Chapter 52: The Road Home
"A-choo! A-choo!"
Seeing Zhu Yuhuan sneeze several times in a row, Huai En couldn't help but feel a little worried. He covered Zhu Yuhuan with the cloak in his hand and said, "Princess, you should put on a few more clothes."
Xue Xuan also spoke up when he saw this: "Yes, Princess, we officials can handle the counting and comparison of seeds and fields. Besides, the tenants can also help. You don't need to worry about it."
Zhu Yuhuan shook her head and said, "The craftsmen have gone to check the farm tools. I know these things best, so of course I have to come in person." She smiled and said, "Besides, I'm looking forward to the celebration banquet. If I take advantage of this without doing anything, I'd feel bad. Besides, even Zhong Ge'er hasn't rested, so why should I?"
She persuaded the tenants with both reason and emotion, and the tenants who had been secretly watching Zhu Yuhuan from a distance now felt that Princess Shunde was kind and amiable, and that the queen who could raise such a princess must be a fairy-like figure.
Cheap farming methods, extremely low land taxes, and abundant harvests. Although there is still labor, it is already a dream life.
After hearing her say this, Xue Xuan naturally stopped trying to dissuade her, but he felt a little puzzled.
Princess Shunde always brought the Duke of Yingguo's son with her whenever she visited the Imperial Manor, and His Majesty didn't even bother to stop her. Could it be that he was considering marrying Princess Shunde to the Duke of Yingguo's household? However, the Duke of Yingguo's son was disabled and likely died young, and he wouldn't be able to inherit the Duke of Yingguo's title. Once the princess married, the Duke of Yingguo, being so cautious, would naturally not allow his son to take concubines or have another son. What if Zhang Zhong died early? Wouldn't that mean the Duke of Yingguo's household would be extinct?
Seeing that the sky gradually darkened, Zhu Yuhuan finally sat down to rest for a while. She held her chin with one hand, looked at the gradually dimming sunset in the distance, and muttered: "I don't know how Tongtong is doing. I will know when I return to the palace in a few days."
The master and servant rested by the edge of the field. Huai En looked nervous and said, "Isn't it too dangerous to let the Second Princess do such a thing? Your Majesty is very sensitive. If he notices something wrong..."
Zhu Yuhuan looked at the steaming tea on the table and said half-jokingly, "My father knows that Tongtong is still a child, so she naturally won't lie."
"But does that really help?"
Zhu Yuhuan smoothed the strands of hair from her forehead, looked down at the calluses on her hands, and said, "Grandma once said that I'm not only a princess of the Zhu family, but also my father's daughter. I have to let my father know that I can't escape his Five Fingers Mountain in this lifetime. If you express your grievances yourself, it will only annoy people. If others tell you, you will look pitiful." She stretched again and continued, "My mother is not the type to say harsh words, and my father is not the type to let others contradict him. At most, we will part ways on bad terms. With Miaosu in the palace, nothing will go wrong."
Huai En hesitated, but still said: "The virtuous concubine now has her own child... The princess should also be a little careful."
Zhu Yuhuan looked at him, smiled, and said, "Miaosu is a person who values gratitude. Moreover, her mother and brother are both dependent on me for protection. We are two crickets on the same rope, and we must live well for each other."
Huai En understood her unfinished meaning and said, "Huai En understands."
Zhu Yuhuan lowered her eyes and said, "Thanks to the letter from the Xu family, I was able to have Master arrange for Miaosu's mother to be treated at the Xu family clinic. She only said that she had fled from Dantu and dared not show up casually. She only came to see the doctor when she was seriously ill... This way, mother and daughter can finally be reunited openly." She touched her chin and said, "I don't know what the Concubine and Madam Sun are up to, but if the target is not me and my mother, then it can only be Miaosu."
Wu Miaosu was Hu Shanwei's apprentice, and everyone in the palace knew about it. Hu Shanxiang was not favored and her health was not good. Now that Wu Miaosu was pregnant, the person who was most anxious was naturally Concubine Sun.
In terms of her background, Wu Miaosu was originally a palace maid, and compared with Concubine Sun, she was indeed not a threat, but she had a good relationship with Hu Shanxiang. If she gave birth to a prince and handed him over to Hu Shanxiang to raise, that would be a real trouble, so the top priority was to get rid of Wu Miaosu who had emerged.
Wu Miaosu has become more cautious and tactful now. If Concubine Sun wants to control her, the only people who can do so are Wu Miaosu's family.
This was indeed Wu Miaosu's weakness, so Zhu Yuhuan asked Liu Yongcheng to pay more attention to her. Fortunately, Wu Miaosu's mother was alert and escaped from the Prince of Han's Mansion while Zhu Zhanji was attacking Wuding Prefecture, otherwise things would not have gone so smoothly.
Putting aside his chaotic thoughts, Zhu Yuhuan let out a long breath and whispered, "If possible, I really don't want to go back..."
Huai En comforted her, "Princess, if you want to come, you can come anytime. This Xihe Royal Manor was given by His Majesty. As long as the princess is here, it will always belong to her."
Zhu Yuhuan was amused when he heard this and said, "Since it was given by His Majesty, how can it be considered mine?"
As the two were talking, a servant from the imperial manor came running over, accompanied by an eunuch who had brought the news. He said breathlessly, "Your Highness, someone from the palace has come and said that the Empress has fallen ill!"
Before Huai En could react, he heard a bang. He turned his head and saw that the stool Zhu Yuhuan was sitting on had fallen to the ground.
Zhu Yuhuan clenched his hands, pretending to be calm, and asked, "What's going on? Why did mother fall ill?"
The eunuch didn't dare look at Zhu Yuhuan, as if afraid of being punished by her. He stammered, "The day before yesterday, His Majesty and the Empress seemed to have had an argument. We were waiting outside, so we don't know what happened... When we went in again, the Empress was feeling unwell, and her condition was getting worse..."
Zhu Yuhuan glanced at the sky and said, "Have someone prepare the carriage and return to the palace now. Remember to inform Zhong Ge'er and have him follow the carriage and return to the capital slowly."
Huai En was slightly stunned. Although he didn't understand why Zhu Yuhuan was in a hurry to return to the palace, he still responded and went down to ask people to prepare the carriage.
Since Zhu Yuhuan was anxious to return to the palace, he naturally traveled light. If it were not for Huai'en's request, Zhu Yuhuan would probably have ridden directly back to Beijing. However, the distance from Shuntian to Fengrun was not far, and the road was relatively flat, so driving all the way did not affect the speed.
Although it is not winter yet, the weather is getting colder day by day, especially after nightfall, when people's teeth are chattering with cold.
The carriage galloped quickly on the cold and gloomy path, with only a small group of guards following it. The forest was terribly quiet except for the sound of people hurrying on their way.
Although the path was not as smooth as the main road, it was not bumpy either. Huai En was lost in thought when the carriage suddenly shook and fell forward uncontrollably.
"Walking late at night, it seems there is a treasure. Brothers, move the valuables out of the car!"
Huai En's heart tightened, and he immediately realized that they had encountered a robbery.
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