NFBE Chapter 229 Showcasing Cheng'er's Filial Piety
Chapter 229 Showcasing Cheng'er's Filial Piety
"Your Majesty, according to the news that came back from there, Consort Zhuang has been living a rather quiet and leisurely life these days. She spends most of her time quietly reading, writing, painting, and doing embroidery, among other elegant pursuits."
However, the Fifth Prince and the Eldest Princess have been frequently heading to the mountains lately. The Fifth Prince seems to be obsessed with hunting, often taking his bow and arrows and other equipment into the mountains; while the Eldest Princess seems to be studying medicine, with many kinds of herbs drying in her courtyard.
In addition, today the Duchess of Zhenguo, along with her third son, went to the estate to visit Consort Zhuang. They met and talked about nothing more than trivial matters of daily life. The third son even brought some broad bean snacks for Consort Zhuang. After carefully organizing the many messages he had received that day, Li Desheng reported them to the Emperor in an orderly manner.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor suddenly frowned and slowly asked, "Li Desheng, tell me, does Consort Zhuang no longer have me in her heart?"
The Emperor's question was like a thunderclap in Li Desheng's ears, startling him so much that he almost knelt down and begged for mercy on the spot.
Li Desheng was terrified, and a fine layer of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead. He stammered, "Your Majesty, Consort Zhuang... how could she not have Your Majesty in her heart! This time, she went to guard the imperial tomb for the Empress Dowager. It was an imperial decree personally issued by the Empress Dowager before her death. Even if Consort Zhuang was unwilling and helpless, she dared not disobey the decree. She could only follow the imperial decree."
"If Consort Zhuang truly held no place for the Emperor in her heart, then how could she possibly have the Fifth Prince?"
Meanwhile, Eunuch Li was inwardly groaning, secretly praying that the Emperor would not press the matter further. His words were merely hastily put together to appease the Emperor; if he continued to be questioned, he would truly be exposed, and then he would likely lose his head—a truly life-threatening situation!
As expected, the Emperor sighed softly and said slowly, "Is that so? But why do I always feel that she and the Empress Dowager are secretly plotting against me?"
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Li trembled and dared not utter another word. He lowered his entire body, almost prostrating himself on the ground, and tightly sealed his lips, afraid to make a sound. After all, facing such a thorny question, any answer would be wrong, so it was better to remain silent.
Upon seeing this, the Emperor frowned slightly, turned to look at Eunuch Li, and asked with a hint of displeasure, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Eunuch Li's heart tightened, and he quickly replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I am but a lowly eunuch. How could I dare to speculate or make wild guesses about the affairs between my masters?"
Upon hearing this, the Emperor did not pursue the matter further. He simply gazed wistfully into the distance, muttering to himself, "Ten years... Whether I will live to see Consort Zhuang return to the palace is still unknown!"
Meanwhile, Eunuch Li remained completely oblivious, standing there with his body bowed respectfully, not daring to move an inch.
Meanwhile, far away in the village, Su Nuannuan was busy helping her daughter dry the freshly picked herbs.
These are fresh herbs that Canglan Jingyao and Muge just painstakingly picked from the mountains behind them.
After returning, the two put down their herb baskets and, without resting, hurriedly went to the herb field to work again.
Meanwhile, Su Nuannuan was sitting idly in the courtyard. When she saw the basket of herbs her daughter had brought back, she thought that since she was idle anyway, she might as well help process them and dry them.
So she got up, walked to a corner of the yard, moved a small stool over, sat down, and began to carefully sort through the herbs.
Seeing her mistress busy at work, Jinse naturally refused to stand idly by and quickly stepped forward to help Su Nuannuan sort the herbs.
Working together, the two quickly processed all the herbs that Canglan Jingyao and the others had painstakingly gathered, and laid them out to dry on racks. Sunlight shone on the herbs, as if gilding them with a golden glow.
Just as they were finishing up, Zhixiang entered the courtyard. She first curtsied to Su Nuannuan, and then asked, "Your Highness, how should dinner be arranged tonight?"
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan took her hands out of the basin, wiped them clean with a handkerchief, looked up at the door, and casually asked, "Has Cheng'er not come back yet?"
Zhixiang quickly replied, "Your Highness, the young prince has not yet returned."
Today, when we went up the mountain, Zhixiang accompanied the princess, while Yaoqin was responsible for following the young prince.
Su Nuannuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Let's wait and see what kind of prey Cheng'er can bring back this time. However..." She paused slightly, thought for a moment, and continued, "Forget it, let's just have some simple noodles with soybean paste tonight. As for the prey Cheng'er brings back, let's send it directly to the Emperor when he returns! This way, Cheng'er can show his filial piety, and the Emperor won't blame us for being selfish and not thinking of him later."
Zhi Xiang nodded gently and replied, "Yes, this servant understands." After saying that, she bowed to Su Nuannuan again, turned around and walked towards the kitchen to prepare to make Zha Jiang Mian (noodles with soybean paste).
"Your Majesty, are you really planning to send wild game back to the Emperor?" Jinse looked at Su Nuannuan with a face full of doubt, her tone filled with confusion and worry.
Su Nuannuan smiled slightly and replied softly, "It's not that I want to give it, but that Cheng'er wants to give it. This is a son's heartfelt gift to his father."
We just sent a living person into the palace, and we don't even know if the Emperor will be angry. Sending these wild game now is a way to appease the Emperor.
Moreover, in this way, at least in the eyes of outsiders, Cheng'er is an extremely filial son; for example, even with good things, he didn't forget to send some to his father, the Emperor.
Hearing this, Jinse frowned and said worriedly, "But Your Majesty, wild game is too easy for others to tamper with. What if something goes wrong after His Majesty eats it?"
Su Nuannuan waved her hand dismissively and explained confidently, "If it were someone else bringing wild game back to the palace, I would naturally have reservations as well."
But this time is different. With Commander Xiao personally escorting them back, there will be no chance of anything going wrong. Although this might seem like overkill, once Commander Xiao returns, I can take this opportunity to give Yaoqin a break, allowing the two siblings to spend more time together.