Chapter 17: The Nest Overturned
After Hu Shanwei retreated, Zhu Yuhuan retreated and walked around the others to the front yard. Sure enough, he saw Hu Shanwei directing the six palace servants to bring in the covered peonies one by one. The other five palace servants saluted Zhu Yuhuan when they saw him, and Hu Shanwei also said, "Your servant greets the young master."
Zhu Yuhuan waved his hand at them and said, "No need to be so polite. I heard that Concubine Hu sent some Ou Bi peonies, so I came here to see some new ones."
The brightly colored palace maid who had previously followed Hu Shanwei smiled upon seeing this and said, "It's still too cold right now. Peonies are delicate and can't be exposed to the wind easily at this time of year. They need to be carefully protected with a cloth cover."
Zhu Yuhuan nodded slightly and said, "I see."
She glanced at the palace maid. She was very bright and beautiful. Even if she was wearing the clothes of an ordinary palace maid, she could be spotted in the crowd at a glance. She was completely different from the dignified and cold Hu Shanxiang and the pretty and lovely Sun Mengqiu. She was really eye-catching.
With such a person serving Hu Shanwei, she should not have been unaware of it.
Hu Shanwei noticed her confusion and said with a smile, "This is Miaosu. Her surname is Wu and she was born in Dantu. She has been in the palace for only a year. She is currently studying to learn how to read and write, aiming to become a court lady. She is good at tending to flowers and plants and usually stays in the greenhouse. She has never come with me to visit the ladies in the other palaces, so it's natural that you find her unfamiliar."
"I see."
Wu Miaosu greeted him and said, "This servant greets the young master. May the young master be well."
Seeing the smile on Hu Shanwei's face when he mentioned Wu Miaosu, one could tell that Hu Shanwei greatly admired her and probably looked after her on a daily basis, which was why he seemed so familiar with her. After all, according to Hu Shanwei's personality, he only favored those who were down-to-earth and hardworking. This showed that Wu Miaosu must have been very diligent and studious to be valued so highly by her.
Zhu Yuhuan nodded and said with a smile, "No wonder you know so much about the habits of these peonies. It turns out you take care of them regularly."
Hu Shanwei said gently, "Miao Su will be temporarily transferred to the Eastern Palace to teach the palace servants how to care for the Ou Bi Peony."
Zhu Yuhuan was slightly surprised and jokingly said, "I thought Lady Hu would send Miaosu directly to my mother."
She said this to remind Hu Shanwei not to send palace maids to the prince at will, lest Zhu Zhanji think that they were planting spies, and the relationship that had been slightly eased would become tense again.
Hu Shanwei followed her words and replied with a smile: "Miao Su is so smart, I want to keep her by my side for a few more years to teach her. In the future, when I leave the palace to retire, there will be someone who can take over my position and not bring disgrace to our Shanggong Bureau."
When she said this, everyone around her was stunned. They obviously didn't expect that the usually "extremely competitive" Hu Shang Gong would actually say such words as leaving the palace. Even Wu Miaosu, who was designated as the "successor", was stunned and said in surprise: "Shang Gong..."
Zhu Yuhuan was the first to react. She and Hu Shanwei looked at each other and smiled.
Zhu Zhanzhen dealt with the affairs in the main hall and found an excuse to follow out. Seeing Zhu Yuhuan standing there, he pulled her aside and asked in a low voice: "Hey, Huanhuan, why were you winking at me just now? It's not like my brother would do anything to Hu Shanggong."
Zhu Yuhuan looked at him and explained, "Not doing anything now doesn't mean I won't do anything in the future. My aunt has suffered for so long, and now she has decided to leave the palace. I don't want her to be implicated by something like this."
Zhu Zhanzhen didn't take it seriously and curled his lips, saying, "With my sister-in-law here, what could possibly happen to Concubine Hu?"
Thinking that Hu Shanxiang would be abandoned soon, Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He recalled what Zhu Zhanji had said to him and murmured to himself: "When the nest is overturned, no eggs will be left intact..."
