Chapter 39 The Groom's Wife.
After a brief chat, Daiyu saw Chuheng off at the door. This time, Chuheng did not refuse, because he had something to say.
Chu Heng instructed Daiyu to take a hand warmer, and upon reaching the courtyard, he said softly, "Let's make this brief."
“Neither Granny Zhao nor Granny Wang are close attendants of the Empress Dowager, nor are they from Renshou Palace. They are indeed long-time nannies in the palace, having served the Dowager Consort in previous years, and are very familiar with the rules and people in the palace.” Chu Heng spoke very quickly.
Daiyu nodded: "The Empress Dowager wants us to lower our guard, so she doesn't use the people around her. The more this is the case, the less we should rush things."
Thinking this way, Daiyu calmed down. After all, controlling others was an old problem of the Empress Dowager, so it was impossible for the Empress Dowager to want to harm her.
Chu Heng said with a straight face, "That's right, the Empress Dowager is testing you, Miss Lin. You need to be more careful lately. Don't let your guard down in front of these two people."
The Empress Dowager wanted to test Daiyu's true abilities and personality, and also to see how far Daiyu's relationship with Chuheng had progressed.
In recent months, Chu Heng has visited Daiyu several times and brought her gifts on several occasions; these things could not be kept secret.
Even if the Empress Dowager initially believed Chu Heng's words to deceive her, she no longer does. She will try to test how much Chu Heng values Daiyu.
There was no other reason why the Empress Dowager investigated all of this; it was simply because she desperately wanted to control everyone.
It felt like a fishbone stuck in my throat, or a thorn in my back.
At this moment, Daiyu understood Chuheng's feelings. Over the years, he had truly had enough of the Empress Dowager's constant probing spies.
Even if the emperor discarded him after he had served his purpose, he didn't want to choose to stand on the Empress Dowager's side and be watched by her for the rest of his life.
Daiyu said cautiously, "I know what I'm doing. If anything happens, we should still communicate by letter. They can't keep an eye on me every single hour."
"Be careful." Chu Heng was still very worried. "If they dare to devise any tricks to make things difficult for you, just tell me."
Daiyu emphasized, "Your Highness, I am not someone who will be bullied."
Chu Heng's brows remained furrowed: "The people in the palace are incredibly ruthless. Miss Lin, there are many things you can't imagine. In short, Miss Lin, remember my words: if anything happens, be sure to tell me. I've dealt with the Empress Dowager for years; I have more experience than you."
Daiyu nodded solemnly: "Yes, Your Highness, I've got it."
Chu Heng took two steps in place, still feeling uneasy, and said, "They respect you as their master. If anything happens, Miss Lin, you have so many servants in your room, you don't need to be polite to them. I'll take responsibility for any consequences."
Daiyu couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Yes, Your Highness, don't worry. I have many people here, so I certainly won't let myself suffer any losses."
Chu Heng was even more worried. He was about to speak when Daiyu's tense mood was dispelled by his suspicious behavior.
Daiyu spoke first: "It's terribly cold outside, Your Highness. You should go back to the manor soon. I'll send someone to deliver a letter to you tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Chu Heng indeed stopped talking and only said, "Go back and warm up first, and be sure to tell me if anything happens!"
Seeing that he couldn't help but repeat these words in the end, and thinking of how many times he had dealt with such tactics from the Empress Dowager over the years, Daiyu couldn't help but feel a little uneasy now. She nodded heavily with a sigh in her heart: "Your Highness, rest assured."
However, even after Chu Heng got into the carriage and returned to the palace, he was still worried. Zhao Qing tried to persuade him, but it had little effect.
"Because of the spies planted by the Empress Dowager, I suffered so many losses when I was a child..." Chu Heng clenched his fingers tightly, "And even today, I can only watch helplessly as Miss Lin repeats what I did back then."
Zhao Qing hurriedly said, "Your Highness, don't scare yourself. The Empress Dowager has no intention of harming Miss Lin. Besides, you have already learned from my experience. Miss Lin can learn to deal with this gradually. After you move into the manor, there will be many more such incidents. It can be considered..."
Chu Heng propped his forehead up and murmured, "It's my fault for dragging her down."
Zhao Qing choked up. What was this all about? In the end, it was the Emperor and the Empress Dowager who forced Miss Lin into this marriage. Wasn't the Prince also powerless to do so?
Sigh, Zhao Qing thought, the prince's concern for Miss Lin was far beyond his imagination, and he didn't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.
"Your Highness, please don't worry. Miss Lin said she would deliver a letter to you tomorrow. If something really happens, you should go to the Jia family immediately. You absolutely cannot let Miss Lin be bullied." Zhao Qing handed a cup of warm water to his master.
Chu Heng gripped the cup, pondered for a long while, and slowly nodded.
They cannot act rashly. The Empress Dowager is not an impatient person; it is he who is overly anxious and is now losing his composure, which is what will harm Miss Lin.
Chu Heng took a deep breath and instructed, "Eunuch, when you go to the palace in the future, find an opportunity to carefully inquire about the situation of these two people, and don't forget their ancestral home and family."
Zhao Qing entered the palace at a young age and had many old friends. When he accompanied Chu Heng to the palace to pay his respects, he would occasionally catch up with them. It was not a very deliberate act, and even if the Empress Dowager was on guard, she could always find an opportunity to do so if she wanted to.
Zhao Qing bowed and said, "This servant understands."
...
At the Jia family residence, Daiyu saw Chuheng off and returned to her room to see Grandmother Jia.
