NFBE Chapter 193 Do you want to leave this cage?
Chapter 193 Do you want to leave this cage?
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, the siblings Canglan Jingcheng and Canglan Jingyao have turned six, reaching the age to attend school. Thus, the two of them went to the Imperial Academy together for classes every day.
After they left, Su Nuannuan slowly got up and walked towards Cining Palace, preparing to serve the Empress Dowager. Speaking of this Empress Dowager, she had been ill since last winter and had not been able to get off work. Even when the end of the year was approaching, she was bedridden and almost did not get to have a peaceful holiday.
Spring has arrived, and flowers are in full bloom, but the Empress Dowager's condition has not improved, and she remains bedridden. When Su Nuannuan entered the palace, the Empress Dowager was sitting by the headboard. Upon seeing her enter, she raised her hand and gently beckoned, saying softly, "You've come."
Su Nuannuan hurriedly stepped forward to the bedside, first curtsied, and then smiled and said, "Your Majesty's complexion looks much better today than yesterday! It must be that your health has improved somewhat."
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager shook her head slightly, a bitter smile on her face, and replied helplessly, "It's just that I've been drinking too much bitter soup these days. If I keep drinking it like this every day, it's hard for my complexion not to be rosy."
Su Nuannuan quickly comforted her, "As long as this bitter soup can help the Empress Dowager recover soon, even if it tastes bitter, what harm is there in the Empress Dowager drinking it a few more times?"
However, the Empress Dowager only sighed softly, and said in a somewhat forlorn tone, "I know my own health condition very well, and I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to recover."
Hearing the Empress Dowager's words, Su Nuannuan felt a pang of sorrow in her heart and hurriedly said, "Empress Dowager, you mustn't say that. You are a lucky person and will surely get better gradually."
The Empress Dowager waved her hand, indicating that Su Nuannuan did not need to persuade her anymore, and slowly said, "You don't need to comfort me here. Birth, aging, sickness and death are the norm in this world. I have lived to be so old and have long since taken life and death lightly, so there is nothing to be afraid of."
"Where is Granny Song? I can't see her." Su Nuannuan blinked her big eyes, looked around, and asked the Empress Dowager with a puzzled expression.
The Empress Dowager smiled slightly and replied unhurriedly, "She should be busy in the small kitchen preparing medicine for me!"
Hearing this, Su Nuannuan frowned slightly and asked curiously, "Why did it take Granny Song to brew the medicine today? We don't usually see her doing that."
The Empress Dowager sighed softly and explained, "Yesterday, the palace maid in charge of decocting the medicine accidentally broke the pot. You know your Granny Song's temper; she threw a huge tantrum. That's why she insisted on decocting the medicine herself today, and she even went to the Imperial Household Department herself to carefully select and bring back the new pot."
Su Nuannuan nodded thoughtfully, then said, "It's always good to be cautious. After all, no one knows whether that palace maid intentionally broke the medicine pot or not; she might even tamper with the new medicine pot."
The Empress Dowager gave Su Nuannuan an approving look and replied, "That's right, you and Granny Song really thought of the same thing. As for that palace maid, your Granny Song sent her back to the Imperial Household Department this morning on the grounds that she was clumsy."
As soon as she finished speaking, the Empress Dowager gently waved her hand, signaling all the palace maids serving in the room to leave. Seeing this, Su Nuannuan secretly pondered to herself that the Empress Dowager probably had something important to say to her privately.
"Consort Zhuang, tell me the truth, do you want to leave this palace that feels like a prison?" The Empress Dowager stared intently at Su Nuannuan before her, her sharp, hawk-like gaze fixed on her, and asked directly.
This sudden question struck Su Nuannuan like a thunderbolt, instantly leaving her completely stunned. For a moment, she was at a loss for words to answer the Empress Dowager's sharp and unsettling question.
Seeing Su Nuannuan's bewildered and helpless expression, the Empress Dowager sighed softly and said slowly, "I know very well that you don't like this place at all. Thinking back to when the Emperor issued the decree to forcibly bring you into the palace, to be honest, I was actually against it. Unfortunately, he is, after all, the Emperor, high above all others, and even if I wanted to stop him, I was powerless to do so."
Since you entered the palace, I have often seen you with a sorrowful and melancholy expression, and I am truly worried that you will not survive the long years and will pass away before me. If that were to happen, how would I explain it to the former General Who Protects the Nation, who is now the Grand Duke of the Nation?
Fortunately, Heaven was kind, allowing you to safely give birth to a prince, and later you adopted Princess Jianping, the daughter of Consort Mei. Gradually, I noticed that you had poured your entire being into the children; perhaps that's why you've accompanied me to the imperial palace for recuperation every year these past years.
Hearing the Empress Dowager's earnest words, Su Nuannuan thought to herself: if she hadn't transmigrated and taken over this body, the original owner would probably have perished on the day of childbirth, ending up with the tragic fate of losing both mother and child. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but sigh at the capriciousness of fate.
"Two years ago, a new batch of women entered the palace. Each of them harbored their own thoughts and ambitions, and used all sorts of means to compete for the Emperor's favor. However, you and Consort Qin have always maintained a rare tranquility."
When the Emperor comes, you serve him with all your heart; when he doesn't come, you don't scheme and fight like others for that fleeting moment of favor.
At this moment, Su Nuannuan softly called out, "Empress Dowager." Her voice carried a hint of reverence.
The Empress Dowager nodded slightly, her gaze falling on Su Nuannuan, and said slowly, "I naturally understand that you don't have much enthusiasm for serving the Emperor. As for Consort Qin, the reason she doesn't compete for the Emperor's favor is because she can't control the power of her maternal family. Only by choosing not to compete and fight can her maternal family restrain themselves a little."
After a brief pause, the Empress Dowager changed the subject and asked directly, "Now, let me ask you, have you ever had the thought of leaving this seemingly magnificent palace, which is actually like a cage that restricts your freedom?"
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan looked troubled, her eyes reddening slightly, and she replied in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, I also wish to escape from this place. However... putting aside all other matters, I still have two young children to care for and cherish, and I truly cannot bear to leave them behind!"
The Empress Dowager gazed at Su Nuannuan, a hint of pity flashing in her eyes, and slowly said, "What if I told you that I would allow you to take these two children with you when you leave?"