Chapter 246 May Her Highness live a long and healthy life
On a day with exceptionally fine weather, the Imperial Noble Consort's entourage, escorted by elite guards led by Princess Xiaolizi, drove out of the palace in a grand procession.
When the royal carriages appeared in the market, they immediately attracted a crowd of onlookers.
People peered curiously at this rare spectacle, especially when they learned that the imperial concubine, currently enjoying the emperor's favor, and the legendary, beloved little princess were seated inside the carriage. Excited discussions and cheers erupted from the crowd.
Many people lined up on both sides of the street, eager to catch a glimpse of the imperial family.
Holding Shui Xian in her arms, Yong Ning leaned against the car window, which had been specially padded with soft cushions, his eyes wide as he gazed at the bustling crowds, the rows of shops, and the various signs and banners outside...
All of this was so new and exciting to her.
Hearing the cheers of "Your Highness Princess!" coming from outside, Yongning's little face was full of excitement.
She turned around and said to Shui Xian in a childish voice, "Mother, they're all looking at Yong Ning! They like Yong Ning!"
Her expression seemed to say, "See? Consort Wan was right. I am indeed a noble princess, and everyone likes me."
Narcissus just smiled gently, patted her head, and said nothing more.
The carriage did not linger in the bustling city, but instead drove straight to the free clinic area near Dengdi Inn, as instructed by Shui Xian.
Dengdi Inn opened a branch in the south of the city. The location was a bit remote, and before the inn even started operating, it was converted into a free clinic.
With the city's south side now focusing on treating patients with the epidemic, there are naturally far fewer people on the streets.
As the carriage drew closer, the street scene gradually changed.
The hustle and bustle fades away, replaced by a slightly oppressive dullness.
The roads were no longer so crowded, and the pedestrians' clothes were much simpler and even worn out. The air was filled with the faint scent of herbs.
The curiosity and excitement of watching the spectacle had faded from people's faces, replaced by weariness, worry, and even... illness.
When the Imperial Noble Consort's carriage stopped outside the free clinic area, it did not initially cause much of a stir.
However, when someone recognized that this was the carriage of the Imperial Noble Consort who had defied public opinion to send imperial physicians and even allocated funds and provisions to set up a free clinic here, saving countless lives, the emotions of the people were instantly ignited!
That wasn't the curiosity and cheers I had before about the royal procession, but a heartfelt gratitude!
"Your Highness, the Imperial Noble Consort! It's Her Highness's carriage!"
"Long live the Imperial Noble Consort!"
"Thank you so much, Your Majesty, for saving my life!"
"Your Majesty is benevolent! You have the heart of a Bodhisattva!"
"Without the divine physician sent by the Empress, I would have lost my life long ago!"
...
Shouts, expressions of gratitude, and even sobs rose and fell, surging towards the vehicle like a tide.
Despite the guards' attempts to stop them, many people knelt down in front of the carriage, their eyes filled with sincere tears.
The cheers and emotions were far more enthusiastic than the previous cheers for the princess's procession in the streets!
Yongning, who was in the car, was completely stunned.
Her little mind couldn't comprehend this sudden change.
She looked out the window at the excited, tearful crowd, listening to them repeatedly shouting "Imperial Noble Consort," but almost no one mentioned "Princess" anymore.
She blinked in confusion, turned her head, tugged at Narcissus's sleeve, and pouted slightly, looking clearly aggrieved.
"Mother...they...they don't like Yongning anymore?"
Her beautiful eyes were even misty with a thin layer of water.
Looking at her daughter's aggrieved expression, Shui Xian felt no blame, only a gentle pity.
She pulled Yongning back onto her lap, making her face her, and explained earnestly in a gentle and patient voice, "Yongning, it's not that they don't like you anymore."
"They are so moved to thank their mother because she did something that could truly help them."
She pointed out the window to the people outside who looked sick but whose eyes were full of gratitude: "Yongning, look, these uncles and aunts, and those children, they are sick and in great pain, but they don't have the money to hire a good doctor to treat them."
“My mother sent Imperial Physician Pei and Imperial Physician Ana here to treat them, give them medicine, so that they can get rid of their illnesses, live, and reunite with their families. This is called ‘responsibility’.”
"responsibility?"
Yongning repeated the unfamiliar word softly, her little face full of confusion.
