Xia Yunshang seemed to have lost her aura from the palace. Although she tried her best to keep her composure, she still couldn't hide the panic in her eyes.
Or rather, she had absolutely no idea how to handle the current situation.
Should they leave immediately, or report to the Emperor that Su Wanyan is in the capital?
After some thought, she could only stare blankly at Su Wanyan, doing nothing.
Su Wanyan comforted her, "Your Majesty, there's no need to be so alarmed. I just have some things I'd like to discuss with you."
"I have nothing to say to you! This is the General's Mansion. Princess Gong, please leave immediately!"
At this moment, Xia Zhisheng spoke up from behind: "Yunshang, let's hear what Princess Gong has to say first."
Xia Yunshang's face paled slightly: "Father!"
Xia Zhisheng ignored Xia Yunshang and gestured to Su Wan, "Your Highness, please sit down."
Su Wanyan lowered her eyes slightly and slowly sat down on the armchair in the hall.
Xia Yunshang stared wide-eyed, her heart pounding with trepidation, but she still clenched her fists in her sleeves and sat down on the other side of the hall.
Seeing that Xia Yunshang had calmed down, Xia Zhisheng sat back down on the bed.
In fact, Su Wanyan didn't have much of an impression of Xia Yunshang. The only thing she remembered was when she first went to the palace with Yu Nanqing, Xia Yunshang was dressed in full regalia and had a graceful demeanor.
She felt a sense of wonder at the time, but that was all.
She may not have had any interaction with the Empress at the time, but the words and actions of Consort Lin and Consort Xian left a deeper impression on Su Wanyan.
After that, she never saw Xia Yunshang again. When Xia Yunshang came to see her at the hunting grounds that time, she was stopped outside the tent. Although it was wrong to overstep the bounds, she was not affected in any way afterward.
Su Wanyan didn't really know Xia Yunshang's attitude towards her. Perhaps Xia Yunshang didn't like her, but the feeling was so faint that Xia Yunshang's presence in Su Wanyan's life was so insignificant.
In the cold winter of December, the plum blossoms in the courtyard were in full bloom.
Moments later, snowflakes began to fall softly.
After an unknown amount of time, the door to the main courtyard of the General's Mansion creaked open, and Empress Xia Yunshang emerged from within, her white velvet cloak highlighting her exquisite features and graceful bearing.
However, a closer look at her face revealed that she was not in good condition. She walked out of the room with her hands clasped tightly in front of her, looking somewhat lost and dejected.
Lady Wen, who was waiting outside the room, hurriedly stepped forward, her expression a mixture of surprise and delight: "Your Majesty the Empress..."
She called out to Xia Yunshang and realized that she seemed absent-minded, so she quickly reached out to help her up.
Xia Yunshang forced herself to stay awake and left General Xia's mansion without saying a word.
Su Wanyan, on the other hand, went out through a hidden door.
The general's mansion was vast and powerful. Not only did it have a secret door leading into the city, but it also had a tunnel leading out of the city, though outsiders were unaware of it.
After leaving the general's mansion, Su Wanyan rode in an inconspicuous little carriage and left the city gate.
Outside the villa on the outskirts of the capital, the mountains were deserted and it was winter. As far as the eye could see, there was only a vast expanse of white. Apart from Su Wanyan's carriage, there was no one else around.
Before long, the carriage suddenly came to a slow stop, and a maid's voice came from inside: "Your Highness."
Su Wanyan's brows twitched slightly. She reached out and lifted the curtain, only to see Yu Nanqing appear in front of the carriage at some point. He was dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, seemingly trying to blend into the icy and snowy landscape.
He wore a grey fur cloak, which, against his handsome face, made even his clothes appear more luxurious.
Su Wanyan smiled: "Why are you here?"
Just as she was about to get off the carriage, Yu Nanqing stepped in first: "Come and get Yan'er."
It was unclear how long Yu Nanqing had been waiting there; his body was already covered with a little snow, and when you touched the back of his hand, it was icy cold.
Su Wanyan handed him the hot water bottle in her hand: "Hold this to warm your hands."
Yu Nanqing did not refuse.
"There's no village or shop in sight on this road, not even a place to take shelter from the snow. Don't come out to wait next time."
"That's precisely because there's no village or shop in sight, that's why we have to come out and wait." Not to mention that it's easy to get lost in this mountainous area, the mountain roads are covered in snow, and what if the carriage gets stuck in the snow and collapses?
He wouldn't feel at ease if he didn't come out and wait.
If it weren't for the need to conceal his activities, he would definitely be waiting in the capital.
As Yu Nanqing finished speaking, he reached out and gently stroked Su Wanyan's face, intending to check if she was chilled by the cold wind. However, he found that his hand was colder than Su Wanyan's face when he touched her, so he quickly withdrew his hand.
Su Wanyan had no idea what he was thinking and said, "I talked to the Empress as you taught me, but as you expected, the Empress did not give an immediate reply."
"Hmm." Yu Nanqing's voice was indifferent: "It's alright. If she doesn't agree, there are others."
Even without the Empress, there is Consort Lin and Consort Xian. There are many concubines in the palace, and she is not the only one who can be of use.
Su Wanyan asked with some curiosity, "What kind of person is the Empress?"
Yu Nanqing raised an eyebrow: "What kind of person does Yan'er think she is?"
Su Wanyan frowned and thought for a moment: "I haven't had much contact with her, so I can't say for sure. Before, I thought that as the empress of a country, she must have some tricks up her sleeve to be able to sit firmly in the empress's palace. But after meeting her today, I feel that my idea was wrong."
"Why don't you tell me?"
"The strangest thing was the way she looked when she saw me. She was the empress, and I was just a princess. Moreover, the general's mansion was her territory, but she showed panic in her eyes."
Perhaps she was afraid of being implicated, or perhaps it was unexpected, but no matter what, an empress shouldn't be so unstable.
"So, what does Yan'er think?" Yu Nanqing didn't offer his own opinion, only wanting to hear what Su Wanyan had to say.
However, Su Wanyan glanced at him and said, "That's all, nothing else."
Yu Nanqing smiled and said, "Yan'er, just say it. It won't get out."
"It's wrong for me to be the only one who speaks ill of others."
Yu Nanqing found it amusing. When had Su Wanyan ever cared about this? After thinking for a moment, she still spoke up: "When Yu Nanyi seized the throne, the Xia family provided strong support. In order to maintain the Xia family's honor, it was perfectly reasonable for Xia Yunshang to marry Yu Nanyi as his principal wife. After Yu Nanyi ascended the throne, the Xia family handed over their military power, relieving Yu Nanyi's worries. Therefore, Yu Nanyi and the Xia family have never mistreated Xia Yunshang, whether in the palace or outside the palace."
Therefore, even though Xia Yunshang was in the treacherous imperial palace, she was not greatly affected. Moreover, her two children were born safely in the palace, laying the foundation for the Great Jin Dynasty. This shows that Xia Yunshang was well protected in the palace.
For this reason, Xia Yunshang may have some thoughts, but not many, and she was incapable of any schemes or tricks. Even if she was dissatisfied with the Princess, she only dared to hold a grudge and never thought of dealing with her.
She was completely dependent on Yu Nanyi, knowing that as the empress she had to be dignified and proper and not make any mistakes, and she always kept that in mind.
However, that was all she could do. In important matters, she had no authority to make decisions. She dared not overstep her bounds unless Emperor Yuanhe gave the order.
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