Chapter 693 It was just a dream
Shu Yan's mouth was starting to water. Although the palace was nice and she had no worries about food and drink, she was not favored and had to pay for any rare treats she wanted. Unlike the Empress, who was fawned over by the Emperor, Consort Song and Consort Gao were of high status and the servants in the palace dared not neglect them.
Shu Yan stared at the exquisite and lovely pastries, but her father had said that once she entered the palace, she should be more careful and not eat anything given to her by others. She asked, "Can I take two back to eat?" She would eat them if they were not poisoned after testing them.
Minister Shu probably meant that if the young lady were to become pregnant with the imperial heir, she should be careful not to eat food from other people.
Shu Yan is now truly listening to advice.
Consort Chang said, "Of course you can. If Your Highness wishes to eat more, you can come to the West Palace to find me."
At this moment, Shu Yan suddenly had an idea. If she could learn to make these delicious snacks and present them to the Emperor, would he also be attracted by their deliciousness and gradually fall in love with her?
Shu Yan said, "I want to learn how to make pastries. Could Your Highness teach me?"
Consort Chang's smile deepened. "Of course, I have nothing to do. I'll teach you, Your Highness, so you won't be bored in the palace anymore."
These words struck a chord with Shu Yan. She felt a pang of sadness, wondering if she would have to spend the rest of her life like Consort Chang, passing the time with pastries.
Consort Chang had at least given birth to a prince, yet her life was still so miserable. What about her? If the emperor were to pass away, would she also be forced to be buried with him? Thinking of the deaths and afterlife of those concubines, she trembled with fear.
She had to find a way to stop living such a miserable life.
Shu Yan had the nanny take the pastries, said "thank you" and left.
Consort Chang stared at her fleeing figure, her eyes turning cold, and sighed, "No woman who enters the palace is not afraid of loneliness. The further she goes, the lonelier and more afraid she becomes."
"Did the Dowager give the pastries to Shu Ronghua?"
Consort Chang sneered, "It's not poisonous. She'll come back to me." But Empress Dowager Cheng's food was different. She wouldn't let Empress Dowager Cheng die, but would let her suffer from illness slowly, letting her taste what it felt like to have her life in someone else's hands.
She learned from Empress Dowager Cheng that Empress Dowager Cheng truly hated and feared Jiang Fenghua to the core. It was quite an interesting thing that there was someone in the world that Empress Dowager Cheng was afraid of.
The women who entered the palace were indeed not simple. She should have befriended those who dared to defy Empress Dowager Cheng, but unfortunately, their status made it impossible for them to be friends.
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Jinghe Palace.
Song Qing's mind was filled with the Empress's smile, but for some reason she always felt that the Empress had changed.
Gao Qingtong and the Empress were working together in perfect harmony. What secrets did they have that they didn't want her to know? The more Song Qing thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. She was a little jealous of the Empress's good relationship with Gao Qingtong.
At this moment, the second prince came over with a book, tears and snot hanging from his face, "Mother."
Song Qing snapped out of her daze, her gaze authoritative. "Can you recite it?"
The second prince, who had just been slapped on the hand for not being able to memorize his lessons, sobbed and said, "I will."
“Recite it to your mother. If you get a single letter wrong, she will give you ten more strokes of the cane.”
The second prince began to memorize the words one by one. When he finished, his eyelids were so heavy that he just wanted to sleep. But Song Qing still had to lecture him, "Rui'er, it's not that your mother is heartless. Even if you don't study, others are. Look at the eldest prince. He is always studying with a book in his hand. Your father loves him so much, and he is also working hard. But you are different. If you don't study hard, your father won't love you. So you must study hard so that your father can see you and see us."
“But my older sister doesn’t study either, she just plays. Yan Huan doesn’t study either, she just plays. So why do we have to study?”
Song Qing said, "They are girls. Girls don't have to study. They will get married in the future. A girl's duty is to be a good wife and mother. Only boys can support the world. So Rui'er, you must work hard and not be playful."
Xie Hongrui didn't understand either; he just liked eating, sleeping, and playing.
