The Empress truly felt that the arrangement between the Crown Prince and Duanhua was quite good.
She knew better than anyone the temperament of the son she had raised from infancy, so she had never forced him. Despite being surprised to learn he had not touched any of the maids she had sent to his residence, she did not object to his choice of Duanhua.
He had always known what he had to do and what he desired.
So he never expressed any wish to keep Su Rong in Daliang, he supported Zhou Gu’s journey to Nanchu, he chose Duanhua, and must have felt that she was the ideal Crown Princess.
She smiled at Qingping, "Concentrate on your pregnancy at home, the marriage affairs of the Crown Prince and Duanhua will be handled by the Ministry of Rites, so there’s no need for you to worry."
Qingping nodded, "Don’t worry, sister-in-law, with you here, I don’t have to worry too much."
Considering the Crown Prince’s status, even if the Ministry of Rites would dare to deceive the Empress, they certainly wouldn’t dare deceive him.
The Empress smiled, "I’m glad you understand."
Qingping stroked her belly, "Of course, I do. This is something I’ve been waiting for for years, so naturally, I cherish it dearly."
The two women continued their conversation for a while, then the Empress invited Qingping to stay for lunch in the palace before she had someone escort her out.
After Qingping left the palace, the Empress said to her personal wet nurse, "Bring me the list from my private warehouse. I will choose some items for you to set aside and send to the Crown Prince’s residence."
The Empress came from a distinguished family and was given a generous dowry when she married.
The personal wet nurse complied.
Soon enough, she brought out a thick stack of lists, handing them to the Empress. She glanced through them and mused, "Some of these old things have been sitting in the warehouse for so many years, I nearly forgot."
She remembered, "Yes, when I first entered the palace, I used to have such innocent thoughts. The Emperor seemed to have a gentle temperament. He looked at me with warm and affectionate eyes. I thought despite being an emperor, he would be a good husband. Only later did I realize how naive I had been."
The wet nurse wasn’t sure what to say, just lowered her voice to say, "Now, the Emperor seems to treat you better than before."
The Empress chuckled, "That’s because the Crown Prince, my son, performed admirably, which perhaps made the Emperor recover some conscience, wanting to reconcile with me. However, a stone that has been cracked can never be restored completely. Even if it could, it would never be as flawless as before. He wants to foster a harmonious relationship between father and son, and between husband and wife. If that is what he wants, we should certainly oblige."
No one was to dictate her thoughts.
The wet nurse sighed, "Anyway, Empress, with the Crown Prince by your side, you need not fear anyone threatening you any longer."
"That’s right, I’m not afraid anymore, not even of the Emperor." The Empress smiled, "Now, if I want to deal with him, I’ll deal with him, if I don’t, then I’ll ignore him. He can indulge in his grievances, for I enjoy seeing his resentful expression. If he isn’t satisfied, he can simply visit his concubines and leave me be."
The wet nurse could not help it and joined in her laughter.
For all those years, when the Emperor had suppressed the Crown Prince which profoundly affected the Empress and everyone in Fengyi Palace. They lived each day in fear, cautious not to provoke the Emperor’s wrath and implicate the Crown Prince. Now the tables had truly turned. Even in their dreams, they could not have imagined a future where the Emperor would be emotionally neglected.
Typical cases of the wheel of fortune, what was to the east of the river for thirty years, was to the west for the next thirty years.
The Empress picked up a pen and quickly circled dozens of items, "Have all of these items taken out of the warehouse and sent to the Crown Prince’s residence."
The wet nurse gasped, "Your majesty, these happen to be your most treasured items."
"Because of that, I wouldn’t mind giving them to my son as gifts for Duanhua." The Empress said, "Had it not been for Su Rong assisting the Crown Prince, our fate would have been uncertain. She is willing to sacrifice for Duanhua, so why should I hesitate to part with these things?"
The wet nurse agreed after some thought and nodded, "I will go myself. And supervise the selection and careful transport of the items to the Crown Prince’s residence."
The Empress waved her hand, "Go on!"
Yan Huisheng also had people bring him a list the day he returned to the Eastern Palace from Princess Qingping’s residence. After reading it, he went to the warehouse personally, picking out a number of items. He instructed the housekeeper, "These things should be properly stored, carefully packed, and taken to the Princess Residence in a few days."
The housekeeper cautiously asked, "Your Highness, sending so many things to the Princess Residence at this time, is it intended as a gift?"
"Not exactly a gift, it is meant for Duanhua to use as a return gift." Yan Huisheng even demystified his intentions, "She has received a gift from the Nanchu Princess, I should assist her in returning the favor."
The housekeeper finally understood why there were so many extravagant items. He still felt the need to remind, "A lot of these items seem intended for a man."
Yan Huisheng smiled, "Those are for Zhou Gu."
The housekeeper laughed, "I see, for Lord Thursday. I had completely forgotten that Lord Thursday is now the Princess’ husband."
Yan Huisheng nodded, then personally drafted a list. He asked the housekeeper to handle it and afterwards, to deliver it to the Princess Residence.
The housekeeper immediately began supervising the packing, barely halfway through when they received another shipment. This time, it was from the Empress’s personal wet nurse, who brought over a series of boxes to the Eastern Palace, also stating that it was for the Crown Prince to use as a return gift.
The housekeeper sighed a few times, "Our Empress really does care the most about our Crown Prince."
The items in the Crown Prince’s personal treasury were mostly bestowals he had received over the years from the royal family and the income from his personal properties. If not for the dowager empress, who on her deathbed out of ire for the Emperor’s folly and compassion for the Crown Prince had gifted all her personal treasures to him, the Crown Prince’s treasury would not have been as abundant. It would certainly not have compared to what had been found in the treasuries of the elder princes when their holdings were confiscated; those had been filled with items extorted from various officials.
The wet nurse agreed with a smile, "Our Crown Prince was loved by the dowager empress, and he is loved by the Empress. And in the future, he will be loved by the Crown Princess."
As for the Emperor’s belated attempt at affection, if it wasn’t for the fact that the Crown Prince had no desire to ascend the throne immediately, the Emperor would have been the retiring emperor by now.
The housekeeper eagerly nodded and laughed, "Nurse, let me tell you, the Princess is such a wonderful person. She has matured so much compared to before, I never expected that she would change so much in just a year’s time, almost as if she were a different person."
What he really meant to say was that her transformation was so dramatic, she was worth her weight in gold.
The wet nurse agreed humorously, "Indeed, I’ve noticed. The last time the Princess came to the palace, she spoke with the Empress, I believe she is not at all inferior to the young maidens of the capital’s nobility. There is a saying, a girl changes completely by the time she turns eighteen. The princess, while not yet married into the Eastern Palace, already seems to possess the temperament of a future Empress."
The housekeeper also believed so.
As the two of them were chatting and organizing the items, the mention of Duanhua brought smiles to their faces.
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