NFBE Chapter 280 Gossip
Chapter 280 Gossip
Chapter 280 Gossip
After Consort Li left, Su Nuannuan tidied herself up and prepared to go to Anning Palace to pay her respects to the Empress. However, just as she stepped out of the gate of Cuiwei Palace, a figure suddenly appeared in front of her like a ghost, blocking her way.
Su Nuannuan looked closely and saw that it was Shaoyao who had returned. Shaoyao smiled and respectfully bowed to her, then said, "Your Highness Consort Zhuang, Her Majesty the Empress asked me to come and inform you that she wants you to come and pay your respects again tomorrow morning. Please rest well tonight."
Hearing this, Su Nuannuan felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She smiled and nodded at Shaoyao.
"Thank you for your trouble, Miss Peony." Jinse, who was standing to the side, quickly stepped forward and said.
Peony bowed again and said softly, "This is what I should do."
Su Nuannuan looked at the well-behaved and sensible palace maid in front of her and felt quite appreciative. She smiled slightly and said, "In that case, I will visit Your Highness first thing tomorrow morning. I hope Miss Shaoyao can convey my greetings to you."
Peony quickly replied, "This servant will certainly convey Your Highness's words." After saying that, she bowed to Su Nuannuan again, then turned and left, heading towards Anning Palace.
Since they had decided not to visit the Empress at Anning Palace, they had dinner early, rested for a while, and then went back to their rooms to rest.
That night, all was quiet, and time passed quietly. In the blink of an eye, dawn broke, and a new day had arrived.
The morning sunlight, like a light veil, bathed the earth in a golden glow, enveloping the entire palace. Su Nuannuan, with her two children, walked slowly towards Anning Palace, facing the rising sun.
However, before even stepping through the gates of Anning Palace, Su Nuannuan heard a commotion of voices. Looking closely, she saw the other concubines gathered in small groups, whispering and gossiping among themselves.
One of the concubines, covering her mouth with her hand, whispered, "Do you think Consort Zhuang has any lovers at the imperial mausoleum?"
Another concubine quickly intervened, saying, "You can't say things like that carelessly. If it gets to the ears of the Noble Consort, we'll all be in deep trouble."
Concubine C, however, chimed in dismissively, "Oh dear! What's there to be afraid of? The Imperial Concubine isn't here anyway."
Even worse, some people went so far as to say behind Su Nuannuan's back that she was immoral and that all sorts of nasty things were said about her.
Yaoqin listened to these gossips and trembled with anger. She really wanted to rush up and slap each of these gossips across the face. However, just as she was about to explode, Su Nuannuan reached out and stopped her.
Canglan Jingcheng and Canglan Jingyao stood aside, watching their mother, whose face was calm and serene, as if she was completely unaffected by the rumors.
Just then, Su Nuannuan walked lightly into Anning Palace with a smile on her face. Her voice was clear and melodious, yet tinged with sarcasm: "I find it strange, I didn't even know I had such an immoral lifestyle? I didn't even know I had a lover at the imperial mausoleum?"
Her words were like sharp arrows, piercing directly at those who spread rumors. Su Nuannuan glanced around, her gaze landing on the concubines waiting in the courtyard. Upon hearing Su Nuannuan's voice, these women turned pale with fright, like startled birds, and immediately knelt on one knee, bowing in unison to greet Consort Zhuang.
However, Su Nuannuan did not ask them to get up. She just looked at them with a half-smile, a smile that sent chills down their spines.
"You haven't answered my question yet?" Su Nuannuan asked with a smile.
For a long while, no one answered; they were all as quiet as quails.
"What, no one's answering? Weren't you all quite impressive just now? Now that I'm asking you to speak, why aren't you saying anything?" Su Nuannuan's eyebrows shot up, her beautiful eyes widened, and her originally gentle voice became sharp, as if it could pierce through people's eardrums.
Her gaze was piercing, sweeping over everyone present, yet no one dared to meet her eyes; all lowered their heads, silent as cicadas in winter.
Seeing that no one answered, Su Nuannuan said sternly, "Since no one is going to answer, then you can all kneel here!"
After saying that, she turned to Yaoqin beside her and ordered, "Yaoqin, watch them. If anyone gets up or falls down, slap them twenty times immediately."
Yaoqin quickly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty." Her voice was filled with excitement, clearly indicating that she was quite satisfied with the task.
Just then, Ying Qiu, who was beside the Empress, stepped forward with a faint smile on her face and bowed to Su Nuannuan, saying, "Your Highness Consort Zhuang, Her Majesty the Empress invites you."
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan's expression softened slightly, but she was still furious. She glared at the concubines kneeling in the courtyard, then followed Ying Qiu toward the Empress's palace.
After Su Nuannuan left, Ying Qiu turned around, and the smile on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a solemn expression.
She looked at the concubines kneeling in the courtyard and said in a deep voice, "Her Majesty the Empress said that since you all have no sense of propriety, each of you will be slapped twenty times to teach you a lesson."
"Guards, slap him!" Ying Qiu then shouted.
No sooner had he finished speaking than six young eunuchs appeared in the courtyard. Then, a series of "slap slap slap" sounds and a wolf's howl rang out.
Su Nuannuan glanced coldly at the group of concubines who had brought this upon themselves, and then entered the inner palace.
"I send my regards to the Queen. May the Queen be blessed with peace and happiness."
"Consort Zhuang, get up quickly. Why are you being so formal with me?" The Empress said with a smile, pulling Su Nuannuan up.
"Your Majesty, etiquette must not be disregarded," Su Nuannuan said solemnly.
The Empress rolled her eyes at Su Nuannuan and said with a smile, "When did you become so well-behaved?"
“Just now!” Su Nuannuan replied with a smile.
"Don't take their words to heart; they're just jealous of you," the Empress comforted her.
"Your Majesty, I am not angry at all. It is Your Majesty who should not be angry with me."
"How could I be angry with you? They really deserve to be taught a lesson."
"It's because I've been too lenient with them, causing them to lose their sense of propriety. Ultimately, it's because I haven't disciplined them properly."
"Your Majesty, their mouths are on other people's bodies, what does it have to do with you? You can't sew their mouths shut."
"You're such a carefree person," the Empress said with a smile, pointing at Su Nuannuan.
"If I weren't so bold, how could I have guarded the imperial tomb for ten years?"
"Alright, stop trying to play dumb with me. Others may not know how you left the palace, but I do."