Aunt and niece quarrel over being neglected
The next morning, Shi Yan was summoned by Shi Hui. After arriving at Cining Palace, Shi Yan and Fu Rong knelt and bowed to Shi Hui, saying, "Your subject/servant greets the Empress Dowager."
Since all the women except the Empress were concubines, they could not call the Empress Dowager "Mother Empress" but could only call her "Empress Dowager".
Upon seeing them, Shi Hui did not immediately offer them a seat. Instead, she ran the lid of her teacup back and forth across the surface, took a slow sip, and then said, "Yan'er, do you know why I punished you?"
Shi Yan naturally understood, and she said, "Because... Your Majesty has been unable to serve you."
Shi Hui slammed the cup in her hand to the ground and said angrily, "Since you know this, why don't you go and visit the Emperor more often?!"
Shi Yan didn't speak, but kept her head down. Seeing this, Shi Hui said to Furong, "Furong, your mistress doesn't know how, why don't you go and help your mistress?!"
Furong lowered her head, unsure of what to say. Shi Hui angrily retorted, "I'm talking to you! Are you deaf?! Answer me!"
Furong trembled, her mouth opened and closed, unable to say anything.
Shi Yan looked up and said, "Aunt, this is not Furong's fault, please don't blame her."
Shi Hui retorted angrily, "It's not her fault! Whose fault is it! Do you want me to say it's your fault?! Since you entered the palace, has the Emperor ever visited you even once?! Hmph! He probably doesn't even know what you look like!"
Shi Yan lowered her head again and said, "It is...my fault."
Shi Hui said, "Have you ever thought about how the Shi family can ever regain its glory in this state! And how you can bring about the destruction of the Li family!"
Shi Yan finally asked, "Aunt, what happened back then...was it really the Li family's fault?"
Upon hearing this, Shi Hui angrily stepped forward and grabbed Shi Yan's wrist, saying fiercely, "Of course it's their fault! Saying that Father deliberately framed her, Li Hehua, is less true than saying that she plotted to frame my father!"
Shi Yan asked, "But why would she risk her life to frame Grandpa? Besides, she's already pregnant. What if she gives birth to a prince...?"
Upon hearing this, Shi Hui became agitated and said, "This was all arranged by the Li family, even at the cost of sacrificing our clansmen! The Li family clearly wants our Shi family to collapse so they can take over! They probably don't even know I'm pregnant!"
Looking at her aunt, who was emotionally agitated over what she believed to be her reasons, Shi Yan shouted, "Aunt! Why are you so determined to target the Li family? Is it really just because of what happened back then? There are so many facts proving that it has nothing to do with the Li family, why won't you admit it?!"
Shi Hui slapped her across the face in anger. "Shut up! Why are you speaking up for them?! Have you been bribed by them?! Or are you going to betray the Shi family?! Speak!"
Shi Yan's face was slapped to the side, with a red handprint on it. She was stunned. Although her aunt had become like this, she had never hit her before.
She pulled her hand away from Shi Hui's, slowly stood up, looked at the utterly mad Shi Hui, and said, "Furong, the Empress Dowager is tired, let's go."
Furong obediently stood up. Shi Yan and Furong turned to leave, but Shi Hui shouted from the ground, "Stop! Answer my question!"
Shi Yan, with her back to her, stopped and said, "Aunt, you know that Yan'er would never betray the Shi family, nor would she harm innocent people."
After saying that, he left with Furong.
As Shi Hui watched her retreating figure, she thought of the time when she was still the Empress, when Shi Yan would always come to the palace to keep her company.
Shi Hui suggested that she play with Qi Min, but Shi Yan said, "My cousin has palace maids to keep her company, but my aunt only has Aunt Shunhua by her side. Father said that when my aunt misses home, she can only talk to Aunt Shunhua. I want to go to the palace more often to keep my aunt company, so that my aunt will have me besides Aunt Shunhua."
At this moment, Shunhua quickly helped Shi Hui up and asked, "Your Majesty, are you alright?"
Shi Hui murmured, "Things are very different now. Yan'er, you are still too naive. Your aunt must make the Shi family powerful again!"
