The noblewoman asked in surprise, "How do you know so much about the details of Grand Tutor Lan going to a brothel to redeem a prostitute?"
Wen said, "Alas, this Zuoan Shanren is not an ordinary prostitute. He told me in advance when he went to the brothel to redeem her, since she was going to be kept in my courtyard after being redeemed."
The Empress Dowager pondered for a moment and said, "In that case, I will first ask the Emperor for my salary for the next few years, and then take out some jewelry and precious stones. I think that should be enough. I will have my steward Liu in the palace..." As she spoke, she looked at the old eunuch next to her.
This must be Steward Liu. He quickly bowed and paid his respects to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager continued, "...Go to the Cuihong Tower and redeem you two sisters. It's best to leave those brothels as soon as possible. After you're redeemed, remove your names from the brothel register, and then come to my palace. I'm an old woman and it's quite boring in the palace. With you two young girls by my side, I think it will be more enjoyable."
She dared not bring up the matter of Yang Jie raising Chu Nian at the royal villa in the suburbs again; Yang Jie might just use this opportunity to swindle money from her. As the Empress Dowager, she wasn't short of money, but no one would be happy to be schemed against like this.
Hearing Chu Nian mention that Yang Jie had forcibly redeemed her with a thousand taels of silver, Zhao Feiyan was extremely worried. Chu Nian's words implied that the Empress Dowager was complaining that a thousand taels was too little money to redeem her, and she was really afraid that the Empress Dowager would behead Chu Nian in a fit of anger.
Unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager spoke kindly, saying that she would first offer her future salary and some jewelry, and then use the money to redeem the two women from their servitude. Zhao Feiyan was not relieved at all; instead, her anxiety only intensified.
Is the Empress Dowager retreating instead of advancing? Is she planning to bring the two of them into the palace and then deal with them later?
Just as she was feeling extremely uneasy, she saw Chu Nian look at her, wink at her, and then step out of the line. Zhao Feiyan followed her out.
The two women knelt down gracefully before the Empress Dowager.
Chu Nian said, "The Empress Dowager is so kind and compassionate, even towards lowly commoners like us. It is said that the Empress Dowager cares deeply for the people, and now that I have seen her in person, I know that what the outside world says is true. We are extremely grateful." As she spoke, she kowtowed with a sincere expression of gratitude.
These words made the Empress Dowager feel extremely relieved. Although she was indeed quite annoyed by Chu Nian's remark that she had asked Yang Jie to give a thousand taels of silver to redeem her from slavery, she knew very well that if she confronted the two women over this matter, outsiders would laugh at her for lacking royal demeanor. Besides, it was really Yang Jie's fault for handling the matter so poorly.
She had just noticed that Du Lin was looking this way. Even though she couldn't determine which girl his gaze was fixed on, she was certain it was one of them. The Emperor had mentioned earlier that it was Du Lin who had suggested meeting the Left Bank Mountain Man. If one of them really needed to marry into Xiwan, her words now would make it less abrupt to send someone to redeem them and bring them into the palace.
Now, she was even more grateful to the two women for her words, and had earned a reputation for being kind, generous, and considerate of all people, so she was naturally very happy.
The old Grand Tutor's wife, Madam Wen, jokingly said, "Your Majesty, it seems your reputation for benevolence has already spread beyond the palace. Even these two girls in the brothel have heard of it."
The Empress Dowager chuckled and said, "You old fool, you're so cunning!"
Just now, Madam Wen mentioned that the old tutor went to redeem Chu Nian but had to return home because the price was too high. She wanted the Empress Dowager to know that what the man from Zuoan Mountain said was true. Her price was indeed very high. How could the madam possibly agree to Yang Jie redeem her for only one thousand taels?
If Yang Jie were to forcibly take the person away in front of the many officials and scions of prominent families participating in the auction, the entire capital would be shaken. What's most infuriating is that Yang Jie did this under the Empress Dowager's name, which would also damage the Empress Dowager's reputation.
Having spent decades navigating the power struggles and intrigues among the concubines in the palace, the Empress Dowager quickly grasped the intricacies of this situation. After all, they were sisters who had grown up together and shared a deep bond; Lady Wen was subtly offering her guidance!
Although she had become Empress Dowager, she was not one to be ungrateful. With just one sentence, she had already conveyed to Lady Wen the deeper meaning behind her words.
"Get up quickly, stop kneeling!" the Empress Dowager said gently. "As long as you don't find it troublesome to serve this old woman after you enter the palace, that's fine."
Chu Nian quickly smiled and said, "Your Majesty is too kind. It would be such a blessing for us to serve by Your Majesty's side!"
Zhao Feiyan smiled ingratiatingly, but she couldn't help feeling worried: she always felt that the Empress Dowager's arrangement was for ulterior motives and that she must have some purpose.
So, when the hunt began and the Empress Dowager and the noble ladies all turned their attention to it, Chu Nian excused herself and left for a while, and Zhao Feiyan quickly followed.
"You seem to have something on your mind," Chu Nian said softly.
Seeing that no one was around, Zhao Feiyan lowered her voice as much as possible and asked, "Sister, are you really going to the palace?"
Chu Nian said, "Let's wait and see. Why rush things? Perhaps something else will happen today." She gazed into the distance with a deep look in her eyes.
Zhao Feiyan was slightly shocked upon hearing this. Following Chu Nian's gaze, she saw that in that direction, in the distance, the Crown Prince of Xiwan Kingdom, Du Lin, was being summoned by a young nobleman to go hunting. Du Lin turned around and gave Zoya a few instructions before whipping his horse and joining the young noblemen and generals...
Yang Jie was also among these young masters and generals. Seeing Du Lin leave Zoya, he gave a wink to a hunting ground official not far away, who nodded almost imperceptibly at Yang Jie.
"That scoundrel!" Zhao Feiyan cursed under her breath.
Chu Nian smiled leisurely and said, "No rush, good and evil will be rewarded in the end, it's just that the time has not yet come."
They were "observants with a clearer perspective" here, and Zoya, having received advance notice, was well-prepared for this hunt.
Her trusted maid Lingxiang and warrior Tianxuan both felt that their princess, Zoya, had suddenly become unpredictable and enigmatic, which was quite unlike her. Lingxiang secretly asked Zoya about this.
Zoya looked at her incredulously and said, "Really? Me?" She pointed to herself, "Unfathomable?"
Lingxiang nodded.
Zoya asked, puzzled, "How did you come to think I'm so unfathomable?"
Lingxiang whispered, "Isn't the princess's arrangement today incredibly profound? Even His Highness the Crown Prince didn't know about it!" As she spoke, she looked at Zoya with a hint of admiration.
Zoya raised an eyebrow, thinking, "Could it be that I've become cunning and calculating under the influence of Zuoan Shanren?" With this thought, a hint of smugness appeared on her face.
Actually, she didn't make any particularly many arrangements. She just instructed Tianxuan to send his trusted subordinates to keep a close eye on the people in the Yang family, especially Yang Jie, Madam Yang, and the people who would be attending the hunt today.
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