Chapter 54 The Dowager Consort
Seeing Zhuang Dongqing's high expectations, Cen Yan indeed played another game for him.
We won again.
Several copper coins rolled in Zhuang Dongqing's palm, and the boy's eyes crinkled with laughter.
Cen Yan smiled and then placed the cards down.
He stood up, looked at Granny Ge, whose smile was barely contained, stepped forward, bowed, and greeted the prince.
Cen Yan nodded, not needing to hear what she had to say, and said directly, "I just returned to the manor. After I get back and tidy up, I will come to see Mother Consort."
Granny Ge: "The Imperial Concubine's headache has flared up again..."
Cen Yan: "Yes, that's perfect, let Mother rest for a while too."
Granny Ge: "..."
Having understood what Cen Yan meant, and unable to bring herself to refuse, Granny Ge could only bow again and respectfully see Cen Yan off.
Cen Yan looked at Zhuang Dongqing.
Those who were caught up in the excitement suddenly realized they were still in the Empress Dowager's courtyard, and became a little more awkward, lowering their heads.
Cen Yan reached out to Zhuang Dongqing, "Let's go, come back with me to change your clothes."
"Oh, oh oh."
Zhuang Dongqing obediently held Cen Yan's hand and was led by Cen Yan out of the Empress Dowager's courtyard.
Once outside, Cen Yan instructed, "Put everything away."
Then, remembering something, he added, "Remember to leave two reclining chairs."
Liu Qi agreed and instructed the servants to do so.
Zhuang Dongqing lowered her head again.
Cen Yan didn't say anything to him. He went back to the east wing, where Liu Fu busied himself getting hot water. Cen Yan asked Zhuang Dongqing to choose a set of casual clothes for him.
Zhuang Dongqing: "What kind... do you want? Something formal or something more comfortable?"
Cen Yan: "As long as it's appropriate."
He added, "You can choose whichever you like."
Okay.
After much deliberation, I chose a moon-white satin straight-hemmed robe, which was both comfortable and beautiful.
After washing her hands and face, Zhuang Dongqing came over with her clothes in her arms, still keeping her head down, as if she had done something wrong.
After washing their hands and faces, Liu Fu took the basin of water away, leaving the inner room to the two of them. Cen Yan asked with a smile, "Now you know how to be embarrassed?"
Zhuang Dongqing: "..."
I knew I couldn't escape this fate.
"Well, I didn't mean to," he muttered under his breath.
They didn't mean to play cards so loudly in the Empress Dowager's courtyard.
Cen Yan: "Hmm, go ahead and tell me, I'm listening to the young master's excuses."
"..."
Zhuang Dongqing scratched his face and finally chose to tell the truth: "Well, let's begin. I do want to annoy her a little."
"It's her fault for not letting me in and deliberately keeping me waiting."
"Then I thought, why don't I just take a nap in her yard? If she's still not here when I wake up, I'll just come back myself."
He usually likes to rest in the yard at noon, just by laying out a blanket, it doesn't make much difference.
Cen Yan said gently, "Hmm, and then?"
Zhuang Dongqing glanced quickly at Cen Yan, and seeing no displeasure on his face, she said, "It's all these guys from my courtyard. They mentioned playing bridge, and I saw they were all looking forward to it, so they nodded... I didn't expect..."
"Didn't expect that?"
Zhuang Dongqing looked dejected and said angrily, "I never thought gambling would be so harmful. I lost all afternoon and got hooked too."
Cen Yan laughed.
That's exactly what Zhuang Dongqing was capable of doing.
After putting away his official robes, Cen Yan walked up to Zhuang Dongqing in his inner shirt and asked him, "You lost all afternoon, how many games did you lose?"
"..."
Mentioning this made Zhuang Dongqing wilted, and she tried to brush it off, but seeing that Cen Yan wouldn't let it go and couldn't change the subject several times, she finally muttered, "I've never won."
Cen Yan laughed out loud.
Zhuang Dongqing looked at the ground, feeling ashamed.
But Cen Yan pushed him to sit on a high chair, reached out and hugged him, and Zhuang Dongqing buried his face in Cen Yan's arms.
