Chapter Six
Never in her wildest dreams did she expect such a story. Back in her room, Liu Mama pondered the eldest young lady's words. The Xia family's lady was a woman who accompanied the current emperor during his southern tour, passing through the Daming River region. And the two young ladies of the Xia family were the emperor's concubines; they had come to the capital to find their father. Of course, the eldest young lady hadn't directly mentioned the emperor's name, but Liu Mama knew! Who else but the current emperor would dare use the name "Hongli"? Liu Mama was shocked. She suddenly had a premonition that she would return to that deep palace, a place where many mysteries remained unsolved. If it weren't for Consort Ling's words to the emperor to show her compassion, she would never have left the palace. And after leaving, how could she have encountered so many villains? If it weren't for the eldest young lady taking her in and even offering her tributes, she would still be suffering humiliation outside.
Hearing the young lady's words, Granny Liu suddenly felt a surge of hope that she could soon return and unravel the mystery that had been troubling her. She knew that secluded courtyard well, and she knew the methods of the women there. How glorious it had been for her to serve the Imperial Noble Consort! But after the Imperial Noble Consort's passing, many of them were either murdered or expelled from that courtyard. After leaving, she had initially given up on the mystery, but… that person shouldn't have spared even those who had left. If it weren't for the young lady taking her in and treating her with respect, she would surely be driven to her death by those petty people. She, Granny Liu, was someone even the Empress Dowager's trusted nanny, Gui, feared, yet she had been kicked out by a mere palace maid and bullied by the Fu family. How could she not hate her? Granny Liu looked at Xia Yuhe, who was becoming increasingly poised. Xia Yuhe was inferior to the Imperial Noble Consort in every way, but… Granny Liu glanced at the young ladies in the courtyard. With the young lady around, Xia Yuhe would definitely rise higher than that palace maid. This time, she'll keep her tail between her legs and gradually push Xia and that person to the opposite side...
Xia Qiangwei didn't know what Granny Liu was plotting. But from Granny Liu's sudden change in attitude, Xia Qiangwei could vaguely guess that Granny Liu would help Xia Yuhe, and that was enough.
"Young Miss, this servant has learned that Prince He is holding a funeral." These servants had all signed a death contract back then. Regardless of their loyalty to the Xia family, they were still quite efficient in their work.
Hearing the news the servants had gathered, Xia Qiangwei waved her hand. Was it appropriate for Xia Yuhe to enter the palace now? She sighed. After teaching her for so long, it was time to put her to the test. "Baozhu, go and invite Granny Liu here." It was best to have Granny Liu deliver the visiting card, firstly to test her diligence, and secondly to see if the Prince would care.
Not long after, Granny Liu followed Baozhu in, "Young Miss."
"Baozhu, go wait at the door." After sending Baozhu away, Xia Qiangwei pondered how to start the conversation.
"Miss, please just give me your instructions, and I, Liu Mama, will do my best to fulfill them."
"Granny Liu, I won't lie to you, it's a bit difficult to get Mother to see that person."
Granny Liu had already thought of this; she was waiting for the eldest daughter of the Xia family to come and ask her for help.
"I heard today that my uncle, whom I've never met, has passed away. Although I've never met him, we are blood relatives. I'm thinking that since I haven't officially recognized him yet, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to go. I'd like to trouble Granny Liu to make the trip, as a way of showing our respect. I've already had the things prepared."
Granny Liu found it strange. She had never heard of any royal relatives getting into trouble. Why would the young lady say such a thing? Could she be mistaken?
"Granny Liu, thank you for making this trip. The sedan chair has been prepared by Xiao Fuzi. Everything is in the carriage, and Xiao Fuzi will guide you."
Granny Liu was a little confused, but she nodded nonetheless. Although she didn't know what kind of medicine the young lady was selling, she could guess that the young lady was testing her.
After Granny Liu left, Xia Qiangwei called Baozhu in, "Baozhu, ask Jinsuo to accompany Granny Liu. You two listen carefully and watch without saying a word."
