"Well, I heard the maid outside being taken away. It seems that we are the only two left here..."
Xu Yixing opened the window and looked out. Sure enough, the huge Yixiao Pavilion was completely empty. He wondered if these poor little maids had been taken back to their original place to serve, or if they had been silenced.
"It's okay, I'm here with you, don't worry, we'll be fine."
After comforting Siqin, Xu Yixing checked the room and found that there was still enough food and water. These should have been put in by the palace maids before he came back. It seemed that the Queen Mother did not intend to let him leave Yixiao Pavilion for a while.
Xu Yixing smiled and took off all the hairpins and jewelry she had worn when she got up early to dress up. These burdens were really annoying. If she really had to jump out of the palace, these things would only add to her weight.
Siqin went to the outer courtyard to take a look, and when he came back he saw his wife's long black hair tied up high with a headband, without any other decorations. He was stunned.
"Madam, you are...you must not be so depressed!" Siqin rushed to Xu Yixing, hugged her calves tightly, shook her back and forth, tears in her eyes.
"What's the point? Do you think I'm going to commit suicide out of fear of punishment?" Xu Yixing pried Siqin's hands apart and laughed, "I just feel that this thing hitting my scalp is very painful, it's loose, that's all. Your young lady is going to live a long life, how could she commit suicide?"
Siqin was skeptical. It wasn't that she didn't believe the Second Young Lady's words, but rather that what she had just seen and heard in the Empress Dowager's palace was too horrifying. If the prince truly rebelled, wouldn't the lady really be like the Second Prince's wife, living a half-human, half-ghost existence?
Xu Yixing saw Siqin's unspoken doubts and said with a low laugh, "In fact, if he really rebelled, I couldn't die. I'm still waiting to become the queen!"
Siqin's relieved heart was completely shattered this time. Well, you really dare to think about it!
Yixiao Pavilion was extremely quiet the whole afternoon. Xu Yixing opened the window wide and admired the scene of red leaves falling in the autumn. She felt a little emotional: If she really became the emperor's woman, how would she entertain herself facing the long days of loneliness in the deep palace?
No wonder the palace has always been filled with deep resentment, all wrought by this scenery and tranquility. I must not follow in their footsteps!
As the night deepened, there was another person standing in the Yian Hall besides the Empress Dowager. He was about forty years old, but he looked very well maintained, so his actual age might be older.
"Yin'er, you can sit down if there are no outsiders here." The empress dowager's eyes revealed a rare look of pity, even though this pity seemed a little inappropriate for a middle-aged man.
"Mother, why did you arrest the Princess of the Xu family? She is a woman of her generation. If news gets back from the north that Lu Anyuan is rebelling, she won't be able to escape."
The person who said this just raised his right hand and performed a curt salute. His sleeve was empty where his left hand should have been. Who else could it be but Prince Cheng, the younger brother of the current emperor and the son of the empress dowager?
Prince Cheng has always been easy-going, and he speaks even more casually in front of his mother, still with a hint of childishness.
Before the Queen Mother could say anything, the old maid who had been chatting with Xu Yixing during the day spoke first: "Your Highness, the Queen Mother is also worried. You didn't see that today she only summoned Princess Xiaoyi to ask a few questions. She has a sharp tongue, like a firecracker!"
The Queen Mother and Prince Cheng both glanced at the maid, the former with a hint of dissatisfaction, the latter with a look of respect. For no other reason than this maid was no ordinary maid in charge; she was his wet nurse, the one who had raised him since childhood. Now that the two women who had given him life and care were seated at the head of the table, Prince Cheng treated them with exceptional respect.
"Forget it, Madam Han. I see that you are very mature today. Why bother arguing with that youngster? It would be disgraceful!"
Nanny Han lowered her head, feeling a little angry. "Isn't it because you suffered a loss due to your words? I am helping you..."
Seeing that the two "mothers" were unhappy, Prince Cheng quickly stopped talking:
"Your Majesty, your actions are understandable. I know that Commander Bai left a legacy for the Xu family. That previously skilled guard was a prime example. Xu Xianshan and Bai Yu were truly generous. To consolidate Princess Xiaoyi's position, they even offered this top-notch shadow guard. It's only right for you, Majesty, to be wary of her."
The Queen Mother did not comment, but in her heart she felt even more distant from Nanny Han. Nanny Han had no idea that even though she had devoted all her efforts to raising Prince Cheng, the Queen Mother still felt a certain inexplicable jealousy towards her.
The Empress Dowager, for her own protection and Prince Cheng's future, devoted herself entirely to the current Emperor, neglecting even her own son. Even after ascending the throne, she remained distant from him out of fear of the Emperor's suspicion. This biological mother, in contrast, is not as close to her son as you, the wet nurse, are now expected to speak for her. How can you possibly be happy with this?
"Yin'er, Lu Anyuan's rebellion was God's will. Who knew this kid would actually have such thoughts?" The Queen Mother paused, a hint of ruthlessness tugging at her lips that didn't belong to her motherly image. "But it's a good thing, it saves us from having to think about it."
Only these three people were present in the hall, and they made no comment on the Empress Dowager's inappropriate and unceremonious remarks. But anyone else would have been shocked. Was this really the Empress Dowager who practiced vegetarianism and Buddhist teachings and was perhaps even a little confused?
Prince Cheng lowered his head, a trace of fatigue appearing on his face. The Queen Mother did not notice this look, but Nanny Han did, and she felt a little distressed - the Queen Mother was still pushing Prince Cheng too hard.
Ever since she was chosen as a young woman to care for Prince Cheng, then a prince, she knew that while the Empress Dowager didn't often interfere in her son's affairs, she held him to extremely high standards. Prince Cheng, born with a disability, had no desire to challenge the so-called "mandate of heaven," but he was forced to keep himself sharp and never slack off, fulfilling the Empress Dowager's wishes.
At this age, she still has to rely on "framing" younger people to eliminate the successor of the current emperor, so that Prince Cheng's son can have the opportunity to ascend the throne... Thinking of this, Nanny Han was distracted for a moment. When she came to her senses, Prince Cheng had already exchanged several rounds of conversations with the Queen Mother, and she didn't even hear what they said.
"Mother, I still want to ask, Anyuan... has he really rebelled?" Prince Cheng was still a little skeptical. This secret letter was sent by a trusted confidant of the Queen Mother, so it must be true. However, judging by his nephew's character, he certainly had ambitions, but he didn't think he would rebel.
"He doesn't have the final say this time. Even if he doesn't want to rebel, will Xu Xianshan really wait for the emperor to die of old age before helping him? Don't forget, he hasn't returned to the army in twenty years. He's only doing so while he still has a little prestige. Do you think he would be willing to wait until he's old and dead and useless?"
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