After the meal, Emperor Mingde went to attend to state affairs. Before leaving, he said to Zhao Shu, "Ajun, are you still angry with that Fifth Young Master Jiang?"
Zhao Shu was taken aback, then remembered that among those who had spoken up for Wei Tingsi earlier were people from the Ningguo Marquis's mansion. Since others wanted to curry favor, she didn't need to turn them away.
It seems that Emperor Mingde has some grudges against the Marquis of Ningguo's family. There's no need for her to go against Emperor Mingde; she should just let it go.
“If Father is not angry, then Ajun will not be angry either,” Zhao Shu said.
Prince Yong had completely forgotten about that. "Huh? What's wrong?"
Emperor Mingde understood immediately and felt very upset. As an emperor, he couldn't even protect his own brother. Without saying anything more, he strode away.
Liang Yunsi, who was standing guard outside, keenly noticed that his master seemed to be in a bad mood. Could it be because of the Empress Dowager? Unlikely. Although the Empress Dowager doted on the Prince, she was very measured. Could it be because of the Crown Prince? Didn't he just have a tantrum? Could it be because someone informed on the Princess? Very likely.
The astute Liang Yunsi had already secretly resolved to find the traitor.
Zhao Shu was unaware that the Grand Eunuch Liang had already clashed with those who wanted to harm her. At this moment, she was by the Empress Dowager's side, waiting for Ji Yun and the others to pack their things.
"Your imperial uncle said you taught him that chess game?" The Empress Dowager lay on the chaise longue, with Hongxia gently fanning herself with a feather fan beside her. Zhao Shu nestled in her arms and spoke to her.
"It was a book found in my mother's dowry. It was a notebook from the eldest daughter of the Fei family. It contained instructions on how to play and chess scores. Ah-Jun thought it was fun, but not as difficult as Go, so she secretly played it."
"Yes." The Empress Dowager nodded in deep agreement. "It is indeed fun, but not as difficult as Go. It is quite suitable for you, little kitten. Teach me sometime."
"Yes, I promise I'll teach my grandmother to be even better than my uncle." Zhao Shu nodded vigorously.
Prince Yong, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Ah Jun, please teach your father too."
"Oh, Father, didn't you already know how?" Zhao Shu asked, amused.
"I always felt that you were biased towards your royal uncle. In just a few days, I have not been able to beat your royal uncle."
"Pfft." The Empress laughed.
"What are you laughing at, Your Majesty?" Prince Yong felt he was being mocked and immediately blushed deeply.
"I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing at the Crown Prince. The other day the Crown Prince played chess with the Emperor and suffered a crushing defeat. He came to me to complain and said he wanted to go to the Prince's mansion to find A-Jun to learn chess from."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Shu smiled broadly, "If you want to become my disciple, you must first pay the tuition fee."
"You're such a money-grubber." The Crown Prince was still shaken and determined never to mess around with Zhao Shu again, but the atmosphere had eased up, so he couldn't help but tease her.
The Empress Dowager suddenly sensed something and immediately ordered, "Go and fetch the red agate and pearl jewelry that was presented as tribute from Jiangnan a few days ago, pack it up, and A-Jun will take it over later."
Red agate and pearl headdress? The name is simple, but it is very valuable. Zhao Shu had heard of this headdress in her previous life. Later, this headdress fell into the hands of Consort Ning, who often wore it to show off.
Although the materials used in this headdress are expensive, it is not the most valuable part. It was worn by the founding empress dowager of the previous dynasty. As the founding empress dowager, her life was legendary.
The current Empress Dowager felt that only the founding Empress Dowager of the previous dynasty could stand shoulder to shoulder with her, and that they were all arrogant figures.
A strange expression flashed across the Empress's face, but it was quickly masked by a polite smile, making it unnoticed. However, Zhao Shu happened to see it. No matter how friendly the Empress appeared, she must have felt resentful inside.
Despite her son being the Crown Prince, he was not as favored as Zhao Shu, a mere princess. Just now, it was clearly Zhao Shu who was being unreasonable by wanting to go to Taihe Palace, but the Empress Dowager twisted the truth and only blamed the Crown Prince.
Zhao Shu smiled bitterly. People are never satisfied. Although she didn't think the Empress had done anything wrong, it was a fact that the Crown Prince was the Empress Dowager's most beloved grandson.
However, she would not compromise. If she compromised even slightly, she would be plunged into an abyss.
However, she didn't intend to confront the Empress, as there was also Zhao Bi in the palace.
"So that red agate and pearl headdress is still with the Empress Dowager. I thought it had been given to Consort Ning as a reward." She lied through her teeth.
The fact that the Empress Dowager had acquired a new set of red agate and pearl headdresses was known to everyone in the palace. Many people knew it was true, and in her previous life, after Zhao Bi ascended the throne, Consort Ning was the first to take this set of headdresses and wear it.
She believed that even if she were reborn and changed the course of history by a little bit, Consort Ning would still be obsessed with obtaining that set of jewelry.
As expected, the Empress's expression changed instantly upon hearing the name Consort Ning. Could it be that Consort Ning was currying favor with Zhao Shu and hoping to gain the Empress Dowager's favor through Zhao Shu?
Both the Empress Dowager and the Empress had been navigating the inner palace for many years, especially the Empress Dowager. She sneered, "How dare she covet my things?"
"Phew, Ah Jun was startled too, but Grandmother still loves Ah Jun the most. Ah Jun thanks Grandmother for her kindness." She buried her face in the Empress Dowager's arms and began to act coquettishly.
"My dearest granddaughter, if I don't love you, who will I love? All my good things are for our granddaughter's dowry." The Empress Dowager felt sorry for her granddaughter, who had just lost her fiefdom and was now being used by others.
"What are you saying, Grandmother? Ah Jun doesn't want any dowry. Ah Jun wants to stay with Grandmother for the rest of her life." She pretended to be shy, as she could no longer have any expectations for marriage.
In modern times, she also had suitors and received gifts on minor holidays, but she didn't accept any of them. At that time, she thought that perhaps it was because she was an orphan and had no sense of belonging to that era.
Actually, she liked that era, but she remembered Hua Yao who died, the dilapidated Yongwang Mansion, and her father who died on the way to exile even more.
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