"Why are you here, Ma?" Gu Yanwei helped the person up.
He took a pot from the table beside and poured her some water. Madam Kong quickly shook her head, "No, no, no, you are the emperor now, how can I ask you to do such a thing for me?" She tried to snatch it away, but Gu Yanwei just said, "Even if I am the emperor, you are the one who brought me here. It's just that I want to be nice to you in private, and no one can say anything."
Madam Kong was a person who attached great importance to rules. She just kept shaking her head and said, "No, that's against the rules."
In the end, Gu Yanwei had no choice but to call her "I" and she sat down.
While sipping the tea that Gu Yanwei poured for her, she said, "It was Cheng Futai who sent people to my hometown. I heard that the emperor was here, so I followed his people here."
Madam Kong smiled as she spoke, "I heard from people in my hometown that the emperor had ascended the throne, so I wanted to go to the capital to see you, but my health was not good. I was sick from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. I finally recovered, but my adopted son was getting married, which delayed me for some time. This time when Master Cheng's people came, I thought I couldn't be alone again, so I came directly."
Gu Yanwei nodded.
Then he asked with concern, "Madam, how did you live after you left the palace?"
Gu Yanwei was precocious, and many people thought that he should have forgotten what happened back then, but he remembered it until now.
Madam Kong sighed and waved her hand over the candle flame, then she slowly recalled the past events, "Your Highness, you were still young at that time, and the people in the palace always bullied the weak and feared the strong. I was afraid that you would have a hard time after I passed away, so I gave all my pension money to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and asked them to find a young eunuch to serve you."
Gu Yanwei nodded. He knew about this. "How did Mammy live outside the palace?"
Madam Kong was different from those palace maids who left the palace at the age of 25. She was almost 50 years old when she left the palace. She had never married and had no children in her life. How could she live without any money?
Madam Kong just smiled and said, "Your Highness has a servant like me in his heart, and I am very grateful. Although I have no money, I am lucky. After leaving the palace, I went back to my hometown. Because they knew I was a maid from the palace, my family treated me well. Later, I adopted a child."
Speaking of that child, Madam Kong straightened her back involuntarily. "That child is really capable. He passed the examination and became a scholar and a juren with his own ability. It made me proud in front of others. In the following years, he lived a good life."
Gu Yanwei also looked at Madam Kong. Although she was not fat, one could tell from the expression on her face and the few white hairs on her face that she must have lived a good life over the years.
Only then did he smile with relief, "Mammy is doing well, which means good people will be rewarded."
Gu Yanwei continued, "I had originally planned to go back to my hometown to bring Madam to the palace for recuperation, but since Governor Cheng has brought you here, why don't you stay here with me? When we return to the capital in a few days, we can go back together."
Madam Kong shook her head. "I am grateful that you still care about me. But I am old now and I am tired of all the rules in the palace."
Gu Yanwei smiled softly, "Now in this palace, no one dares to enforce the rules on you."
Madam Kong still shook her head, "That won't do. I can't just forget the rules because I've been nursing you for a while. You're all masters in the palace. It would be enough to kill me if I had to kowtow to you during festivals. Besides, my adopted son is also going to the capital—" She patted Gu Yanwei's hand, "I know your Highness is thinking about me."
She smiled and said, "I'm going to say something very treasonous. I have raised His Highness since he was a child. In my opinion, His Highness is no different from my own son. I also want His Highness to be well."
Gu Yanwei held her hand in return. Just as Madam Kong said, during that time when they were young and powerless, he and Madam Kong supported each other. Naturally, he treated her sincerely and really wanted to take care of her in her old age.
"I know that you want to be good to me, Your Highness. From now on, I will live in the capital, and I can come to the palace to see you from time to time."
Seeing that she was really insistent, Gu Yanwei didn't want to force her, so he said, "Okay, I'll give you another house when we get to the capital."
"Then I would like to thank Your Highness first." At this point, Madam Kong finally realized, "No, it's the Emperor. Your Highness has been on the throne for so long. Look at me, I still called him the wrong name."
"Don't be so rigid. You can call me whatever you want."
Grandma Kong smiled.
The two chatted for a while before Gu Yanwei left.
Madam Kong got up from her chair and called out, "Come out."
Then a beautiful woman came out from behind the screen. She shyly brought a cup of tea over and said, "Mammy, have some tea."
"Yunzhi, you just saw the emperor, what did you think?" The woman in front of him was the younger sister of Nanny Kong's adopted son. Her name was Chen Yunzhi, and she was young and beautiful.
Chen Yunzhi lowered her head, a look of shame flashing across her face, "The emperor is young and handsome, like a god."
Madam Kong patted her palms in understanding, "I personally raised the emperor when he was a child, so he is naturally a good person. If you enter the palace, he will treat you well for my sake."
