He Jiuniang glanced at it without ceremony, then saw a small tassel pendant on the first curtain not far away. It was quite pretty and not worth much money, so she went up and grabbed it, putting it around Susu's waist.
"Quickly thank Your Majesty."
He Jiuniang taught the child with a smile, and Susu obediently thanked her, which charmed the old emperor and Consort Liu.
He asked someone to take Susu to eat some pastries, and then He Jiuniang began to examine the old emperor's health, and also checked on Consort Liu. Both of them were in good health, especially the old emperor. Since he started living a regular life, his body had become stronger, and the toxins in his body had been almost completely eliminated.
When she first met the old emperor, He Jiuniang was worried that he would cause her trouble, so she deliberately left some poison in his body and even deliberately restrained him.
But later they discovered that the old emperor had indeed reformed quite thoroughly, so they secretly lifted the ban again.
If he turns bad again later, we can just poison him to keep him in check.
However, based on the current situation, the possibility is not very high.
After learning that he was in good health, the old emperor felt a pang of emotion. When he was practicing Taoism, he was always feeling unwell here and there. But now that he had calmed his mind, his health was much better than before.
It was only at this moment that he began to reflect on how absurd his previous actions had been.
Now, all we can do is slowly make up for it.
Because she had things to do at home, He Jiuniang didn't stay long. She gave the old emperor a few instructions and then left the palace with Susu.
"Mother, the palace isn't that scary."
On the carriage, Su Su shared her experience of a day trip to the palace with He Jiu Niang.
"Right? Everyone likes you, right?"
He Jiuniang pinched her little nose, her eyes filled with doting affection.
Susu nodded obediently, feeling very happy. She never wanted to go back to her uncle's house again. Her uncle's family were all bad people who only wanted to take advantage of her and her mother.
Meanwhile, the old emperor was saying to Consort Liu, "Who do you think is so foolish as to go against her? Isn't that just asking for trouble?"
Consort Liu was amused by the old emperor's sympathetic tone and covered her mouth, saying, "Madam Lu is not the kind of person who would bully others casually. It must be that the other party did something very outrageous to offend her."
The old emperor thought she was right and asked, "Who was that little girl just now?"
Consort Liu didn't know this either. She looked at the eunuch not far away. There was no doubt that palace maids and eunuchs were the most well-informed.
The junior eunuch noticed the two men's gazes, stepped forward, and said with a forced smile, "I heard that she is Madam Lu's goddaughter whom she adopted in Jingzhou."
The old emperor grew increasingly puzzled: "Then why have you come to the capital?"
"It seems she was brought by her family, but the younger one isn't entirely sure..."
"If you don't know, go look it up! What are you standing here for? Hurry up and go!"
The old emperor was very displeased; hearing only half of this gossip was truly unpleasant.
Coincidentally, just as He Jiuniang returned with Susu, the Hu family arrived, saying they wanted to take Yao Shi and Susu back, since the mother and daughter had been bothering the General's Mansion for quite some time.
He Jiuniang did not refuse, but said to the visitor, "Your master just brought his concubine to visit, which is really not polite. If your mistress has nothing to do, please let her come and sit at the mansion. I heard that she has been teaching Susu manners these days, and I would like to get to know her."
As she said this, He Jiuniang smiled and seemed to be in a good mood, which surprised and delighted the visitor, who happily went back to invite his wife.
When Zhu heard that He Jiuniang had invited her to visit, she was somewhat surprised. She asked the servant who delivered the message several times before finally letting him leave.
"Madam is wise! I didn't expect the Lu family to take the bait so quickly!"
The old woman looked at Zhu with a smile, her eyes full of joy.
She never expected to be able to climb up to the Lu family so easily; all her "meticulous teaching" of that little bastard during this time was worthwhile.
Madam Zhu smiled broadly and said, "I knew that bitch Yao wouldn't dare to talk nonsense. It's just that Master is too nervous. Yao can only rely on the Hu family. If she really dares to talk nonsense, it won't do her any good."
“What you say is true, Madam. Let’s hurry up and pack our things and go over there. We shouldn’t keep Madam Lu waiting.”
Without saying a word, Zhu went to change her clothes and dress herself up, thinking that if she invited her to dinner at this time, she would probably be invited to stay for dinner. It would be a good opportunity to see what kind of good food a second-rank official's family ate.
Starting tomorrow, her net worth will skyrocket, and countless wealthy ladies will invite her out to play. Just thinking about it makes me happy.
He Jiuniang had no idea that Zhu Shi was such a dreamer. After returning home, she didn't wait for Zhu Shi but went to see Yao Shi and directly told her about her plan.
"I will have Hu Sheng give you a judgment and restore your freedom. I can have the Crown Princess go to the government office to get an official document for you so that you can rightfully establish your own household. From now on, you can live alone with Susu."
He Jiuniang wasn't discussing it with her; her tone was even somewhat forceful.
She understood that women in this era were not in a good position, but when being helped, she had to be firm in her attitude, so that He Jiuniang would feel that everything she had done was worthwhile.
Hearing these words, Yao was both excited and apprehensive. She didn't know if she could provide a good life for Susu on her own.
Seeing her like this, He Jiuniang couldn't help but ask, "Are you reluctant to leave the Hu family?"
"No! I'm willing to give it up! I... I just don't know how to make a living in the future so that Susu can grow up in peace."
Yao hurriedly denied it. She only regretted that she could not leave that hellish place sooner, so how could she be reluctant to leave?
"Nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it."
He Jiuniang breathed a sigh of relief, as long as she wasn't reluctant to leave the Hu family.
"Susu said you have good skills. You can embroider and make clothes. I'm planning to open a clothing store in the capital. If you are capable, I'll let you be the manager. If you are not capable enough, you can start as a seamstress. Take it slow and make a good life with your own hands. It's better than relying on anyone else."
He Jiuniang said so much mainly because she felt sorry for her. She was Susu's birth mother, and in theory, she was about the same age as herself, but looking at her now, she felt like she was more than a generation younger than herself.
This was the first time Yao had ever heard such words. He Jiuniang was the first person to tell her that she could live a good life by relying on her own hard work.
Whether it was her parents or her brothers, they all said that as a woman, she should find a man to rely on, and it would be best if she could have a son to depend on, so that she could have someone to rely on in her old age. So even though her parents felt sorry for her and couldn't bear to part with her, they still married her off to Hu Sheng as a concubine.
But now, there is a woman who has overturned all her previous understanding.
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