Chapter 69: Beautiful Daughter vs. Heirless Emperor 69
Xu Junzheng knew that Nanning was lying.
The Imperial Concubine has not shown up today and hasn't even met him, so how could she let Nanning go over to pay her respects?
Nan Ning was smart enough to use the Imperial Concubine as a cover to get away, but it was a pity that Prince Duan's great-granddaughter was really ignorant and kept pestering Nan Ning. It was obvious that she had no good intentions.
Xu Junzheng was anxious. The Lady of Nanning County had done the Xu family a favor, and he couldn't just sit back and watch.
He planned to show up and take Nanning away. Although it was not appropriate for a man and a woman to travel alone, he could go there under the pretext of meeting the Imperial Concubine and then find a few eunuchs to lead the way, so he was not afraid of gossip.
"The Imperial Concubine has arrived~" The loud voice came from far away, and the bright yellow ceremonial guard was particularly eye-catching.
Soon, the phoenix sedan chair arrived, and Taohong helped the imperial concubine get down from the sedan chair.
Ji Yunhuan wore a royal concubine's gown with a red background and gold embroidery. The intricate patterns were lifelike, and the golden phoenix seemed to be about to flap its wings and fly. She had several jade ornaments hanging on her body. According to the palace ladies-in-waiting, each one had a profound meaning and none of them could be omitted.
Her black hair was combed into a single bun. The imperial concubine's crown must have weighed several pounds, which made her neck a little sore, not to mention the many jewels adorning her hair. After being dressed up, it was really difficult for her to move without someone to support her.
Nan Ning was the first to kneel down and salute, "Your humble servant greets the Imperial Concubine. May your Majesty live a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand years. Your humble servant was too busy playing and delayed the time to pay respects to Your Majesty. I am really ashamed to bother Your Majesty to come here in person."
Xiaoying also knelt down with her master. She thought that the Princess of Nanning was just talking nonsense, but she didn't expect that the Imperial Concubine really came.
"Please understand, Your Majesty, our county lady did not delay us on purpose. It was just that County Lady Qiao Yue took advantage of her power and insisted on dragging our county lady to enjoy the scenery, which delayed us."
Ji Yunhuan glanced at Qiao Yue indifferently. Her face was cold and she did not show any blame, but her majesty had already made Qiao Yue's legs go weak.
Qiao Yue knelt down with a plop and explained anxiously: "Your Majesty...Your Majesty didn't mean that. I just like Nanning, so I don't want her to leave. I thought she was lying..."
Ji Yunhuan ignored Qiao Yue, but reached out to help Nan Ning up, and said gently:
"You and she are both county princesses, there is no difference in status. She is the great-granddaughter of Prince Duan, and you are the county princess personally appointed by His Majesty, and the adopted sister of Prince An."
"In my heart, the Princess of Nanning is a chivalrous and courageous person. She saved tens of thousands of disaster victims in Jiangnan with her own life. Her contributions are outstanding. You are worthy of the title of Princess of Nanning. There is no need to belittle yourself."
Nanning lowered her head, tears falling to the ground one by one.
No one had ever said such things to her. They would only talk about her behind her back, saying that she was from the country, that she was rude and unruly, and that their eyes were full of ridicule when they looked at her.
She knew that it was important for people to respect themselves, but she was still affected by these words, thinking that she had not done well enough and had brought shame to His Royal Highness Prince An.
Ji Yunhuan touched Nan Ning's head lovingly and quietly handed the handkerchief in his hand to her.
"Nanning, your father has taught you very well. You don't have to compete with them, because they can't compare with you! That's why they exclude you, insult you, and even want to destroy you. You can only leave them far behind if you become better and better, so that they can only look up to you and kneel down to you!"
Nan Ning wiped her face clean and showed a bright smile, "I understand, thank you for your teachings, Imperial Concubine."
Princess An once told her that the Imperial Concubine cared about her very much, so she dared to tell this lie today.
The Imperial Concubine was even better than she had imagined. Not only did she not expose her, she also comforted her. The Imperial Concubine was really a very gentle person.
When Xu Junzheng saw Ji Yunhuan come forward to help the Princess of Nanning, he felt relieved. He did not show up, but left quietly.
