Chapter 96: With hands in pockets, there's no need to make a move.
Lanhe followed Eunuch Dai into Yuhe Garden. Since only Lanhe had been summoned, Eunuch Dai waited at the entrance of the hall.
Besides Consort Zhang sitting at the head of the table, there were several other concubines sitting on the left and right sides of the hall. Lan He did not dare to look up or look around. She only caught a glimpse of them out of the corner of her eye before she quickly knelt down and performed a grand salute.
"This servant greets Your Highnesses. May Your Highnesses be blessed with good fortune and lasting happiness."
After carefully examining the area, Consort Zhang couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
To say that Lanhe looks very much like Consort Jiang is indeed a "far-fetched" comparison.
But when it comes to beauties, if you really want to pick one, you can always find something that resembles her.
Moreover, Lanhe is only a few years old, just like Jiang Shi back then.
People are prone to fickleness and will instinctively find an excuse for themselves.
Logically, since A-Zhu was favored, it would be good enough if Consort Zhang didn't try to trip her up; why should she bother with A-Zhu's affairs? However, the two of them joined forces to control the palace for several years, suppressing Empress Wang and preventing her from rising again.
Only when she personally witnessed Empress Wang's death and passing away could Consort Zhang finally find peace of mind.
Seeing that Lanhe was waiting obediently with her head down, Consort Zhang raised her hand to decline the formalities and, unsurprisingly, asked about the matter at Heze Lake.
Lanhe, her face still somewhat pale, lowered her eyes and said softly, "Your Majesty, we servants collected dew from Heze Lake early this morning and picked some fresh lotus pods to extract lotus seeds."
"Later, another small blue boat went down the lake. The palace guards forbade us to disturb the noblemen. After we had picked most of the lotus pods, we went to the shore."
"Unexpectedly, the jolting caused me to lose my balance and fall into the lake. I choked on water and lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was... rescued and brought ashore..."
"That's quite novel." Consort Tang looked Lan He up and down and said sarcastically, "I don't think you're some precious gem, so why would His Majesty risk his life for you?"
Lanhe had no right to retort; she simply listened obediently.
Hearing Tang Zhaoyi's words, Zhou Zhaoyi gently covered her lips with her handkerchief. She lowered her eyes, her expression remained unchanged, but her heart suddenly darkened.
After all, what Consort Zhou wanted was the Emperor's favoritism towards Consort Jiang.
The more the Emperor favors Consort Jiang, the more useful she becomes. Once the Ninth Prince is in trouble, the more Consort Jiang will beg with unbearable pain and resentment, the less chance the Crown Prince's faction will have to recover.
But now there's suddenly a young and beautiful "Jiang Shi," how can the Emperor "fall in love at first sight"?
If the Emperor intends to show mercy, given Consort Jiang's character of wanting to "occupy the Emperor's heart" at all times and never leaving any room for maneuver, wouldn't she cause a complete uproar with the Emperor?
Their emperor was not one to cherish old feelings, and over time, their affections faded... What good would it do if Consort Jiang knelt to death before the emperor?
Empress Wang stayed in Kunning Palace for more than ten years, never allowed to leave. When it comes to ruthlessness, no one in the world can compare to the emperor.
Consort Sheng glanced at Lan He, and after realizing who the Emperor had saved, she didn't say anything more.
Consort Xian, however, was concerned about the Sixth Princess's marriage. She carefully examined Lanhe, wondering if she should try to persuade Azhu.
Since it was Emperor Xuanpei who had saved her, Consort Zhang treated Lanhe fairly kindly in front of outsiders. She even asked the imperial physician to examine Lanhe later to prevent her from developing any health problems at such a young age.
After dismissing the group, Consort Zhang turned around and sent someone to invite A-Zhu to try some "summer limited edition" snacks made by the special kitchen in Yuhe Garden, which were sweet and refreshing.
*
It was Zhang Guifei's excuse that led the people below to act without hesitation. When Azhu arrived at Yuheyuan, a table was already filled with all sorts of pastries.
Served with lotus seed soup, there were also several soft and delicious snacks that Ah Zhu really enjoyed.
Before she could take a few more bites, Consort Zhang got straight to the point.
"Ah Zhu, I just sent you a picture of that little palace maid... she is indeed quite beautiful."
Although using one's looks to please others is rather superficial.
However, if Lan Hesheng's appearance is mediocre or not satisfactory, Consort Zhang should simply bestow generous rewards upon him and raise him well as a benevolent "lucky charm" of the Emperor, without having to weigh things so carefully.
Upon hearing this, A-Zhu looked up at Consort Zhang and saw that she looked worried. A-Zhu then put down his chopsticks.
It's unclear whether it was Emperor Xuanpei's favoritism over the years that gave people in the palace the illusion that as long as they could catch the emperor's eye, they could easily become the most favored concubine.
The most difficult person to serve in this world is clearly the emperor.
Suspicious, sensitive, and prone to mistrust, with an unusually strong desire for control.
Even if you offend him, he won't say it outright. He'll just keep it in his mind, remembering it time and time again, and eventually he'll settle scores with you without mercy.
Honestly, now that A-Zhu is a Noble Consort and has two children, she won't worry if the Emperor favors other concubines; in fact, she'll be relieved.
After all, Ah Zhu, who was coaxed with promises of wealth and the future of his two children, was truly tolerant.
She could endure it and she could bear it.
As long as the emperor is by her side, she will wholeheartedly pamper him for that entire day.
But no matter how much she could endure, Ah Zhu was afraid that one day she would lose her temper.
