Upon returning to the palace, Su Wanwan immediately instructed Heying to send back the several sets of clothes that the Needlework Bureau had previously sent.
The newly appointed head eunuch of the Needlework Bureau asked anxiously, "What is it that the Empress is dissatisfied with?"
"The items are good, but they were delivered to the wrong place," He Ying simply said.
After much deliberation, the head eunuch decided to report the matter to the Emperor.
He didn't want to follow in his predecessor's footsteps and go to Nanjing to grow vegetables.
Lu Xingjian looked at the clothes with a mixture of anger and uncertainty, his face darkening.
"Why give it to me? If nobody wants it, just destroy it!"
He picked up the teacup beside him, but found it slightly hot to the touch, as if it were working against him. Feeling extremely annoyed, he threw the teacup away.
...
A few days later, Heying came to report happily: "Your Majesty, the Emperor has returned and is staying at Xiaoyuan."
She paused, her eyes sparkling with excitement, "Maggie didn't come back with her."
"Why don't you send something over there, to give them a way out?"
Su Wanwan said coldly, "No need."
That night, Su Wanwan was half asleep when she heard a knock at the door. Someone was pushing the door from the outside but couldn't open it.
She had already locked the door from the inside.
The man lowered his voice: "Wanwan, open the door."
The voice sounded somewhat strained.
Su Wanwan ignored her and turned over to continue sleeping.
After a while, it became quiet outside the door.
Su Wanwan opened her eyes and stared quietly at the top of the curtain, lost in thought.
Two days later, Madam Qiu came to Kunning Palace to pay her respects, and kindly comforted her:
"Your Majesty is pregnant; you should not worry too much."
“My husband wrote a letter to Grand Secretary Su a while ago, and they replied that Lord Su Nan had arrived home safely.”
"The Jinyiwei is thoroughly investigating the case of the fire at the Su family residence, and there should be a result soon."
Su Wanwan remained noncommittal: "Whatever result you want, that's the result. Whether you investigate or not, it doesn't make much difference."
Mrs. Qiu's expression was somewhat complicated.
Minister of War Liu Yu specifically instructed her to go to the palace to pay her respects, and also gave her many other instructions.
Unexpectedly, the Empress no longer even believes the results of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's investigation.
The Embroidered Uniform Guards were directly under the Emperor's command. Thinking deeper, this meant that the Empress didn't trust the Emperor at all.
That's understandable.
Who in the capital didn't know that the Emperor favored Ma Ji?
The Empress was still young and couldn't let go of matters of the heart, and it also concerned important matters of her family, so she was probably feeling resentful.
With this thought in mind, Madam Qiu said meaningfully:
"Why should Your Majesty get angry over irrelevant people? After all, you are the Empress, and if you give birth to a legitimate son, he will be the rightful future Crown Prince."
Su Wanwan lowered her eyes, placed her hand on her lower abdomen, and burst into tears.
"I have no family to rely on, and no one to help me. I don't even know if I can keep the baby in my belly, so how can I protect him and help him grow up?"
Mrs. Qiu felt a pang of sadness upon seeing this.
The Empress is much thinner than when I first met her last year.
It is clear that life in the palace was not easy.
As the wife of a high-ranking official, she found it somewhat difficult to manage even the most basic household affairs.
Moreover, the young Empress, without the Emperor's care and protection, had to survive in the cracks of the palace.
Madam Qiu composed herself, her tone calm yet firm.
“Your Majesty, my husband said that since we have received such great kindness from Minister Su, we should repay it. The Liu family is willing to be Your Majesty’s support.”
Madam Qiu's declaration of loyalty was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.
The dragon fetus in Su Wanwan's belly is the best banner.
Who wouldn't want to latch onto a powerful figure early and secure decades of wealth and prosperity for themselves?
Su Wanwan looked up at Madam Qiu, her tearful eyes filled with emotion.
"I will always remember your kindness, Madam. If the child is born, how about we make Madam our godmother?"
Madam Qiu was flattered and repeatedly said she didn't deserve it.
She was old enough to be Su Wanwan's elder, how could she dare to presume to become the godmother of the future crown prince?
However, Su Wanwan's words still made her feel incredibly comforted.
Adding flowers to brocade can never compare to offering charcoal in the snow, which shows true friendship.
Two days later, Heying came to report to Su Wanwan:
He Jin of Xixin Division said that Marquis Huaining and Earl Jingyuan have been appointed as Acting Commanders of the Second Rank, and will be stationed in the Three Thousand Camp and the Five Armies Camp to supervise the training.
Su Wanwan's beautiful eyes flickered.
She had previously asked for an official position in person, but Lu Xingjian refused outright.
But now they've changed their minds.
I don't know why.
Because she suspected that He Jin was someone arranged by Lu Xingjian, she had stopped seeing He Jin recently.
When Lady Huaining entered the palace again to express her gratitude, she said:
“That Ma family is truly laughable. They insist that it was because they recommended my lord to the Emperor that he caught the Emperor’s eye and was able to re-enter officialdom.”
"We will never forget the kindness of Your Majesty in helping us."
Su Wanwan gave Lady Huaining a sharp look.
The Ma family really has a keen sense of smell; they've already made connections with the Marquis of Huaining's residence.
However, Lu Xingjian refused her request for an official position, but instead accepted the recommendation of the Ma family.
It really makes one feel suffocated.
When Lady Huaining met Su Wanwan's gaze, her eyes shrank, and her smile froze for a moment.
The Empress's warning in that glance was so obvious that she dared not have any disloyal thoughts.
When the Ma family invited her to the banquet, she hesitated and considered betting on both sides.
One is an unfavored empress, and the other is the emperor's beloved, both pregnant with imperial offspring.
If Princess Ma gives birth to the eldest prince, and that prince becomes the crown prince, it would be very unwise for her to refuse the Ma family's overtures.
In other words, the Marquis of Huaining was right to decide that he could not be a traitor, which led to the Marquis's wife going to the palace to express her gratitude.
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