"I had someone investigate. The Huo family and Huai Le have never had any dealings. This is also the first time A-Jun has left the capital. I did meet Huo Chengyi once before, but we only exchanged nods. Don't you think this is strange?" the Empress Dowager continued.
Zhang Chu, having served the Empress Dowager for decades, quickly realized what was going on and respectfully said, "Miss Huo has contracted a strange illness. Didn't Young Master Huo tell you about it last time? The high monk said that Miss Huo's benefactor is our Princess. Spending more time with the Princess and absorbing some of the royal aura will help her recover from the strange illness faster."
If Zhao Shu knew that Huo Baichuan was spouting nonsense to the Empress Dowager like this, she would surely burst into laughter, amazed that he could present such blatant lies to the Empress Dowager with such a serious expression.
The Empress Dowager snorted coldly, "Even if you believe these nonsense, I don't believe a word of it. Huo Baichuan looks handsome, but he's actually very cunning and his behavior is unconventional, yet he's still called a gentleman. My Huai Le also has the demeanor of a gentleman, but she was bullied with someone pointing fingers at her. Just thinking about it makes me angry. It's better not to say anything. It's just that the Huo family doesn't want people to know. Whatever her purpose is, you can let people keep an eye on her."
Zhang Chu shut up. The Huo family didn't want others to know, and investigations couldn't uncover the truth. They couldn't resort to force either, so they could only stick to this path.
"Yes," she said.
"Just now I said that the Huo family girl looked familiar. Do you feel the same way?" The Empress Dowager thought for a moment, then brought the topic back to itself.
Zhang Chu pondered for a few seconds, “Miss Huo always covers her face with a thick cloth, so I have not seen her full face. I do not think she resembles anyone else. However, Miss Huo’s overall temperament is excellent. Among the noble ladies of the capital, none can match her.”
"Aside from being a bit strange, she's alright. She's also getting on in years. If she doesn't have any other problems, it would be excellent for her to be Huai Le's second wife. You should spend more time with her and say good things about Huai Le." The Empress Dowager was extremely anxious because she had been planning for so long, but in the end she left the capital and her son's marriage was still undecided.
Zhang Chu was delighted. She thought Huo Danlan was excellent. She was gentle and kind to the princess, and she came from the Huo family. She had heard that Huo Danlan was in charge of the household, so she was a capable person. No matter how you looked at it, she was the best candidate to be the second wife.
Feeling satisfied, he said, "Miss Huo is excellent. She is the eldest daughter of the Huo family, the first among the imperial clan. She is a perfect match for our prince."
The Empress Dowager deeply agreed, and the more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. "If Jiang Ying were still alive, Huai Le probably wouldn't have acted so recklessly. I'm afraid Huai Le himself can't get over his own conscience. Where in this world can we find another Jiang Ying?"
When asked about the late Princess Consort, Zhang Chu remained silent. "The Princess Consort is indeed unique."
This was a heavy topic. The Empress Dowager remained silent for a long time before suddenly saying to Zhang Chu, "When we arrive at the post station, have Zhihai come to find me."
"Yes." Zhang Chu replied softly, and then saw that the Empress Dowager was already resting with her head propped up by her hand and her eyes closed.
Upon arriving at the post station, Zhao Shu was helped off the carriage by Chu Chun. She then heard Yan Zelu say to the people around him, "We will arrive in Guanzhou tomorrow. The members of the Guanzhou imperial family, young and old, have come here to welcome the Empress Dowager. We need to be even more careful tomorrow. With the Lord not here, don't cause any trouble for me. If anything happens to these nobles, I can still cut off your dog heads."
His voice wasn't very loud, but even so, because his voice was naturally loud and he was deliberately lowering it, it was still louder than the average person's. When Green Ivy heard him keep mentioning "Laozi" (his father's name), she whispered with great disdain, "How vulgar. If he's Laozi, then what's his father?"
“Grandpa,” Banshu answered beside her.
Upon hearing this, Sun Yun and Zhao Shu both laughed. Before they could finish laughing, someone said enthusiastically, "These must be Princess Jun and Miss Sun, right? They are as beautiful as celestial fairies."
Zhao Shu and Sun Yun looked at the woman who was speaking. She was not old, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, and her features were very regular. However, her eyes liked to wander around, especially her gaze was fixed on Sun Yun. She looked like a matchmaker, and the more she looked at Sun Yun, the more satisfied she became.
Sun Yun leaned close to Zhao Shu's ear and whispered, "Who is this person? He's so rude."
Zhao Shu felt somewhat embarrassed, sensing that this person was probably a member of the imperial clan.
Just as I feared, the woman curtsied and said, “Princess, this is your first time here. You don’t know me. My husband is the twentieth in his family in Guanzhou. You can just call me Auntie Yao.”
Sun Yun almost burst out laughing when she heard what this overly friendly aunt said, but luckily she managed to hold it in, otherwise it would have damaged her dignified image as a noble lady.
Before Zhao Shu could say anything, an elderly woman, around sixty years old and dressed in jeweled clothes, gently said, "You're from the twenties, don't be rude." After saying that, she looked at Zhao Shu and the other woman with affection, "This old woman greets the princess."
The old lady was extremely serious and sincere, and her bowing movements were smooth and skillful. Zhao Shu was particularly surprised to see that she was wearing the court dress of a second-rank official. Most of the people living in Guanzhou were relatives of Emperor Taizu before he became emperor, and most of them were distant relatives, close relatives, or close blood relatives. Almost all of them had followed him to the capital. Many of those who helped him conquer the country were granted the title of king, and those who were not granted the title of king were given a fiefdom. They rarely returned to Guanzhou.
Unexpectedly, I actually saw a second-rank lady. Even the princess in Dayong who had an imperial decree to be a concubine was only a second-rank lady. Of course, her rank was above the second rank.
She originally planned that once she arrived in Guanzhou, she would use her rank to overwhelm all her distant relatives, then open shops and do business without restraint. In a few years, the Empress Dowager would definitely take her back to the capital, at which point she would have a sum of money, and then she would take advantage of the situation to return the remaining three fiefdoms.
“Madam, there’s no need for such formalities. It should be Ah Jun who greets you.” She quickly performed the junior’s greeting, her manners impeccable, leaving the old woman opposite her with no room for criticism.
Madam Zhong was surprised. The person she had sent to the capital to inquire had just replied, saying that Princess Jun was extremely unruly and vulgar. But now it seemed that was not the case. Zhao Shu was performing the etiquette of a junior, so she simply nodded, called the twentieth aunt, and went to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager.
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