Tianliangyuan

Chapter 469 Support

Over the course of their time together, Li Guang's trust in Xu Zhaozhao grew stronger, and his dependence on her increased.

After all, he was just a child. As his mother, Empress Qu had always focused her attention on Li Jin, and naturally neglected her youngest son a lot.

Moreover, because her youngest son was physically weak, Empress Qu never dared to entrust him with important responsibilities, so she inevitably showed favoritism.

Empress Qu doted on her youngest son, but her real nurturing and care were directed towards Li Jin.

There was no other way; she was the Empress. Only if her son ascended the throne could the Qu family continue to stand strong. Otherwise, only destruction awaited her and the Qu family.

She and Consort Jiang have been fighting for so many years. Outsiders may not know, but how could they not know?

Although the empress and the concubines in the harem seemed to get along well, in reality, there was always a constant struggle between them.

Empress Qu never felt wronged. After all, she was the empress, and no matter how important the occasion, His Majesty always gave her the respect due to his concubine and never made any remarks or actions that showed favoritism towards his wife.

Therefore, Empress Qu had no way to blame His Majesty.

When Consort Jiang first came to the Emperor's side, she often acted arrogantly, taking advantage of his favor.

However, after being reprimanded by His Majesty once, Consort Jiang never again took the initiative to offend the Empress.

At least, he has never offended His Majesty.

Perhaps it was the teachings of Grand Tutor Jiang that were effective, or perhaps it was that reprimand from His Majesty that made Consort Jiang realize the difference between a wife and a concubine.

Over the years, His Majesty's favor towards Consort Jiang has never wavered. Even with the constant influx of new concubines into the palace, Consort Jiang still holds a place in His Majesty's heart.

This makes one admire Consort Jiang's methods.

Empress Qu is now riding high, walking with an air of superiority.

But she didn't forget her brother's reminder.

Although a crown prince has been appointed, it doesn't mean everything is truly secure.

At least, she knew that Consort Jiang would not support the Crown Prince, so the Jiang faction would not support the Crown Prince either.

Therefore, Empress Qu still wanted to get rid of Consort Jiang.

But over the years, many methods have been tried, but only that one time was successful. Unfortunately, Consort Jiang was ultimately rescued.

"Your Highness, the young prince has sent someone to say that he is going to deliver congratulatory gifts on behalf of His Majesty today and will stay at the Duke of Huguo's residence for a few days before returning."

"Yes, it's fine for him to stay there."

Empress Qu intended to take action against Consort Jiang, and her youngest son was her Achilles' heel.

Now that the youngest son is away, it's a good opportunity for him to avoid all of this.

"What else did His Highness say?"

"The young prince was very excited when he left the palace, and he kept saying that he wanted to bring gifts for his two nephews."

"I know, they're just two little kids. As long as Ah Li is happy, let him have his way."

"Yes."

The young prince appeared to be accompanied by only two palace servants, but in reality, a squad of Imperial Guards followed him. However, they usually stood guard outside the courtyard and did not disturb the young prince.

When Emperor Yong'an learned that Xu Zhaozhao wanted to take the young prince out, he wasn't too worried. With so many people following them, nothing could possibly go wrong.

Of course, before that, Xu Zhaozhao helped Yu Shi arrange Xie Chan's marriage.

Zheng Tuo sent a considerable amount of betrothal gifts, and he also had a lot of spoils from the war. In addition, with the Emperor's rewards, his wealth was even greater.

Zheng Tuo himself had no parents, so after he got married, his wife naturally became the head of the household. Therefore, it didn't matter whether these things were kept in the family storeroom or sent to his wife as betrothal gifts.

Actually, Xu Zhaozhao didn't need to do anything. After all, with Madam Yu supporting her, and the details being handled by the head maids around her, it was quite worry-free.

The day before her wedding, Madam Yu came to find Xu Zhaozhao with a list of names. Seeing that she could still enjoy music and flowers so leisurely, she was truly envious.

Just then, Granny Lin came in to report something, and Xu Zhaozhao, without keeping it from Madam Yu, let her speak directly.

"Reporting to the young mistress, all of the sixth young lady's dowry has been inventoried. This is the initial list, and this is the list that has just been verified. The relevant stewards have all signed and sealed it."

"Well done. Go tell everyone to be on their toes these next few days and do their jobs well. After our sixth daughter's grand wedding, everyone's monthly salary will be doubled."

"Yes, young mistress. This servant thanks you for the reward."

Ordinary servants don't earn much each month, just a few hundred coins, but head maids like them earn quite a lot!

This doubling naturally results in even more.

When Madam Yu heard this, she was shocked. The number of servants in the entire Jinxiu Garden, including the managers and errand boys, had all doubled.

That's a really big spender!

I heard that when Xu Zhaozhao gave birth, the entire Jinxiu Garden received an extra reward, and with the reward from the Duke's Mansion, it was like receiving double the reward!

No wonder the servants in the mansion are always thinking about how to be sent to Jinxiu Garden to serve them.

Peony took the list and stood there holding it, clearly knowing that her master didn't intend to look at it.

"Granny Lin, have your youngest son run an errand to the Hundred Fruit Garden. Tell them I'll be staying there for a few days, and I'll be accompanied by a distinguished guest. Have them clean the place thoroughly, inside and out, and replace everything that needs replacing with new stuff."

"Yes, young lady."

When Granny Lin left, she had a smile on her face.

Running errands for your master is the most rewarding job.

Xie Chan and Zheng Tuo got married, so Xie Juan and Li Shun naturally had to come back.

Since Xu Zhaozhao's last conversation with Li Shun, she hasn't seen him again, nor has she sent anyone to deliver a message, which makes Li Shun feel uneasy.

Xie Juan was also worried, but she didn't dare to ask her sister-in-law. She didn't know when it started, but she had developed a fear of her sister-in-law.

"Seventh son-in-law, the young master and the princess request your presence."

Li Shun was overjoyed, knowing that this was his chance.

"Please lead the way."

The reason Xu Zhaozhao didn't plan to involve Xie Juan in this matter was because she was worried that Xie Juan wouldn't keep a secret, and there were some things she really couldn't let her know.

"Greetings to the Crown Prince, greetings to the Princess."

"Seventh brother-in-law, you don't need to be so polite at home."

"Yes, sister-in-law."

Xu Zhaozhao gestured for him to sit down, and then Zisu and Shaoyao stood guard outside, leaving only the three of them to talk.

"Have you thought it through regarding the matter I asked you before?"

"Yes, I will do whatever Your Highness commands. I know that my talents and abilities are limited, and I need Your Highness to give me more guidance and advice."

“This time, I won’t send you to Yuzhou alone. I’ve found you a bodyguard who is also skilled in divination. Moreover, I have some businesses and connections in Yuzhou, so you won’t be too constrained when you go.”

Li Shun immediately stood up and bowed respectfully: "Thank you for your guidance, Princess."