funbook-pk Chapter 556 Zhen Huan's Request
Chapter 556 Zhen Huan's Request
"Old Seventeen, you are still as stubborn as ever."
The emperor shook his head slightly, with a hint of helplessness in his tone.
"As a child of the royal family, you should consider it your responsibility to have more children. I won't force you. If there is a lady from a noble family that you like, please let my brother know as soon as possible."
Prince Guo agreed with a smile.
"If I find a girl I like in the future, I will definitely ask the emperor to grant me marriage."
"You've said this so many times that my ears are almost callused. You should think about how to explain it to the Concubine Dowager."
While the two were talking, Su Peisheng, who was guarding the door of the hall, came in quietly to ask for instructions.
"Your Majesty, it's time for lunch. Would you like to serve the meal now?"
"Come on, Seventeenth Brother, let's go have dinner."
The emperor went out first.
Su Peisheng followed Prince Guo respectfully. The more he looked at him, the more he felt that this gentle prince was more approachable than before.
The emperor advocated frugality, so Su Peisheng only asked the imperial kitchen to increase the portion of food but did not add any new dishes.
He had served the emperor for many years and knew very well that his master was wary of his brothers.
It is impossible for Su Peisheng to be so tactless as to please other princes.
Life in the palace was boring, and the palace servants did the same work day after day.
Anything new will spread far and wide.
Before An Lingrong finished her lunch, she learned that Prince Guo was accompanying the emperor in the Yangxin Palace.
"Bao Que, the palace has a ground dragon, and the house is dry. I heard that the imperial kitchen has purchased a batch of high-quality radishes. Please ask Su Peisheng to prepare a radish banquet for the emperor."
"Radish grilled pork, cold radish salad, radish soup, radish rice, radish cake, etc. are all good."
Wei Lin said that radish is a treasure from head to toe.
"Yes, I will make arrangements now."
Prince Guo harbored ill will towards Yongshou Palace, and Baoque had no good feelings towards him at all.
She hesitated and asked in a low voice.
"Master, do you want to spread the news of Prince Guo entering the palace to Zhongcui Palace?"
"That's not necessary. Prince Guo's entry into the palace is no secret. I believe they will get the news soon."
An Lingrong gave detailed instructions.
"Be careful what you do, don't let the emperor's people find out."
The eunuchs sweeping the paths of the six palaces in the east and west were replaced by unfamiliar faces, which showed that someone was trying to monitor the harem.
After all, the emperor doesn't trust anyone, and An Lingrong knows this very well.
As soon as Baoque left, she lost her appetite.
"Bao'e, take out the remaining food and share it."
She has intervened in many things in this life, and many things have deviated from their original trajectory.
An Lingrong sat on the couch, thinking about what to do next.
The repeated attacks on the Zhen family by the Guwalgiya father and daughter have created a situation of life and death between them and Zhen Huan.
After this incident of requesting the title of empress, An Lingrong guessed that what Zhen Huan most wanted was to clear the name of the Zhen family.
However, with her intervention, Zhen Huan could no longer easily win people's hearts as she did in her previous life.
At least the high-ranking concubines in the palace are no longer pawns that she can manipulate at will.
The only one Zhen Huan can rely on is Prince Guo.
An Lingrong did so much just to create another intersection between the two of them.
Zhen Huan stayed indoors in Zhongcui Palace to recuperate, but the two of her subordinates were not idle.
As soon as Cui Jinxi and Bai Zhi returned to the palace, they resumed their interactions with their former acquaintances on the orders of their master.
Bai Zhi heard the news that Prince Guo had entered the palace, but she remembered that she had displeased her master by knocking her forehead red in Chuxiu Palace, so she wisely chose to remain silent.
Since she didn't receive any orders, she pretended to know nothing. After wandering around outside for a while, she went back to wait on people.
When she was refilling her master's second cup of ginseng tea, Cui Jinxi lifted the curtain and came in.
"Master, I have something important to report."
When Bai Zhi received Cui Jinxi's gaze, she tactfully went out and stood guard outside the hall.
"Master, news has come from the Yangxin Palace that Prince Guo has entered the palace to accompany the emperor."
Zhen Huan was stunned.
"Is this serious?"
The prince had clearly said when they parted that he couldn't bear to see her forcing a smile in the palace and that he wanted to stay in Qingliangtai for a long time.
Cui Jinxi reported the truth.
"Yes, I have inquired about it. It was the Emperor who summoned the prince back to the palace."
"Master, three concubines will give birth at the end of the year. I suspect the Emperor will confer great honors on the harem."
"But now you are trapped in the palace, and you have to face the persistent Qi Guiren from time to time."
"I think the most urgent thing is..."
Zhen Huan was quick-witted and she soon understood Cui Jinxi's intention.
"Are you asking me to ask the prince to help clear my father's name?"
"Master is wise. The emperor values rules, while the court officials are pedantic. In this harem, the only way to protect your family is to climb higher."
Cui Jinxi thought to herself: If Concubine Shu, who was the daughter of a county magistrate, could be given a royal title and a surname, why couldn't her master do the same?
"You're right. It's just that it's been four years since E Min framed my father. Even if I wanted to find evidence, it would be extremely difficult."
This is what Zhen Huan worries about most.
Moreover, she had noticed when she was at Lingyun Peak that the emperor was not as attentive to her as before. If it were not for her careful planning, the emperor might just want to keep her away.
When Zhen Huan recalled everything she had encountered after returning to the palace, she couldn't help but wonder if she had been too impulsive when she left the palace in anger.
"Jinxi, do you have any ideas?"
Cui Jinxi pondered for a moment, "Master, the Emperor personally ordered the Master's exile. Even if we found evidence that proves the Master's innocence, we cannot present it to the Emperor."
"You're right, the Emperor's face cannot be offended. But if Concubine Qi behaves improperly in the palace and is disliked by the Emperor, and then the members of the Guarjia clan are impeached by other ministers, then I or my family can come forward to protest, wouldn't that be more effective in achieving our goal?"
When a wall is pushed, everyone falls down. This has been a common practice since ancient times.
When her father was secretly collecting evidence of Nian Gengyao's crimes under the emperor's order, he told her everything in detail in a letter home.
It’s a pity that Nian Gengyao’s poison took effect at the wrong time, which made the emperor feel frustrated and suppress all the evidence. He also had to be kind to Concubine Nian and the Nian family on the surface.
"Jinxi, do you have any lotus root starch osmanthus cake and rose milk pastry ready in the kitchen?"
"Master, I happen to have these two snacks."
These two snacks have been kept on hand since they returned to the palace.
The former is the emperor's usual snack, while the latter is the last thought in the master's heart.
The emperor and Prince Guo were playing chess when Su Peisheng approached with a tray.
"Your Majesty, Miss Baizhi from Concubine Zhen's household has brought some snacks. Would you like some?"
The emperor paused holding the chess piece.
"Why did you send something again?"
Seeing this, Prince Guo laughed and joked.
"Royal brother, you don't go to the harem, but you make the ladies worry about you."
"No one cares about me, could I ask my royal brother for a little snack to sweeten my mouth?"
"You! Su Peisheng, please bring the cakes over."
When Su Peisheng placed the pastries on the table, the emperor immediately saw the plate of rich rose pastry.
He pushed the plate in front of Prince Guo without hesitation.
"I remember that my Seventeenth Brother likes this kind of sweet and soft snacks best, so use more of them."
He reached for another plate of lotus root powder and osmanthus cake, took a bite, but found that the taste was far inferior to the simple osmanthus cake in Yongshou Palace.
So the emperor never reached out his hand again.