Outside the Qianqing Palace.
"Wishing Your Majesty good health."
"Long live the Empress Dowager!"
A chorus of respectful greetings filled the air. All the civil and military officials, as well as the concubines of the harem, except for the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, knelt down to greet and welcome the Empress Dowager back to the palace.
Benjamin, the priest, also performed the Western greeting.
Chen Nian, Qing'er, and Consort Yu also alighted from their sedan chairs to pay their respects.
Chen Nian followed Qing'er.
Having grown up outside the palace, Shen Nian was deeply impressed by the magnificent scene he witnessed out of the corner of his eye.
I used to be shocked when I saw this scene on TV, but when I actually faced it and participated in it, the sensory conflict rushed straight to my mind.
Words simply cannot describe the shock she felt.
Little did she know that while she was discreetly observing her surroundings, someone else was also observing her.
Someone in the crowd looked at the little head that was quietly turning around and wondered, "Why does it look so familiar?"
...
However, thinking about what would happen next, Chen Nian frowned. It would have been better if he hadn't thought about it, because once he did, he suddenly had a bad feeling.
"What's wrong, Niannian?"
Qing'er noticed her best friend's furrowed brows and asked in a low voice.
The two were in the back, and there was nothing around them. They talked quietly, and no one paid attention to them, since everyone's attention was on the Empress Dowager.
"fine"
When Chen Nian noticed Qing'er's worried gaze, he tried to ignore his own ominous premonition and shook his head slightly at Qing'er.
Hopefully, she'll have better luck.
She, who is not part of the new Huanzhu series, doesn't have the protagonist's halo, and it's unknown whether she will be affected by what happens next.
As the emperor walked forward, the kneeling crowd rose to their feet.
Chen Nian stood beside the Empress Dowager with Qing'er, while Consort Yu stood on the other side. Together they followed the Empress Dowager toward the Emperor.
Stand still.
The formal exchange of pleasantries begins.
The Emperor spoke first: "Your Majesty, I have been extremely unfilial for not going to the palace to greet you."
"What are you saying, Your Majesty? You are busy with state affairs enough. I have so many people serving me. Do I really need you to personally greet me?"
Seeing her son whom she hadn't seen for a long time, the Empress Dowager couldn't hide her joy. She chuckled softly, and the two began to practice Tai Chi.
"Besides, I still have Consort Yu, Qing'er, and Niannian by my side."
As the old lady spoke, she patted Qing'er's hand.
"Qing'er greets Your Majesty, wishing you good fortune."
Receiving the gaze directed at her, Qing'er knelt down to pay her respects, her every movement befitting a well-bred young lady.
"Good, good, Qing'er, having you by my side makes me feel much more at ease..."
After the two finished talking.
"Chen Nian greets His Majesty, wishing him good fortune."
Chen Nian also performed a proper bow, just like Qing'er.
Facing the most honored person in the world, Shen Nian dared not do anything disrespectful and obediently bowed.
We haven't secured the enemy's key player yet, so we can't unleash our true nature.
She's not Little Swallow; she doesn't have the protagonist's halo, nor does she have many people to help her out, and she doesn't have the emperor's favor.
Although the Empress Dowager had told her that she could relax a bit when facing the Emperor, and even treat him like her own father, she didn't know why the Empress Dowager said that, but she didn't have the guts to do so.
Upon hearing Chen Nian's greeting, Qianlong turned his head to the side and his gaze froze for a moment.
Looking at the graceful woman standing before him, smiling gently, Qianlong's calm emotions suddenly surged.
"emperor?"
The Empress Dowager's shout brought the dazed man back to his senses.
"Good, good, it's good that Niannian is back, it's good that she's back."
His hand moved involuntarily, wanting to raise and pat Chen Nian's shoulder, but ultimately he considered that the occasion was inappropriate, so he could only lower his hand, which was already slightly raised, and loosely clench his fist.
Emperor Qianlong didn't know how to express his emotions, so he simply used the word "good" three times in a row to convey his feelings.
The Empress Dowager clearly noticed that something was wrong with her son. She glanced at the obedient person beside her, tightened her grip on Qing'er's hand, and sighed inwardly.
The emperor hasn't relinquished his power yet.
Feeling the tightening grip on her hand, Qing'er glanced discreetly at the Emperor, then at the Empress Dowager, and finally at her best friend.
Finally, he calmly withdrew his gaze and kept the matter to himself.
The Empress, who was standing beside the Emperor, looked at Chen Nian with a deep expression in her eyes, and her clasped hands trembled slightly.
Shen Nian also noticed the Emperor's slightly raised hand, and a look of doubt flashed in her eyes. Why did she inexplicably feel that the Emperor was very excited?
And then there's the Empress. Her eyes always seem to hold emotions that I can't quite decipher—a mixture of excitement, nostalgia, and perhaps a sense of disappointment.
While the Emperor and Consort Yu were talking, Shen Nian secretly glanced at her angel baby, only to receive a puzzled look.
While the others chatted, Chen Nian finally had a chance to catch his breath.
Her palms were sweaty and damp; it was impossible for her not to be nervous in front of the emperor.
Especially since she was socially anxious, facing so many people at once made her incredibly nervous, fearing that she might do something wrong, offend someone, and end up not even knowing how she died.
In Wutai Mountain, she only faced a few people. After spending time with them, she became less afraid and even occasionally let her true nature shine through, of course, only when she was sure she had the right to do so.
Since we don't know how long we'll be living in the palace, we have to be careful about what we say and do. If something happens to us, there won't be many people to help us.
She's terrible at dealing with people, and her brain capacity is limited. She wants to stay away from the intricacies of the palace; she doesn't have the ability to solve them, and she doesn't know if she'll be able to escape danger every time like the main characters.
All she hoped for was to live a peaceful life in the palace.
Living a simple life is just as good as the chaotic and "exciting" life in Shufangzhai depicted in the drama.
All she could do was obediently follow Qing'er, serve the Empress Dowager well in the Cining Palace, cling to the Empress Dowager's leg, and if possible, even hug the Emperor's leg.
As for the main characters, her attitude was to stay away from them as much as possible; the events that happened in the show made her feel like it was a huge problem.
For someone with her laid-back attitude, the answer is—don't come over!
All she wanted was to live a peaceful life in this new world of Huanzhu with her girlfriends, drinking tea, eating melons, and enjoying each other's company.
As for getting married, she had never even considered it.
Marriage was something extremely distant and uncertain for her; she couldn't possibly ruin someone's life.
As for whether she could remain unmarried during the Qing Dynasty, that was no longer a concern. She had already passed the Empress Dowager's test. The Empress Dowager only had one request for her: that she be happy. As for the Emperor, there was no need to worry; the Empress Dowager would also help her resolve that.
...
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