Jiang Meiren, seeing that Empress Xiao was in a bad mood, didn't dare to linger and quickly found an excuse to leave Zhaoming Palace. After she left, Empress Xiao asked Qingguo, "What happened today? Everything was fine, but how did the Second Prince end up in the rear hall, damaging bengong's court crown and the 'jade annulus'?" The last two words were spoken with a hint of anger.
Qingguo stepped forward, replaced the Empress's tea with a hot cup, and said, "I've inquired about it. Recently, the Second Prince has been very fond of playing with an embroidered ball, going to the open space near the osmanthus forest almost every afternoon to play. This time, the ball was accidentally kicked near Zhaoming Palace. Someone advised the Second Prince to leave, but Niangniang knows his temper, the more you try to stop him from doing something, the more he insists on doing it..."
Hearing this, Empress Xiao had already guessed most of what happened. She slammed her right hand heavily on the table, making the tea cup shake, and angrily said, "What a Second Prince! Relying on His Majesty's favor, he completely disregards bengong. Today he dares to cause trouble in Zhaoming Palace, tomorrow he might even dare to assassinate the Crown Prince."
Qingguo lowered her head deeply, not daring to respond. When it comes to the Second Prince's temper, a large part of the responsibility still lies with the master in front of her. If it wasn't for her always stopping His Majesty from punishing the Second Prince, the Second Prince wouldn't have turned out like this.
Suddenly, Empress Xiao exclaimed and then furrowed her brows deeply, "Did you inquire clearly? Could there be others involved?" He played every day, so why did he choose today to cause trouble?
Yu Tao, standing nearby, said solemnly, "Niangniang, forgive me for being talkative, but you ordered Ru'er and the others to clean your court crown this morning."
Empress Xiao seemed to recall this fact and nodded slowly, dispelling the last trace of doubt in her heart. After a while, she twirled the jade bead string in her hand and said, "The Second Prince will enter school next year. If he continues like this, he will sooner or later tarnish the imperial family's reputation. Tomorrow, I'll have the Dowager Empress grant him a few teacher momo's so that he could learn what rules and etiquette are."
Yu Tao smiled and said, "Niangniang is wise. I'm sure Moral Consort Zhang will appreciate Niangniang's kind intentions." Qingguo also echoed a few words, but in her heart, she was thinking that the days ahead for the Second Prince will not be easy. She just hoped it wouldn't affect them, the servants. Fortunately, she belonged to Zhaoming Palace. As long as she was careful, she shouldn't have any trouble.
Early the next morning, Shen Moyun didn't need Hong Xi's call. She lifted the gauze curtain and got off the bed, surprising Lu Jing and the others, who hurried over to assist her with wearing clothes and shoes. When the little palace maid outside heard the sounds coming from inside, she brought in a copper basin, hot water, towels, and other things and began to helpConsort Shu to freshen up.
"Niangniang's spirit looks really good," Jian Rong said with a smile as she entered the room. She saluted to Shen Moyun sitting in front of the dressing table.
Shen Moyun, while picking out jewelry, casually responded, "When good things happen, spirits naturally lift. Seeing good news naturally boosts one's mood." She then put down the golden hairpin and pointed to a crystal jade buyao nearby, "Change to this one, don't want gold."
Lu Jing picked up the crystal jade buyao and gently inserted it into her cloud bun, letting the transparent crystal tassel naturally hang down, emitting colorful lights under the lamplight. She also chose several plain jade hairpins and jade rings, and Shen Moyun changed into a moon-white palace dress. After a while, Shen Moyun was already dressed up. After thinking for a moment, she selected a curved flower embedded in south pearl bracelet for her right hand, making her look less fragile.
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Consort Shu
Historical FictionAuthor: 晓桥琉水 Concise Version: Wearing the identity of the legitimate eldest daughter of the Shen family, she entered the palace and was immediately bestowed the title of first rank Consort Shu, just one step away from the position of Empress. Howeve...