"Yes, responsibility."
Narcissus nodded firmly, looking gently into her daughter's eyes.
"Whether it's a princess or an imperial concubine, it's not just a nice-sounding name, nor is it just about living in a beautiful palace, wearing the most gorgeous clothes, and adorning the most dazzling jewelry."
Her fingertips gently brushed against the glittering gemstone hairpin given to her by Consort Wan on Yongning's hair.
“These titles mean that we have more power than ordinary people, and therefore we have a greater responsibility to care for and help those who are not as fortunate as us and are suffering.”
Looking out the window at the patients shivering in the cold wind, their faces pale and sickly, especially the children who were about her age but emaciated, Yongning was deeply moved by her kind nature.
She seemed to vaguely understand something.
Having beautiful beaded flowers and bracelets makes her happy.
However, the smiles of those people outside the window were only because of the help of the Empress Dowager.
That smile seemed... even brighter and warmer than when she received her new toy.
She looked up at Narcissus and asked softly, "Then... Mother, can Yongning... Yongning help them too? Does Yongning also have a responsibility?"
Looking at the nascent light in her daughter's eyes, Narcissus felt a surge of comfort and joy at her daughter's intelligence and understanding.
She smiled and nodded solemnly: "Of course, Yongning has a responsibility, and of course she can help them."
Shui Xian patiently guided her: "Yongning is still young and cannot do great things like Mother Consort. However, we can start with small things that we can do."
She guided Yongning's gaze back to the window, "Look, it's so cold, and many sick people are still wearing thin clothes."
"Yongning, would you be willing to have your pretty, but not essential, little jewelry replaced with thick, warm cotton clothes and sweet, filling rice for these sick uncles, aunts, and children who need warmth?"
Looking at the child whose cheeks were red from the cold wind outside the window, and then at the cold gold bracelet on her wrist, Yongning nodded vigorously almost without hesitation, her eyes shining with the light of making a major decision.
She took off the pair of small gold bracelets proactively, even somewhat eagerly, and placed them in Narcissus's hand without hesitation. She tilted her head up and spoke in a clear and firm voice.
"Mother, here! Yongning doesn't need these! Yongning wants to help them! To make sure they are warm and well-fed!"
Although Yongning couldn't understand the specific meaning of help, when she heard what Shuixian said earlier, she remembered how uncomfortable she felt when she was cold because she wasn't dressed warmly enough, and she remembered how her stomach rumbled when she didn't eat and her mother wouldn't give her any pastries.
Yongning is kind-hearted, and she doesn't want others to feel her pain.
At that moment, Narcissus felt as if the pair of light gold bracelets in her hands weighed more than a thousand pounds.
That wasn't the weight of gold, but the weight of my daughter's pure and kind heart.
She gripped the pair of gold bracelets tightly and then removed a pair of earrings from her ears.
“Yongning is great, she has inspired Mother Consort. Mother Consort should also give something away.”
"Mother, I will have someone take care of it right away."
Narcissus gestured for Silver Pearl to come forward and whispered a few instructions.
Yinzhu accepted the order and immediately got out of the carriage with the jewelry.
Before long, a louder and more sincere expression of gratitude came from outside the carriage:
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
"Her Highness is so kind!"
"Long live the little princess! May Your Highness live to be a hundred years old!"
...
This time, thanks to Yinzhu's special arrangement, the cheers clearly called out Yongning's name.
Yongning leaned against the car window, listening to the cheers that were uniquely hers, and watching the smiles on the faces of those who might receive warmth and food because of her gesture.
Her small face radiated an unprecedented brightness.
On the way back to the palace, Yongning was still in a state of excitement, but the reason for her excitement had completely changed.
She stopped chattering about how fun the shops outside were and how beautiful the things were, and instead pestered Narcissus with all sorts of questions about "helping others".
"Mother, if Yongning eats one less piece of candy every day, can the money saved be used to buy one more piece of clothing for someone?"
"Mother, Yongning has grown up and wants to be like you, helping many sick people get better!"
"Mother, Physician Pei and the others are so amazing. Can Yongning learn medicine from them in the future?"
Narcissus patiently answered each of her daughter's questions. Watching the light of responsibility and love in her daughter's eyes grow brighter and brighter, she knew that this seemingly simple trip outside the palace had planted a most precious seed in her daughter's pure and innocent heart.
