Chapter 36 Jiang Yu Requests to Stay in Beijing
The master and his two servants chatted lively for a while, and Jiang Xue's gloomy expression was much relieved.
The carriage was about to stop.
Xiaochun felt the carriage stop, then reached out and gently pushed up the window. Seeing that they had arrived outside the palace gate, she immediately stood up and walked out of the carriage.
There were palace maids waiting at Xuanhua Gate. Xiaochun looked up and saw that the person standing in front was Dong Shupei.
Xiaochun got out of the car in a hurry, walked up to her, bowed, and said respectfully, "Hello, auntie."
Dong Shupei stretched out her hand to support her and nodded to her with a smile.
In the carriage, Fu Dong was helping Jiang Xue out of the door. They were both surprised when they saw Dong Shupei.
Fu Dong hurriedly got off the car first, bowed to Dong Shupei from afar, and then tried to help Jiang Xue get off the car.
Dong Shupei walked forward and stretched out her arm to Jiang Xue, and Fu Dong slightly stepped aside.
Jiang Xue took Dong Shupei's hand and got out of the car, and asked in surprise: "Why bother Aunt Dong to wait for me here?"
Dong Shupei said, "When the queen received the invitation, she ordered the servant to come and pick me up. She is waiting in the palace now."
She looked at Jiang Xue lovingly and said, "Your Highness must stay in the palace for dinner today. The Queen has asked the imperial kitchen to prepare your favorite dishes."
Jiang Xue nodded and followed Dong Shupei into Xuanhua Gate.
Inside the palace gate was a sedan chair that had been prepared long ago. Jiang Xue got on it, and the group walked towards Yi'an Palace.
When they were almost at the gate of Yi'an Palace, Dong Shupei suddenly said, "Your Highness, the records of the guards who left the palace yesterday have not been completed yet. I will take Xiaochun to the Record Bureau to deal with it first, and then bring them back before dinner."
Jiang Xue hesitated and said, "...Okay."
Dong Shupei turned around and took Xiaochun away from the team.
Xiaochun turned her head slightly to look at her. Seeing that no one was watching, Jiang Xue quickly raised her hand and gestured for silence.
Xiaochun understood, nodded slightly, and caught up with Dong Shupei.
Jiang Xue sat on the sedan chair and sighed helplessly.
Finally, my mother noticed the problem.
Fortunately, it was Xiaochun who was called over.
She told Xiaochun and Fudong everything about the Gu Mansion. Given Xiaochun's understanding of her and Xiaochun's caution and intelligence, she could probably keep some of it secret.
She turned to look at Fu Dong, who frowned and asked in confusion, "What list? Didn't Xiang Lu bring a list yesterday?"
Jiang Xue smiled but didn't answer.
Soon they entered Yi'an Palace. Jiang Xue walked faster, and Fu Dong followed closely behind her. She turned her head to look at the palace attendants who were some distance behind her, and whispered to Fu Dong, "Don't mention anything about the Gu Mansion in front of the Queen Mother. If she asks, just say everything is fine."
Although Fudong is not as smart as Xiaochun, he understood everything immediately and nodded alertly.
In the main seat of Yi'an Palace, Lu Congfang was sitting and drinking tea.
Jiang Xue walked into the hall and bowed gracefully.
"Xue'er wishes you good health, mother."
Jiang Xue was wearing a pear-white, narrow-sleeved, waist-length skirt today. Her waist was tied with an indigo silk ribbon and a turquoise agate band tied on it, which made the belt sink down, making her look even thinner and more frail.
Lu Congfang's mind was full of thoughts. Seeing his daughter's frail appearance, he hurriedly said, "Get up quickly. Why are you being so polite in front of your mother?"
Jiang Xue stood up and looked up to see Lu Congfang looking helpless. She asked, "What happened to mother?"
"Come here and sit next to our mother," Lu Congfang said.
The maid in Yi'an Palace immediately moved a low stool to the main seat. Jiang Xue sat down and took Lu Congfang's hand.
"Talk to mother." Lu Congfang held his daughter's hand tightly.
Jiang Xue seemed confused and asked, "What?"
Lu Congfang pretended to glare at her and said, "What else could it be? It's naturally about you and your husband."
