Chapter 290 Hidden Thoughts
Today is the day when the Queen returns to the palace.
Early in the morning, her room became lively.
Shuang Ruo had been asking about what was going on in the imperial concubine's room all night, and now she came to report back to the queen.
"Empress, the imperial concubine is fine..."
"Oh?" The Queen frowned and asked, "Doesn't she care most about the relationship between her and the Emperor? Now that her hypocrisy has been exposed, how can she still be willing to linger on with her personality?"
Shuang Ruo said: "It was Concubine Yi. She went to persuade the Imperial Concubine."
The queen was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "You can keep a person, but you can't keep his heart. Forget it, it's better to let her live. I have suffered so much from her in the past, and now it's time for her to return the favor."
He glanced out the window and asked, "Have you prepared everything for your trip, Princess?"
Shuang Ruo nodded in agreement, "Everything is fine."
The Queen asked again, "Have you arranged everything for the wet nurse?"
"I also followed the Majesty's instructions..." Shuang Ruo was silent for a while, and then said with some reluctance: "It's just that the eldest princess is young and her skin is delicate. What if the wet nurse doesn't know how to control the severity of the injury..."
"No." The Queen interrupted her in a solemn voice, "My daughter will always be with her mother. If I can endure a little pain, Jinghe will come back to me. I think she will be willing to do so."
Shuang Ruo nodded slowly, "Your Majesty is right. But... the eldest princess is being raised by the Queen Mother, and the Queen Mother has never been willing to let you and your daughter be together.
Besides, the Imperial Concubine's affairs could not be concealed. I am afraid that the Emperor has already known that it was the Empress who told the Imperial Concubine something, which caused her to suddenly make a scene. The Empress asked the Emperor to take the Princess back to Beijing at this time. Will the Emperor agree?"
"He has to agree even if he doesn't want to." The Queen said calmly with a smile: "Today I am returning to the palace, and all the officials from Suzhou are here to see me off. The Emperor is very concerned about his reputation, so in front of the court officials, he has to pretend to be affectionate with me. The Emperor will not refuse the request I made in front of the court officials."
After hearing the Queen's plan, Shuang Ruo smiled, but she was still a little worried.
"The emperor hates being held back the most. If your majesty does this, I'm afraid you will completely break off your relationship with the emperor..."
"Just break it." The Queen played with the round beeswax beads on the table and said indifferently:
"After being married for many years, in the end, only the pretense of face remains. It's really boring. After all, my mother's family is still useful to him, and he won't depose the queen. We can just respect each other in the future. Hasn't this been the case with the emperor all these years, living with one eye and one eye closed?"
The Queen's words seemed to be very clear.
But Shuangruo could catch a fleeting hint of sadness in her eyes.
Later that day, when the queen arrived at the city gate, the troops were already lined up.
Hundreds of officials lined the road to see her off, and all of them treated her with great respect.
"Your Highness, the Queen, be respectfully wished you good health."
Xiao Jingheng stood in front of the court officials and said to her with a smile:
"The Queen is not feeling well. You should not overwork yourself when you return to the palace. Take a good rest and don't make me worry."
The Queen bowed to Xiao Jingheng and said softly, "I thank the Emperor for his concern. I cannot accompany the Emperor on this southern tour. I only hope that the Emperor and the concubines can enjoy the journey."
The emperor and empress held hands and looked at each other with great joy.
The court officials all laughed when they saw this.
"The Emperor and the Empress are truly a perfect match, a perfect couple made in heaven."
"The Emperor and the Empress have a deep love for each other, and they are a role model for all couples in the world!"
"......"
These flattering words were repeated over and over again,
Later, it was Kang Yubin, who was beside Ning Wanshuang, who came and delivered a message, which stopped the flattery.
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine is tired and wants to return to the palace. I have sent a servant to ask for your order."
Xiao Jingheng's expression remained the same, as if he had never had any disagreement with Ning Wanshuang.
"The Imperial Concubine is naturally sad about what happened to her mother's family. She is also a thoughtful person. How can I let her go back to the palace to be alone? Go and tell the Imperial Concubine that I also want to take her with me on this southern tour to relax, so let her come with us."
Kang Yubin could only say: "This...I will obey your order."
Now it was the auspicious time, the envoys had finished setting off the firecrackers, and it was time for the Queen and Huipin to set off.
But at this moment, Jinghe, who had been quiet and well-behaved in her wet nurse's arms, suddenly burst into tears after seeing the queen stepping one foot into the carriage.
The queen hurriedly turned around and walked back to the nurse, gently stroking Jinghe's hair.
"Jinghe, why are you crying? Don't cry, don't cry. When the southern tour is over, you can return to the palace and see your mother. Good boy."
No matter how much he was persuaded, the child's crying did not subside at all.
The queen was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly took Jinghe from the wet nurse's arms.
Strangely enough, the queen just coaxed the child twice and the child immediately stopped crying and became as obedient as a fairy in her arms.
Shuang Ruo said from the side: "The eldest princess is reluctant to let the queen go."
The queen looked at Jinghe with pity in her eyes, kissed her deeply on the forehead, then turned around and knelt down to Xiao Jingheng with the child in her arms.
"Your Majesty, the southern tour will be a long journey and will take more than two months. Why don't you let me take the princess back to the palace first?"
As soon as these words came out, all the concubines present noticed something unusual.
The external officials didn’t know about the affairs of the harem, so how could they not know?
Princess Jinghe was usually raised by the Queen Mother and was not close to the Queen.
The mother and daughter rarely see each other, and the child is closer to the wet nurse and the queen mother. Why is she so attached to the queen now?
It goes without saying that there must be something fishy going on here.
The Queen Mother looked back and glared fiercely at Chunniang, the wet nurse who had just held Jinghe.
Chunniang was so frightened that she turned pale and immediately lowered her head to avoid the Queen Mother's scrutiny.
But because so many court officials were watching, there was no way to find any mistakes in what the queen said.
Xiao Jingheng was put under the watchful eyes of the crowd, and could only smile and agree.
"Jinghe and the Queen have a deep mother-daughter relationship, so it's naturally better for her to follow the Queen."
The Queen Mother also said: "The child who is almost one year old is the most clinging to her mother, so let the Queen take the princess back to the palace to take care of her. But..."
She looked towards Chunniang, whose eyes were twinkling, and said in a friendly manner:
"Mrs. Chun has been working very hard taking care of the princess these days, and she seems a little tired. Let the other two maids accompany the princess on the journey."
Then he said to Qingzhu, "Take Chunniang down and let her have a good rest."
Qingzhu took the order and returned with Chunniang.
Others thought that the empress dowager was kind and compassionate, as she was considerate even to a servant.
But Song Zhao saw it and was afraid that Chunniang had the wrong intentions. If she was taken away by Qingzhu, she would probably fall into eternal sleep while resting.
The matter was settled, and the Queen and the Princess rode in the carriage together.
Huipin followed Wei Ying and Shao Shi to resign from Xiao Jingheng.
Xiao Jingheng said: "My dear Lord Wei, you have donated generously this time. I would like to thank you for your kindness on behalf of the poor people in Kyoto."
After saying this, he looked at Huipin again and said meaningfully:
"The queen is ill. You must serve her well after you return to the palace. Do you understand?"
Huipin said with a smile, "Hehe~ I understand~ I will definitely take good care of the Queen, Your Majesty, don't worry~"
【Today's fifth update】
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