Cen Yan patted Zhuang Dongqing's hair and said, "Our young master has been wronged."
Zhuang Dongqing didn't catch the implication at first and continued, "It's alright, I'm not as skilled as you... but it's not too unfair, you helped me win two games later."
Cen Yan just laughed, his chest trembling, as he stroked Zhuang Dongqing's back again and again.
After a while, Zhuang Dongqing realized that Cen Yan seemed to be referring to the Dowager Consort leaving him hanging.
Unsure, she looked up to steal a glance at Cen Yan. When their eyes met, she was met with tenderness in his eyes, and Zhuang Dongqing's heart skipped a beat.
Oh no, he's becoming increasingly obsessed with men!
I buried my face back, knowing it wasn't right, but once the initial urge passed, it felt like something was pulling me back, and I couldn't help but look up again.
One, two, three... Cen Yan pinched her ear.
"Are you playing hide-and-seek? Your ears are burning hot. What kind of dirty thoughts are you having?"
"..."
There are many.
Zhuang Dongqing threw herself onto Cen Yan's waist and abdomen again, pretending to be dead.
Cen Yan held her ears in his hands, rubbing and kneading them from time to time with his long fingers, having a great time playing with them and refusing to let go.
Zhuang Dongqing covered the ear with her hand and said in a muffled voice, "Aren't you angry?"
Why are you angry?
"...I was playing cards in the Empress Dowager's courtyard, disturbing her peace and quiet."
"Didn't she ask you to go over there?"
"……yes."
Cen Yan laughed and said, "What's there to be angry about? It's not like you went to her yard to show off for no reason."
Her voice became very soft again, "But he brought it on himself."
That's what he said, but judging from his tone, Zhuang Dongqing felt that Cen Yan wasn't happy at all.
"sorry."
Zhuang Dongqing suddenly said.
She sighed. "Did I put you in a difficult position?"
Cen Yan was lost in thought for a moment, then slowly exhaled.
Who says Zhuang Dongqing isn't smart? He's extremely perceptive of people's emotional changes.
Cen Yan: "No."
Zhuang Dongqing tried to look up, but Cen Yan pressed down on his neck, preventing him from seeing him.
"It's not you who's putting me in a difficult position."
Zhuang Dongqing understood.
Thinking of the mother-son relationship between Cen Yan and the Dowager Consort, he was speechless for a moment.
Zhuang Dongqing reached out and patted Cen Yan on the back, saying, "Don't be sad."
The answer was, "I don't feel uncomfortable."
He paused for a moment, then said it naturally, "I'm used to it."
This made Zhuang Dongqing feel uncomfortable.
Not knowing how to comfort him, she snuggled up to Cen Yan's hand and kissed his wrist.
It started with Zhuang Dongqing, but he had no choice but to continue. When he was being kissed while his chin was being pulled back and his head was tilted back, his head started to spin.
Then Cen Yan carried him to sit on the cabinet, at eye level with him, and the ties on Zhuang Dongqing's clothes were untied.
A hand reached in, pinched it between two fingers, and rubbed it, causing Zhuang Dongqing's back to tremble.
With her head tilted back, she exhaled her hot breath, exposing her neck, and her Adam's apple was then held in her mouth.
Zhuang Dongqing couldn't help but make a sound.
With her back straight, Zhuang Dongqing was kissed all over by Cen Yan. Her eyes were full of tears. When she regained consciousness, Cen Yan was still wearing his inner shirt properly, while Zhuang Dongqing's shirt was completely open.
"No...aren't we going to see the Dowager Consort later?"
Her fingers slipped between Cen Yan's hair, and her voice was as sticky and muggy as if it had been soaked in water.
"See. I'll just do a quick fix."
Cen Yan's simplicity was anything but simple for Zhuang Dongqing.
"That's not fair! Why are you still dressed perfectly?"
"Go ahead and do it, I didn't stop you."
Ah, this.
Zhuang Dongqing's face was burning, and she couldn't resist reaching out her sinful little hand.
Look carefully, touch this and touch that, hmm, you won't lose out.
Blushing, Zhuang Dongqing watched as the two were joined together, and a string in her mind snapped.
My cheeks and ears were burning hot, but I still had to look.
