Empress Zhaoyuan noticed that there was suddenly an extra person at the door, so she straightened up and let Axiang continue to hold Yun Duoduo's hand. She asked a question while taking a sip of water from her teacup.
After working so hard all day, I'm really quite tired.
"What are you looking at?!" Empress Zhaoyuan asked again. The palace maids at the palace gate looked at the majestic and imposing empress and dared not raise their heads in fear.
Hearing Empress Zhaoyuan's authentic Northeastern accent, Yun Duoduo was terrified that the palace maid would retort, "What are you looking at?!"
"Your Majesty, a servant from the Imperial Noble Consort's palace next door has come to report that..."
"Say what you want to say, stop stammering!" Empress Zhaoyuan asked her impatiently, her hands on her hips, wiping the large beads of sweat from her forehead.
“Tell me, our Fushuang Palace is too noisy. Her Imperial Noble Consort is taking a nap right now!” After the palace maid finished speaking, she slightly raised her head to see Empress Zhaoyuan’s reaction.
Upon hearing this, Empress Zhaoyuan's temper flared up instantly.
"Hey, I have such a bad temper. Why is this old duck so troublesome? If she finds it noisy, let her move to the Cold Palace to sleep. It's quiet there, and she can keep Consort Zheng company!"
"Shameless wretch! Doesn't he know his place? The little princess is the apple of His Majesty's and my eye. Her first birthday celebration is just around the corner. The most important thing right now is to teach the little princess how to walk!" Empress Zhaoyuan cursed as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and her anger flared up uncontrollably.
She took off her outer garment, rolled up her sleeves, and headed towards the Imperial Noble Consort's bedroom next door.
"Your Majesty, please don't be impulsive!" Cui Ling pleaded earnestly from behind. Her mistress's reputation for being a fighter was already well-known in the palace. Last time she slapped Consort Chen, and this time she was probably going to pull the hair of the Imperial Noble Consort.
The Imperial Noble Consort's hair is about to be lost...
"Fang, Fang, Imperial Noble Consort?" Yun Duoduo stood there, somewhat at a loss. She looked at Empress Zhaoyuan's hurried movements with some confusion.
[The Imperial Noble Consort, she seems to be in the palace. I've never heard of such a person!]
"The Imperial Noble Consort is the highest-ranking concubine in the harem besides the Empress," Ah Xiang explained from the side.
"Children?" Yun Duoduo simply uttered two words, wanting to know if the Imperial Noble Consort had any children.
"The Imperial Noble Consort has never been pregnant. She has been in the palace for more than ten years, but she has never had a child."
Having spent over a decade in the palace without bearing any children and without receiving the emperor's favor, why was she still granted the title of Imperial Noble Consort?
Yun Duoduo was a little confused, but she could guess that this Imperial Noble Consort probably had a very powerful backer.
Empress Zhaoyuan returned shortly after leaving, looking flustered.
Seeing the stark contrast in her expression before and after, Yun Duoduo became curious about what had happened outside.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner that the Empress Dowager would be arriving at Fushuang Palace?" Empress Zhaoyuan complained to Cuiling behind her.
"I only just heard it and saw it," Cui Ling said, looking annoyed.
Empress Zhaoyuan hurriedly put on her clothes and put away her fighting stance. "That old duck, the Imperial Noble Consort, I'll deal with her when I have time. Just because her family guards the border of the Southern Rong region, she acts lawless, arrogant, and disregards the dignity of the royal family. She speaks in a sarcastic and sarcastic way."
"His Majesty is hesitant to deal with her because of the power of her maternal family. Sooner or later, she will end up like Consort Zheng in the Cold Palace!"
Ah, so that's how it is. No wonder they sent someone to say they disturbed her afternoon nap; it turns out they have a powerful backer.
The Imperial Noble Consort's family was an indispensable ally of her Emperor father.
"The Empress Dowager has arrived!" came the shout from the entrance of the sleeping quarters.
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!" Everyone knelt down in unison.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." Empress Zhaoyuan's arrogant and fighting spirit had completely vanished. She knelt respectfully on the ground, appearing gentle and dignified.
"Yes, the Empress is here too. Please get up."
"Your Majesty, please have some tea." Empress Zhaoyuan handed a cup of tea to the Empress Dowager.
"Yes, I am quite thirsty after this journey." The Empress Dowager took the teacup and drank the tea in one gulp.
Empress Zhaoyuan quickly poured another cup of tea and handed it to the Empress Dowager.
"I heard that you come every day to teach Duoduo how to walk?" The Empress Dowager gave Empress Zhaoyuan an approving look.
"Whenever I have a spare moment, I come to sit with the little princess for a while. I wonder if this girl will find me annoying, haha." Empress Zhaoyuan said, glancing at Yun Duoduo with a smile.
Yun Duoduo knew that Empress Zhaoyuan treated her very well, and she was very grateful.
However, her mother had been murdered, which was why her health was deteriorating day by day. If she investigated and found that the real culprit had nothing to do with Empress Zhaoyuan, she would take good care of Empress Zhaoyuan.
She is a person who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment. She will repay those who have hurt her, her mother, and those she loves with the same kindness, and she will do everything in her power to protect those who are good to her.
"Yes, I will come over in the future. The first birthday banquet is coming soon. Not only will the ministers of the court be there, but also the envoys from neighboring countries. My granddaughter has extraordinary talent and should be treated with the demeanor of a princess of a great nation. She cannot be ridiculed and become the subject of gossip."
"Yes, Mother is right," Empress Zhaoyuan nodded in agreement.
"Your Majesty, the weather is hot these days, and the palace is busy preparing for the first birthday banquet. How about Your Majesty and I take turns teaching the little princess to walk?"
[Wow, Your Majesty is clever! You've already started arranging the schedules?]
【You guys aren't going to have day and night shifts too, are you?!】
"Haha, that's fine too."
"Then why doesn't Mother come in the early morning or evening? The weather isn't so hot then, and it's a good time to walk around and digest after breakfast and dinner."
"I will come at noon."
Zhang Mama blinked to herself. Empress Zhaoyuan seemed to have changed a bit these days, becoming more opinionated than usual.
"Yes, let's do as the Empress wishes." The Empress Dowager nodded with a smile.
Yun Duoduo watched as the two reached an agreement so readily, then looked expectantly at the Empress Dowager and the Empress, ["You guys, didn't you even ask the parties involved for their opinions?"]
She glanced at the cradle and the comfortable little bed, [Looks like I'll have to practice walking diligently these next few days. Cute little bed, I'll come back to pamper you again in a while!]
...
For several days in a row, Yun Duoduo practiced speaking and walking. Under the strict tutelage of her grandmother and Empress Zhaoyuan, her progress was rapid, almost meteoric.
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