Chapter 443 Even the Empress Dowager is not short of money and hot pot.
Before Jiang Wanjun could finish speaking, just as she mentioned Jiang Wanning, she noticed that Empress Dowager Song Zhuyi's expression was off.
"Your Majesty... are you alright?" Jiang Wanjun asked softly.
Empress Dowager Song Zhuyi quickly raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, a smile playing on her lips, and said softly to Jiang Wanjun, "It's nothing."
"Lord Jiang, please continue."
Jiang Wanjun then continued, "It was my elder sister who instructed me that if I had time, I could take Your Majesty out of the palace for a stroll."
“Ningning, she…”
Jiang Wanjun understood what the Empress Dowager wanted to ask. "Before my elder sister went to Western Xia, she thought she might not be able to come back for a while, so she assigned tasks to both me and Shaoyao."
"My task is to take you out of the palace for a stroll while ensuring the safety of the Empress Dowager."
"Previously, I was busy with the imperial examinations and there were many affairs in the court, so I did not have the opportunity to enter the palace often."
"Now that the important matter has been settled, I remembered my elder sister's instructions. Today is the third day of the third lunar month, and there will be a lantern festival in the folk. I would like to invite Your Majesty to go together."
"As for the Emperor, Your Majesty can rest assured, the Regent will take good care of him."
"Your Highness?"
The Empress Dowager originally thought that Jiang Wanjun would talk about the palace nannies and wet nurses, but unexpectedly Jiang Wanjun talked about the regent Pei Yanchuan.
Jiang Wanjun said, "If Your Majesty takes the Emperor with you or entrusts him to other people in the palace, you will definitely be worried. Even if you go out shopping, you won't really relax."
"The only way is to entrust it to the Prince. Firstly, the Emperor is safer with the Prince than with the Empress, and secondly, it will keep the Prince busy."
That way, I might not have time to think about my older sister.
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager felt that what Jiang Wanjun said made a lot of sense.
"My elder sister said that the Empress Dowager likes the outside world. She also said that although the Empress Dowager has become the Empress Dowager, she is still young. She is a role model for women in the palace, but she is still herself."
"Song Zhuyi, the eldest daughter of the Song family."
“I understand what you mean,” Empress Dowager Song Zhuyi said. “You mean you want me to leave the palace with you under a different identity.”
"Only in this way will Your Highness not be bound by your status and can do whatever you want, and experience things you have never experienced before."
Empress Dowager Song Zhuyi felt her heart clench suddenly. She was only twenty-eight years old, and in all her years, only Jiang Wan Ning had ever seriously considered her needs.
"I miss you, my elder sister."
Empress Dowager Song Zhuyi recalled how she met Jiang Wanning, from her initial scheming and jealousy to her eventual envy and dependence...
"I believe that my elder sister will be alright," Jiang Wanjun comforted the Empress Dowager, suppressing her own heartache.
Empress Dowager Song Zhuyi nodded, "I also believe that she is a lucky person and will be fine."
"Since Ningning has considered my feelings so much, I cannot let her down. I will go change my clothes and go with you."
“Your Majesty, I will wait here,” Jiang Wanjun said.
soon.
Empress Dowager Song Zhuyi changed into a simple everyday outfit and, like Jiang Wanjun, tied her hair up high, dressing as a man.
"How about it?" Empress Dowager Song Zhuyi opened her arms to show Jiang Wanjun, "I also want to be like Lord Jiang."
"If possible, I would also like to serve as an official in the court like you." At least I wouldn't be trapped in this inner palace.
The Empress Dowager looked up at the main hall. No matter how long she lived, she was like a caged canary, unable to leave the palace. Now that no one was watching over her, she naturally wanted to go out and have some fun.
Jiang Wanjun looked at Empress Dowager Song Zhuyi and smiled, "Your Majesty is far more capable than I am."
"No, your older sister is the real deal."
Jiang Wanjun smiled and said, "I don't want to refute this, because in my heart, my elder sister is indeed the most capable. If it weren't for my elder sister, I'm afraid that no matter how much knowledge I have, I would not be able to become an official or pass the imperial examination to become a third-ranked scholar."
"Yes, the Emperor and I have escaped death so many times because of your elder sister. Not only that, she has also changed many of my views."
The two left the palace as they talked.
The two did not bring any servants with them. When the Empress Dowager left the palace, she acted like a naive girl who had never seen the world before, wanting to try and play with everything she saw.
Jiang Wanjun sighed inwardly, thankful that she had brought enough silver.
Otherwise, given the Empress Dowager's current lifestyle, she might never be able to return.
"Has Your Majesty never eaten these before?"
Seeing Empress Dowager Song Zhuyi holding a candied hawthorn in her left hand and a scallion pancake in her right, Jiang Wanjun couldn't help but ask.
Empress Dowager Song Zhuyi was not embarrassed and said frankly, "When I was in the Song family, I was told from the time I was old enough to understand that I would marry into the royal family. My every word and action was strictly taught by my nanny."
“My grandfather and father never let me eat these things from outside. Occasionally, when I had a chance to go out, it was just like a quick visit, a fleeting look around.”
"Later, she married into the Eastern Palace and became Empress, and had no chance to leave the palace."
"I left the palace many times with your help, but I didn't have the mind to look at these things back then."
"There's nothing to worry about now. Your sister is right, I'm going to live for myself for once." The Empress Dowager said as she ran to the food stall across the street.
Jiang Wanjun weighed her purse in her hand; it was still enough.
If it's really not enough, let them go to the Empress Dowager's residence to get more. We must not let the Empress Dowager leave disappointed or with any regrets today.
As Empress Dowager Song Zhuyi was pointing at the items on the stall, the entire street suddenly lit up.
Countless Kongming lanterns floated in the sky, like stars in the darkness.
Song Zhuyi's eyes were filled with surprise.
"Look, the game is about to start."
In an instant, everyone rushed forward, and even some vendors abandoned their own stalls and ran to the front.
Empress Dowager Song Zhuyi asked Jiang Wanjun with a puzzled look, "What game? What are they all doing?"
Jiang Wanjun laughed and said, "It's similar to guessing riddles, but it requires two people to cooperate. The stall owner gives a word, one person reads the word and expresses it with gestures, and the other person guesses blindly. If you guess correctly, you pass the level."
"This is the most popular way to play now. It was Yu Hai who taught me at my sister's hot pot restaurant."
"Later, it also appeared on various holidays."
"This game has the highest prize at this year's Lantern Festival, so everyone is scrambling to participate."
"What award?" Empress Dowager Song Zhuyi asked curiously.
"It seems to be one hundred taels of silver, and you can eat for free at Sister's hot pot restaurant for a year."
"Your Majesty, we..."
Jiang Wanjun was about to say that there were too many people and they should go somewhere else, but before she could finish speaking, the Empress Dowager had already disappeared in a flash.
Even a dignified empress dowager isn't short of money and hot pot, this... seems she really went crazy from being cooped up, she loves to have fun.
Jiang Wanjun shook her head and followed.
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