Chapter 553 Entering the Palace Again
Time flies, and Xuan Ge'er has grown into a calm and handsome young man.
However, the seven-year-old Gu Qingchen was an absolute devil, jumping up and down all day long, causing headaches for all the maids and servants in the mansion.
"Mom, look, I caught a big fat bug! Can I give it to the Master for lunch?"
Gu Qingchen held up a branch with a wriggling green worm on it and rushed to Chu Ruohan as if presenting a treasure.
Chu Ruohan's eyelids twitched, and before she could say anything, the maid handed her a gold-embossed invitation.
It was sent from Kunning Palace. Queen Su Wan invited her to attend the Begonia Banquet in three days.
On the post, Su Wan's handwriting was still as intimate as ever, with the words "Dedicated to Sister Ruohan", as if there had never been any distance between them.
Chu Ruohan held the invitation in her hand, her heart slightly moved.
In the evening, Gu Junze returned from the palace and changed out of his court clothes.
Chu Ruohan handed him the invitation and whispered, "It's from the Empress. It's the Begonia Banquet."
Gu Junze took it and glanced at it, his expression calm. "Yes, I heard about it. It was the old Princess Yong who begged the Queen."
Chu Ruohan was stunned for a moment, then she understood.
Gu Junze said in a deep voice: "For the marriage of the young prince Lin Jingchuan."
Prince Yong is the uncle of the current emperor and holds a high position, but his only son, Lin Jingchuan, is in the spotlight because of a scandal.
Rumor has it that he has an ambiguous relationship with his sister Lin Xingyao, and the rumors are so unbearable that no noble lady has dared to accept this marriage.
Chu Ruohan was silent. Royal family members always had a lot of disputes.
Although Su Wan is the mother of the crown prince and a model for the country, her background as a commoner queen has always been a hidden thorn in her heart.
There were many people in the royal family who looked down on her, either openly or covertly.
Prince Yong is the uncle of the current emperor and holds a high position. If Su Wan could use this opportunity to show favor to Prince Yong's Mansion, it would undoubtedly be a good move to consolidate his own position.
Chu Ruohan sighed and rubbed her eyebrows.
"Looks like I can't avoid this trip." She felt a headache. "It's not just her business, I also have an errand to run."
Her younger brother Chu Chenyu has now been promoted to the position of Shaoqing of the Dali Temple. He has a bright future ahead of him, but he has run into a huge difficulty in finding a marriage.
"A few days ago, Chen Yu asked me to tell him that he had fallen in love with Minister Zhao's daughter and wanted me to help him choose her at this banquet."
Chu Ruohan smiled helplessly, "My parents have become so worried about this that their hair has turned gray. This time I went there, I became a matchmaker for a blind date."
Gu Junze said: "Okay, you can help him."
On the day of the Begonia Banquet, the sky was clear and the air was fresh.
Chu Ruohan, accompanied by her two children, rode in the carriage of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion and slowly drove towards the palace.
Xuan Ge'er sat upright beside his mother, wearing a brocade blue robe, which made him look more upright. He quietly watched the scenery passing by outside the window.
Gu Qingchen, however, was a restless person. She wore a cute goose-yellow skirt, had her hair in twin buns, and her big, dark eyes were filled with endless curiosity about everything in the palace.
"Mom, what building is that? It's so tall!"
"Mother, why aren't the birds on the palace wall afraid of people?"
Sometimes she would peek out through the window, sometimes she would try to touch the delicate carvings on the inside of the carriage. Her little body twisted and turned, giving Chu Ruohan a headache.
"Qingchen, sit down." Chu Ruohan reluctantly took her daughter into her arms, "There are strict rules in the palace. You can't be so naughty."
Gu Qingchen pouted and blinked his big eyes, being quiet for a moment, but he couldn't suppress that lively energy.
"Mom, is there a toilet made of gold in the palace?"
"Mother, does the Queen have three heads and six arms?"
Chu Ruohan was so annoyed by her that she could only put on a stern face and said, "If you keep making trouble, I'll cook all your big fat worms for you when I get home."
Only then did Gu Qingchen stick out his tongue and calm down temporarily.
The carriage stopped in front of the palace gate, and a eunuch was already leading them to Kunning Palace.
Su Wan did not hold a grand ceremony in the main hall, but first met with a few close female relatives in his own bedroom.
When Su Wan saw Chu Ruohan coming in, her eyes suddenly lit up and the smile on her face became more sincere and warm.
She stood up and came over, holding Chu Ruohan's hand.
"Sister Ruohan, you're finally here! I've been looking forward to seeing you for a long time!"
Su Wan's tone was intimate, as if they were still close friends who talked about everything in the Duke's Mansion.
Chu Ruohan knelt and saluted: "Your Highness, I pay my respects to the Queen."
"Hurry up, there's no need to be so polite between you and me." Su Wan helped her up and looked her over carefully. "I haven't seen you for a few years, and you're still the same. You haven't changed at all."
She looked at Xuan Ge'er and little Qingchen again, her eyes full of fondness: "This is Xuan Ge'er and Qingchen, right? They have grown so big. Xuan Ge'er has become more handsome, and Qingchen's little appearance is really adorable."
Xuan Ge'er bowed politely: "Xuan Ge greets the Queen."
Little Qingchen looked at Su Wan curiously. After being gently pressed by Chu Ruohan, he said in a soft voice, "Qingchen greets the Queen."
Su Wan couldn't stop smiling, and quickly asked the palace servants to bring out the rewards that had been prepared long ago, which were all exquisite and cute little gadgets.
Chu Ruohan looked at Su Wan's enthusiasm, but there was a slight sense of alienation in her heart.
A few years have already created an invisible gap between them.
She responded appropriately, her smile gentle, but always with a hint of politeness.
After the greetings, Su Wan dismissed the palace maids around him and only kept his trusted female officials.
There were only two of them left in the side hall of Kunning Palace.
The best ambergris was burning in the hall, but the atmosphere was a little stagnant.
"This palace may look magnificent, but it's actually very cold." Su Wan sighed, a hint of weariness barely discernible in her voice. "Sometimes, there's not even anyone I can speak the truth to."
She looked at Chu Ruohan with a hint of expectation and weakness in her eyes.
Chu Ruohan picked up the teacup, blew away the foam gently, and answered without a drop of water leaking out.
"Your Highness is the mistress of the six palaces and the mother of the country. Naturally, she has to shoulder more responsibilities than others."
She raised her eyes, looking back calmly, her tone sincere yet distant, "However, seeing His Royal Highness the Crown Prince becoming increasingly intelligent, I'm sure Your Majesty must be deeply comforted."
She cleverly turned the topic to the children, avoiding the overly heavy emotional temptation.
The light in Su Wan's eyes eventually dimmed.
She knew that what stood between them was not just a palace wall, but also a natural barrier between the ruler and his subjects.
Chu Ruohan kept that boundary very clearly and refused to cross it even a little bit.
It was she who turned a passionate heart into a cold one...
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