It must be said that Ruan De was quite capable to become the Grand Eunuch. With just a few words, he instantly made the Imperial Concubine happy, and even the tense atmosphere dissipated.
"Your Majesty, I misunderstood. I originally thought it was some blind fool who kept this beast, which dared to run wild in Longgan Palace. Now I think the little thing is pitiful and probably doesn't have an owner. I will trouble Eunuch Ruan to look for it and bring it to Yuxiu Palace, where I will raise it myself."
The Imperial Noble Consort's jealous expression vanished instantly, replaced by a gentle and tender demeanor, and she bowed her head to the Emperor.
The two walked out of the inner palace hand in hand, looking like a sweet and loving couple once again.
After they all left, Ruan Decai quietly walked to a wardrobe and gently touched a pink piece of clothing that was stuck in the gap of the wardrobe door.
The person inside immediately pulled it back, the pink hem of the dress disappearing through the gap, and the cabinet door closed tightly again.
After finally dealing with the Imperial Noble Consort, the Emperor, disregarding the memorials he was handling, immediately went into the inner palace to check on things. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Consort Yue emerge from the wardrobe.
"Thank goodness you were quick-witted, otherwise there would have been another mess today."
The palace servants left again. After Ruan De left, he hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, General Jiang Chengzong sent someone to deliver a secret memorial earlier—"
Just as he was about to continue speaking, Consort Yue exclaimed "Oh dear!" instantly drawing the Emperor's attention.
"I will review it later. You may leave now." The emperor dismissed Ruan De and immediately helped Consort Yue up.
***
Late at night, all the Jiang family members in the Marquis of Zhongyi's mansion had their eyes wide open, unable to fall asleep even when lying in bed.
Even the usually carefree Li Chunlan was now hugging her quilt and sighing.
She didn't know what the situation was; Jiang Chengzong had returned to the military camp to take up his post and couldn't possibly come back anytime soon.
As for what was happening in the palace, she had no way of knowing; she could only wait to inquire with the divine artifact.
Before dawn, Li Chunlan had already gotten up and gone to Shou Kang Yuan, both to pay her respects and to discuss countermeasures.
She had just reached the door when she ran into Jiang Jinyu. The two looked at each other and saw dark circles under each other's eyes, clearly indicating that neither of them had slept well.
"Madam of the Heir Apparent, Eldest Miss, the Lady of the Marquis invites you both in," the maid announced before coming out to report.
Cen was sitting in a chair combing her hair. She was resting with her eyes closed when she heard the noise. She looked up and saw the two people. She couldn't help but sigh softly.
"Madam Hou, the eggs are ready." A maid brought in a bowl of boiled eggs.
"You two should also apply some to your eyes, but don't make it too obvious, lest the third son's wife notice," she said softly. With a wave of her hand, a maid picked up an egg, peeled it, and applied the tender egg white to her eyes, gently massaging it in.
"Mother, when are we going to Qingxi Pavilion?" Li Chunlan couldn't help but ask.
Before Cen could speak, Jiang Jinyu eagerly chimed in, "It's early. Third Sister-in-law always sleeps until she naturally wakes up. I wish I could have that kind of luck in the future."
"If you want to have that kind of good fortune in the future, you'll have to find a good husband. Otherwise, you'll have to get up early to serve your in-laws, be busy all day long, and still end up with a lot of complaints," Madam Cen said immediately after glancing at her.
Li Chunlan chimed in, "Oh, so little sister is thinking about getting married."
"Mother, sister-in-law, I only made a sarcastic remark about my third sister-in-law, why are you all ganging up on me?" Jiang Jinyu stomped her foot, looking very dissatisfied.
Li Chunlan looked puzzled. She had just said it casually; how could it be considered a mockery?
"Your third sister-in-law didn't provoke you, why are you being sarcastic about her?" Cen said with slight dissatisfaction.
"Alright, alright, I won't say anything more, okay?"
The three sat in Shou Kang Garden until almost noon when a maid came to announce, "Madam, the Third Madam has begun her meal."
Let's go.
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