But Fu Zhun didn't give her any face, giving a disgruntled snort and saying pointedly:
"As a high-ranking and important person, Consort Xian should be even more careful in her words and deeds. If she is easily swayed by slander and abuses her power to oppress others, she will surely suffer the consequences sooner or later."
Upon hearing this, Consort Xian's face grew even paler, and she managed to force a smile.
“Your Highness is right, I will certainly keep that in mind.”
Consort Xian took a deep breath and turned to leave.
However, in the instant she turned her head, her gaze lingered on Su An's face for a moment, intentionally or unintentionally, and the coldness in her eyes made Su An involuntarily shiver.
Why do I suddenly have this feeling of being targeted by a venomous snake?
"Based on my understanding of Consort Xian, she will definitely not let this go. When I am not around in the future, you must be careful and not fall into her trap."
Fu Zhun whispered his instructions with concern.
Life may seem peaceful on the surface, but in reality, countless people are secretly watching her.
She couldn't stay in the palace for even a moment longer.
Before Su An could even speak, Fu Zhun, as if on the same wavelength, began to murmur.
"The palace is probably more dangerous than outside now. You should go back to Cining Palace and wait for me patiently. I will go to find the Emperor and take you away from the palace. Remember, even in Cining Palace, be careful and don't let anyone take advantage of you."
"Don't worry, I'm very clever!"
Su An nodded helplessly and responded with a wry smile.
The palace walls were deep, and the entire palace was like a huge cage. Being in the palace felt like a huge rock was pressing on her heart, making it hard for her to breathe.
Seeing that she agreed, Fu Zhun nodded slightly and hurried towards the Imperial Study.
"Let Miss Su leave the palace? But I noticed that the Empress Dowager and Miss Su get along exceptionally well. It's only been a day, and my uncle is already in a hurry to take Miss Su away. Could it be that he's afraid that if Miss Su stays in the palace for too long, she'll fall in love with me?"
In the imperial study, Chu Yi chuckled, raised an eyebrow at Fu Zhun, and spoke with a hint of mockery.
As he spoke, he swung his brush freely, writing several large characters on the paper.
Knowing that he was trying to provoke him on purpose, Fu Zhun gave a cold laugh without changing his expression and responded calmly.
"Your Majesty is probably overthinking it. Miss Su's judgment is not that bad. Miss Su is kind and innocent, and it is not appropriate for her to get involved in palace intrigues. If Your Majesty has any complaints, you may come directly to me. I beg Your Majesty to grant her permission!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Yi's eyes flickered slightly, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.
If he remembered correctly, Su An used some worthless junk to fool those shrewd and wealthy merchants. He couldn't even come up with such a method. What kind of pure kindness is this?
She's clearly a cunning and treacherous little fox.
He put down the brush in his hand and said slowly.
"Since Imperial Uncle has put it that way, then I will consider it!"
As he spoke, he blew on the still-wet ink on the paper, then pointed to his calligraphy and asked Fu Zhun for advice.
"Uncle, why don't you take a look and see how well this handwriting is done?"
Fu Zhun's gaze swept over the four characters "Ning Jing Zhi He" written on the paper, and his eyes flickered slightly.
The handwriting looks strong and powerful, but there is a hint of restlessness between the lines. Calligraphy emphasizes a calm mind and a peaceful spirit, with the brush following the heart. Obviously, Chu Yi is too impetuous, so this piece of calligraphy can be considered a waste.
"Let it go! If Your Majesty cannot calm your mind, you should study the strategies of wise rulers more often."
Fu Zhun casually uttered this sentence before turning and leaving the Imperial Study.
How dare he say his handwriting is garbage!
Watching Fu Zhun's departing figure, a cold glint flashed in Chu Yi's eyes, and his fingers tightened suddenly, crumpling the calligraphy in his hand.
His body trembled slightly from the emotional turmoil.
A full quarter of an hour passed before Chu Yi took a deep breath and calmed himself down.
He slowly smoothed out the papers on the table, hummed softly, and muttered to himself.
"Uncle, you are so naive. I went through so much trouble to bring her into the palace, how could I let her leave so easily now?"
After saying that, he raised his voice and called out towards the door.
"Fuhai, go and invite Miss Su here!"
Not long after, Su An was invited to the Imperial Study.
Despite his displeasure at being in the palace, Su An still bowed slightly to Chu Yi.
"This humble woman greets Your Majesty. This humble woman is uncouth and unfit to stay in the palace for long. Moreover, I have already met the Empress Dowager. Your Majesty should be satisfied, right? When does Your Majesty intend to allow this humble woman and the prince to leave?"
As Chu Yi held the jade seal and closed the book on the table, he casually raised an eyebrow at her and chuckled.
“If the Imperial Uncle wants to leave, he can do so at any time, but Miss Su is probably not going to be able to leave for the time being.”
No, he used the pretext of letting Fu Zhun go to the palace to visit the Empress Dowager to insist that she go to the palace with him. She agreed, but now that she is the future princess consort of the Prince of Zhenbei, it shouldn't be a problem for her to go back with Fu Zhun!
Su An was so angry that she almost exploded, glaring at Chu Yi through gritted teeth.
"Your Majesty went to great lengths to bring me to the capital, and then forcibly kept me in the palace. What exactly are you planning? It's really troublesome to keep guessing. Your Majesty might as well just tell me directly!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Yi put down the imperial seal and clapped his hands.
"Good, I like talking to straightforward people like Miss Su."
He carefully read through the booklet on the table before putting it away and handing it to Fuhai, who was standing beside him, with a smile in his eyes.
"Actually, I have no ill intentions towards Miss Su. I just want to make a deal with her and talk to her about it."
"Miss Su was able to raise disaster relief funds in just half a day, which shows that she has a good understanding of internal affairs. Therefore, I have decided to entrust the Imperial Household Department to Miss Su."
"If Miss Su can manage the Imperial Household Department well, I will grant you the position of a female official; but if you fail, I will take your head."
As he spoke, his voice deepened, and a murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
Isn't it just that they're jealous and envious of the amount of silver she gets from wealthy merchants, and they want her to help replenish the national treasury?
Why not just say it directly? Why beat around the bush and threaten her with her life?
Su An was speechless.
Fuhai then handed her the appointment booklet at the opportune moment and whispered a reminder.
“Miss Su, the majesty of the royal family cannot be challenged. For the sake of your life, it would be best not to refuse.”
Seeing this, Su An took a deep breath, suppressed her anger, took the booklet, forced a fake smile, and said in a pretentious tone, "Your Majesty's grace is truly extraordinary. Then this humble woman will say thank you in advance!"
Seeing her reaction, Chu Yi wasn't angry; instead, he stared at her with great interest.
Returning to Cining Palace in a huff, Su An slammed the booklet onto the table and ranted and raved about Chu Yi in the room before finally feeling much better.
Upon learning of this, Fu Zhun rushed over, his brows furrowed.
"I knew he had no good intentions. Over the years, the Imperial Household Department has been deceiving its superiors and concealing its own problems, and it has already embezzled funds. Now he has actually dumped this mess on you. He is truly despicable and shameless!"
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