After Zhao Shu woke up, she washed and dressed herself again, and led Chu Chun and the others out of Jinlan Palace. Liang Yunsi, who had been waiting in front of the palace, saw her come out and hurriedly led the people to pay their respects, "This servant greets the princess. May the princess be safe, healthy and blessed with good fortune."
"Happy New Year, Eunuch Liang. What's this?" His gaze fell on the eunuch and imperial guards behind Liang Yunsi. He noticed that they were all carrying bundles, as if they were on their way.
"The Empress Dowager, the Crown Prince, the Prince, and you are all out of the capital. The Emperor has even been eating less at his imperial meals. This servant is worried and must return to the capital to keep an eye on things, fearing those little brats won't serve him properly. Fortunately, the Princess, the Prince, and the Crown Prince are there to show filial piety to the Empress Dowager; otherwise, the Emperor might have moved the Taihe Palace to Guanzhou." He then wiped away tears with his sleeve. "This servant hasn't seen the Princess for months. She's become so thin. This servant... this servant's heart, her heart..."
Seeing his tears falling like pearls from a broken string, Zhao Shu quickly comforted him, "I know Eunuch Liang's intentions. With you serving by the Emperor's side, my brother the Crown Prince and I are at ease. It's cold and the roads are slippery, so please be careful on your journey. Please give my regards to the Emperor."
Liang Yunsi wiped the tears from the corner of his eye, agreed, and said to the little eunuch behind him, "Bring the things to the princess."
The eunuch behind him took out a sandalwood box from the package. The box was about half a foot long and wide, about the size of a palm, and was engraved with an intricate pattern of nine dragons soaring through clouds. The patterns were also plated with a layer of gold, making it clear at a glance that it was something used by Emperor Mingde.
Liang Yunsi took the box from the eunuch and presented it to Zhao Shu. "Princess, the white jade chessboard was left in the capital, so His Majesty asked me to bring you this exquisite chessboard. It was just made by the Imperial Household Department. His Majesty said that Guanzhou is a small place and people are probably bored, so he asked me to bring this exquisite chessboard to relieve their boredom."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Shu knew that anything from the Imperial Household Department must be of high quality. She gestured for Chu Chun to take it, saying, "Thank you, Uncle Emperor. I don't have anything to send him, except to be a good daughter-in-law to my grandmother so that he can rest assured."
Liang Yunsi shook his head while holding his whisk, "Princess, please don't deceive me. The Empress Dowager has prepared several carts of Guanzhou specialties, which I will take back to the capital later. The Empress Dowager said that many of them were prepared by the Princess."
Zhao Shu just smiled and didn't reply. "The Prince's mansion is currently empty. If you have time, Father, please go and take a look for my father and me, and bring some life to the place."
Liang Yunsi's eyes flickered, and he lowered his voice and said, "Princess, don't worry, the plague in the manor has been eradicated. The imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital have all examined it. You can move in in a year or two. However, the Emperor has already issued an edict to build a new Yongwang manor, and construction will begin at the beginning of this year."
Zhao Shu's heart skipped a beat. Emperor Mingde wanted to build a new Prince Yong's Mansion? Could it be because her father, the Prince Yong, had become famous by inspecting the country on behalf of the Emperor?
Soon, Liang Yunsi cleared up the confusion, saying, "Our prince is no ordinary man now. The officials who accompanied him all praised him highly, and the nobles in the capital all felt that they had been misled before, and they hate the person who misled them to the bone."
Zhao Shu chuckled. The renowned scholars and Confucianists led by Huo Chengchu had made an indispensable contribution. She wondered whether this was a slap in the face to Emperor Mingde or to the aristocratic families of the capital. However, one thing was certain: the Huo family was demonstrating their power. Previously, she only knew that Huo Baichuan's brothers had accompanied her on her inspection tour of the country and provided protection. It was only after meeting Huo Chengchu that she realized the Huo family had such a plan.
She didn't say much. When Liang Yunsi saw her smile, he smiled too. He wanted to tell her more good news, but he couldn't find anything to share as good news.
