The Emperor was indeed considering the Empress Dowager's words. Just thinking about it made him uneasy. Little Swallow was, after all, his and Yuhe's daughter, who had been separated for over ten years. Was he really going to treat her like this? Could he truly be fair to Yuhe?
The emperor's mind raced with a thousand thoughts.
Before the Emperor could figure it out, the Empress Dowager spoke up, "Your Majesty, I know you feel guilty towards Xiao Yanzi's mother and Xiao Yanzi herself, but the palace is still the palace. Haven't all the princesses and princes grown up like this? Even the Ninth Princess knows how to behave properly. Doesn't Xiao Yanzi know?"
These words made the Emperor lower his head in shame. Even his own daughter, who had just learned to walk, knew how to behave, yet Xiao Yanzi was still so reckless.
"I'm not forcing you. Perhaps one day you'll thank me for what I said today." The Empress Dowager waved her hand. "Granny Gui, help Granny Fang up." After saying this, the Empress Dowager picked up her teacup, took a sip, and glanced at her son.
The Emperor sat in Cining Palace for a long time. The Empress Dowager dismissed the palace maids who were serving him. After all, this was a matter of the royal family and a matter of the Emperor's dignity. How could the Empress Dowager allow so many people to gather here and watch?
It wasn't until the tea the Emperor had prepared in Cining Palace had gone cold that he made a decision. He stood up and stretched his stiff body, preparing to return to Yangxin Hall to review memorials.
At this moment, An Ke's guards returned first. The Emperor thought it would be nice to wait here for his niece to return and have dinner together.
As I sat down in a good mood, a guard rushed in.
"But An'an is back?" The Emperor recognized her at a glance; she was his younger brother's guard.
"This servant failed in his duty, and the princess was injured." After bowing, the guard remained kneeling on the ground, his head bowed.
The Empress Dowager had thought that since these two girls had finally managed to leave the palace, they would probably return before the palace gates were locked, but she hadn't expected them to return so quickly. She was initially somewhat pleased, but her expression suddenly changed upon hearing the news.
The Empress Dowager, gripping the handle of her seat, stood up unsteadily. "What happened to An'an? Where is she hurt? Aren't you supposed to be protecting the princess closely? How could she have gotten hurt?" The Empress Dowager was extremely anxious, wishing she could leave the palace immediately to see what was wrong with her precious granddaughter.
"What happened? Tell me in detail. Was there an assassination attempt?" The Emperor strode forward, first supporting the agitated Empress Dowager, and then questioned the guards. "Where is An'an now? How badly is she injured? Tell me everything now."
The Empress Dowager sat in her seat, calming herself slightly, but her eyes were fixed on the kneeling guard. She wanted to know the whole story, but this was the capital, and who would dare to risk offending the Empress Dowager by attempting to assassinate the princess?
"Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, the princess was initially just strolling around the streets with Princess Qing and Princess Saiya. Princess Saiya was interested in a spinning top when they happened to run into Princess Huanzhu." The guard reported in great detail, afraid of missing a single piece of information.
When the Empress Dowager heard that it was about Little Swallow again, her face immediately darkened. She didn't even need her son to comfort her and glared fiercely at her foolish son.
The emperor was also a little guilty. After receiving a sharp look from his own mother, he unconsciously touched his bald head.
"Go on," the Emperor belatedly realized.
Then, the guard recounted how the princess chased after the mysterious man, and how, upon returning, the princess discovered that Princess Saiya and Princess Huanzhu were fighting in the street. In order to protect Princess Qing, the princess endured the whipping.
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager was already furious. She slammed her hand on the handle of her throne. "Outrageous! Fighting with a Mongolian princess in the street, what a feat! And she even frightened Qing'er, making An'an take a whipping. Is this your good daughter, Your Majesty?"
What could the Emperor do? He could only stand by with a forced smile, patting the Empress Dowager's back to help her catch her breath. At the same time, the Emperor was also feeling incredibly troubled. This Little Swallow really could cause trouble even when there was nothing wrong with her.
"The princess is on her way back to the palace. This servant came ahead to report." The guard recounted the whole story with unwavering resolve, ready to face his punishment.
However, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor were currently focused on the princess and Princess Huanzhu, and paid no attention to the guard. The Emperor was also extremely annoyed and waved his hand, dismissing the guard.
