Chapter 255: Desire to Seize the Initiative
Furthermore, as for Princess Consort Chu, she had been wanting to find an opportunity to enter the palace these past few days. She hadn’t expected that it would start snowing this morning, and she laughed, “Heaven is helping me!”
So, she quickly tidied herself up and entered the palace.
Who would have thought that just as she arrived at the palace gate, she would see Princess Consort Zhao’s horse carriage also stopping there.
Princess Consort Zhao alighted from her carriage with the help of her maid, glanced back, and couldn’t help but smile.
At this moment, Princess Consort Chu also alighted from her carriage, her expression somewhat unnatural.
The matter concerning the Liu family was not yet over. Although Prince Chu was not yet involved, both sides knew the situation clearly.
“It’s quite a coincidence that Younger Sister is also entering the palace today,” Princess Consort Zhao spoke first. “It’s so cold, why aren’t you wearing warmer clothes?”
Princess Consort Zhao was wearing a silver fox coat, while Princess Consort Chu was only draped in a lambskin cloak.
“I thought the weather wasn’t that cold yet. Besides, Er Mao’s clothes were put away earlier, and now that they’re out, they haven’t been perfumed, so it’s not good to wear them just yet,” Princess Consort Chu said with a smile. “Elder Sister must be entering the palace to pay respects to the Empress, right?”
“Naturally. And you, Younger Sister?” Princess Consort Zhao walked forward, asking without looking back.
“In that case, I’ll go pay my respects to the Grand Princess first,” Princess Consort Chu said. “I won’t disturb Elder Sister and the Empress while they’re talking.”
“It’s fine for you to come along. We sisters never have anything to hide from each other,” Princess Consort Zhao said meaningfully. “Unlike some people, who seem perfect on the outside but are only looking out for their own selfish interests behind your back.”
“Elder Sister speaks the truth. Grand Tutor Dong’s family has the strictest principles, and his disciples and former officials are all over the empire. Where could there be any selfishness?” Princess Consort Chu replied casually.
Princess Consort Zhao naturally understood that there were other meanings behind her words, but she proudly stated, “The Dong family is called the foremost noble family of Great Xia not because we boast about it. Since our ancestors, we have held positions of power for four generations. Not just any small family can be compared to us.”
Princess Consort Chu heard this and stopped speaking, merely smiling.
The two parted ways midway, and Princess Consort Chu headed directly to Ming Cui Palace.
She had originally intended to visit the two princesses here first before seeing her son, but she hadn’t expected Ying Bai to be here.
“Oh my, you’ve come at just the right time! Quickly, have them bring you another prayer mat,” Princess Duanmin said happily. “It’s cold today, so I’ve asked all the children to come here to eat roast meat. Doesn’t it smell delicious?”
“You can say that again! I came following the scent,” Princess Consort Chu said, taking off her outer clothes and smiling. “I was wondering why my index finger was itching this morning; it turns out I was destined to come here.”
“Mother, it’s snowing, why did you come into the palace? Was the road easy to travel? Are you cold?” Ying Bai put down his chopsticks as soon as his mother entered and walked over to her.
“Although it’s snowing, it’s not as cold as mid-winter,” Princess Consort Chu said. “It’s because they went out and brought back wild game before dawn. I wanted to send it into the palace while it was fresh for the two highnesses and the Empress to taste, as my contribution.”
“Look, I said Bai’er is filial and sensible, who did he take after? Now he looks exactly like his mother,” Princess Duanmin said, looking at them with envy. “If I had a son this old, I wouldn’t have any worries that I couldn’t resolve.”
“You see how good someone else’s son is and now you want a son yourself,” the Grand Princess teased her. “You’re still young enough to have one, but you’d have to be patient and raise them to this age.”
“Whether one can have a child is one thing, and whether they turn out like this after being born is another,” Princess Duanmin picked up a banana leaf cup and drank a mouthful of hot wine, her cheeks instantly flushing with a touch of rouge. “In my opinion, it would be better to recognize Bai’er as my adopted son…”
She had only spoken half of her sentence when a maid beside her placed venison on the brazier, and a splash of hot oil landed on the Grand Princess’s hand.
The Grand Princess cried out in pain, and everyone rushed to check on her, quickly fetching burn ointment.
Princess Consort Chu and Ying Bai also hurried forward to help, unable to continue responding to Princess Duanmin’s words.
Princess Consort Chu had eaten some roast meat here when Consort Yun and Noble Lady Fang came to visit.
They both said, “No wonder we smelled a strange aroma when we first came in. It turns out you were roasting meat! At least share some with us, you’ve awakened the gluttons in our stomachs.”
As everyone chatted and laughed, they made room. Princess Consort Chu gave her son a look, and both of them got up from their seats.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Consort Yun. Your complexion seems better than in previous years,” Princess Consort Chu said with a smile as she greeted Consort Yun.
“I’ve been feeling quite well lately and can occasionally get out and about. However, by the afternoon, I’m not up to it and have to go back to lie down,” Consort Yun said, still a bit breathless. She was, after all, ill.
“I didn’t call you because I was afraid there wouldn’t be enough meat to go around. But now that Princess Consort Chu has sent in more fresh wild game, you can eat to your heart’s content, just don’t overdo it,” Princess Duanmin joked.
“We’ve eaten our fill, please sit down, both of you,” Princess Consort Chu said with a smile. “I had a late breakfast today. If this meat weren’t so delicious, I wouldn’t have come near it for anything.”
After the two of them sat down, she smiled and said to everyone, “I’ve been here for some time now, and I must go and pay my respects to the Empress. I’ll come back later. Otherwise, it would seem disrespectful.”
“Go ahead! I know you’ve always been the most respectful of the rules,” the Grand Princess nodded. “But it’s warm in here, and cold outside. Make sure you bundle up warmly.”
Princess Consort Chu felt that the Grand Princess had always treated her indifferently before, but recently, for some unknown reason, she seemed much more affectionate than usual, and this was not her imagination.
“Mother, shall I accompany you? The road is slippery,” Ying Bai said, also putting on his outer coat.
Princess Duanmin always praised him for being sensible and filial in front of everyone, so he naturally had to act the part.
Mother and son temporarily left Ming Cui Palace. Because of the cold weather, there were few people on the road.
Princess Consort Chu then said to her son, “How have you been in the palace these past few days? Has anyone troubled you?”
“Ying Tong is naturally unhappy and speaks sarcastically, sometimes even resorting to physical altercations. However, he’s been ill for the past two days, and Princess Duanmin often calls me to her side, so Mother doesn’t need to worry too much.”
“Child, I came into the palace today to tell you that if you don’t want to endure this humiliation anymore, you have to be more proactive,” Princess Consort Chu took a deep breath. The cold air pierced her lungs like ice needles, and exhaling felt incredibly refreshing. “Your father and I have discussed it. Constant tolerance is useless. You are much better than that Ying Tong, why can’t you fight for it?”