Not to mention the two Hu sisters, even she, would there be a good ending by then? It would be nothing more than Zhu Zhanji hastily marrying her off to someone else...
Seeing her like this, Zhu Zhanzhen looked up at the palace maids who were moving flowers not far away and said, "I should be the one to say this."
Zhu Yuhuan came back to his senses and looked at Zhu Zhan'an's profile. Remembering that his mother was Consort Guo, who had a bad relationship with the Crown Princess, he said comfortingly, "Uncle has been raised by Daddy. He's almost like his own son. What is there for Uncle to worry about?"
Zhu Zhanzhen chuckled and said, "Aren't you also my eldest brother's biological daughter? What are you afraid of?"
The two smiled at each other, but there was a hint of uncertainty in their smiles.
Who can predict what will happen in the future?
With a major issue now resolved, Zhu Yuhuan temporarily put his worries to rest and enjoyed a delicious banquet at the Guanglu Temple. In the afternoon, he followed the Crown Princess and the others to watch a play. After watching a few acts, Zhu Yuhuan felt drowsy. Just as she was feeling sleepy, she heard the panicked sounds of a palace maid nearby. She shuddered and slapped her face hard, startling the nearby maid. She quickly grabbed Zhu Yuhuan's hand to prevent her from doing anything alarming.
After the surrounding palace servants hurriedly dispersed, Zhu Yuhuan looked at the empty stage and asked in confusion, "What happened just now?"
The palace maid whispered, "It's Concubine Sun who is about to give birth. Everyone is extremely nervous and has gone to the delivery room to wait for news."
Zhu Yuhuan blinked and said quickly, "Let's go and take a look too."
"yes."
Although Sun Mengqiu was the second concubine, Zhu Zhanji had few children and no sons, so everyone had high hopes for Sun Mengqiu's pregnancy. Now that Sun Mengqiu was giving birth, everyone was naturally extremely concerned. When Zhu Yuhuan went there, many people were waiting outside the delivery room. Hu Shanxiang even directed the midwives and palace servants to take good care of Sun Mengqiu without any panic.
There were hurried footsteps. Zhu Zhanji strode towards Hu Shanxiang and asked loudly, "How is Mengqiu? Has the midwife gone in?"
Hu Shanxiang replied, "I've already ordered the midwives to come in and deliver the baby. They're very experienced and will definitely take good care of the Crown Prince's concubine and ensure she has a smooth birth." She then turned to the palace maids beside her and said, "Bring a chair for the Crown Prince."
Zhu Zhanji waved his hand and said, "When Mengqiu gives birth to a child, I will go in to see her so that she won't be scared."
Zhu Yuhuan blinked his eyes and said softly, "The birth will take a long time. This is the second concubine's first birth, so it will take longer than mother's giving birth to Tongtong. Daddy is afraid that he will have to wait until nightfall to see his younger brother and sister. Why don't you sit down and rest first?"
She was unaware of the outside world when she was born, but Zhu Yuhuan knew exactly how Youtong was born. Seeing that Zhu Zhanji didn't even know how long the birth would take, he knew that he probably wasn't with Hu Shanxiang. For him, it was probably just a daughter he came home with one day. Even though Zhu Yuhuan had always told himself not to care about such trivial matters, he couldn't help but wonder: if it were Hu Shanxiang today, would Zhu Zhanji still be like this?
Zhu Zhanji felt a little embarrassed when he heard his daughter's words, and could only smile and say, "Daddy doesn't know as much as Huanhuan."
Hu Shanxiang said softly, "Huanhuan, why don't you go back to study? Stop causing trouble here."
Zhu Yuhuan touched the dagger hanging on his waist, saluted his mother obediently, and said, "Huanhuan understands. I will go back to study and write."
Hu Shanxiang looked at her somewhat lonely back and couldn't help but frowning slightly. She turned to look at Zhu Zhanji who was wholeheartedly guarding Sun Mengqiu, and then looked at the delivery room where palace servants were coming in and out. Finally, she stood still.
If she only cared about her daughter, who knows what kind of rumors would arise in the future... She had no choice but to let Huanhuan suffer for the time being.
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