Upon seeing this, the guards quickly bowed and retreated. Only after leaving the Cining Palace did they pat their chests in relief and let out a long breath.
"Your Majesty, no matter how much you feel indebted to Xia Yuhe, she must be severely punished this time. She cannot be let off lightly." The Empress Dowager was truly furious; she hadn't had a single peaceful day since returning to the palace.
The Shufangzhai was in complete chaos, and even the Cining Palace and Yangxin Hall were thrown into turmoil. The Empress Dowager believed that the source of the unrest was Xiao Yanzi.
Now that we know, we should nip this in the bud. It's no wonder the Empress Dowager is ruthless; having served two emperors, she had never seen such a bizarre woman.
The Emperor sent Granny Gui to comfort the Empress Dowager, while he went to the Imperial Hospital to wait for An'an and the others. He would go ahead and find out what was going on.
The Empress Dowager no longer wants to get involved, and she certainly doesn't want to see this son who is causing her so much trouble.
The Emperor, no longer wanting to make a fool of himself, strode towards the Imperial Hospital.
It was such a coincidence that the Emperor had just arrived at the Imperial Hospital when Anke and the others arrived shortly after.
An Ke was also surprised to see the Emperor at the Imperial Hospital. "Uncle, why are you at the Imperial Hospital?" An Ke thought the Emperor was unwell, but then she thought that if the Emperor was unwell, the eunuchs around him would come to the Imperial Hospital to summon the imperial physicians. How could the emperor of the country be allowed to go to the Imperial Hospital to see the imperial physicians on his own?
"I heard that you were whipped, An'an. Let me see it quickly." The Emperor rushed over the moment he saw An'an, and when he saw An'an's tightly clenched right hand, he knew that it was her right hand that was injured.
"It's nothing serious, just a little red and swollen." An Ke didn't bother to exaggerate the injury; the facts were the facts. She then opened her hand so that her uncle could see it clearly.
The Emperor looked at the glaring red swelling in the middle of An Ke's fair hand, and a look of heartache appeared in his eyes. His niece's skin was very delicate, and now, after being whipped like that, it immediately became red and swollen.
"Physician Hu, come here quickly and examine the princess!" The Emperor, feeling sorry for An Ke, took her hand and, looking at the wounds on it, shouted angrily.
Qing'er was also watching from the side, while Saiya awkwardly picked at her fingers. If Qing'er was worried, then Saiya was both worried and guilty.
Physician Hu was initially shocked that the Emperor had come to the Imperial Hospital in person. However, the arrival of the princess immediately cleared up his confusion.
Facing the Emperor's fiery gaze, Physician Hu cautiously examined the princess's palm. He saw a clear whip mark on her hand, but it was nothing serious.
It was only because the princess's skin was so delicate that the scar looked rather gruesome.
Physician Hu took out some medicine powder from his medicine box and gently applied it to the princess. Then he took out a strip of cloth and carefully bandaged the princess's wound.
"Your Majesty, the princess's hand injury is not serious. She only needs her dressing changed once a day." Physician Hu wiped the sweat from his face, thinking to himself, "If this were an ordinary person, such an injury would prevent them from doing farm work."
Physician Hu only dared to mutter a few complaints to himself, not daring to say them openly. The princess seemed completely unconcerned, while the three large statues beside her looked extremely nervous. Physician Hu thought to himself, "Perhaps only Princess Yong'an has such an air of authority?"
"Alright, then you will be responsible for changing the princess's dressings at Cining Palace every day. If the princess is left with a scar, you will be fired from your position as the head of the Imperial Hospital." The Emperor breathed a sigh of relief. An'an's injury was not that serious, so the Empress Dowager would probably not be so worried.
"Yes, yes, yes, Your Majesty, I will do my utmost to take care of you and ensure that you do not leave a single scar on your hands." Physician Hu will be retiring in four or five years, and he cannot afford to make any mistakes before then. After all, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy earns a higher monthly salary than other physicians in the Academy.
Physician Hu: Stop messing around! Let me retire peacefully!
Anke even went up to Qing'er and said, "See? I told you everything was alright, right?"
Qing'er relaxed her guard and secretly glared at An Ke. Saiya stepped forward with remorse, took An Ke's intact left hand, and was unusually depressed, no longer the radiant Mongolian princess she had just been.
