Chapter 136 They say it's lonely at the top, but she's not afraid of the cold!
Hearing footsteps behind her, the Empress instinctively turned around and met the man's dark gaze before rising to bow.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
Shui Xian also slowly rose and bowed halfway to Emperor Zhaoheng from behind the Empress.
This was a special permission granted by Emperor Zhaoheng after she became pregnant.
"What are you saying?"
Emperor Zhaoheng seemed not to have heard the Empress's words, and slowly walked into the hall and took his seat.
The Empress slowly took her seat, right next to the Emperor.
Although this is in Lihe Palace, where the principal seat is Shuixian, Shuixian, adhering to the principle of prioritizing status and rank, had to yield the principal seat to the Empress, who was a guest.
"...My health has not been good lately, and since winter began, it has deteriorated day by day."
The Empress brought up the previous topic, looking at Emperor Zhaoheng with gentle tenderness.
"My suspicion of the Consort was due to my excessive concern for Yongning. Now that I think about it carefully, it would be best to send her back to her birth mother."
"I was just about to discuss this with my sister and then go to report to the Emperor."
The Empress's words were tactful and measured, demonstrating proper manners and propriety.
Although Emperor Zhaoheng did not know why the Empress suddenly sent Yongning back, Shuixian wanted to bring Yongning back, and since the Empress wanted to, it saved him a lot of trouble.
"The Empress is extremely kind."
Emperor Zhaoheng nodded in approval, and the Empress smiled briefly upon hearing this.
"If the Imperial Concubine agrees, I will go back and have the nannies and wet nurses prepare for the relocation of Yongning Palace."
Although Shui Xian did not understand why the Empress, who had always kept Yongning by her side and never mentioned sending Yongning back to her, suddenly wanted to send Yongning back.
but.
Now that she can welcome her child back, she would jump into any danger, no matter what lies ahead.
Shui Xian rose and bowed deeply in the direction of the Empress and the Emperor.
"Your Majesty the Empress is willing. Your Majesty's virtue and grace in the harem is a blessing to the Great Qi."
Upon hearing this, the Empress raised her hand and gently stroked Yongning, who was being held by the nanny beside her. She touched Yongning's fair and rosy face and whispered, "Now that Yongning is back by her mother's side, I am relieved."
After that, she gave Shui Xian some more instructions about Yongning.
Emperor Zhaoheng listened silently. He summoned Shu'er and asked her to change his drink to the jujube flower tea that Shui Xian had been drinking recently.
Upon hearing this, the Empress's gaze flickered between him and Narcissus, then she tactfully said, "Your Majesty, I've been out for a while and need to return to the palace for some nourishing medicine..."
"Go on, Sun... hold your mistress steady, the roads are slippery in the snow."
Emperor Zhaoheng instinctively wanted to call for Granny Sun, who was by the Empress's side, but when he looked over, he found that Granny Sun was not there.
The Empress then explained, "The day before yesterday, Granny Sun asked for leave to leave the palace. I heard she had some family matters to attend to. She should be back tomorrow."
Why would Emperor Zhaoheng care where a mere nanny had gone?
He nodded and told the Empress to be careful on the way back.
The Empress gave Yongning one last deep look before letting the nanny who was holding Yongning stay with her at Lihe Palace.
"Consort Jin, as for the other servants, I will have them all move to Lihe Palace within three days, so that they can take better and more comprehensive care of Yongning."
"Your Majesty, I understand."
Shui Xian rose from her seat and walked to the outside of the hall, where she curtsied in the direction the Empress had left.
"Your Majesty, I respectfully see you off!"
When Shui Xian returned to the main hall of Lihe Palace, Emperor Zhaoheng was holding Yongning and playing with her.
He dismissed the servants, leaving only him, Shui Xian, and their child in the hall.
Emperor Zhaoheng held the babbling Yongning in his arms, his usually calm face showing a rare touch of paternal tenderness.
Narcissus stood quietly to the side, her gaze lingering tenderly on her daughter, but she remembered everything that had just happened. Beneath her calm surface, there was an unspeakable undercurrent of emotions.