Furong looked at Shi Yan, hesitating to speak: "Your Majesty..."
Shi Yan asked, "What's wrong?"
Furong didn't know what to say, so she shook her head and said, "It's nothing."
Shi Yan smiled at her and said, "So, even Furong can lie?"
Furong didn't reply this time, but just lowered her head and remained silent. Seeing this, Shi Yan took her hand and said, "Furong, you don't need to worry about me, I'll be fine."
Upon hearing this, Furong immediately hugged Shiyan and cried, "This servant is just heartbroken that Your Highness has to go through all this. This servant can't do anything about it. Your Highness is so good, why did Heaven have to make you suffer like this?"
Shi Yan patted her back and said, "Alright, alright, I haven't said anything yet. Why are you already feeling sorry for me?"
Furong continued to cry, so Shiyan quietly held her. After a while, Furong's stomach started to rumble.
Shi Yan laughed and said, "Oh, Furong is hungry."
Furong blushed, but stubbornly replied, "No, I'm not hungry."
After saying that, he got out of Shi Yan's embrace.
Shi Yan laughed and said, "So Furong is so well-behaved. Even in this situation, she still remembers to talk about me."
Furong looked at her and said, "These are all things Your Highness taught us. You have to be mindful of the rules at all times in the palace."
Shi Yan looked at her and asked, "Then... would Furong like something to eat?"
Furong was still trying to be stubborn, but Shiyan immediately said, "There's another rule in the palace that you can't deceive your master."
Furong asked with a hint of doubt, "Really?"
Shi Yan said in a serious tone, "Really."
Furong immediately replied, "Yes."
Upon hearing this, Shi Yan smiled and said, "Alright, let's hurry back to Yonghe Palace for our meal."
Upon arriving at Yonghe Palace, they heard voices coming from inside: "Young Master, we've been waiting for so long, when are they finally coming back?"
"Um... I don't know either."
"Young master, if we don't know, why can't we just leave our things here and go?"
"Hmm... no, what if they don't know we paid for it? Besides, what if other rats ruin all this stuff?"
"Too."
Furong asked in confusion, "Your Highness, isn't that Young Master Li and the others? Why are they here again?"
Shi Yan said, "I don't know either. Furong, you go and deal with them."
Shi Yan still had the handprint on her face. She didn't want Li Yanzhang and the others to see her like this, so on the way back from Cining Palace, she deliberately chose a secluded path.
After Furong understood, she said, "Then Your Highness, you should find a place to hide first."
Shi Yan nodded, and Furong immediately got into character, calling out as she walked inside, "Who's in there?!"
Zizheng trembled upon hearing the voice. Li Yanzhang replied, "Furong, it's me."
After Furong went inside, she saw clothes and rice scattered all over the ground. She asked in confusion, "What does Young Master Li mean by this?"
Li Yanzhang and Zizheng were a little confused by the question, but Li Yanzhang still explained, "These are all compensations I'm giving to you."
Furong asked again, "What should I compensate you for? For coming to Yonghe Palace to admire the moon last night? Or for that... rat incident?"
Zizheng said, "Regarding the matter of compensating for the rat, we didn't intentionally let Diandian break your things. These are compensations for you."
Upon hearing this, Furong immediately retorted, "I knew you had ulterior motives for coming to Yonghe Palace last night! You actually wanted the rats to ruin our things!"
Li Yanzhang and Zizheng quickly waved their hands and said, "No, that's not how it is."
Furong asked, puzzled, "What is it like?"
Li Yanzhang thought for a moment and asked, "Aren't your things broken?"
Furong replied, "It's not broken."
Zizheng asked, "Not a single one?"
Furong said, "No."
Li Yanzhang stroked his chin and said, "That's strange. How come Diandian didn't break anything?"
Furong raised an eyebrow and said, "Hmm?"
Zizheng immediately said, "It's good that it wasn't broken. We came to compensate you because we were worried that Diandian would break your things. It's good that it wasn't."
Li Yanzhang nodded and said, "Yes, that's good, that's good."
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