Love makes one live, hate makes one die—it sounds like just eight simple words, but when you actually reach that point, you'll know how terrifying it is.
The emperor's joys, sorrows, loves, and hates are both alluring and terrifying.
For A-Zhu, it would actually be a good thing if someone could really divert the emperor's attention and "cool things down" between them.
As for whether the emperor would be tempted by other novelties, A-Zhu didn't know.
All she knew was that the emperor had been secretly taking medicine for over a decade... so there was absolutely no hope of him having another emperor or princess.
Without offspring, there is no lingering threat.
"Your Majesty," A-Zhu said with a smile to Consort Zhang.
"If the person sitting in front of me today were the Empress of Kunning Palace, I would definitely try every means to seduce her and 'offer her beauty' to His Majesty."
"But Your Majesty and I have been together for so many years, weathering all the storms of the palace together, and together we have suppressed Kunning Palace..."
A-Zhu picked up her chopsticks, placed a piece of pastry in the bowl in front of Consort Zhang.
"This concubine has absolutely no intention of deceiving Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty should just treat that little palace maid as a 'lucky charm,' find her a leisurely job and support her, and not worry about anything else."
Consort Zhang looked at A-Zhu's calm and composed expression, and after a while, shook her head and laughed.
Look at us—
"They would jump to their feet at the slightest disturbance around the Emperor."
"I've only heard that you keep everything in your mind and ponder it over and over again, trying to figure it out in every detail. It's really... I'm sorry to make you laugh, sister."
A-Zhu smiled and shook her head, then sighed softly.
"How can it be considered a trivial matter that His Majesty fell into Heze Lake while saving someone?"
"Who in this palace isn't eager to find out who this person is that would make His Majesty risk his life like this?"
"To put it bluntly, even if a little puppy wins the Emperor's favor, wouldn't everyone in the palace have to fawn over that dog and say nice things about it?"
Consort Zhang was taken aback, then burst into laughter.
She smiled and nodded, saying, "My sister is absolutely right."
"If that dog also had some kind of imperial badge hanging around its neck, that would be even more extraordinary... Who in the palace wouldn't show it a great deal of respect?"
"This sign might even be changed several times..."
Listening to Consort Zhang's words, A-Zhu calmly ate her snacks, while Consort Zhang wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes.
A gust of wind blew into the hall.
Following the wind, Consort Zhang looked at the vibrant and beautiful hibiscus flowers blooming by the window. Watching the flowers and leaves dancing in the wind, she said softly, "These flowers bloom much better in this imperial palace than in the palace itself."
Ah Zhu looked up and then nodded: "It's spacious here, with mountains and water, and the natural energy is good. It's definitely better than the one in the palace."
Consort Zhang came to her senses and looked at A-Zhu.
"A-Zhu, I want Mao'er to set off as soon as possible."
Consort Zhang's words came as a surprise, and A-Zhu was slightly taken aback.
She instinctively asked, "Your Majesty, why so suddenly?"
"It's unbearably hot outside at this time, and traveling is not easy either, so why rush?"
Consort Zhang shook her head, lowering her voice: "Every year at the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, the Yellow River dam is the most important area to inspect... The court and the people are keeping a close eye on it, and thanks to Heaven's protection, there have been no major floods or disasters in recent years."
"Some of the people who inspected last year were Mao'er's men... The others returned, but one of them, Clerk Tang, accidentally drowned."
"After investigating this matter carefully, Mao'er finally found out that it was indeed an accident. Although His Majesty is keeping a close eye on it, and there are many officials in the court and the country watching, I still feel that it is not a good omen."
"I'm not afraid to tell you, my sister, but after all these years in the palace, I've always believed in all sorts of nonsense. Let him leave as soon as possible."
A-Zhu was somewhat stunned, but since Consort Zhang had spoken to this extent, it was clear that she had made up her mind.
When neither Consort Jiang nor Consort Zhang mentioned Lanhe, and there was absolutely no news from the Emperor, the matter naturally became a trivial matter that no one cared about.
However, within a mere month, no one mentioned anymore that the Emperor had rescued some palace maid.
At the end of July, A-Zhu received a second letter from the Ninth Prince and the Seventh Princess, who were studying abroad. The letter said that they had arrived at Dagu Port.
Knowing that reporting only good news and not bad news would only make Ah Zhu overthink things, after the Seventh Princess wrote down a bunch of strange and wonderful things she had seen and heard, the Ninth Prince added at the end of the letter that everything was fine for them, the only regret being that the old chief priest was ill.
The group will stay in Dagukou for a few more days until the old chief priest recovers before setting off again.
Upon seeing this, Azhu instinctively looked at Emperor Xuanpei.
Emperor Xuanpei patted Azhu's head: "The Grand Master is getting old after all. I have already sent the imperial physician over."
A-Zhu nodded, then read the letter several times, holding it tightly and refusing to let go. Seeing this, Emperor Xuanpei took A-Zhu to his study.
Emperor Xuanpei had Eunuch Chen retrieve a map and then pointed out the location on the map to Azhu.
"This is Dagukou."
The map clearly shows the route from Beijing all the way to Dagukou. Because the group traveled by boat, there was a riverbank on the side with many small dots marked on it.
"This is the Yellow River channel."
Emperor Xuanpei held Azhu's hand and slowly felt the path.
"Reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles, putting knowledge into practice, is truly rare."
Emperor Xuanpei then pointed to Yanmen Pass, saying, "They will return once they reach this point."
......
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