The next morning, the old emperor didn't see He Jiuniang, but instead saw the Fifth Princess rushing in to complain.
The old emperor already knew about what happened yesterday, but it was too late and he didn't care much. For the sake of his health, he has been going to bed very early lately.
The Fifth Princess's mouth was swollen and bleeding after being hit. Overnight, it was swollen and she had difficulty speaking. Whenever she saw the old emperor, she would kneel on the ground and cry.
She had originally planned to come and complain last night, but she was told that her father was already resting, so she didn't dare to disturb him and could only come this morning.
"Father, you must make sure I get a proper meal!"
The old emperor felt a pang of heartache seeing her like this, after all, he had doted on this daughter.
But of all the things she could do, she had to provoke He Jiuniang.
Not to mention that he still needs He Jiu Niang's help to recuperate, he also knew the whole story last night. It was Qing Yu who provoked her first, so it was only natural that she was taught a lesson. After all, the old emperor knew that woman was vindictive.
"Of all people to mess with, you had to pick on He Jiuniang. She's different from everyone else."
The old emperor sighed and waved for the fifth princess to rise.
Seeing this, the Fifth Princess knew that her father intended to appease the situation, and instantly became angry, saying, "If Father doesn't stand up for me, I won't get up! Father, have you taken a fancy to that woman?!"
She was spoiled since childhood and speaks boldly, even daring to say such things.
"Outrageous! My relationship with her is completely innocent!"
The old emperor thought to himself, he did have some thoughts, but he dared not!
The old emperor suddenly became angry, startling the fifth princess. Before she could say anything, the old emperor said, "It's one thing that you've done something wrong and don't know how to repent, but you even dare to slander me. I think you're getting more and more confused. You don't want the title of princess anymore!"
Not all princesses had titles; only the most favored princesses did. Having a title meant having fertile land and fiefs. If a princess was stripped of her title, all of these things would be confiscated.
The Fifth Princess was one of the few princesses with a title. The reason she was so arrogant and domineering was because she had money and people would follow her orders. But once she was stripped of her title, she would lose everything and would even be ridiculed by those she had offended in the past.
The Fifth Princess was stunned when she heard this. She never imagined that her father would go to such lengths for the wife of a third-rank official!
With all this protection, who would believe they have a completely innocent relationship?
She was unconvinced, but dared not say anything more for the time being.
Just then, a young eunuch came in and reported: "Your Majesty, the Lu family has sent someone to say that Madam Lu cannot come to give Your Majesty acupuncture today, saying that she is not feeling well and wants to rest for a few days."
In an instant, the old emperor's expression changed.
He Jiuniang is usually as strong as an ox, how could she suddenly fall ill? She's just being temperamental and wants him to give her an answer.
These women, each one has a bigger temper than the last!
The old emperor glanced at his daughter, then thought about his own health, and came up with a compromise.
"Go back. You are my daughter. I will not hold this against you, but this will not happen again."
Fifth Princess: ? ? ?
She's the one who got bullied, what do you mean by not arguing with her?
So He Jiuniang hit her, and that's it?
"Can……"
"Um?"
Just as she was about to speak, the old emperor gave her a warning look, and she could only suppress her resentment and leave unwillingly.
After she left, the old emperor beckoned to his father-in-law and said, "Prepare some gifts and send them to the Lu residence. Tell her to come and give me acupuncture as soon as possible. She is, after all, my daughter. Don't go too far!"
The old man chuckled and agreed, then went to take care of it himself.
He still quite liked the Emperor as he was now; he seemed more human, more like an ordinary elder than an emperor.
This Madam Lu is truly the Emperor's nemesis!
It seems I need to try to please Madam Lu more in the future; that way, life will be easier.
He Jiuniang was lazy and slept until she naturally woke up. After lazily washing up, she realized that someone from the palace had come. She frowned and asked, "When did you arrive? Why didn't you wake me?"
The maidservant dutifully replied, "Eunuch Zhao said that Madam is not feeling well, so it's alright for him to wait a bit."
"Did Eunuch Zhao come in person? The old eunuch who serves the Emperor?"
"Yes, we servants have served Eunuch Zhao milk tea and some snacks, so Madam need not worry."
He Jiu Niang nodded, knowing that her father-in-law had come to give her a gift, which meant that the old emperor wanted to use some gifts to win people's hearts.
That was her original plan, after all, she hadn't suffered any loss, but she still wanted to let some people with ulterior motives know that the Lu family wasn't so easy to bully. So she wanted to use the old emperor's authority to put those people in their place. Now that the old emperor had sent her father-in-law over in person and had quietly waited for her to wake up naturally, he was giving her plenty of face. So she should know when to stop.
After washing up, He Jiuniang went to the reception room. Her father-in-law was sitting on a stool with his legs crossed, and there were some new-style pastries next to him, all of which were almost gone. It seemed that the old man still had a good appetite.
"Oh dear, Madam, you're up. Are you feeling any better?"
The old man stood up, smiled and bowed, and began to speak with concern.
He Jiuniang also smiled and said, "I'm much better. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty and Eunuch."
"Don't worry, Madam. His Majesty already knows what happened last night and has spoken to the Fifth Princess. He also sent me some things to help you calm down."
The old man, having served the old emperor for so many years, didn't mince words with He Jiu Niang and told her the whole story directly.
Seeing this, He Jiuniang smiled and said, "You're joking, sir. I just caught a chill when I came back last night and I'm not feeling well. Why would I be angry? But I understand His Majesty's intentions. I'll trouble you to pass on the message that I'll go to the palace to give His Majesty acupuncture when I feel better at noon."
"That would be wonderful, Madam! I really appreciate it! I really like these pastries in your household. May I take the rest with me?"
He pointed to the few remaining small cakes, and He Jiuniang said, "If you like them, then take more back with you, so that the Emperor can also have a taste."
"Oh, that would be perfect!"
The old man's eyes narrowed into slits with laughter, as if he had been waiting for He Jiuniang to say those words.
He Jiuniang had a fairly good impression of the old man, so she naturally wouldn't make things difficult for him. She had someone pack a lot of pastries for him and also gave him some Lu Hei Ya seasoning packets. The old man returned home with a full load and immediately sent the small cakes to the old emperor to taste after returning to the palace.
As the old emperor ate, his father-in-law spoke highly of He Jiuniang, using all sorts of flattering words like "wise and virtuous," "intelligent and sensible," and "magnanimous."
The old emperor sensed something was amiss and looked up to ask, "Is the person you're talking about the same person I know?"
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