It was already past midnight when the wet nurse took the Second Prince away to rest. Dong'er brought over some water to wash his face. "Your Highness, please wash your face and soak your feet before you rest!"
Song Qing then asked Dong'er, "Today you accompanied Rui'er to play in Kunning Palace. Did you see clearly how the eldest princess fell into the pond?"
“The Fourth Prince’s daughter is not someone to be trifled with. Tell the Second Prince to stay away from her in the future.” Dong’er added, “I saw it clearly. It was the daughter who knocked them into the water. I was terrified and was about to scream for help when Ao Xue jumped in.”
While massaging Consort Song's feet, she said, "This servant will remember Your Highness's instructions. I will absolutely not interfere in matters that do not concern us, so as not to cause trouble."
Song Qing said, "To survive in the palace, we must learn to protect ourselves wisely. The Emperor has never set foot in Jinghe Palace, so Rui'er can only be protected by myself."
Her heart was filled with bitterness, so she was determined to make her son successful. The emperor only had three princes, and no one could predict what the future held.
Her brothers also pinned all their hopes on Rui'er. Fortunately, she gave birth to a son, which gave the Song family a chance to prosper.
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The next day, Xie Shang didn't have to go to court. When he woke up, it was already broad daylight. He saw that Jiang Fenghua was sleeping soundly, so he tugged at her hair and tickled her.
Jiang Fenghua pushed his hand away, closed her eyes, and continued to sleep. "Xie Shang, stop messing around, I'm sleepy."
Xie Shang pulled her into his arms. "Still sleepy after sleeping all this time? I'm full of energy."
"I dreamt all night, and I'm so sleepy."
What kind of dream did you have?
She squinted, "I dreamt that you turned into an old man, and then you didn't recognize me, and you said a lot of strange things."
She just felt a headache. "I can't remember right now what you said in my dream that I was Consort Xian."
Xie Shang's face turned pale instantly, and her body stiffened involuntarily. Was she about to regain her memories?
Seeing that he didn't speak, Jiang Fenghua continued, "Fortunately, dreams are often the opposite of reality. In your dream, you were lonely and pitiful, very decadent. The Great Zhou Dynasty became a mess under your rule. Your Majesty, you must govern your country well so that the people can live in peace and prosperity without worrying about food and clothing."
Xie Shang asked with concern, "What else did you dream about?"
Jiang Fenghua thought for a moment, "What impressed me most was the lotus lantern you were carrying. It was so beautiful!"
Seeing her calm expression, Xie Shang realized that she had not remembered the suffering she had endured in her past life. He said, "I will work hard to make the Great Zhou Dynasty stronger, not like the one in your dream. Didn't Ruan Ruan say that dreams are always the opposite of reality? Under my rule, the Great Zhou Dynasty will surely prosper and the people will live in peace and happiness."
"You had a dream last night too, calling out 'Ruan Ruan, don't go!' What did you dream about? Where did I go?"
Xie Shang also dreamed of him in his old age from his previous life. He missed her his whole life but could never meet her again.
He said, "I don't remember clearly. Even in my dreams, I'm afraid of leaving you, so Ruan Ruan, please don't leave me."
Jiang Fenghua was full of doubt. "Do you really not remember? Or are you hiding some secret that you don't want me to know, like... who do you think I look like?"
She wondered again: Is such a thing really possible?
She didn't say it aloud; it was just a dream, why should she take it so seriously?
Xie Shang concealed his secret with a smile, "What secrets could I possibly keep from you? I have no secrets. My only hope is that Ruan Ruan will always be happy and safe. I will always love you and will never let you escape again."
He had warned Granny Wang and Hongxiu and the others long ago to keep what they knew to themselves, because if Jiang Fenghua found out, he would send them to their coffins.
Jiang Jinyan felt sorry for his sister and naturally knew how to deal with it. Only if there were no past life events could she forget the pain. Even if it meant deceiving her for a lifetime, he would still do it.
He never expected Jiang Fenghua to dream about it, which inevitably worried him.
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