And they watched intently, their eyes glued to the screen.
Genuine feelings.
After taking it out, Zhuang Dongqing recovered and then stared at Cen Yan.
Cen Yan grabbed his hand and they both stood there, staring blankly until it was all over.
Cen Yan took a handkerchief to tidy up, and seeing that his gaze was still fixed on her, she smiled and asked him, "Does it look good?"
"..."
"Good, it looks good." The voice was barely audible.
"Where is it beautiful?"
Zhuang Dongqing didn't want to answer, but she couldn't escape Cen Yan's smiling eyes.
Unable to resist, she said, "Everywhere... is beautiful."
"You are beautiful to begin with."
After she finished speaking, Cen Yan grabbed her, gave her a long kiss, picked her up, and put her on the bed.
Cen Yan was tidying up when Zhuang Dongqing felt weak all over, afraid that she wouldn't be able to sit still on the cabinet if Cen Yan left.
A moment later, Liu Fu obeyed the order and placed a clean cloth and a basin of hot water in the outer room.
Cen Yan took it into the inner room, cleaned Zhuang Dongqing up, and then tidied herself up.
After all that fooling around, Zhuang Dongqing's outer garment was all wrinkled, so she had to change into a different one.
As he tied the belt, Cen Yan stared at his lower abdomen, reached out and touched it, and suddenly said, "I can feel it now."
"Yes, that's right."
There's a slight curve, not obvious when dressed, but you can still tell.
Cen Yan helped Zhuang Dongqing, who was still recovering, change his clothes. He chose a set that was similar in color to Zhuang Dongqing's usual clothes. After Zhuang Dongqing put on the clothes, Cen Yan gently pinched Zhuang Dongqing's cheek and said, "You look fine like this today. Don't get bullied."
"ah?"
Cen Yan replied casually, "I don't want to make things difficult for you, so today is fine as it is."
He paused, then added, "I hope you are all happy."
It goes without saying who "you" refers to.
Zhuang Dongqing was stunned for a moment, feeling that there was more to these two sentences than met the eye, but the tone was just too ordinary.
Wanting to say something, she looked up and saw Cen Yan already putting on his coat. The trace she had caught in her mind quietly slipped away. Zhuang Dongqing asked, "Are we still going to see the Dowager Consort?"
"See."
Cen Yan said seriously, "It's only a matter of time, the sooner the better. I don't have time to beat around the bush with her."
"Okay."
*
An hour later, the two returned to the Empress Dowager's courtyard.
Granny Ge came out to greet her.
Cen Yan pulled Zhuang Dongqing to sit on the two recliners that he had specially instructed him to leave behind.
As soon as I sat down, Liu Qi brought me some freshly brewed tea.
Cen Yan took a cup, skimmed off the foam, took a sip, and then said to Granny Ge, "I'll just sit here and have a cup of tea."
"If you're trying to say that Mother Consort has a headache and is unable to receive guests, then let's stop here."
Granny Ge was speechless.
She shut him down completely.
Cen Yan: "Since we're going to meet, it's bound to happen sooner or later, so let's do it today."
"If we have to reschedule, the Dali Temple has many affairs to attend to, and I cannot guarantee that Mother Consort will be able to see me as she wishes in the future."
Looking up at Granny Ge, Granny Ge smiled apologetically, but the look she gave him made her sweat.
Things are different now. So many years have passed, and Cen Yan is no longer the young master in their courtyard.
"You understand?"
Granny Ge had no choice but to nod.
Cen Yan waved his hand, "Go and tell Mother Consort."
"I'll just drink this cup of tea; it's all up to her."
Cen Yan spoke resolutely, and Granny Ge couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she had no choice but to awkwardly go to the Dowager Princess.
I don't know how I persuaded him, but after drinking a cup of tea to the very end, he finally agreed to let them in.
Cen Yan led Zhuang Dongqing into the main house.
After the commotion that afternoon, Zhuang Dongqing was still a little apprehensive before entering the house, but when he actually met the Dowager Consort, it was quite different from what he had imagined.
He had a cold expression on his face.
You can tell she was extremely beautiful when she was young, and even now, with her makeup done, her features are still quite good.
