Chapter 47 Regression
Ji Suyi's face immediately turned cold. She hugged the child and gave him two hard slaps on the bottom. "You brat, if you want to play, play properly. You even know how to break things."
Ji Shu didn't notice this side, but her heart skipped a beat, and she looked at Yu An, "Sister-in-law, are you alright?"
Yu An didn't say anything, but quickly asked someone to bring a clean cloth. She tried wiping it a couple of times, but it had no effect.
The silk was pure white, so even the faintest stain was quite noticeable, let alone something that was to be presented to the Empress Dowager.
She had only one thought in her mind: ruin it.
Ji Suyi quickly had someone take her grandson away and stepped forward to ask, "Is there any way to remedy this?"
Yu An shook her head: "If we embroider something else on it, it will look out of place, but we can't wash this stuff."
Ji Suyi: "I heard there are shops in the capital that specialize in cleaning expensive fabrics. Should we send it there?"
Yu An didn't speak, just stared blankly, her mind a complete blank.
With her birthday banquet just around the corner, she truly didn't know what else to do.
Faced with this unexpected situation, she couldn't afford to lose her temper with a child.
"It's okay, I'll think of something else."
When something went wrong, Yu'an's spirits suddenly plummeted. She lost her appetite and spent two days preoccupied with the embroidery.
Now that this problem has arisen, she doesn't know what to do.
Finally, she and Baozhu carefully washed it again, and then ironed it smooth. The mark wasn't very noticeable anymore, but she was still afraid someone would come closer and look closely. If someone pointed it out, she would be finished.
The night before, Ji Jinghe went home and rested with Yu An. Before dawn, they got up to wash and get ready.
Yu An changed into a noblewoman's dress and sat in the same carriage as Ji Jinghe.
Because he was worried about something, he woke up early with a blank expression on his face, leaning against the carriage with a sluggish look in his eyes.
When Ji Jinghe saw the gold hairpin in her hair, he understood her purpose for today.
A few days ago, Ji Shu sent him a message saying that her aunt's grandson had caused a big disaster by ruining Yu An's embroidery. He originally wanted to help, but when he thought about their recent relationship, he gave up the idea.
"The court officials and their wives are not together. When you arrive at the palace gate, a female official will meet you. Just follow her," he instructed.
Yu An replied with an "okay" and didn't say anything more.
At this point, all she cared about was whether she could continue to cultivate her connection with the Empress Dowager, and she stopped thinking about what others were saying.
The female official led them all the way to Shou Kang Palace, where many people were already waiting in the passageway.
She didn't know many people, the only one she recognized was the woman who had offered to take her home in the rain last time. Unfortunately, she didn't know the woman's name and could only glance at her a few more times.
Only when the eunuch in front of the palace called out Yu'an's name did she take the congratulatory gift from Baozhu and go inside.
The former imperial concubine has become a majestic empress dowager, sitting on her throne for all to pay homage to.
Yu'an kept her eyes lowered until the Empress Dowager told her to get up, at which point she slowly met those smiling eyes.
"This is a gift that I, your humble servant, have prepared for Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, to congratulate you on your long life."
In just one year, everything has changed dramatically.
The Empress Dowager looked at the gaunt man before her and asked with a smile, "How have you been lately?"
Yu An curtsied and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am doing well." As soon as she finished speaking, the lady-in-waiting beside the Empress Dowager brought out two embroidered pieces and exclaimed, "Madam Ji has such excellent embroidery skills. She was able to complete two works by herself."
Yu An snapped out of her daze and looked at the two paintings. She couldn't help but feel nervous. Where did these two paintings come from?
A brightly colored butterfly and peony painting was unfolded, completely different from the simple and elegant style of her embroidery.
Not only the Empress Dowager, but also the palace maids and ladies-in-waiting around her looked in that direction, and all of them were full of praise.
"I heard that last year's Dragon Boat Festival gift was Madam Ji's best, and even all the noble ladies in the capital imitated it. Looking at it today, it is truly a masterpiece."
A radiant woman in empress's robes, sitting beside the Empress Dowager, spoke, followed by a chorus of praise and agreement from behind.
The Empress looked at the Empress Dowager and said with a light smile, "Your Majesty should reward them handsomely. These two masterpieces are rare in the world. When Mingjia arrives later, he will surely be envious."
The Empress Dowager reached out to touch it and laughed, "This time, not only Guangming Jia is very pleased, but I am also very pleased. Even if we invited the best embroiderers in the palace, they might not be able to achieve this level of quality."
"You're so thoughtful."
Yu An: "Presenting a gift to the Empress Dowager is something I should do with utmost care."
All around were murmurs of praise, but Yu'an remained anxious, secretly examining the extra butterfly and peony painting, wondering where it came from.
The embroidery was put back in its place, and Yu'an was given a seat next to the Empress Dowager. Only then did Yu'an feel completely at ease.
Regardless, the efforts of more than two months were not in vain, and the results were finally seen.
She returned to her residence with the gifts bestowed upon her by the Empress Dowager and the Empress. Inside the carriage, the smell of alcohol lingered on the couple from the banquet, making it difficult to tell whose smell was stronger.
