Chapter 223 Meeting the Empress Dowager
Pei Xingjian clenched his fist slightly. What could he do? So many years had passed; that person had probably long forgotten him.
Since she is willing to come back, does that mean she has reconciled with her father? Why should I go and invite trouble?
He slowly leaned back in his chair, his Adam's apple bobbing silently as he suppressed all his surging emotions.
His Majesty brought back a woman from the common people, and the news quickly spread throughout the palace, but no one had ever seen what the woman looked like.
The Hall of Mental Cultivation was heavily guarded inside and out, so much so that not even a mosquito could fly in.
It was late autumn, and Ji Shu was resting under the Lingbo Pavilion when Chunzhi placed the washed cherries in a jade dish beside her.
Just then, Ji Shu slowly woke up, her eyes still sleepy, and asked, "Has Qinghe finished class?"
Chunzhi glanced at the sky and said, "Not yet, I reckon it will take another hour."
"Hmm—where is His Majesty?"
"After His Majesty finished administering the acupuncture, he returned to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, saying that he would come to have dinner with you later."
For several days in a row, Ji Shu was like a domesticated bird, trapped in this small world.
In the past, such days would have been torture for her, but now her mindset is different.
Being confined to this small area again brought a sense of peace.
Chunzhi pursed her lips, unsure whether to speak. Ji Shu picked up her teacup and glanced at her unconsciously, noticing her downcast expression.
He asked, "What's wrong? Did you suffer some injustice?"
Chunzhi pouted and said, "It's all over the place that people are saying that your identity is unknown, which is why His Majesty brought you back and didn't give you a title."
"What else is there to say? Anyway, everything he said was really nasty."
Ji Shu calmly sipped her tea, seemingly unconcerned. "Does this make you unhappy?"
Chunzhi was never one to hold her temper. "I'm just angry at those gossips."
"We'll leave the palace in a few more days; we weren't going to stay more than a few days anyway."
"But I've been thinking about it these past few days, and perhaps it's best for Qinghe to stay in the palace. There's the best tutor in the world here."
“If he were to live with us outside the palace like this, I would feel somewhat sorry for him.”
Chunzhi was stunned for a moment, "Then... does the young master know anything about this?"
Ji Shu smiled and said, "Think about it carefully. I will be busier and busier in the future, and I won't have much time to spend with him. Wouldn't it be better for him to stay in the palace and study, and come to see me during his days off?"
Chunzhi thought about it carefully and realized that this was indeed the case. If someone with ulterior motives found out about keeping a member of the royal family by one's side, it would only bring trouble. Besides, it wasn't like they couldn't see each other at all; they could meet every few days.
Several more days passed in this manner.
On this day, Pei Yanzhi had an early morning court session, and he left before dawn.
After Ji Shu finished her breakfast, her maid Li Xia rushed forward and reported, "Madam, someone from the Empress Dowager's palace has arrived."
These days, Ji Shu also heard that Pei Yanzhi had rarely visited the Empress Dowager's palace since he ascended the throne, and she had never asked about it.
Whether it's the bond between father and son or mother and son, there are too many shallow relationships; there is no such thing as perfection in this world.
The life she saw of him in her dream was one where Madam Pei's stubbornness had completely eroded the last remaining bond between mother and son.
Regardless of what had happened between them, the Empress Dowager treated Qinghe very well. Thinking of this, she put down her chopsticks.
He replied, "Okay, I'll be there in a bit."
Empress Dowager Pei only learned a few days ago that the emperor had brought back a woman from the common people. At first, she was happy to see it happen, but now the emperor is willing to take a new concubine.
Does this also mean that my feelings for that person have faded a bit?
But the next day she received a secret report that the people she had sent out had already received information.
The person who was sent away back then has long been taken to the palace by the emperor, and the commoner woman living in the Hall of Mental Cultivation now is Ji Shu.
When Empress Dowager Pei learned of this news, she was so disoriented that she could barely stand.
From beginning to end, the emperor never let go of that person; he even personally brought her back. No wonder she stayed at the temporary palace a few days ago and didn't return to the palace for so long.
He would definitely stay by her side.
Therefore, he instructed Shutong to invite the person over.
Even though he had known in advance that Ji Shu was coming back, his face still twitched involuntarily when he actually saw her in person.
Only I know best what I was thinking when I sent her away.
On the one hand, they wanted her to give birth to Qinghe, but on the other hand, they were afraid that she would disrupt the father-son relationship. If the father and son fell in love with the same woman, how would the court and the historical records write it?
How will future generations judge this?
Wei Heng sat to the side. The Empress Dowager's health had not improved these days, and Wei Heng would come to the palace to attend to her every other day. It was because of this hard work and filial piety that Wei Heng was able to help her.
Even though she didn't receive the Crown Prince's favor, she still managed to secure her position as the Crown Princess.
At this moment, she looked at the Empress Dowager's uncertain expression and couldn't help but feel surprised. What kind of woman could make the Empress Dowager so panicked?
She was just a woman. Her father had only been emperor for three years, and according to the past, he should have taken in concubines long ago. It was only because of that person.
Furthermore, the news of the woman being brought into the palace had already spread the next day, so she naturally knew about it and couldn't help but feel ironic at the time.
See? That's men for you. Even if a man once cherished you like a treasure, he'll forget about you the moment he sees another woman he likes.
Not to mention those of noble birth.
She lowered her eyes slightly, concealing the emotions within them.
Led by palace maids, Ji Shu walked straight towards the vast and magnificent palace.
Outside the hall, there were more than a dozen palace maids and eunuchs, standing on both sides with their heads bowed.
Ji Shu lowered her eyes slightly and followed the palace maid inside. But as soon as she stepped inside, she keenly sensed an exceptionally intense gaze from her right.
She bowed without looking to the side, and after that, a slightly hurried voice came from above: "Rise."
Ji Shu then raised her eyes, and Wei Heng clenched her fists tightly as she looked at that extremely beautiful face.
Even after three years, that face remained in her dreams for three years, often making her restless and unable to eat or sleep.
Does the Crown Prince know? Does he know she's back?
No, he certainly doesn't know that if he...
No, she suddenly looked at Ji Shu, her gaze sweeping over her fair cheeks and slender neck, taking in every part of her body.
Only now did she realize with sorrow that even after four years, even though Wei Heng had lived a life of luxury and taken care of herself every day, it was all for naught.
But it couldn't even compare to the luster of a single strand of this person's hair.
Ji Shulu sat on the left, and even Granny Chang and Shutong were shocked.
Empress Dowager Pei composed herself and asked, "When did you return?"
Ji Shu took a sip of tea, slowly put down the teacup, and said, "I've been back for some time now."
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