Baozhu nodded vigorously and quickly retreated.
Xia Qiangwei sat in her chair, wondering if Liu Mama's appearance would attract Prince He's attention. If not, perhaps Ziwei's copy of the Misty Rain painting would catch his eye! Xia Qiangwei's lips curled up. Should she arrange a scene of running away from home these next few days?
~~~~
"Your Highness, that old woman who came today looks familiar to me." After helping the Prince change his clothes, Consort Wu Zhaku frowned, thinking about the old woman who came that afternoon.
"What nanny? How much money did you receive in gifts today?" Prince He only cares about money; he's short on cash lately!
"Your Highness, take a look at this painting first. It was sent by the familiar old woman I mentioned. I feel that the old woman came with some purpose."
Prince He took the painting from his wife and frowned as he looked at the signature. "Whose visiting card did that maid hand over?"
"The Xia family. I've never heard of any noble family in the capital with the surname Xia." Wu Zhaku breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the prince finally become serious. She always felt like she had seen that old nanny somewhere before, but she just couldn't remember. It was understandable that Wu Zhaku couldn't remember. Huixian passed away in the first month of the tenth year of Qianlong's reign, and Liu the nanny was sent out of the palace in the second month. In the past few years, she had become petty and had lost her former high and mighty demeanor.
"Did you leave an address? Where's your visiting card? Let me see it."
Wu Zhaku immediately sent over the visiting card.
Prince He looked at the elegant handwriting on the letter; it was clearly written by a woman. Holding the visiting card, Hongzhou paced back and forth in the room. "Someone, prepare a sedan chair; I need to go to the palace."
"My lord, it's already late afternoon. Would it be a good time to enter the palace?"
"I don't care, this is a very important matter." He might have to cover up for his brother's embarrassment and ask for some money for his trouble.
~~~
Imperial Palace • Hall of Mental Cultivation
Having just finished dealing with state affairs for the day, Emperor Qianlong was about to go to Yanxi Palace to settle down when a young eunuch ran in from outside and whispered something in Wu Shulai's ear. Wu Shulai cautiously walked over and said, "Your Majesty, Prince He is outside the palace saying he has urgent business to discuss with you."
Upon hearing this, Qianlong frowned. Hongzhou was not an tactless person. The palace gates were already locked, so what was he doing here? "Summon him! Tell him he had better have something urgent to attend to, or I'll teach him a lesson."
"Yes, sir!" The little eunuch who came to report immediately ran out.
Emperor Qianlong picked up a book and read it while waiting for Hongzhou.
Hongzhou arrived quickly, carrying a painting in his hand. After bowing to Qianlong, he stood up before Qianlong could even speak and presented the painting to him.
"Hongzhou, you came to the palace at this hour just to show me a painting?" Qianlong was furious and threw the painting directly at Hongzhou's head.
"Brother, you should take a look first!"
Looking at Hongzhou's expression, Qianlong wondered if there was something wrong with the painting. Could it be anti-Qing? Thinking this, Qianlong looked at Wu Shulai. Wu Shulai immediately presented the painting to Qianlong. After opening it, Qianlong examined it carefully. "Hongzhou, where did you get this painting? If I'm not mistaken, it's a fake!"
"Your Majesty recognizes this painting?" Hongzhou felt more confident after hearing the implication in Qianlong's words.
"You may all leave!" Upon seeing the painting, Emperor Qianlong was truly reminded of Xia Yuhe by the Daming Lake years ago. Many thoughts raced through his mind: How was Xia Yuhe doing? He had left so abruptly back then… Did Xia Yuhe sell the painting because it was a forgery? Was Xia Yuhe not doing well? Thinking about it, it made sense. He hadn't sent anyone to bring her to the capital, and she… she must hate him!
Prince He did not go out with the servants; instead, he picked up his teacup and slowly sipped his tea.