"My son and the prince consort are getting along very well," Jiang Xue said obediently, blinking her big eyes. "What could be the problem?"
"If nothing happened, then what happened to the guards at Changle Palace yesterday?"
"That's what you're talking about, mother," Jiang Xue said with a smile, "The guards in the Prince Consort's Mansion weren't very useful, so I thought that the guards in Changle Palace had been with me for some time, so it would be more convenient to directly transfer them over, and save the trouble of selecting them."
"The first day you came back to the palace, I told you to bring more people with you, but you were still concerned about your husband's face and refused to accept them. Why are you seeking this kind of convenience now?"
Mrs. Lu knew that her daughter would only report good news and not bad news, but this behavior really made her suspicious.
Jiang Xue sighed helplessly and said, "Then I will not hide it from my mother."
"The storehouse of the Prince Consort's residence was robbed yesterday, and even the gift sent by my grandparents disappeared."
"What?" Empress Lu was shocked. "How dare someone steal in the Prince Consort's mansion under the Emperor's feet?"
"That's right. The Prince Consort is also very anxious about this," Jiang Xue said, "This minister is also to relieve the Prince Consort's worries. If this matter gets out, the Gu family may be known for not being strict in managing the family."
"Although you have dispatched palace guards to strengthen the security of the Gu Mansion - but your actions are so ostentatious this time, won't the news spread faster?" Queen Lu expressed her doubt.
"Uh..." Jiang Xue was a little embarrassed.
She thought all night but couldn't come up with a better excuse that could both deceive her mother and serve as a reason for her actions.
So she decided to just use what Gu Lintan had done.
Tell half and hide half.
"So the reason I came here today is to ask you, mother, to help me and your husband keep this matter a secret." Jiang Xue said earnestly.
"The son-in-law is a new official, and he married me. Many things are done in a hurry and not carefully considered - but I don't want him to be criticized for this." Jiang Xue had a look on her face.
"Please, mother, please love me and find a reason to issue an imperial decree, saying that the matter of the guards was decided by the palace. I'm sure no one will dare to say anything."
Gu Lintan is not stupid. He will not expose this matter to others and let others step on him.
As long as Jiang Xue doesn't tell anyone and the palace doesn't tell anyone about this, no one will know that there was a thief in the Gu Mansion.
Lu Congfang looked at Jiang Xue, feeling somewhat helpless.
She knew that Jiang Xue was definitely not telling the truth.
From the first time Jiang Xue returned to the palace, she and Dong Shupei could both see that Jiang Xue and Gu Lintan had a very limited relationship.
If a woman is really so in love with her husband, why would she show so little interest every time he is mentioned?
This imperial decree was not difficult to issue. As the queen, she had been in charge of the central palace for many years and was well-known for her virtues. It was justifiable to make an exception for Jiang Xue and reward her with some palace servants and guards out of love for her.
But she was really worried about Jiang Xue's marriage.
It's only been a few days, and I've seen my daughter twice, and I felt that something was wrong with her.
I wanted to wait for her to come and ask for permission herself, and then let her tell everything.
But Jiang Xue's current look showed that she refused to say anything.
Lu Congfang said, "Forget it. If you say that's all, I'll just assume it's all. When you leave the palace later, let the eunuch who announces the decree take it with you."
Jiang Xue nodded and said, "Thank you for your mercy, mother."
"You two are the only children I have now. If I don't have mercy on you, who else can I have mercy on?" Lu Congfang frowned and sighed deeply.
"Did you know that your brother asked for permission to stay in the capital during the morning court yesterday?"
"So fast?" Jiang Xue was surprised.
"What's the hurry?" Lu Congfang asked.
"So quickly...you changed your mind," Jiang Xue said, "I have advised him not to be too greedy for the scenery on the border. Serving father, emperor and mother is the most important thing."
Lu Congfang nodded and said, "Your father and I are older than each other. Even if he is unwilling, he will come back eventually. I just didn't expect that he would bring it up himself."
"What does father say?" Jiang Xue asked.
"Your father is naturally happy too," Lu Congfang smiled slightly and said:
"He has discussed this with me, and he will issue an edict in the next few days to make Yu'er the Prince of Zhen and take over the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel."
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