When Changning stormed into the Imperial Garden, she ran into Hongchen, the mischievous boy who, for some unknown reason, had climbed up a tree and was shooting slingshots everywhere, sometimes at birds, sometimes at people. The eunuchs around him were trembling with fear and begged the Sixth Prince to come down.
Hongchen was still smug, as if so many people couldn't catch him, looking very impressive.
To his surprise, he spotted a procession of the Empress's entourage from afar. With his sharp eyes, he knew it was his mother and hurriedly dismounted.
When Changning saw him climb the tree, her vision went black and she almost cursed him out. But then she saw that he was covered in dust and dirt and had a fawning look on his face: "Mother, I just wanted to get some fresh air from up here so I could see the view."
"Go back here!"
Changning didn't want to discipline her child in public, so she turned stern, which frightened Hongchen into obediently listening to her and not daring to be naughty anymore.
Changning, seething with anger, led Hongchen toward Chengqian Palace, where they happened to run into Consort Shu on the way.
Consort Shu has been particularly respectful to the Empress lately, showing an attitude of following the Empress's lead. She is always the first to arrive when paying her respects, and the aloofness of the talented woman she once was is nowhere to be seen.
"May Your Majesty the Empress be blessed, and may the Sixth Prince be blessed."
Consort Shu quickly bowed to Changning and Hongchen, and Hongchen obediently returned the bow: "Your Highness Shu".
Zhang herself had never been favored by the emperor and had no children of her own. Seeing this chubby-cheeked boy, she took a liking to him and said with a smile, "Sixth Prince, what have you been doing? You're covered in dust. Would you like me to wipe it off for you?"
Hongchen glanced at his mother's expression and dared not speak carelessly, but still obediently replied, "Thank you, Your Highness. Hongchen is all grown up and can take care of himself."
Hearing his mature-sounding words, Consort Shu was overjoyed and couldn't help but exclaim, "Sixth Prince is so adorable! Your Majesty, are you heading back to Chengqian Palace? I just happened to bring some plum blossom stationery that I made myself, and I wanted to send it to you."
Changning wasn't so angry anymore, so she nodded gently: "We should go back. Let's go sit together, little sister."
Consort Shu was overjoyed and hurriedly followed behind.
Hongchen felt relieved to see that Consort Shu had accompanied him back to the palace. He knew that even if his mother was angry, she wouldn't spank him in front of the other consorts.
However, he was clearly overthinking it.
As soon as they entered Chengqian Palace, Changning slammed the door shut behind her, startling Hongchen and causing Consort Shu to tremble.
"Mother...Your Majesty..."
Consort Shu's heart pounded, and a million thoughts flashed through her mind as she quickly tried to figure out what she had done wrong and whether she had angered the Empress.
Changning took a few deep breaths to suppress her anger. Without saying a word, she pointed to the wall. Hongchen pouted, but dared not resist. He obediently walked over and stood facing the wall to reflect on his mistakes.
Then Changning ignored him and told him to reflect on his actions, and started chatting with Consort Shu about everyday matters.
This plum blossom jade stationery was something Changning had mentioned casually before. Consort Shu thought it was very elegant and wanted to please her, so she went back and studied it for a long time, then asked someone to make it, and finally managed to make this stack, which she then quickly sent over.
This paper is of uniform thickness, smooth and new, and tough. It is covered with a layer of white powder wax and decorated with ice patterns, giving it an excellent tactile feel. Adorned with gold-flecked plum blossoms, it exudes an elegant and refined, transcendent and outstanding quality. It is truly a top-grade paper.
Changning was delighted to see it and praised her, "Consort Shu is so skillful. I just mentioned it, and I didn't expect it to actually be made. You really put in a lot of effort."
Consort Shu immediately smiled. Hearing the Empress's praise, she was overjoyed: "Your Majesty, there's no need to be so polite. As long as Your Majesty likes it, I will definitely do it diligently. Besides, this matter is elegant. I was happy while making it, and I couldn't help but admire Your Majesty's ingenuity. This plum blossom jade paper has a very ancient charm."
Changning couldn't help but marvel. She had previously thought that Zhang Shi was quite talented, but she was aloof and rarely socialized in the mansion. She had even seen her smile.
My strongest impression of her is that she published another collection of poems. I heard from the maid who served her that she would read books every day in the courtyard.
I didn't expect her personality to change so quickly; she laughed more in such a short time than she had in the previous years.
The two chatted about the plum blossom note for a while. Consort Shu noticed out of the corner of her eye that the Sixth Prince was standing pitifully by the wall. Feeling sorry for him, she thought of speaking up for him.
"Your Majesty, I wonder what mistake the Sixth Prince has made to anger you? Perhaps we should let him wash up first?"
Changning glanced at him and, seeing that he was still quite obedient, slowly calmed down and beckoned Hongchen over.
He's acting like a good kid now, completely different from his previous tyrannical self.
"Do you realize you were wrong?"
Hongchen nodded and blinked: "Our son shouldn't skip school."
"Anything else?"
"You shouldn't lie."
"Anything else?"
"You shouldn't have climbed the tree."
"Anything else?"
Hongchen scratched his head, looking bewildered: "No, that's all."
Changning took a deep breath and reasoned with him gently: "Hongchen, your mistake was skipping school. As a prince, instead of studying diligently in the Imperial Study, you lied and ran away, not only embarrassing your teacher and causing trouble, but also making those around you anxious. Do you know how worried your mother was when she heard you were missing? If your father knew about this, do you think he would forgive you?"
Hongchen pouted and shook his head: "Even Father Emperor gets angry."
Seeing that he was remorseful and willing to listen, Changning calmed down and continued, "Your second mistake was disregarding your own safety. That tree was so tall; what if you had fallen and hurt yourself after climbing it? So many eunuchs couldn't stop you; wasn't that their fault for failing to protect you properly?"
At this point, Changning became even angrier: "The people serving you are also short-sighted! When their master is wrong, not only do they not try to dissuade him, but they also let you climb the tree to such a dangerous place! And not a single person came back to send a message! What are their intentions?"
Changning was furious and summoned Zhao Fuhai, ordering all the eunuchs and palace maids who had gone out with Hongchen that day to be given twenty strokes of the cane, telling them that if they did not serve their master well, they would face many punishments in the future.
Hongchen was lucky to escape unharmed today. If he had been in real danger, his life would have been in grave danger, and even if all these people were beaten to death, it would have been futile. Changning absolutely cannot allow this to happen; we must nip it in the bud.
Having realized his mistake, Hongchen dared not speak. Seeing his mother's extreme anger and the way she punished those around him, he was somewhat frightened. Only then did he realize that his every move could affect the safety of those around him.
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