Chen Yunzhi nodded, but when she got to this point, she asked, "Mammy... why didn't you introduce me to the emperor just now?" Wasn't that a good opportunity just now? Mammy Kong shook her head, "Yunzhi, you are still too young."
She introduced a woman to him as soon as they met again. What did he think of her as a wet nurse? "People's affection cannot stand calculation. If I had introduced you to the emperor directly at that time, even if he let you enter the palace, he might not remember you, which would have damaged the affection between us."
After all, she is an old nanny who has been immersed in the palace for many years. She has her own principles in doing things.
Chen Yunzhi lowered her head and did not ask any more questions, "Yunzhi will listen to Madam."
Madam Kong was satisfied and patted her hands again, "Don't worry, you and your brother are our family. Madam is only thinking about your best."
"Thank you, Mammy."
——
Shen Qingqiu didn't know that he was going to have a new sister. These days, he heard that the old mother who used to take care of Gu Yanwei had returned, and he was thinking about what gift to give her.
"Why haven't you paid attention to me for so long? Now you are going out again?" Gu Yanwei suddenly broke into the room.
Shen Qingqiu was about to go out, but he hugged his waist and could only roll his eyes, "Your wet nurse, I naturally have to give her some gifts when I meet her." After all, she is an elder, how can he go empty-handed when meeting her for the first time.
"Mammy doesn't care about these things." Gu Yanwei said.
"You're not her, how do you know?" Shen Qingqiu pushed him away, "I'm going out."
Gu Yanwei didn't have any proper elders, for example, the former emperor, even if he was his biological father, he probably didn't consider him as his biological father. But this nanny was different, Shen Qingqiu could see that even though there were no blood relatives who cared about her, she was important in Gu Yanwei's heart.
We can’t always judge things in this world by blood ties, just like the relationship between her and her father.
I know that she cares so much about the nanny's opinion because she has me in her heart.
Gu Yanwei could only smile and followed her out the door and got into the carriage.
"What are you doing following me out here?"
"You don't know what Mammy likes, why don't I go with you?"
Seeing him say this, Shen Qingqiu frowned slightly, but did not refuse.
Soon the two of them went to the shop outside. Shen Qingqiu was indeed not suitable to give gifts to women. After picking out things for a long time, Gu Yanwei just shook her head. She was not a patient person, so she just acted like a hands-off shopkeeper, "Since you keep shaking your head, then tell me what's good and what you like?"
Gu Yanwei smiled and said, "Mammy is old now, she doesn't like to wear jewelry even if you give her one. I know Cheng Futai has a 500-year-old ginseng, you can bring it to Mammy."
"Is Cheng Futai willing to give it to me?" Shen Qingqiu asked.
"If you ask him, he will not only be willing, but also grateful."
Shen Qingqiu thought so too. During the time the two of them lived here, Cheng Futai wanted to give them his life.
"Since you've already thought of it, why didn't you say it earlier?" Shen Qingqiu glared at him again, making him waste so much time in the jewelry store in vain.
Gu Yanwei picked up a hairpin that the young woman liked, "But besides Madam Kong, is there anyone else?"
He said, "Mrs. Kong's adopted son has a biological sister. I heard that she came with Mrs. Kong this time. Since she is Mrs. Kong's adopted daughter, she is also my sister. When giving a gift to my sister, of course I have to give her something that young girls like."
As he spoke, Gu Yanwei gestured with the hairpin on her head and said, "What should I do? I think you look even more beautiful with this on, Qiu'er. I can't bear to give it to Miss Chen."
Shen Qingqiu pulled down the hairpin and threw it directly to the shopkeeper, "This is it, wrap it up."
Gu Yanwei just chuckled as he looked on.
But Shen Qingqiu's thoughts went to the Miss Chen that Gu Yanwei mentioned... How come it was another girl, and she was brought here by Madam Kong.
Shen Qingqiu didn't know why, but an inappropriate thought came into his mind.
Seeing that she was in a daze, Gu Yanwei asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Shen Qingqiu shook his head, "Nothing."
I hope it's not what she thinks.
About three days later, Shen Qingqiu finally met Gu Yanwei's wet nurse.
"Madame Kong, this is my wife, Shen Qingqiu." Gu Yanwei said to Madame Kong.
Madam Kong was stunned for a moment, "Wife, that's not the emperor--" She was halfway through her words when she remembered that they were outside the palace. Madam Kong shut up and quickly knelt down to pay her respects to Shen Qingqiu, "No need, Madam. Since we are outside the palace, everything will be kept simple."
"well."
Madam Kong stood up, and Shen Qingqiu took out the gift he had prepared long ago, "Madam, take this ginseng and make some soup. It's good for your health after all."
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