Blossom in Adversity

C114. Imperial Family Relations.

Chapter 114: Imperial Family Relations

In the quiet room, the scent of sandalwood gently wafted through the air.

As the most esteemed woman in the current Great Daqing Dynasty, the Empress Dowager wore a plain attire that was almost too understated. Apart from a jade bracelet that she never removed, she did not wear any other jewelry.

At this moment, she was not reciting scriptures but instead, she was resting with her eyes closed on a cushion, occasionally covering her mouth to cough softly.

"Your Majesty, Yu Xiang has returned."

The Empress Dowager opened her eyes. "Come in."

Yu Xiang brushed off the chill at the door, warmed herself by the brazier, then pushed the door open to enter the quiet room. "Your Majesty, I have returned."

"Did you see her?"

"Yes, I did." Yu Xiang knelt beside the Empress Dowager, gently placing her feet flat and massaging them with just the right amount of pressure. She continued, "I saw that she is a good girl, both soft and strong, with quite some courage. She seems quite admirable."

"Wan'er had to wait for her return before she could let go of that grudge. It seems she is not lacking in any way. I was worried that she couldn't handle the elders, but now it seems I underestimated her. What about Hua Jing?"

"She is still in that hut. When I left, she was crying pitifully towards me. I glanced back as I left, and the brazier in the hut was burning brightly, with thick layers of blankets. I believe she has not been neglected."

The Empress Dowager chuckled, "You surely know the tricks in play here. It's impressive how that girl can think of everything. I will see how she deals with Hua Jing. If she doesn't do anything, I will have to take matters into my own hands."

The Empress Dowager's smile remained but somehow sent a chill down one's spine. Having lived in the palace for most of her life, she had mastered the art of those lethal techniques despite not learning anything else.

"You probably won't have the chance. That girl is not one to back down easily. However, Hua Jing is her aunt after all, so if she doesn't want to lose face, she'll have to come up with some tricks."

"Eating the same rice, drinking the same water, yet raising people who are so vastly different." The Empress Dowager thought of her own second son and empathized more with Wan'er. "Has Yan Xi entered the palace today?"

"Recently, His Majesty has been summoning the Shizi into the palace." Yu Xiang glanced at her mistress and whispered, "I happened to overhear something. It seems the Shizi went to the Hua family to offer condolences, and His Majesty was not pleased."

"Yan Xi went to offer condolences to Wan'er?" This was news to the Empress Dowager, as she had been living in the palace as a figurehead for many years and was out of touch with current events. She had no idea when Yan Xi had started forming connections with the Hua family. "Whom did he go to see?"

Yu Xiang lowered her head. "I didn't dare to inquire further, but I overheard just a snippet."

The Empress Dowager furrowed her brows slightly. "Go and tell him that I miss him and ask him to come and have a meal with me."

"Yes."

*

In the inner chamber of the study, with no visible marks on his face and only about thirty percent resembling his usual self, Gu Yanxi was currently assisting the emperor in allowing the imperial physician to remove a silver needle from the emperor's head.