Chapter 36 An Encounter in the Medical Grove
In fact, it wasn't just Yongshou Palace that was like this; all the palaces and courtyards had their share of complaints about it, and they all had to spend some of their own money to make up for the shortfall.
However, there are always those who are hesitant even when they have money, such as Consort Jing and Noble Lady Cao.
Consort Jing was always a kind-hearted person and never stood out. Moreover, this matter was decided by Consort Shen, who lived in the same palace as her, and she couldn't directly slap her in the face just because they were separated by a wall. Therefore, she could only look at the somewhat hastily prepared meal and sigh.
Consort Cao was in the same boat. Under the heavy pressure from Consort Hua, she was extremely careful even when it came to makeup and dressing up. How could she possibly go to the Imperial Household Department to spend money? She was just secretly glad that Wen Yi was still breastfeeding and wouldn't have to suffer like that.
Some of them have a gentle temperament, while others have a fiery one.
After Consort Hua failed to get a plate of crab roe pastries from the Imperial Household Department several times, she finally lost her temper.
"She hasn't even managed the six palaces yet, and she's already acting like she has a death sentence! What's with this talk of dividing and conquering? If I don't teach her a lesson, she'll really start to get all over me!" Consort Hua slammed her hand on the table, making a loud bang.
Songzhi, feeling sorry for her, stepped forward to stop her—"Your Highness, it's all Consort Shen's fault. Your Highness, please don't hurt yourself."
Consort Hua was furious at the sight of the two simple plates of pastries. She haphazardly threw them on the ground and said irritably, "Go get the silver notes. The servants in the palace are suffering, so give them a good supplement. Also, go to the small kitchen and we'll use our own money to buy crab roe and make crab roe pastries. Send a plate to Yongshou Palace as well. Shuer and Hongzhao both love to eat this."
"Yes," Songzhi replied with a smile, bowing as she prepared to leave.
"Go and summon Consort Cao to me!"
——
Hongzhao sat on a swing that had been erected in the Imperial Garden at some unknown time, silently watching the surveillance camera from the female lead's perspective, confirming that his father would soon bring Consort Wan here for "Apricot Grove in Light Rain".
"Xiao Dezi, push me around for a bit." He wobbled, his feet off the ground, gripping the ropes on both sides tightly.
Xiao Dezi responded and gently pushed the swing, not daring to use too much force. He wrapped his whole body around the swing to shield it. He followed the Fifth Prince every day and didn't know when the Fifth Prince discovered the swing and came straight here.
But it doesn't matter. He remembers everything the Fifth Prince taught him, and he certainly won't hold the prince back later.
As the person drew closer, Hongzhao looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle and said with feigned melancholy, "Xiao Dezi, do you think Father Emperor doesn't like me anymore?"
He was not even four years old, yet his tender voice already conveyed a sense of fear and sorrow.
Not far away, the Emperor and Zhen Huan walked hand in hand, with Su Peisheng and Jinxi following behind with smiles.
This swing was something Zhen Huan decided to build on a whim in the Imperial Garden, and before she could even go and see it, the Emperor found out. On one hand, he was worried about her being pregnant, and on the other hand, he also wanted to be affectionate with her, so the two of them came hand in hand, chatting and laughing.
Before they could even get close, a childish voice came from the secluded apricot blossom bushes.
"Little Dezi, do you think Father Emperor doesn't like me anymore?"
He was not even four years old, yet his tender voice already conveyed a sense of fear and sorrow.
The Emperor and Zhen Huan both paused, and those behind them also held their breath and stopped in their tracks.
Xiao Dezi was taken aback, then coaxed gently, "Brother, what are you saying? The Emperor dotes on you the most, and he used to teach you to read and write every day."
"You said it yourself, it was before." The little girl's eyes showed confusion. She looked around to make sure no one was there, and then asked in a low voice, "Does that mean Father doesn't like Mother anymore, so he doesn't want to see me and Shu'er, and Hongzhou doesn't like us either?"
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen frowned, his eyes filled with deep thought, and looked through the layers of branches and green leaves at the sensitive and uneasy child sitting alone on the swing.
For a moment, she didn't know whether she felt sorry for her precocious youngest son or saw herself in the shade of the trees as a child raised by Empress Xiaoyiren.
Zhen Huan hesitated as she looked at the silent emperor beside her, a sense of unease rising within her. She knew that this child was the Fifth Prince who had recognized her on New Year's Eve.
