"She pointed to the few potted flowers and said with a smile, "With these flowers in your palace, things have become more lively, and it's not as suffocating as before."
"It was Roujun who placed it," the Empress said with a smile, a hint of affection in her eyes.
"Roujun?"
This Roujun sounded completely unfamiliar. Shen Wangshu didn't remember there being a Roujun in the palace, let alone a Roujun suddenly appearing. Wasn't she just one level below Consort Lin?
Below the Noble Lord are the rulers of the various palaces.
This suddenly appearing Roujun seems to be favored by the Empress.
"The one who entered the palace before." The Empress felt a little embarrassed when she mentioned it. She said it vaguely, and seeing that Shen Wangshu didn't seem to care, obviously not taking it to heart, her smile widened.
Shen Wangshu chuckled, becoming even more certain that the Roujun was the handsome young man that Consort Lin had wanted to give to him, but which he had given to the Empress at the palace banquet.
The young man loved flowers and plants, enjoying decorating his room with various colorful blooms. The Third Princess had always shared this fondness, and now it seemed the Empress, being mother and daughter, indeed shared the same taste. Knowing that Roujun was the young man, Shen Wangshu felt much more at ease, her expression becoming increasingly nonchalant. Sure enough, she saw the Empress's expression soften.
After all, the Empress couldn't bear to lose face by snatching a beauty from her daughter, so she became somewhat distant from Shen Wangshu.
Seeing that she doesn't care about anything and is wholeheartedly pursuing Fang Xuan, and that she obviously has no feelings for Rou Jun, the Empress felt more guilty towards Shen Wangshu.
In the end, it was she who stole her daughter's beauty. Seeing that her daughter liked Fang Xuan, she became even more amused and said with a smile, "Since you want a cook, there are many skilled cooks in our palace. Whichever one you like, just send that one to your palace."
Seeing Shen Wangshu thank her with a smile, she paused for a moment, then said gently, "Your household just spent a sum of money, and you're not good at managing things, unlike your two older sisters who are shrewd." This was also why the Empress liked the Third Princess. After all, although a fool might be foolish, an ambitious daughter could still be a headache.
The eldest and second princesses are already vying for power. Although the empress is happy to have the two princesses go against each other to consolidate her power, she does not like those who flatter her with ulterior motives.
The women of the Three Sovereigns were foolish, yet they were born into a world where everything was true.
"I'll bring you a few chests of gold and silver back later, and I'll also give you an estate in the outskirts of the capital. Don't wrong yourself." The Empress was increasingly fond of spoiling this good-for-nothing.
No matter how much she is favored, the shrewd officials in the court will not think that she is the crown princess and want to gain merit for supporting the emperor.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." It would be foolish not to take advantage of the situation, so Shen Wangshu thanked her repeatedly and unceremoniously asked for several cooks from the imperial kitchen. However, having accepted the Empress's gifts, she naturally felt embarrassed to leave so easily. She endured having a meal with the Empress before gracefully taking her leave, and before leaving, she casually took a rare and famous sword from the Empress's palace for her beloved.
Despite her audacity, the Empress merely laughed and scolded her. Shen Wangshu walked contentedly out of the palace, but as she passed through the royal gardens, she heard a soft voice calling to her.
She turned her head and saw Lin Guijun, dressed in a blue long robe and with a jade hairpin in her hair, smiling at her.
The once stunningly beautiful Consort Lin has aged; the fine lines around her eyes indicate that her youthful beauty is fading.
That subtle weariness was probably due to the Empress having arranged for him to become a concubine these past two days.
.
Shen Wangshu took a moment to appreciate Lin Guijun's haggard appearance.
Even if she remained indifferent to worldly affairs, she knew that Consort Lin and she could never be on the same wavelength. Moreover, Consort Lin had driven the Phoenix Prince to his death, making her her father's murderer. In her previous life, when the Third Princess was down on her luck, he hadn't uttered a single word of pleading for her before the Second Princess. Shen Wangshu naturally understood that this Consort Lin wouldn't care about her. She smiled, paused, and nodded, saying, "Greetings, Consort Lin."
Seeing Consort Lin smiling and walking towards her, she took two steps back and said with a smile, "Consort Lin is an elder and also a member of the Empress's harem. How can you be so frivolous and get so close to me?"
These words implied an insult about someone's lack of tact, and Lin Guijun's face stiffened for a moment.
However, he had often sent the Third Princess and handsome young men to her before, and the two had a very close relationship. When Lin Guijun saw that her voice and expression were different from usual, she sadly shed tears and said, "What are you saying, Prince Luan? I watched you grow up and treated you like my own daughter. It's heartbreaking to hear you say such distant things." He turned his head, his demeanor elegant and refined. Although he was old, he still made people feel a little sorry for him.
However, Shen Wangshu certainly had no such intention. She smiled, raised an eyebrow, and said, "If you say that, I dare not admit it."
"What are you afraid to acknowledge?" Lin Guijun couldn't help but ask curiously.
"My biological father is the Empress's first wife, Feng Jun. Your Highness is merely a minor concubine. How dare you treat me as your own daughter?"
Having honed his skills in the imperial harem, Shen Wangshu's words were naturally cold. Seeing Lin Guijun's eyes widen, he spoke even more gently, "While it's true that heroes are not judged by their origins, and those favored by the Empress Dowager are naturally noble, Guijun is merely a palace maid, and her bloodline is naturally inferior to my father's. Your claim of treating me as your own son is an insult. Today, for the sake of the Empress Dowager and Guijun's lack of intention, I will not hold it against you. However, if I hear this again in the future, I might disregard Guijun's dignity!"
"What?" Lin Guijun's eyes widened in horror.
Is this an insult to his lowly birth?
They continued to criticize the Second Princess for having the same lowly bloodline, inferior to the First Princess and her sisters.
For some reason, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his face.
This is outrageous!
"Furthermore, Your Highness was born a palace maid, and I heard that you gained favor by sitting directly on the Empress Dowager's lap. However, I would like to offer some advice: you are no longer a palace maid, but a Noble Lady, and should have the demeanor, propriety, and dignity of a Noble Lady. Your current frivolous and intimate behavior with the princess not only disgraces yourself but also the Empress Dowager. It would be unacceptable for people to say that the highest-ranking person in the Empress Dowager's palace is someone who lacks manners, doesn't know how to avoid adult princesses, and only knows how to fawn over them with a foxy smile, would it?"
Shen Wangshu spoke quickly, then turned and left, saying, "This king still has some pride; I'll leave later..."
Before she could finish speaking, she heard the tense shouts of the palace servants behind her.
"Your Majesty!"
As she walked, she kept turning back curiously, revealing a look of sudden realization.
oh.
He fainted.
She didn't say anything, did she?
What kind of mental fortitude is that?
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