"Your Excellency has come to Guanzhou with an imperial decree, I suppose. I wonder if mine is among them?" She looked at Liang Yunsi with a smile. It was an ordinary sentence, but to Liang Yunsi, it sounded extraordinary.
He glanced around; the people around him were far away. He coughed twice and lowered his voice, saying, "Princess, His Majesty's health is not as good as before. You and the Prince should return to the capital as soon as possible."
Zhao Shu's expression remained unchanged, her smile still on her face, but her voice trembled slightly, "What happened? Wasn't my uncle perfectly fine when we arrived? What has happened?"
"The affairs of state are heavy, and His Majesty often reviews memorials until late at night. I can't persuade him to stop. The Empress has also fallen out with His Majesty. The palace is in chaos now. His Majesty often mentions the Prince and the Princess, saying that the Prince is his real brother. Everyone else is thinking that he is going to die." At this point, he slapped his own mouth. "Pah, pah, what am I saying? His Majesty will surely live ten thousand years!"
Zhao Shu smiled and sighed, lowering her voice as she said, "Uncle Huang is overworking. You could have the Imperial Kitchen prepare some medicinal dishes to help him recover, and advise him to balance work and rest."
"This servant couldn't persuade her, so I beg the princess to persuade the Empress Dowager to return to the capital as soon as possible." After he finished speaking, he sighed. The emperor was too concerned about some old matters, which made the Empress Dowager so angry that she went to Guanzhou. After the Empress Dowager left, he blamed himself. The troublesome women in the harem made things even worse.
Zhao Shu thought more deeply than he did. In his previous life, Emperor Mingde actually died from overwork. He was an enemy of powerful families, princes, and nobles, yet he was also diligent in governing and loved the people. He could be called a model of hard work and diligence. He was able to rule for almost forty years, which was considered a long life.
To be fair, Emperor Mingde was a wise ruler and a good emperor, but he was born in the wrong era. If the previous emperor had finished all the things he wanted to do before his death, the current Dayong era could be called the Mingde Golden Age in history. It's a pity that he still has to work hard to centralize imperial power.
"Thank you for the reminder, Father-in-law. Please be sure to persuade my uncle not to overwork himself." Liang Yunsi was already doing her a great favor by revealing the information to her, and she would remember this kindness.
Liang Yunsi was very pleased to see Zhao Shucheng's sincerity and earnestness. He knew that the princess was a sensible person, and that entrusting this matter to her would be the right thing to do.
"This is my duty, Your Highness. Please rest assured. Also, Your Highness must be wary of the Imperial Concubine." After saying this, he did not want to say anything more, and deliberately raised his voice, "Your Highness has grown up. When His Majesty finds out, he will be overjoyed." He took a few steps back, bowed again, and then led his men to take their leave. They left the palace and embarked on the road back to the capital.
As Zhao Shu watched him leave, countless thoughts flashed through her mind. In her previous life, she had been a foolish woman all her life and missed out on many things. Now, upon careful consideration, she realized that one must have fighting spirit to maintain vitality.
Upon arriving at Fengxin Palace, Prince Yong and the Crown Prince were still playing chess, while Sun Yun and the Empress Dowager were talking together, both wearing joyful smiles. As she entered, the Empress Dowager said, "I was just thinking of having Jiyun call you over to play a game of leaf chess together. I had just finished speaking when you arrived. It's true that you can't talk about people behind their backs."
Zhao Shu disobeyed the Empress Dowager and Sun Yun, and went to the Crown Prince. She placed the exquisite chessboard given to her by Emperor Mingde between the two of them, saying, "A magnificent chess game requires an exquisite chessboard."
The box was opened, revealing a warm, translucent, and flawless white jade chessboard, as well as chess pieces, resembling solidified cream.
"It was given to me by my royal uncle. Since you like it so much, I'm reluctantly and generously lending it to you, my dear Crown Prince." She put on an innocent and carefree look, laughing without a care in the world.
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