Xiao Dezi laughed even harder when he heard this—"Oh my brother, what are you talking about? Our Empress is the most popular and has the best temperament in the whole palace. The Emperor would never dislike our Empress, and he would never involve you or the princess."
However, Hongzhao could not accept his explanation. He turned around hesitantly, his big, round eyes, which looked more and more like Lü Yingfeng's, staring at Xiao Dezi.
Due to the angle, the Emperor and Zhen Huan could see Hongzhao's fair and aggrieved face. But Hongzhao couldn't see them, thinking that he and Xiao Dezi were the only two people in the courtyard, and he rarely revealed his true feelings.
“You all think I don’t understand anything and you don’t tell me anything. But I know that either I made a mistake or my mother made a mistake. Otherwise, why would Father Emperor stop coming to see me and Mother? Even lunch and dinner are different from before. Mother has to add money herself so that Shu’er and I can eat meat.”
He became increasingly aggrieved as he spoke, his voice tinged with sobs, large tears streaming down his cheeks as he continued to choke out, “Even the crab roe pastries for lunch today were sent by Consort Hua; we couldn’t get them from the Imperial Kitchen at all.”
The more Yinzhen listened, the more upset he became. He never imagined that he had been so immersed in the illusion of his deceased wife's continued existence that he had neglected his son to this extent.
He knew that Consort Shen had proposed cutting allowances to save expenses. In fact, with his abilities, he had long seen that this method would be difficult to implement in the palace. However, the Empress strongly supported it, and since it was Consort Shen's first time participating in palace affairs, he couldn't refuse her, so he let them do as they pleased.
Unexpectedly, even the allowances for princes and princesses were reduced, which led Hongzhao to mistakenly believe that he had lost his father's favor and that his mother was also being neglected.
He frowned and turned to look at Su Peisheng, a look that seemed to be both reproach and instruction.
Su Peisheng remained silent, only bowing his head even lower. He could clearly hear the Fifth Prince's voice inside. He had to admit that these few words of lamentation had truly touched the Emperor's heart.
He had grown up alongside the Emperor since childhood, so he naturally knew what kind of life the Emperor had experienced in his youth. This anxious look probably reminded the Emperor of his own childhood.
Hongzhao inside grew increasingly heartbroken, and Yinzhen, not wanting to listen any longer, strode into the apricot grove, leaving everyone behind—"Who said Father Emperor doesn't like our You'er anymore?"
Perhaps because he had few children, he was very kind to his sons and daughters. Even though the Third Prince was stupid, he never criticized him too much, which shows his character.
He smiled, his eyes narrowed, thinking he had softened his voice. But even so, it startled Hongzhao, who looked at him with red eyes and tear stains still clinging to his small face.
"This servant greets Your Majesty!" Upon seeing this, Xiao Dezi immediately knelt down and performed a grand salute, but Hongzhao did not care about such things. He hesitated for a moment, then propped himself up. Unlike before, when he rushed into his father's arms like a cannonball, he hesitated and stretched out his hands, looking at his father with expectant yet evasive eyes.
"Father Emperor."
Yinzhen's heart softened at that cry. He took two steps forward, scooped Hongzhao up from the swing, and held him in his arms. He said in a serious tone, "A real man shouldn't be crying like this."
But she still unconsciously stroked Hongzhao's sobbing back to soothe his emotions.
Hongzhao didn't cry loudly. Instead, he wrapped his little arms around his father's neck, rested his head obediently on his father's shoulder, and suppressed his tears.
At this moment, Yinzhen forgot all about the rule of holding grandchildren but not sons. He lifted the child in his arms up and held him tighter, sighed with heartache, and walked towards Yongshou Palace.
Xiao Dezi quickly caught up, while Su Peisheng, somewhat bewildered, glanced at Zhen Huan, who had also been left behind, bowed, and followed the Emperor.
The once bustling apricot grove returned to its desolate state, leaving only Zhen Huan and Jinxi behind.
Zhen Huan watched the departing figure and then looked at the swing that was still swaying slightly. Her eyes were filled with loneliness. "On New Year's Eve, all I asked for was a single-hearted person to stay with me until we grow old. But the person I want to be with is the one in the world who is the most incapable of being single-hearted."
Jinxi walked to her side with concern and comforted her, "Then let's settle for second best. We don't need to be single-minded, but we can at least... be dedicated."
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