"Where did you get this painting from?" Qianlong snapped out of his reverie and looked at Hongzhou, who was leisurely sipping his tea.
"This tea is excellent. How about Your Majesty grants me some?"
Emperor Qianlong glared at Hongzhou. "I'll have the Imperial Household Department send it to you tomorrow. Speak!"
“Your Majesty, didn’t I hold a funeral today? A nanny delivered the visiting card.” Hongzhou handed over the visiting card. “After seeing the painting, Your Majesty knew it must be something important, so I immediately took the painting to the palace.”
Emperor Qianlong looked at the visiting card thoughtfully.
"Should I inquire, my brother?"
Emperor Qianlong stood at the window, gazing at the bright moon outside. "Don't let a third person know about this. I want the original painting."
That night, the people in Yanxi Palace waited all night but did not see the Emperor.
Upon leaving the palace, Prince He immediately sent someone to check the address on the visiting card. Soon they received accurate information: it was a family home, though no name was written on the gate plaque. The courtyard had previously belonged to Lord XXX, but had been sold a few months prior to a family from Jinan.
~~~
Xia Qiangwei, who had just woken up, was pondering what excuse she could find to go out and hide for a couple of days when a servant rushed in. "Young Miss, there are a lot of soldiers outside, and this..." The servant was so frightened that he stammered, his hands trembling as he handed over a visiting card. These clever servants knew very well who was in charge of the Xia family, so when a visiting card appeared, their first thought wasn't to deliver it to the mistress, but to find the young lady.
Xia Qiangwei looked at the visiting card. Although she had studied traditional Chinese characters for several months, she still had to guess at the characters on the card. Fortunately, the characters for "Prince He" were not in traditional characters, which left Xia Qiangwei dumbfounded. She immediately summoned Liu Mama and told her to go with the servants and say that the mansion was full of women and it was inconvenient to entertain male guests.
Granny Liu was puzzled. What tricks was the young lady playing? Yesterday, when she arrived at Prince He's residence, she realized she had been tricked. She had been extremely careful around Prince He's wife, afraid of making a mistake. Although she understood it was the young lady's scheme and test, she was still genuinely afraid of being kicked out again. This morning, hearing the servants say there were soldiers outside, Granny Liu wondered if the young lady had made contact with Prince He and they could now enter the palace. But then she heard the young lady say she wanted to send the messengers away. What did that mean?
"Just do as I say. Although we are a humble family, we still can't neglect proper etiquette." Xia Qiangwei was anxious; she hadn't even considered going out to run around yet! How could the Prince have arrived so quickly? According to her calculations, he should have arrived in a few days at the earliest!
When Liu Mama heard this, she thought it made sense, but if she missed this opportunity, would she have another chance? Looking at the young lady with doubt, Liu Mama was anxious but helpless. Thinking of the madam's appearance, Liu Mama also felt uneasy.
“Granny Liu, if one day we really have to go there, I think it would be better if Granny Liu changed her surname.”
Liu Mama stopped and said, "This servant is Madam Xia's wet nurse, so naturally my surname is Xia."
Xia Qiangwei smiled and said, "Granny Xia, there are still some things to deal with in the Xia family. Don't feel wronged." Xia Qiangwei turned to look at Baozhu beside her. Baozhu was just like Jin Suo—blindly loyal. This was both a good thing and a bad thing for Xia Qiangwei. "Baozhu, spread the word that Granny Liu has passed away due to illness."
~~~~~
Hongzhou was shocked to have his visiting card returned. Before he could even process it, he heard that a funeral was being held at the Xia residence. It was said that a matron the Xia family had hired in the capital had passed away due to illness, and they were closing their doors to visitors. He then learned that the Xia family owned an embroidery workshop in a bustling street in the capital. Remembering his elder brother's instructions, and not daring to ask his wife for help, Hongzhou could only stare at the Xia residence's gates, wondering whether to enter or not. Should he force his way in or not?
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