The shallow rhetoric of the Consort Wan, which she instilled day after day, emphasizing the supremacy of appearance and the nobility of princesses, appeared utterly inadequate in the face of this newly sprouted seedling of kindness.
The next day, Consort Wan arrived at Lihe Palace on time as usual.
As usual, the maid behind her carried a small, exquisite brocade box.
Upon entering Lihe Palace, Consort Wan habitually walked towards Yongning, who was playing with the small wooden animal toys that Shuixian had recently given her.
"Princess Yongning, come and see what new and interesting things Consort Wan has found for you today?"
She smiled as she opened the brocade box, inside which was a pair of extremely dazzling gold hairpins inlaid with colorful gemstones in the shape of butterflies.
The objects shimmered and sparkled in the sunlight, enough to attract the attention of any child.
"Look at this butterfly, how beautiful it is, about to take flight! It complements Princess Yongning's soft, black hair perfectly..."
Before she could finish speaking, Yongning looked up, put down the little wooden horse in her hand, and stretched out her chubby little hand to signal Wanfei to look.
Her wrist was bare; the bracelet that Consort Wan had given her, which Yongning cherished dearly, was gone.
Unaware of what was happening outside the palace, Consort Wan tilted her head, seemingly puzzled.
Then Yongning said in her childish but unusually serious tone, "Your Highness, you don't need to give Yongning so many pretty stones anymore!"
Consort Wan was stunned, almost doubting that she had misheard.
"Princess...don't you like it? This is..."
"Yongning likes it!"
Yongning interrupted her, her small face displaying a solemn expression that Consort Wan had never seen before, an expression beyond her years.
"But Yongning exchanged them for thick, warm cotton-padded clothes and gave them to children who would get sick if they didn't have clothes to wear!"
As she spoke, she nodded vigorously, as if confirming her decision, her large, bright eyes sparkling with a pure light.
Consort Wan's smile froze completely.
She subconsciously glanced at Narcissus, who was sitting to the side, calmly drinking ginseng tea.
Narcissus didn't even lift her eyelids, as if everything happening in the hall had nothing to do with her. She just focused on watching the steam rising from the cup, with a faint smile on her lips.
In an instant, Consort Wan understood everything!
The rare treasures she had painstakingly collected, surprisingly, did not corrupt Yongning's young mind, thanks to Narcissus's arrangement.
Instead, it cost her a lot of money and blood, and now all of it has been given away by Narcissus to the common people outside, making her use her own things to do favors!
Consort Wan never expected that her meticulous planning and step-by-step strategy would be so unexpected, as Narcissus would play by the rules and use such a drastic and devastating move!
Looking at Narcissus's calm expression, she could almost hear the silent mockery in Narcissus's heart.
Consort Wan was so angry that she felt she could vomit blood!
But what could she say? What could she do?
Can one criticize the Imperial Noble Consort for not teaching the princess to be kind and compassionate?
Can we deny that helping the poor is wrong?
She can't.
She could only forcefully suppress the metallic taste in her throat, squeezing out a smile that was more like a grimace, and dryly echoed, "Princess...Princess is benevolent and cares deeply for the people. She is truly...truly a blessing to our Great Qi. Her Majesty's teachings are excellent..."
Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying an indescribable bitterness.
Her money!
It's a complete loss!
Narcissus then slowly raised her eyes and calmly glanced at Consort Wan.
Those eyes were deep, as if they could see into the deepest calculations of people's hearts.
She spoke casually, seemingly unaware of Consort Wan's liver-colored face.
"You flatter me, Consort Wan. Yongning is young. It was just a casual remark from me. It is her good fortune that she has taken it to heart."
Consort Wan could no longer stay; she felt that if she stayed even a moment longer, she might lose control.
She hastily made up an excuse and left Lihe Palace almost as if she were fleeing.
Behind her, Shui Xian gently put down her teacup, embraced Yong Ning who was tired from playing and leaning against her, and gently stroked her daughter's soft hair with her fingertips.
The hall was warm and quiet, filled with fragrance, while the sunlight streamed in through the windows.
In this war without gunfire, she won without shedding a drop of blood and kept her achievements hidden.
The path to the imperial harem is still long, but at least for this moment, she has protected the most precious sanctuary in her daughter's heart...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com