"An'an, I'm sorry. If I hadn't insisted on competing with that little swallow, you wouldn't have gotten hurt." Saiya felt it was all her fault.
"Oh, alright, alright, are you both going to blame yourselves?" Anke had just comforted one of them when the other came over to apologize. "It's really okay, besides, aren't you also upset about it?"
The Emperor was both surprised and touched as he looked at the three girls huddled together.
Surprisingly, in just a few days, the Mongolian princess and An'an had become so close. But thinking about it, it makes sense; it's hard not to like one's own niece who is so cheerful, lively, and lovable.
What is touching is that Qing'er and An'an's friendship has remained unchanged for many years. An'an would worry about Qing'er's safety and would stop the whip from hitting her, regardless of her own safety. Qing'er would also feel guilty and heartbroken when An'an was injured.
"Alright, alright, the Empress Dowager is still waiting for you at Cining Palace. Come back to Cining Palace with me, so the Empress Dowager can rest assured." The Emperor stopped the three girls, saying this to prevent them from chatting and losing track of time, since the Empress Dowager was still waiting for news at Cining Palace.
Qing'er wiped away her tears, and Saiya also calmed down. Anke felt a little embarrassed, as she had almost cried in front of the Emperor and the others.
The Emperor was unaware of An Ke's ulterior motives, nor did he know how grateful his niece was to her uncle.
"I heard that Little Swallow has stirred up trouble again?" The Emperor refused the sedan chair and strolled along with the three young ladies.
The royal guards and eunuchs followed closely behind, keeping a distance of two or three meters.
"It must have been one of Father's guards who reported it first." An Ke wasn't surprised. Why would the Emperor know about this? After all, Father's guards weren't just there for show; they would naturally relay every little detail to the Emperor.
“Yes,” the Emperor looked up at the sky, which was nearing dusk, and then glanced at Saiya behind him. “I heard that he even got into a fight with a Mongolian princess in the street.”
Saiya immediately tried to say something, but Anke shook her head to stop her. Qing'er understood Anke's meaning and reached out to take Saiya's hand, indicating that she should listen quietly to Anke and the Emperor.
"Is there something you want to ask, Your Majesty? An'an will answer to the best of her knowledge." An Ke stopped and looked at the Emperor with a sincere expression and unusually calm eyes.
"How could I not believe what An'an said?" The Emperor patted An'an's shoulder with a smile.
“It’s good that Your Majesty believes me,” An Ke said, not stopping herself because of the Emperor’s words. Since the Emperor had already asked, this topic should be discussed thoroughly. “I believe the guards have conveyed most of what Your Majesty has to say. An An will only tell Your Majesty what An An witnessed firsthand.”
The Emperor listened attentively, and An Ke spoke very seriously, "We were originally accompanying Saiya to tour the streets of Beijing. Saiya wanted to try spinning a top here, and just then we saw Little Swallow. Little Swallow was a little unconvinced and suggested that she and Saiya try spinning a top together."
"Oh, so it's without any reason?" The Emperor was somewhat surprised. When did Little Swallow become so unreasonable?
An Ke pretended not to see the Emperor's surprised expression and continued, "Saiya didn't want to agree, but Xiao Yanzi kept provoking her, saying that Saiya wouldn't dare. An An guessed that Xiao Yanzi was still holding a grudge against Saiya for the few lashes she received in the martial arts arena."
After hearing An Ke's words, the Emperor was already 90% convinced. This kind of behavior was very much in line with Xiao Yanzi's. Last time, when Saiya pinned her down on the stage and whipped her, Xiao Yanzi must have held a deep grudge against Saiya.
But thinking about it this way, the Qing Dynasty was in the wrong. After all, it was Little Swallow who provoked the Mongolian princess first. She even started fighting with the Mongolian princess in the street; it was clearly Little Swallow being unreasonable. Just thinking this, the Emperor felt a surge of anger.
Originally, I had asked Granny Fang to teach her etiquette. If she hadn't left Shufangzhai today, none of this would have happened. But she insisted on pushing Granny Fang aside and ran out of the palace, causing such a huge disaster.
If they are not severely punished, not only will the Empress Dowager be unable to accept it, but the Mongolians may also be unwilling to accept it.
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