Thinking about Princess Cen Min again, Zhuang Dongqing had a general idea of what the Dowager Consort looked like when she was young.
To summarize, she was probably a lady from a prominent family.
While not as lavishly dressed as Madam Zhuang, a closer look reveals a subtle yet luxurious style throughout, from clothing to accessories.
The jade hairpins on her head had excellent texture; only two or three were used, simple yet dignified.
The clothes are all in the same color scheme, which seems simple at first glance, but they are layered and stacked. The collars, cuffs, and jackets are not all the same color. The attention to detail is extremely meticulous. However, you can hardly see it at first glance.
All these good things were used on me, but none of them overshadowed my main body.
Cen Yan had previously mentioned that the Empress Dowager was very particular about rules and regulations.
After meeting him, Zhuang Dongqing gained a vague understanding of the matter.
They greeted each other together with Cen Yan.
The Dowager Princess spoke, her voice cold, "It's been a long time, and your temper has certainly grown."
Cen Yan calmly replied, "A prince should act like a prince. He can't inherit the title but still act like the heir apparent. That would be too petty."
"Didn't my mother always teach me this way when I was young?"
Despite being rebuffed, the Empress Dowager was not angry.
His gaze fell on Zhuang Dongqing, who was standing next to Cen Yan.
After asking his age and name twice, he nodded and said, "I just wanted to meet him, but you're protecting him so fiercely."
Looking at Zhuang Dongqing, he turned his words to Cen Yan.
Cen Yan: "Qingqing is not very intelligent. If I am not around, I am afraid he will be ignorant and upset Mother Consort."
The Dowager Consort: "...I've had enough."
Cen Yan: "My mother is very magnanimous and will surely not hold a grudge against a junior."
Zhuang Dongqing... In this atmosphere, Zhuang Dongqing didn't dare to speak at all.
Granny Ge spoke up, warmly inviting everyone to sit down.
The Dowager Consort's face remained expressionless. She glanced at Granny Ge, then softened her posture and said, "Sit down."
The two words, "reluctantly," didn't reveal much.
Zhuang Dongqing felt... that he seemed angry, but not really angry, because...
Zhuang Dongqing dared not think any further.
Wait until you are seated.
Everyone's here.
The Dowager then said, "Your elder sister has told me everything."
"I don't care about anything else, but having offspring is the most important thing. Are you sure you can have a child of your own in the future?"
As he spoke, he looked at Zhuang Dongqing with distrust in his eyes.
Zhuang Dongqing felt that the tone was more like that of someone meeting a boss, asking about performance, than someone meeting their adoptive mother.
Cen Yan: "Confirmed."
"If Mother is worried about this, you can rest assured."
The Dowager Consort looked at Zhuang Dongqing and asked him, "Are you also aware of this matter?"
Zhuang Dongqing was a little confused by the question, "I know."
It's still growing inside him!
The Dowager Princess sized him up for a moment, then said, "I just wanted to ask, you don't object?"
"What am I against?"
The Empress Dowager: "..."
The Dowager Consort: "...opposes that he wants a child of his own."
"I don't object."
He's already pregnant, so he can't object to her and make her hold off on having the baby.
His answer was so fluent that it caught the Empress Dowager off guard.
The Empress Dowager was astonished.
Xiqi said, "I thought you wouldn't be happy."
Zhuang Dongqing: "No, I will help take care of the baby after it's born."
The Empress Dowager exclaimed in surprise, "Really? You must be trying to fool me!"
Zhuang Dongqing: "His children are also my children. I treat them equally. What's there to fool you about? Is it necessary?"
The Empress Dowager: "..."
The Dowager Consort's expression was complicated: "I didn't expect... your relationship to be so good."
She never expected that everyone would treat Cen Yan's child as their own.
Zhuang Dongqing: "?"
The Dowager finally stopped looking at Zhuang Dongqing and turned to Cen Yan, saying, "These are all the questions I want to ask."
"Since you don't want to say much to me, I'll just leave you with two sentences."
"I'll believe what he said for now."
"If he changes his mind in the future and is unwilling, don't mention it to me. I will not agree."
Cen Yan: "That day will never come, Mother, please rest assured."