Grandmother Jia was reclining on the couch when she saw her return. She simply said, "Go back and rest."
Daiyu paused, curtsied, and silently turned to leave.
He couldn't meet the old lady's expectations, and perhaps the old lady thought he had made a mess of the family, so she became increasingly cold towards him.
As Daiyu pondered this, she felt no melancholy, only a sigh.
Among royalty and noble families, blood ties and kinship are very weak.
Back in her room, the two old women from the palace were talking to the old woman from the Jia family who was in charge of Daiyu's upbringing. When they saw the young lady return, they both came over to greet her.
Because of the arrival of the palace maids, Zijuan and the other maids were a little reserved, and their eyes were all on their young lady.
Daiyu smiled and sat down: "It's better to be at home and have it easier. Since you two are new here, please feel free to tell me if you need anything. If there's anything I've done wrong, please don't be shy and just say what you need to say."
Granny Zhao smiled and said, "Thank you, Miss. It's nothing. We've only just come to serve you and aren't very familiar with the people in the mansion. We're just asking the older ladies so we don't embarrass you in the future."
Daiyu nodded and smiled: "The Empress Dowager's rules in the palace are naturally good, but I'm afraid the two nannies will think I'm unruly."
Granny Wang hurriedly said, "The Empress Dowager said that the young lady's manners are correct. We are just helping the young lady to familiarize herself with palace affairs, and we dare not say anything else."
"The Empress Dowager loves us younger generation, but no one is perfect. If you nannies think I have any shortcomings, please point them out to me," Daiyu said with a smile. "Otherwise, if I really make a mistake in the future, it's not just that I'll lose face, but I'm afraid it will also damage the Empress Dowager's reputation."
Both nannies bowed and agreed. As Daiyu turned to read her book, the two women exchanged glances. This Princess Duan was not someone to be trifled with. Fortunately, they were not ordered to make things difficult for her, otherwise, they really didn't know who would suffer in the end.
Daiyu went about her own business, ignoring the two people who had suddenly appeared in the room. Zijuan and the others, seeing the young lady's attitude, understood the situation and no longer held back, going about their own business as usual.
In the afternoon, Daiyu arranged the two nannies' shifts again, following the old rules of her room, with the servants taking turns to serve each other, and no one was allowed to take a break.
Having been able to stay in the palace for so many years and being chosen by the Empress Dowager, both Prince Zhao and Prince Daiyu were shrewd and capable. They did exactly as Daiyu instructed them and never acted on their own initiative.
Daiyu gradually understood the situation and smiled, "The Empress Dowager asked two nannies to teach me about palace affairs, and I dare not slack off. Let's start now."
The two replied, "Yes."
Daiyu invited them to sit down, but the two declined several times. Finally, at Daiyu's insistence, they sat down on the small stools.
Eyeliner aside, whether they can be used for her own purposes in the future is another matter. They already have tasks on their minds, and Daiyu not only doesn't allow them to slack off, but also wants to dig as much as possible out of them.
The next morning, Daiyu asked Zijuan to bring her a pen and ink, wrote a letter on her dressing table, and instructed Zhou Mama to send it out before she began to wash and dress.
After breakfast, Zhao Wang's two nannies came over, greeted the young lady, and then stood aside to listen for instructions.
Seeing that the sun was shining brightly outside, Daiyu sat down by the glass window and said with a smile, "Let's continue from yesterday. Where were we yesterday?"
Wang Mama smiled and said, "Speaking of His Majesty, His Majesty has a new little princess this year. She is very beautiful and lovely. Now there are five princes and six princesses in the palace, which is quite lively."
Daiyu rested her chin on her hand, looked out the window, and nodded casually, letting them continue.
Besides the various rules and etiquette of the princes and princesses, there were also stories about the imperial family, relatives, and other powerful figures in the palace. Daiyu treated it as listening to stories and asked them to tell her about them slowly.
As for their future returns to the Empress Dowager, whether the Empress Dowager is satisfied or not, Daiyu has something to say. She truly understands the Empress Dowager's good intentions and is carrying out the Empress Dowager's instructions in a strict manner, for fear of disgracing the Empress Dowager and Prince Duan in the future.
The Empress Dowager was not an easy person to get along with, but she was concerned about her reputation. Daiyu pondered that she was not without flaws either.
At this moment, Chu Heng, who was in the Prince's mansion, was reading Daiyu's letter. Fearing that he might miss something, he read it very carefully, word by word, and only after a long while did he raise his head.
Seeing that his master's face did not look unpleasant, and even seemed somewhat relaxed, Zhao Qing said, "Your Highness, Miss Lin should be alright?"
Chu Heng nodded: "You underestimate Miss Lin too much. She's just two old women; they can't do anything to her."
The difficult thing to deal with wasn't these two old women, but the Empress Dowager behind them.
Zhao Qing thought to himself, "You were the one who was so anxious yesterday, how could I have underestimated Miss Lin? It was clearly your concern that made you lose your composure and almost caused you to lose your sense of proportion!"
Zhao Qing smiled and said, "Although I have only met Miss Lin a few times, I have some humble opinions. Miss Lin is not a weak person, so Your Highness can rest assured."
Chu Heng pondered for a moment and said, "Of course she is not weak. She has endured all these years of living under someone else's roof on her own. I know that she can handle many things by herself."
He looked out the window and seemed to see Daiyu, who had walked alone through these years.
"That's why I'm worried about her and want to protect her."
Chu Heng wanted to tell Daiyu that she no longer needed to shoulder everything alone in the future.
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