This explains why Rong Momo looked so attentive when she saw Qing Gege and Princess Yong'an at the palace gate. Because in this palace, only Princess Yong'an doesn't favor Consort Ling, but rather the Empress; and only the Princess can make the Empress happier. The Twelfth Prince also prefers Princess Yong'an as his elder sister.
Back when the Empress Dowager was going to Mount Wutai, the Twelfth Prince wasn't particularly reluctant to let her go. But when he heard that Princess Yong'an was also going to Mount Wutai to accompany the Empress Dowager, the Twelfth Prince started clamoring to go there too. Wasn't that all for Princess Yong'an's sake?
Both of her masters favored Princess Yong'an, and Princess Yong'an was also very kind to her servants. What else could Rong Momo possibly say or complain about?
Anyway, Rong Momo applied a super thick filter to An Ke.
"How are you feeling? You ran out today? The Empress Dowager is quite lenient with you." The Empress took An Ke's hand and patted it gently. Her eyes seemed to overflow with heartache.
"Oh dear, An'an is much better now. Why do Aunt and Grandmother both think An'an is as fragile as paper?" An Ke pouted angrily.
"Isn't this because I care about you? That day, the horse was startled, and it really frightened me. That night, the Twelfth Prince kept insisting on seeing you, but I managed to stop him. I had to coax him and tell him that you needed to rest before he could come out to see you, and only then did he stop making a fuss about seeing you." When the Empress mentioned the Twelfth Prince, she seemed to be surrounded by a maternal glow, and her whole demeanor became elegant, gentle, and serene.
"Really? I was worried that Little 12 would forget me, so I brought him a lot of things this time." An Ke smiled and squinted her eyes, thinking of the chubby little boy who hugged her leg and sweetly called her "sister".
“That’s right. Before we came back, An’an dragged me to buy a lot of things for the Twelfth Prince. She even asked him if he would like them while she was buying them,” Qing’er quickly added, recalling that incident.
"Anything you give him, no matter what it is, Twelfth Prince will love it. Last year you gave him that wooden crossbow cart, and he still keeps it, refusing to let anyone touch it. Even I only glanced at it twice when he was holding it." A smile slowly spread across the Empress's face.
"Where is Twelfth Prince?" At this point, An Ke could no longer suppress her emotions, her eyes darting around, searching for the Twelfth Prince.
"You've probably forgotten that the Twelfth Prince is old enough to go to school. What would he be doing in Kunning Palace at this hour?" Qing'er glanced at An Ke teasingly, then covered her mouth and nose with her handkerchief to hide her laughter.
"Oh right! Little Twelve is already in school." Anke suddenly realized something and patted her head.
"Did Little Twelve complain? Master Ji's knowledge is unparalleled. I imagine Little Twelve complains a lot." An Ke thought of Master Ji from before. Back then, Master Ji didn't have a goatee, but his smiling gaze followed by the ability to punish you mercilessly remained unchanged. He was practically a smiling tiger!
Fortunately, her general knowledge of literature was quite good. Even when Master Ji tested her, An Ke could answer fluently. During that time, Master Ji constantly talked about how intelligent Princess Yong'an was. The other princes, princesses, and their little beaded children were also caught up in the fierce competition, and Master Ji often verbally urged them on.
"When he first started school, Twelve was made to cry by Master Ji's homework, but he's much better now." The Empress couldn't help but chuckle as she mentioned her son's embarrassing moments.
“Then I’ll go see Twelve in a bit, and also visit Master Ji. If I hadn’t been injured on my first day back at the palace, I should have gone to see Master Ji the next day. Now that I’m healed, I have no excuse to delay.” An Ke said, feigning distress. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see Master Ji, but thinking about Master Ji’s long-winded personality made her feel a chill, and An Ke immediately shivered.
"Seeing you will surely make Yongqi very happy. Respecting one's teacher is the proper thing to do, but you were injured recently, so I'm sure Master Ji won't make things too difficult for you." The Empress recalled what the Emperor had told him back then. That stubborn old man Ji Xiaolan wanted to take An Ke as his personal disciple, and An Ke was so annoyed by him that he immediately requested to leave the palace.