She stepped forward slowly, picked up the rattle drum painted with red koi that the Empress had just put down on the table, and gently shook it to tease Yongning in Emperor Zhaoheng's arms.
Yongning was attracted by the clear sound of the rattle drum, and reached out her fair and tender little hand to grab it, letting out a giggle.
In this warm atmosphere, Narcissus suddenly sighed softly:
"Your Majesty and Empress have shown great kindness by allowing Yongning to return to my side. I am truly grateful..."
She paused, a look of confusion on her face, her tone gentle, yet it made Emperor Zhaoheng raise his head.
"However... I still feel uneasy and uneasy. Her Majesty the Empress was worried about Yongning's poisoning just a few days ago, and she also had many doubts about me. How come you are suddenly completely at ease today?"
Narcissus tentatively guided Emperor Zhaoheng's thoughts.
Why did the Empress not return her daughter earlier or later, but only after Emperor Zhaoheng took away the Qilin (a mythical creature believed to bring children) to investigate?
What else could this be but a guilty conscience?
Emperor Zhaoheng paused slightly in his teasing of his daughter.
He had naturally considered this possibility; the Empress's actions were far too strange.
She wasn't weak yesterday, so why does she insist on returning the child?
The only change was that he had someone investigate the pair of unicorns that the Empress had given to Narcissus, but he had instructed the person in charge to keep it a secret, so it should not reach the Empress's ears.
Emperor Zhaoheng was so confident because all the people he employed this time were people he trusted.
The thought flashed through his mind like a shooting star. Emperor Zhaoheng gently rocked Yongning in his arms and said in a low voice:
"Since the Empress understands your longing for your daughter, why should you worry so much? Just focus on taking good care of Yongning."
He vaguely sensed the hint from the narcissus, and his heart stirred slightly.
Narcissus noticed the man's sudden coldness and wisely shut her mouth.
If the two are an ordinary married couple, there are naturally some things they can be completely honest about without reservation.
However, since they were imperial concubines in the deep palace, once some matters involved power struggles, even if Emperor Zhaoheng favored her now, he would not allow her to interfere in the affairs of the emperor and empress.
What I've said today is already the limit that I, Narcissus, consider myself to have reached.
Shui Xian then shifted the topic to the children, and when her gaze fell on Yongning in Emperor Zhaoheng's arms, her eyes softened.
"Xiao Zhao, Xiao Yuan Zhao..."
Narcissus called her daughter by her name, not by her title.
Yongning is naturally cheerful, and even though he has been bedridden for a long time, he still looks quite healthy. It seems that it is really because of the medication, even though the child's health is very good to begin with.
Yongning chuckled as she was amused, her round eyes bright as washed black grapes.
Seeing that she liked it, Emperor Zhaoheng personally placed Yongning in Shuixian's arms.
Shui Xian carried Yong Ning and paced back and forth in the palace. Emperor Zhao Heng sat on his throne, sipping jujube flower tea while watching the mother and daughter.
Something seemed to be boiling in his heart, but Emperor Zhaoheng couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. For a moment, he felt as if he was no longer the emperor of the world, but merely a support for his mother and daughter.
If only time could stop at this moment.
If only the relationship between him and Narcissus, and between Narcissus and the child, could always remain this pure.
Many things flashed before Emperor Zhaoheng's eyes in an instant.
Even the most innocent woman in the imperial harem either met a violent end or became a villain.
Not to mention the extremely poor father-son and mother-son relationships...
Thinking of this, Emperor Zhaoheng felt a sudden wave of disappointment.
He suddenly slammed the teacup down on the table with a loud "bang".
Narcissus, holding the child, instinctively turned around, only to bump into Emperor Zhaoheng's broad embrace.
The man's embrace was tight, his arms firmly encircling her and the child.
The man's embrace was relaxed, as if afraid of crushing her and the child; every muscle of his body exuded tenderness for her and her daughter.
"Xian'er, promise me, never change."
