Chapter 113 Zhao committed suicide by drowning.
When Li Dehai returned to Guanju Palace, Yuwen Che was having breakfast with Su Luoxue.
Su Luoxue's appetite had improved considerably recently. In front of her was a bowl of chicken porridge that she had eaten most of and a plate of thin noodles that she had only used a little. Yuwen Che was delighted to see that she was finally willing to eat more, and kept putting food on her plate, gently urging her, "Xue'er, eat slowly, be careful not to choke."
Su Luoxue was enjoying her meal and nodded obediently.
Zhang Mama, watching from the side, was getting anxious. Seeing that Yuwen Che was about to put another delicate pastry to Su Luoxue's lips, she quickly stepped forward and gently dissuaded him:
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, this is unacceptable! Your Highness already consumed quite a lot this morning. And now you've consumed even more. Your appetite has been poor these past few days, and eating so much today might overwhelm your digestive system. You'll likely feel unwell later."
She turned to Su Luoxue, who was gazing longingly at the pastries, and said in a gentle but firm tone, "Your Majesty, you are currently pregnant, so you should eat small, frequent meals and not overeat at once. If you get hungry later, this old servant will have someone make some fresh ones for you, okay?"
Su Luoxue looked at the snacks that were so close yet unattainable, and looked at Yuwen Che with a wronged expression, gently tugging at his sleeve with her small hand.
Looking into her longing eyes, Yuwen Che's heart softened completely, and he almost gave in. But remembering that Zhang Mama's words were indeed reasonable and for her health's sake, he had no choice but to harden his heart, put the pastry back on the plate, and instead held her hand, coaxing her:
"Granny is right, it's for your and the baby's good. Let's not eat for now, okay? If you're still hungry after half an hour, I'll feed you myself, alright?"
Although Su Luoxue was still a little tempted, she knew that the nanny and Yuwen Che were doing it all for her sake, so she pouted and reluctantly nodded: "Then... alright."
Seeing how sensible she was, Yuwen Che felt even more affection for her and gently wiped away a crumb from the corner of her mouth.
Seeing that Su Luoxue had eaten quite a bit, Zhang Mama suggested, "Your Highness, the weather is nice today. How about this old servant and Fuling accompany you for a walk in the Imperial Garden? It will help you digest your food, and then you can take a good nap when you get back. It will be good for both you and the unborn child."
Su Luoxue did feel a bit full, so she nodded: "Okay."
The nanny and Fuling quickly took turns supporting her on either side, and slowly led her outside.
Yuwen Che gently instructed, "Xue'er, go ahead and be good. I have some things to take care of, and I'll come find you in a little while."
"Mm," Su Luoxue responded, and slowly left with her help.
Once she was out of sight, Yuwen Che's gentle smile faded slightly as he looked at Li Dehai: "So? What did they choose?"
Li Dehai stepped forward, bowed, and reported: "Your Majesty, those ten... have all made their choices. Eight of them are willing to accept their dowries and leave the palace to find another home. Only two of them originally chose to leave the palace, but they just came after me and said that they have no one to rely on at home and are willing to go to the royal temple to pray for the country."
Yuwen Che nodded, not surprised by the result, and said calmly, "Since you have made the choice, arrange it properly as soon as possible. For those leaving the palace, their identity documents must be clean to ensure their future livelihood. For those going to temples, their allowances and expenses must not be lacking. Have the Imperial Household Department and the temples make arrangements so that they are not neglected."
"This old servant understands and will make all the necessary arrangements," Li Dehai replied respectfully.
"Okay, go ahead." Yuwen Che waved his hand.
After Li Dehai withdrew, Yuwen Che got up and walked towards the Imperial Garden. With these trivial matters of the inner palace settled, he now only wanted to quickly be with his Xue'er.
The flowers in the Imperial Garden were in full bloom. Su Luoxue, supported by Zhang Mama and Fuling on either side, strolled slowly along the lake, followed by a group of palace maids and eunuchs at a distance.
"These flowers are so beautiful," Su Luoxue said, pointing to a patch of crabapple trees not far away.
“Yes, Your Majesty, the flowers are blooming exceptionally well this year,” Fuling replied with a smile.
After walking for a while, Su Luoxue felt her arm being held too tightly, so she gently struggled: "Granny, Fuling, you don't need to hold me so tightly, I can walk by myself."
Upon hearing this, the two loosened their grip slightly, but still stayed half a step behind her, carefully watching over her.
As she walked to the lake, Su Luoxue heard the splashing sound of fish jumping into the water. Intrigued, she leaned down to look into the lake and exclaimed, "There are so many fish in the lake!"
She turned to Fuling and said, "Fuling, quickly go and get some fish food."
"Yes, Your Highness. This servant will go and get it right away," Fuling replied, and quickly walked towards the pavilion where the fish food was stored.
Su Luoxue continued to look down at the koi swimming in the water. Suddenly, she noticed something blurry, seemingly piled up in the water plants not far away. The sunlight was too bright for her to see clearly at first.
She frowned, pointed over there, and asked, "Granny, what's that over there?"
Following the direction she pointed, Zhang Mama looked and when she could make out that the shape was vaguely human, dressed in palace attire, floating among the water plants, her heart skipped a beat. She thought to herself, "Oh no! Who's been thinking of jumping into the lake?!"
She was terrified, but dared not tell the truth and frighten the Empress. She quickly tried to remain calm, blocking Su Luoxue's view and coaxing, "Your Majesty, that...that's probably just some unruly servant's trash. It's filthy and there's nothing to see. Let's go take a look over there; the peonies there are in full bloom..."
Su Luoxue, blocked by her, had just answered "okay" and was about to turn around.
Just then, a gentle breeze blew by, rippling the surface of the lake. The object was carried away by the current and drifted a little further out. A face, slightly pale from being submerged in water but still recognizable by its features, turned to face Su Luoxue.
That was clearly... Zhao, the birth mother of Yuwen Hao, who had just been demoted to the rank of Cai Ren!
"Ah—!" Su Luoxue turned pale with fright, covered her mouth abruptly, let out a terrified scream, and staggered backward uncontrollably.
"Your Majesty!"
"Quick! Quickly, help the Empress up!"
Hearing the screams, the palace maids and eunuchs behind them were terrified and rushed forward in a swarm.
Granny Zhang and Fuling, who had just returned with fish food, were terrified and turned pale. They hurriedly supported Su Luoxue, who was almost collapsing.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, how are you? Don't be afraid! This old servant is here!" Zhang Mama's voice was trembling.
Su Luoxue leaned against Fuling's chest, trembling all over. Pointing at the lake, she stammered, "It's...it's her...Hao'er's mother...in the lake...in the lake..."
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