"Aunt, you don't look well. Is it because Little Twelf is too naughty and has annoyed you? Or is it some ignorant concubine who has caused trouble and is making you worry?" An Ke knew some of the reasons, but she couldn't say them immediately. After all, she had been staying at Mount Wutai for some time. How could she know what was happening in the palace? Wouldn't that be too strange?
"Although 12 is a bit mischievous, she's not enough to cause me any trouble. The concubines haven't done anything seriously wrong either." The Empress didn't know why, but when she started talking to An Ke, she wanted to pour out all her grievances to her. Normally, the Empress would rather stay in her room and be heartbroken than say a single word to anyone else.
"Why is that?" Anke tilted her head and asked, puzzled.
"That princess who entered the palace, your imperial uncle's adopted daughter... I always felt something was off. When she first entered the palace, she didn't seem like a princess at all. On the contrary, Consort Ling strongly defended Xiao Yanzi, who is your imperial uncle's biological daughter. She said her eyebrows and eyes resembled your imperial uncle in many ways, but neither I nor Rong Momo saw much resemblance." The Empress still felt she hadn't misjudged her. "You saw her when she returned to the palace; she was simply an unruly maid. I suggested to the Emperor that she learn manners, but after only a few days, she was beaten, and the Emperor never mentioned it again." The Empress was also very troubled by this.
If the Empress were just an ordinary concubine, she naturally wouldn't have taken the unruly Xiao Yanzi seriously. But she is the Empress, the mistress of the harem. All the princes and princesses in the palace call her Imperial Mother. Naturally, she must value the dignity and honor of the royal family, and disciplining Xiao Yanzi is perfectly justifiable.
"So, that's what's troubling Auntie," An Ke said, feigning sudden realization. "Uncle dotes on her so much? Does she have some admirable qualities? Like a lively and cheerful personality, or a generous and easygoing way of dealing with people?"
"Even if your imperial uncle dotes on her, he still can't compare to you in the past." The Empress glanced at An Ke, amused by her sour tone, and tapped An Ke's forehead with her bare, slender fingers.
Qing'er stood quietly to the side, smiling. An Ke and Qing'er exchanged a glance, and Qing'er knew what An Ke was thinking.
"Oh dear, Auntie, you've exposed me again." An Ke pretended to be angry, turning her body to the side and twirling around while pulling the handkerchief hanging in front of her chest.
"The air is filled with a sour smell. If I still can't smell it, then I'm truly guilty," the Empress said half-jokingly.
"Alright, if there's no comparison, then there's no comparison!" An Ke seemed to have comforted herself, then turned around and hooked her arm around the Empress's, gently shaking it. "Auntie, don't worry so much. Let her do what she wants, just go see her, out of sight, out of mind. She certainly won't come to Kunning Palace to deliberately annoy Auntie. You might as well focus your attention on Twelfth Prince."
An Ke spoke with reason and evidence, “If all else fails, Your Majesty can come to Cining Palace and spend time with Qing’er and An’an. Read some books and enjoy some tea. Don’t overwork yourself. You are first and foremost yourself. Only then are you the Empress, the birth mother of Twelfth Prince, and the mother of all the princes and princesses. Besides, with the Empress Dowager here, what do you have to worry about? The Empress Dowager is intolerant of any wrongdoing. If she makes a mistake, she certainly won’t let her off easily.”
Empress An remained silent, staring intently into thought, without interrupting. Only after the Empress snapped out of her reverie did An speak again. "Besides," she said, "she is, after all, the Emperor's newly adopted daughter. He feels guilty towards her deceased mother and will inevitably show her pity. Your Highness, it would be better to leave her alone for now. Even if you intervene now, the Emperor will think you are narrow-minded and unable to tolerate an adopted daughter. It would be a losing proposition!"
At this point, the Empress seemed to have a thick fog lifted from her eyes. "You're right. But she is, after all, a princess, and she represents the face of the royal family. It's one thing for her to be ignorant of etiquette in the inner palace, but what will the ministers do when she meets them in court? Besides, she will eventually be engaged; are you going to let the ministers say that a princess from the royal family is so unruly and ill-mannered?"