Emperor Zhaoheng's voice was low and hoarse as he buried his face in the narcissus's neck, where her fragrance and warm skin soothed his slightly agitated heart.
Narcissus leaned against him, her eyes flickering slightly.
"Your Majesty, I agree."
She will never change; she is determined to climb step by step to the top of the crowd!
They say it's lonely at the top, but she's not afraid of the cold!
——
A few days later, Emperor Zhaoheng was having lunch in the Qianqing Palace when Feng Shunxiang entered the hall and reported in a low voice, "..."
"Your Majesty, urgent report from the secret guards! Granny Sun has not returned to the Empress's residence for many days. When the secret guards went to look for her, they found that Granny Sun had... hanged herself in one of her private residences in the capital!"
Emperor Zhaoheng abruptly put down the white porcelain bowl. "Dead?!"
Although he had some doubts about Narcissus's intentions when she mentioned the Empress that day, her words still left a mark on his mind.
Just then, Emperor Zhaoheng noticed that Granny Sun, who almost never asked for leave, had suddenly returned to her hometown, which seemed unusual. So Emperor Zhaoheng sent his secret guards to investigate Granny Sun, who was by the Empress's side.
His voice was deep and resonant. "Summon Zhu Jing to an audience!"
Zhu Jing is the current leader of the emperor's secret guards. After Emperor Zhaoheng summoned him, he entered the Qianqing Palace to report within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
"Yes! There were no signs of a struggle at the scene; it looked like suicide. Moreover, a suicide note was found on the table next to her, which read: 'This servant is guilty and has no face to see Your Majesty. I will atone with my death.'"
"Good! What a fine 'atone with death'!"
Emperor Zhaoheng never imagined that Granny Sun would commit suicide and leave behind such a note.
The contents of this note can be deconstructed and interpreted in various ways.
Why are you guilty? Why are you ashamed? Why did you commit suicide?
Does the Empress know? Can she be an Empress? Can she remain behind the scenes?
Emperor Zhaoheng's heart was thrown into turmoil by Granny Sun's suicide.
He closed his eyes to rest and took deep breaths, trying to calm his chaotic mind.
For a long time, Emperor Zhaoheng remained silent.
The head of the secret guards knelt on the ground, and after a long silence from Emperor Zhaoheng, he asked:
"Your Majesty, should we continue the investigation? Perhaps we can uncover something else."
For example, the Kunning Palace.
When Emperor Zhaoheng opened his eyes again, they were filled with a cold, icy pool.
"...Now that Granny Sun has confessed, let's leave the matter of Yongning's poisoning here."
The leader of the secret guards felt a chill run down his spine and immediately lowered his head to accept the order: "Yes!"
——
The news of Granny Sun's death reached Kunning Palace almost at the same time the Emperor learned of it.
The empress did not sleep all night, sitting in the dimly lit bedchamber, awaiting the emperor's final verdict.
When she heard the palace maid who had been planted in front of the emperor secretly report that the emperor had ordered the case closed and determined that Granny Sun was the culprit, her tense nerves finally relaxed slightly.
Only her trusted confidants were by her side.
The Empress pressed her temples, which ached from staying up all night, and said in a low voice:
"Find a way to send a message to Imperial Physician Zhang, saying... I have remembered his kindness. There will be plenty of time in the future, and I will definitely repay it."
The maid responded softly and quietly withdrew.
If it weren't for Judge Zhang sending someone to remind her, the Empress wouldn't have known that the Emperor had already discovered the fertility-bringing Qilin carrying the medicine.
She had made plans with Granny Sun long ago. As Emperor Zhaoheng's bedmate, the Empress knew his temperament well.
Emperor Zhaoheng valued peace and stability in the court and the country more than the truth coming to light.
Granny Sun was an important person to her. Now that she was dead, the emperor had an explanation and would not have to punish her, the empress, causing an uproar in the court and the country.
The only thing that has to be paid is Granny Sun's life.
Her... wet nurse.
The Empress sat alone on the cold phoenix couch, murmuring softly.
"My wet nurse... go in peace. I swear, I will send that Consort Jin down to be buried with you!"
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