funbook-pk Chapter 317 The Final Plot (2)
Chapter 317 The Final Plot (2)
There is a folk custom that if someone dies during the New Year, the funeral will usually be postponed.
After the Queen Mother learned from Su Peisheng that her son's body was kept in the manor, she calmly chanted sutras for him in the small Buddhist temple for seven days, with Sun Zhuxi accompanying her as she burned paper.
On the morning of the eighth day, the empress dowager, with a tired face, summoned Sun Zhuxi.
"I would like to invite the Emperor to dinner. Please order the kitchen to prepare some dishes that were often served in Yonghe Palace."
"The slaves obey."
The master has not said a word during these seven days except for reciting scriptures.
Sun Zhuxi originally thought that the Queen Mother was overly sad and wanted to follow the Fourteenth Master.
Unexpectedly, the Queen Mother finally came to her senses and was willing to take the initiative to repair the mother-son relationship with the Emperor.
Sun Zhuxi, happy for his master, completely forgot the Queen Mother's previous instructions.
When Su Peisheng brought the news to Yongshou Palace, the emperor was teaching An Lingrong how to play chess.
"You mean the Queen Mother invites me to have dinner at Shoukang Palace?"
The emperor confirmed in shock.
Ever since the Empress Dowager became pregnant, he never drank a drop of water from Shoukang Palace.
Every time he went to Shoukang Palace, the mother and son, who had fallen out with each other, would part ways on bad terms.
Hongyao gently pulled the emperor's broad hand and his eyes rolled.
"Father, the Empress Dowager is Hongyao's grandmother. Am I right?"
"You're right, Hongyao."
The emperor wiped the snack crumbs from the corner of his mouth and replied gently.
"Hongyao, do you have any thoughts on this?"
Hongyao raised his head and asked in confusion.
"Father, I heard from the eunuch in the Imperial Garden last time that the grandmother who loved him the most passed away, and that's why he was sent to the palace by his stepmother."
"He said that grandma was reluctant to spend money on food and clothing, and spent all the money she saved on him."
"Before entering the palace, young eunuchs could see their grandmother every day, but Hongyao has only seen the emperor's grandmother once in his entire life."
"Father Emperor, is Hongyao unpleasant? That's why Grandma Emperor doesn't want to see me."
After hearing what Hongyao said, An Lingrong regretted that she shouldn't have asked Baoque to take the pastries away.
If Hongyao had something to eat, he wouldn't have said such hurtful words.
An Lingrong observed the emperor's expression out of the corner of her eye, and sure enough, his face became even darker.
The emperor was silent for a few breaths, picked up Hongyao, placed him on his lap, and explained patiently.
"Your royal grandmother is in poor health and has been recuperating. It is inconvenient for her to see anyone."
"Think carefully, didn't your sixth and seventh brothers also receive an audience with the Empress?"
Hongyao nodded in sudden realization and gave up the idea of going to Shoukang Palace.
After having a blast playing in the Emperor’s Yangxin Palace last time, little Hongyao thought that the Emperor’s Shoukang Palace might be even more fun.
He heard from his sixth brother that the Empress Dowager had invited all the brothers and sisters to gather in Shoukang Palace, but unfortunately he had no recollection of it.
Hongyao has always been raised by An Lingrong, and she has some understanding of her son's behavior.
An Lingrong breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Hongyao did not insist on going to Shoukang Palace with her.
Now the person in Shoukang Palace has a deep hostility towards the emperor, so she dare not let Hongyao go with her.
"Eighth brother, it's time to study. Let's go."
Hongzhan felt that his younger brother needed education, so he made up an excuse and stepped forward to pull Hongyao down from the emperor's arms.
The emperor looked at Hongyao with a reluctant face and did not refute, but nodded secretly in his heart.
Hongzhan has the demeanor of an older brother at such a young age and is becoming more and more stable. It's time to choose some haha beads for him.
Shu Guifei's background determines her vision, so she probably won't choose any good candidates.
He has to do this himself.
"Su Peisheng, tell the guards outside that I will keep the appointment."
Shoukang Palace had been peaceful and sound for seven days, and the emperor also wanted to know what the empress dowager was planning.
At the end of the Shen period, the emperor, who had eaten two plates of osmanthus cake in Yongshou Palace, finally stood up.
"Rong'er, it's cold outside. Don't let the children go out before the snow melts, so they don't catch a cold."
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I understand."
An Lingrong agreed obediently and sent the person to the palace gate.
The Queen Mother has been in power in the palace for many years, and the Emperor is afraid that she will do something cruel to the children.
The emperor must have known that the dinner in Shoukang Palace might not be that delicious.
As soon as the emperor stepped into the main hall of Shoukang Palace, Sun Zhuxi signaled the palace maid at the door to serve the dishes.
"Your son pays his respects to the Queen Mother!"
"Get up."
The Queen Mother smiled kindly at the Emperor.
"Fourth Brother, I've been reading Buddhist scriptures these past few days and have felt that I shouldn't have been so harsh on you in the past."
"Today, let's not talk about anything else, just have a good meal."
The emperor did not respond, but sat down at the table to express his attitude.
He himself couldn't remember how long it had been since he had dined at the same table with the empress dowager.
When the emperor was still alive, the empress dowager pretended to invite him to dinner several times.
But facing the unfriendly gaze of Old Fourteen, he had no intention of staying at all.
Later, after he ascended the throne, the empress dowager expressed her dissatisfaction with his accession to the throne by refusing to accept the title of empress dowager.
After that, the only times they had meals together, which were no more than the size of a palm's hand, were when the Empress Dowager came to see him about the Fourteenth Prince or family matters.
"I remember that you loved eating pea cakes when you were a child. This is specially made by the small kitchen. Your Majesty, please try it."
The Queen Mother said this as she placed the plate of pea cakes in front of the Emperor.
The emperor took one look at the delicate pea cake and laughed at himself.
"Pea cakes are Seventh Sister's favorite snack. She's very protective of them and never lets anyone else touch them. I remember when Sixth Brother got greedy and took a piece, Seventh Sister was upset for half an hour."
His words revealed reminiscence of the past.
The empress dowager's smile froze on her face, and the emperor pointed to another plate.
"Kidney bean rolls are the favorite of Wen Xian and Twelve Sisters."
"As for who likes the sesame cakes, shaqi ma, fire mushroom crispy cakes, and milk tea on this table, I won't say."
"If you need anything from me in the future, just tell me directly. I am no longer the Fourth Prince who longed for his mother's love."
Sun Zhuxi knelt on the ground with a plop and kowtowed repeatedly to apologize.
"These dishes were ordered by this old servant. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
The emperor turned a deaf ear to Sun Zhuxi's words. He looked at the empress dowager with a smile.
"Why did you go to so much trouble to summon me here?"
The Empress Dowager didn't expect that the Emperor had such a good memory, and her efforts were wasted.
"I have three sons and three daughters, and now you are the only son left."
"I just want to have a meal with you. Believe it or not, I have no bad intentions towards you."
"I ate too much at lunch, so I don't have much of an appetite now."
The more the empress dowager emphasized, the more the emperor felt that something was wrong with her.
He took a closer look at the Queen Mother and found that she had obviously been carefully dressed up today. The blood-red lip balm made her face look extremely pale.
"Your Majesty, are you unwilling to even give me this little bit of face?"
The Queen Mother slammed her palm on the table and asked harshly.