"There's no need for you to worry about that, Aunt. Didn't Uncle issue a decree in the palace saying she doesn't need to follow these rules? It won't affect you, Aunt, no matter what," An Ke advised. Indeed, the decree was issued by the Emperor, but the Empress should be expected to worry about it—that's unreasonable.
"Aren't you afraid your royal uncle will be angry if he hears you say that? He loves you the most." The Empress couldn't help but poke Anke again, as if accusing her of being a little ungrateful.
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. It's all because Uncle Emperor issued the decree, but it's Aunt Emperor who's worried. Uncle Emperor didn't even offer a word of comfort, instead he just gave a bunch of accusations. If it were me, I wouldn't stand for it either!" An Ke spread her hands, acting like a spoiled child.
"Hearing you say that makes me feel much better." The Empress finally smiled from the inside out. Although she had been smiling just now, it always felt like a forced smile. But now it felt like a genuine smile from the heart.
“Yes, if you have nothing to do, you can cultivate your mind, read a book, and drink tea. If you really feel bored, you can come and find An’an and Qing’er. We can chat with you. Keeping everything bottled up inside will cause serious problems if you can’t vent your anger for a long time.” An Ke said to herself, nodding her own head, thinking that what she said made perfect sense.
"Alright, then I'll listen to An'an and visit Cining Palace often." The Empress patted An'an's hand, thinking about her past few years, which seemed to revolve around trivial matters in the palace, and the Emperor and Twelfth Prince.
Before I got married, my mother told me to be dignified and composed. She told me to care for my husband and love my children. But she never told me that I am first and foremost myself, and only then am I a wife, daughter-in-law, and mother.
Over the years, I've argued with the Emperor countless times over matters big and small in the palace, sometimes to the point where I felt utterly disillusioned. No wonder the Emperor preferred the gentle and tender Consort Ling; it was I who pushed him away. These trivial matters in the palace have slowly caused wrinkles to appear around my eyes; I'm no longer young. There are so many things to do that sometimes I can't sleep at night, tormenting myself with endless worries.
Hoping their daughter would become a dragon and their son a phoenix, the emperor relentlessly pushed Yongqi to become a strong and upright man, hoping to impress the emperor with his diligence and surpass Yongqi. This stifled the child's natural instincts, causing him to become increasingly withdrawn and less cheerful at a young age.
Now that I've heard these words, it's time for me to rest. I'll stop thinking about being the Empress, stop thinking about the endless power struggles in the harem, stop thinking about the Emperor's elusive love, and stop thinking about oppressing Yongqi. I'll just be myself.
"I've heard that Her Majesty the Empress writes very well. If Her Majesty the Empress often comes to Cining Palace in the future, Qing'er will have to ask Her Majesty the Empress for calligraphy lessons." Qing'er also comforted the Empress from the side.
All the princesses, princes, and concubines in the palace had to rely on the Empress for her care. I thought back to the Empress I knew when I was a child. Although she was only a Consort Xian, the Empress back then radiated virtue and gentleness. She was incredibly kind and lenient in the harem. Ultimately, it was her status as Empress that kept her in check.
"Why be so modest, Qing'er? I've seen your calligraphy myself; your delicate, small regular script is truly excellent." Speaking of calligraphy, the Empress couldn't help but pause, somewhat lost in thought. She used to love practicing calligraphy at her desk. But after becoming Empress, the time she spent practicing had drastically decreased. The trivial matters of the palace had given her nothing but headaches.
Hearing the cheerful sounds from inside the palace, Rong Mama's wrinkled face slowly broke into a smile. Though reluctant to interrupt the atmosphere, she still pushed open the door and called out, "Your Majesty, the Princess's pea flour cake is ready. Would you like to enjoy it now?"
The Empress turned to look at An Ke and gestured for her to eat, but whether they should eat now or later was entirely up to An Ke.
"The pea flour cake is ready?" An Ke looked at Rong Momo, and after receiving Rong Momo's affirmative nod, she hurriedly said, "Then bring it up quickly, I've been craving this pea flour cake while I was outside the palace!"
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