwei looked at Xiaoyanzi, who looked rather haggard, and went straight inside as if she hadn't seen her at all. Normally, Ziwei would have asked Xiaoyanzi a few questions, saying why she looked so pale. But now, with Xiaoyanzi's face looking so bad, Ziwei seemed oblivious.
"Little Swallow, I have good news for you. Father Emperor has agreed to let us leave the palace tomorrow." Ziwei felt that she was one step closer to her revenge plan, and her eyes were shining with excitement.
Xiao Yanzi coughed lightly twice. "Really? That's wonderful." Xiao Yanzi had just figured it out. She wanted to live on. Her brother was gone, and she wanted to live well, carrying on his wishes.
"Then you should rest well, Xiao Yanzi. I'll come to see you again tomorrow." With that, Ziwei walked out, and in the end, Xiao Yanzi moved to the door and closed it herself.
The next day
Last night, another thick snow fell, and Xiao Yanzi felt dizzy, guessing she had caught a chill. She thought she should go back to her room to rest.
But Ziwei blocked their way. "Little Swallow, aren't we supposed to be leaving the palace today?" Ziwei's tone already carried a hint of dissatisfaction.
"Ziwei, I'm not feeling well, so let's not go today." Xiaoyanzi's lips were already dry, and she was seeing double, but she was still forcing herself to say this to Ziwei.
Ziwei bit her lip. She should have summoned a royal physician to examine Xiaoyanzi yesterday. What should she do now that things have come to this? Should she ignore her? If she went herself, what would happen afterward? If she took Xiaoyanzi with her, given her current confused state, she probably wouldn't be able to explain herself clearly.
"Little Swallow, hang in there a little longer. Jin Suo, go to my room and get the medicine that Physician Chang gave me." Ziwei thought of a few days ago when she also caught a cold, and Physician Chang had prescribed some medicine for her. Now this medicine would come in handy.
Upon hearing this, Jin Suo hurriedly went to Ziwei's room, found the bottle of pills, and handed it to Ziwei.
Ziwei made Xiaoyanzi swallow it again. "Alright, Xiaoyanzi, let's leave the palace first. Didn't you keep mentioning Liu Qing and Liu Hong? If it really doesn't work out, we can have a doctor take a look at you once we're outside the palace." After saying that, Ziwei couldn't wait to pull Xiaoyanzi away.
Although Xiao Yanzi still had a headache, the medicine prescribed by Physician Chang was not to be underestimated. Now she no longer felt the coldness she had just experienced.
Little Swallow didn't know where Ziwei was going, so she could only pretend to still have a headache, lean against the carriage wall, and quietly close her eyes to rest.
The carriage swayed and finally stopped at a certain place. Ziwei got off the carriage first, and then called Xiaoyanzi to get off with her.
As soon as Little Swallow landed, she stepped into a snowdrift. Looking at the unfamiliar characters on the door plaque, she thought to herself that once her life was settled, she would also learn to read.
After following Ziwei inside, Xiaoyanzi realized that Ziwei had come to the clinic. Xiaoyanzi thought that Ziwei had stopped the carriage at the clinic for her sake, and she was immediately touched.
But the next second, upon hearing Ziwei mention the medicine, Xiaoyanzi's eyes widened involuntarily. What did Ziwei want a drug that would make someone fall asleep for? Xiaoyanzi felt her already aching head throb even more violently.
After receiving the medicine, Ziwei gave the doctor an extra silver ingot and told him to forget about the day's events. Before leaving the palace, Ziwei deliberately dressed modestly and simply, while dressing Xiaoyanzi in somewhat luxurious attire.
Ziwei deliberately did this to mislead people, so that the doctor would think she was Xiaoyanzi's little follower. This way, buying medicine would not arouse suspicion, nor would it lead to suspicion about her.
The doctor, clearly having experienced many similar situations, immediately understood and said, "I am merely a medicine seller and healer, I would never go out and spread rumors." His hand, however, very honestly took the silver ingot from the table and quickly slipped it into his sleeve.
Ziwei watched the doctor's actions and secretly smiled. Greed is good; only greed can make him be bought off.
Ziwei turned to look at Xiaoyanzi, who was sitting in a chair rubbing her temples, and felt a headache coming on. Her claim of leaving the palace to visit Liu Qing and Liu Hong was a lie she had fabricated.
After all, she wanted to use someone else to do her dirty work, so she wouldn't let Xiao Yanzi have any contact with others. Besides, Xiao Yanzi was foolish, and Liu Hong was not easy to fool.
Seeing Xiao Yanzi's pained expression, Ziwei felt a surge of emotion. "Xiao Yanzi's medicine has been bought. Let's go back to the palace and visit Liu Qing and Liu Hong again next time."
Xiao Yanzi didn't want Ziwei to see the Huibinlou empty, with Liu Qing and Liu Hong nowhere to be found. She simply nodded in agreement. Ziwei hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.
Looking at the people coming and going outside, Ziwei felt a deep sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, mixed feelings of emotion and reflection). Before coming to the capital, her heart had always longed to find her father. After all, she had never seen her father when she was a child, and she even thought she didn't have one.
After traversing mountains and rivers and enduring countless hardships, she finally arrived in the capital from Jinan, where she met, fell in love with, and pledged her heart to Erkang. Although Xiaoyanzi had taken over Erkang's place at the time, they still spent a very happy period together.
Ziwei thought of Erkang again and instructed the coachman to detour to the Fu residence. Even if they didn't go inside, just a glimpse from afar would be enough.
How could the coachman disobey Ziwei? Naturally, he urged the horse onward toward the Fu family's house.
Coincidentally, the coffin that Fu Lun had ordered for Fu Erkang arrived. Ziwei, however, only dared to hide behind the carriage curtain, cautiously watching, her eyes quickly filling with tears.
After watching for a moment, Ziwei withdrew her gaze and, in a hoarse voice, instructed the coachman to return to the palace. She then quietly took out a handkerchief to wipe away the tears that had streamed down her cheeks. After wiping away her tears, Ziwei seemed to transform back into the gentle and dignified Princess Ziwei.
As Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei headed towards the Imperial Hospital, the coachman quickly ran to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to report to the Emperor.
An Ke had already guessed that Ziwei would definitely choose one of the guards who served at the same time as Fu Erkang. After all, there was no one to drive their carriages out of the palace anymore.
Ziwei initially refused her father, but after thinking it over carefully, she felt it was inappropriate and went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to ask the guard to be their coachman.
Little did they know that while one was stalking the mantis, another was lurking behind; An Ke had already crafted a human skin mask in the likeness of the guard. And the person accompanying them out of the palace was actually someone close to the Emperor.
As the Emperor listened to the reports from his guards, his expression grew increasingly grim, and his disappointment deepened. It seemed An'an was right; Ziwei was no longer the delicate Ziwei she once was.
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