Zhuang Dongqing didn't know what to say, so she remained silent.
The Dowager Consort then said, "What about your elder sister..."
Cen Yan: "If Mother wishes to stay over for a while, just let me know. You and Eldest Sister haven't seen each other for many years, so it's not impossible for us to each do what's convenient for each other."
Realizing something, and glancing at Zhuang Dongqing again, the Dowager finally nodded.
He waved his hand, "That's all."
He immediately instructed Granny Ge, "Show the guests out."
*
As Zhuang Dongqing left the Empress Dowager's courtyard, she felt somewhat uneasy.
Although there was no commotion or disturbance, and the Dowager Consort didn't question or punish anyone, but... but...
"Was she like this to you when you were a child?"
After washing up at night, while drying her hair, Zhuang Dongqing couldn't resist her inquisitive nature and asked Cen Yan.
Cen Yan was leaning back on the bed reading a book, looking completely calm: "How so?"
"Just like today."
A professional and business-like approach, addressing each issue directly.
Even when she was angry, she didn't care and didn't take Cen Yan to heart, so she seemed indifferent.
Yes, after thinking about it all night, Zhuang Dongqing finally figured out why the Empress Dowager's attitude was so strange.
It is indifference.
Extreme indifference.
Therefore, I won't be too bothered by people or things that I don't care about.
Cen Yan: "Although I really want to say it is... but that's not entirely true."
"There's nothing I can't say, but it's certainly not a happy period in my past. Are you sure you want me to continue?"
Zhuang Dongqing thought for a moment, then said, "Go ahead."
He still wanted to hear it.
"My daily life is pretty much the same as it is today. She doesn't ask much about things that can be taken care of by the servants."
"I will be concerned about my studies, martial arts practice, words and deeds."
"The rules are very strict."
"If you do poorly on a test, you'll get a slap on the hand; if you don't practice martial arts well, you'll get extra time until you master it..."
He paused for a moment, then said self-deprecatingly, "Even my three meals a day have fixed times. If I miss them, the main house won't wait for me."
Zhuang Dongqing: "..."
Zhuang Dongqing: "What about your older sister..."
“Of course it’s different,” Cen Yan said slowly. “If it weren’t so different, I wouldn’t have discovered that I wasn’t born to her.”
Zhuang Dongqing remained silent.
Are you surprised?
"No, no."
"Yes, I assume you should know that."
"...I...I know nothing! I don't know anything!"
Cen Yan laughed and said, "Alright, then I'll pretend that the young master doesn't know anything and didn't try to get any information from Liu Qi."
Zhuang Dongqing: "..."
Not important, skip it.
Since he can't explain it clearly anyway, it's better not to mention it.
After a moment of silence, Zhuang Dongqing touched her hair, which was almost dry, climbed onto the bed, snuggled up to Cen Yan, and rested her head on his lap.
Cen Yan chuckled: "What's wrong now?"
Zhuang Dongqing didn't even look at Cen Yan, and said in one breath, "I will wait for you to eat, and he will too after the baby is born."
"But it will be a long time before he takes care of your daily life."
"But I can promise you, I'll try my best to make him upset you less."
"Well, he's actually very well-behaved."
"You... will like it very much in the future."
"so……"
Realizing what Zhuang Dongqing was doing, Cen Yan felt a lump in his throat, his throat bobbing up and down as he tried to sound normal as he asked, "So?"
"So let those who don't care about you go; there will be people who do care about you."
"Those who have abandoned me, the days of yesterday cannot be retained."
Cen Yan endured it, but he really couldn't help himself when faced with Zhuang Dongqing like this.
He reached out and stroked Zhuang Dongqing's hair, asking softly, "And what about you?"
Do you care about me too?
Zhuang Dongqing: "?"
I tried my best to suppress it, but perhaps this matter had been lingering in my heart for some time, and had exceeded my limit. At this moment, I could no longer hold it in...
He finally asked the question.
Cen Yan: "Qingqing, have you really never thought about staying in the Prince's mansion forever?"
Zhuang Dongqing was bewildered.
When they went to see Cen Yan, they found that he was not joking and his expression was extremely serious.
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