Having achieved her goal, Yu-an's face looked noticeably better than it had in the morning.
"That extra embroidery, was it the old man who did it?"
After wearing the ceremonial crown all day, Baozhu removed it for her after she got into the carriage, leaving her with only her black hair piled up.
His face was flushed from drinking, and his words carried a slight smell of alcohol.
Ji Jinghe didn't try to hide anything, saying, "That was something my mother did when she was young."
Yu An was slightly taken aback, then remembered that Ji's mother had mentioned to her before that Shen Qiulan's needlework was also one of the best.
I never expected that she would be willing to help her.
Ji Jinghe shifted his gaze to the gifts placed at his feet. "The Lin family has hurt you time and time again. My mother felt guilty towards you. After learning that your embroidery had been soiled by my aunt's grandson, she took the initiative to come to me."
Whether she believed it or not, Yu'an felt nothing but surprise; her heart seemed sealed shut.
"I originally intended to exchange them directly, but I was afraid you wouldn't agree, so I handed in both of them."
The Empress Dowager had examined the two pieces closely and was certain that she could tell from the needlework that they were the work of two different people. But why did she present them as being made by her alone in front of everyone?
“The Empress Dowager can recognize that I didn’t make that painting…” she said, staring intently at Ji Jinghe.
Ji Jinghe said gently, "As long as others don't know, that's fine."
The fact that the Empress Dowager did not explicitly state it in front of everyone meant that she tacitly admitted that she was the one who did it.
“I didn’t intend to hide this from you, but Mother doesn’t want you to know. Just don’t mention it in front of her in the future,” he added.
Apart from that, he didn't say anything else. It was as if he had simply turned the page on the things that Yu'an thought would make him angry, and had no intention of bringing them up again.
The next morning, unsurprisingly, people from Wanfang Courtyard came looking for Yu'an.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law hadn't seen each other often, and it wasn't until Yu'an sat down that she could really see Shen Qiulan's complexion clearly.
Things haven't been peaceful at home lately, and she hasn't been having a good time either.
Yu'an: "I wonder why my mother-in-law summoned me here?"
Shen Qiulan leisurely picked up her teacup. "I heard that when you went to the palace to offer birthday greetings yesterday, the Empress Dowager highly valued your embroidery."
"It's just a matter of personal relationships; there's no question of valuing it or not," she replied with a light smile.
After a moment of silence, Shen Qiulan beckoned and asked the nanny to bring her a box of jewelry. "I brought the Lin family into the family, and they have wronged you several times. I have made mistakes, so please accept this jewelry as an apology. Don't be shy."
Shen Qiulan has always been proud, so it was truly rare to hear her admit that she was wrong. Yu An was also quite unaccustomed to hearing this.
She glanced at the items inside; most of them were expensive gold and jade products.
“My mother-in-law is being too polite. I didn’t take these things to heart, so there’s no need for an apology.”
Shen Qiulan waved her hand: "No need for formalities. Even if you resent me, it's only right. I had a lot of prejudice against you before. When the Lin family sweet-talked me, I was confused. Now you manage the household very well and have suffered a bad reputation because of those petty people. You should keep this."
Since she had made up her mind, Yu'an didn't intend to refuse again. She would just not take it later, rather than let the two of them get entangled in this matter.
Shen Qiulan sighed deeply, "A few days ago, your aunt and I were talking about your brother. Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, it's a completely different world. Why don't you bring your brother back and let him stay with the Ji family?"
Yu An was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, opened her mouth, but couldn't answer for a moment.
With the case about to be overturned and the momentum seemingly within reach, she never considered bringing Chu Zhuo'an back.
If the day truly comes when she gets her revenge, it will be time for her to return to Jiangling.
"No need."
Yu An replied, “Thank you for your kindness, Mother-in-law. Zhuo An is not alone in Jiangling. He has my maternal grandfather and others with him. If he were to move to the Ji residence, he might not feel at ease. Besides, the journey would be tiring. He has only been back for a little over a month. If we send someone to fetch him again, he might not be willing.”
It's unclear when she had this epiphany, but she has taken such a big step back. If it had been earlier, she wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble.
Yu An thought to herself that Shen Qiulan, sitting above, must have thought that she had been treated harshly for too long and that was why she was so distant from her.
“Your aunt has been giving me a lot of advice lately. After all that has happened, I’ve come to understand things better. I was too harsh on you before.” Shen Qiulan lowered her head. “I didn’t have any other intentions. I just wanted you and Jinghe to live a good life together.”
With all sorts of big and small things happening at home, the mother and son have been clashing from time to time since last year. But no matter how things get, Ji Jinghe has never wavered. As a mother, she either stands up to her son to the bitter end or resigns herself to her fate.
At first, I was determined not to interfere anymore, but now I've changed my mind.
“When your family had that accident, we didn’t help you. Jinghe did help, but he couldn’t really do anything and was even demoted. I can’t compensate you, so I can only give you some more money.” Shen Qiulan said in a hoarse voice, “Just take it.”
Yu An glanced back at the carved box beside her, silently pondering her words.
I'd vaguely heard a similar tone before at Rongshoutang...
This is what Ji Jinghe had told her frankly that day.
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