Qiao Yue's knees ached from kneeling, but she didn't dare to stand up and could only endure it.
Taohong stood aside and, following the Imperial Concubine's instructions, scolded Qiao Yue in a very arrogant manner.
It feels so good to be a bad guy. Taohong felt happy while scolding people. At the end, she asked Qiaoyue to kneel down and reflect on what she had done wrong.
Qiao Yue's face turned red and she was shaking with anger. From childhood to adulthood, she had never been insulted like this before!
What's more, being pointed at and scolded by a lowly maid was a great humiliation!
Zhou Shuang'er looked at the imperial concubine's back as she left, her heart full of envy.
She was also a daughter of the Zhou family, but her relationship with the queen was different, so the Zhou family did not choose her, but chose Zhou Ling'er instead.
It is obvious that she is a hundred times smarter than Zhou Ling'er. If she had entered the palace in the first place, the situation might have been very different.
The Imperial Concubine was born in a humble family, but now she is so majestic and can even scold Princess Qiao Yue at will. One day, she will also be so majestic!
"Zhou Shuang'er, what are you daydreaming about? Come over and help!"
Qiao Yue yelled angrily, and Zhou Shuang'er immediately ran over with her head lowered. She didn't care about the pain in her own knees, but knelt on the ground to massage Qiao Yue's knees.
"Sister Qiaoyue, you have suffered. The Imperial Concubine is really too much. I am thick-skinned and it doesn't matter, but what if Sister Qiaoyue kneels for so long and hurts her knees?"
Qiao Yue gasped in pain and said angrily, "Who is she? Can she compare to the noble status of the eldest princess? Come on, help me find the eldest princess. I will never let go of what happened today!"
********
Zhaoyang Palace is not far from the Imperial Garden and was the residence of the eldest princess before she left the palace and built her own mansion.
After the emperor ascended the throne, in order to show respect for his eldest sister, Zhaoyang Palace remained empty. Occasionally, when the eldest princess came to the palace, she would rest here.
The Zhaoyang Palace still retains its former appearance, with carved beams and painted rafters, and is magnificent, as if it wanted to incorporate the prosperity of the entire Dazhao Kingdom into it.
The eldest princess stroked the paint-peeled hanging flower door. No matter how good a place is, if no one lives there and no one repairs it, it will eventually fall into desolation.
If she didn't fight and strive, she would wither along with the Zhaoyang Palace and be buried in the dust, and no one in the capital would remember her former glory and honor.
Qiao Yue ran in crying and threw herself into the eldest princess' arms.
"Aunt, I'm sorry that I couldn't complete what you asked me to do."
The princess wrung out a handkerchief and gently wiped the tears from Qiao Yue's face, "Good child, don't cry. I know I have wronged you. It is really difficult for our Qiao Yue to associate with such an inferior person."
After being comforted for a long time, Qiao Yue finally stopped crying. With Yu'er's help, she washed her face again and put on makeup.
She smiled a little embarrassedly, her eyes full of admiration for the eldest princess, "Qiaoyue was really close to success, it was all because of the Royal Concubine, she suddenly appeared and took Nanning away, and also made Qiaoyue kneel for a long time. Qiaoyue was so wronged that she couldn't hold back her tears."
The princess held Qiao Yue in her arms, tapped her nose, and chuckled, "Qiao Yue doesn't have to hide herself in front of me. She can cry when she wants to and laugh when she wants to. I like Qiao Yue's straightforwardness and authenticity."
Just like she was before, free from restraints and worries. Her father doted on her, her mother loved her, the whole capital admired her, and no one dared to disobey her.
The princess sent Qiao Yue away, and her expression immediately turned cold. "I like Qiao Yue very much. She's good for teasing, but I didn't expect her to achieve anything."
Yu'er helped the eldest princess into the room. There was a chess game in the empty hall.
The princess placed a black piece on the chessboard and said in a brisk tone, "Ji Yunhuan is lucky. Winning one piece is nothing. The fun has just begun. It's still uncertain who will win."
"Yu'er, go and invite Lord Xu over. I want to finish this game of chess with him."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
