Rong Ning has always been this way of being; she would rather be a broken piece of jade than a whole piece of tile.
The emperor was fully aware of this, but there was nothing he could do about it.
However, it would be against etiquette to arrange for her to be included in the envoy delegation to escort Rong Yang northward.
After careful consideration, the emperor finally made a concession: "You may blend into the wedding procession and escort your sister north. I will inform them beforehand."
However, you must never reveal your identity as a princess, especially not to the people of Da Jing. Furthermore, you can only be escorted to the border between the two countries at most; you must absolutely not accompany the envoy delegation into Da Jing territory.
This was the maximum compromise the emperor could make.
Rong Ning was very satisfied with the outcome. With the emperor's permission, she could at least rightfully bid farewell to her elder sister without having to think of anything else.
She stood up, bowed respectfully to the emperor, and sincerely thanked him, saying, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty."
With her wish fulfilled, Rong Ning returned to Zhaoqing Palace in high spirits.
No sooner had he stepped into the palace than the people from the Imperial Concubine's palace followed him in.
The newcomer was the trusted head maidservant of the Imperial Concubine, followed by a group of attendants carrying many exquisite boxes and brocade wrappings.
Rong Ning looked at the scene before her, somewhat puzzled. "What does Your Highness mean by this?"
The head palace maid replied respectfully, "Your Highness, these are gifts specially prepared by the Imperial Concubine to express her gratitude for Your Highness speaking up for her in the main hall today."
The Empress's gratitude towards His Highness is all contained within this.
Rong Ning remained expressionless and replied calmly, "It was just a small favor. Your Highness, there's no need to be so polite. Take these things back the way they came from."
However, the head palace maid refused to give up and continued to persuade her, "Your Highness... I am only acting under orders. Please accept these gifts. Otherwise, I will not be able to explain to Her Majesty!"
Rong Ning's expression darkened slightly, and her voice became serious. "Take it back! Your Majesty should know very well what kind of temper I have."
Don't do these useless things, lest you embarrass your mistress.
Seeing Rong Ning's anger, the Consort's men dared not utter another word. They could only hurriedly pack their things and return to Chaoyang Palace dejectedly.
The items were taken away and brought back in the same way. The head palace maid realized she had failed in her duty and knelt down with a thud to beg for forgiveness, "This servant has not done a good job, please punish me, Your Highness."
The Imperial Concubine chuckled lightly, her tone devoid of reproach, "Get up... it's nothing serious!"
Then, she murmured to herself thoughtfully, "If she accepts it, then she won't be Rong Ning."
She and Rong Ning seem to have a subtle relationship.
Perhaps because of her deceased mother, Rong Ning harbored an innate hostility towards her. From childhood to adulthood, she had never accepted any gifts from her, and their relationship had always been tense.
However, unexpectedly, in the main hall, when everyone was attacking her, Rong Ning actually stood up and argued for her, leaving the ministers speechless.
This move was truly unexpected!
The Imperial Concubine smiled slightly, thinking to herself that Rong Ning was truly unpredictable.
Then, she turned to the head palace maid and instructed, "Convert all these things into silver and send them to Princess Zhaoqing."
She paused, then added, "Just say that it was my personal makeup done for Princess Zhaoqing."
The head palace maid received the order and hurriedly left.
When it comes to giving gifts... there's no reason why you can't give them away. It's just that you need to be a little clever with the method.
...
A few days later, the imperial edict arrived at Zhaoqing Palace.
The emperor personally bestowed upon Rong Ning the title "Ningding"!
Rong Ning was quite satisfied with this title.
Prior to this, the emperor had already ordered the Princess's residence to be repaired. A dozen days later, Eunuch Qi came to inform Rong Ning that the Princess's residence had been repaired and that if she had free time, she could go and check if there were any omissions.
However, how could Rong Ning, a woman who had never been involved in the affairs of the mansion, know what was missing?
She turned her head and saw Rong Yang, who was busy with palace affairs not far away. Her eyes lit up, and she approached her with a grin, "Sister, shall we accompany A Ning to see the Princess's residence?"
She spoke in a pitiful tone.
As the day of the marriage alliance drew ever closer, the entire palace became exceptionally busy.
As a princess about to be married, Rong Yang possessed an extremely noble status. However, since there was no empress in the palace, and although the Consort was responsible for managing the affairs of the harem, she still lacked the authority to make certain important decisions. Therefore, Rong Yang had been entangled in various trivial matters and extremely busy these past few days.
Therefore, Rong Yang almost instinctively refused, "The Princess's residence was meticulously renovated by the Ministry of Works at the Emperor's order. How could they dare to neglect it?"
There shouldn't be anything lacking, Aning. You just need to choose an auspicious day to move in.
Where can you find such auspicious days and times?
Rong Ning snorted and snatched the account book from Rong Yang's hand. "Sister... I can't be bothered with these trivial matters!"
I just want my older sister to come with me to see it, just to get away and relax.
As for these matters, they can be temporarily set aside or left to be handled by servants.
Anyway, this harem can still function perfectly well without you. Why should you, elder sister, work so hard and exhaust yourself?
Seeing that she didn't move, Rong Ning immediately changed her attitude and became gentle and pitiful, pleading softly, "Sister... in half a month, you will be going to Da Jing for a political marriage, and there is not much time left."
Don't stay cooped up in the palace all day! Ah Ning wants to take you out of the palace for a few days, how about it?"
Rong Yang's heart began to waver, but she still hesitated and said, "However, I'm afraid Father Emperor will not allow me to leave the palace for an extended period of time."
"You don't need to worry about that, I have a way to deal with it!" Rong Ning replied confidently.
Without saying a word, Rong Ning stepped forward and pulled Rong Yang, who was buried in a pile of account books, up. At the same time, she turned to A Ying, who was standing to the side, and loudly ordered, "A Ying, after we leave the palace, immediately go and report to His Majesty that I am taking my elder sister out of the palace to play for a few days. Please rest assured, His Majesty."
Hearing this, Rong Yang was somewhat stunned. She stared at Rong Ning with wide eyes and asked in confusion, "Is this the method you were talking about?"
Rong Ning smiled slightly, a bright smile on her face. She held Rong Yang's hand tightly and walked out while answering, "That's right... If Father Emperor is unhappy when he hears this, he can just send someone to arrest us and take us back."
Then we'll see if Father Emperor can bear to do it.
Seeing Rong Yang's disapproving expression, Rong Ning continued, "Sister... you really don't need to restrain yourself with those tedious rules all the time."
Sometimes, it's okay to be a little willful and indulge in a little recklessness!
Being too sensible makes others less likely to feel sorry for you!
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