Nanny Liu’s cries gradually quieted down. She raised her head, her face full of tears, and pleaded with the Empress Dowager, saying: “Niangniang, allow this servant to go and fetch His Highness back.”
The Empress Dowager was somewhat hesitant. She had heard from the palace maids that every time Nanny Liu went to the Emperor’s place, the Emperor would get angry, and when Little Ninth came back, there were always bruises on his body. She couldn’t help but overthink, yet didn’t dare to directly ask the Emperor.
She thought for a moment and said: “No need, Aijia has already sent palace attendants over. You, looking like this with all the crying and sniveling, it’s not suitable for you to go out either.”
Nanny Liu hastily pulled a handkerchief from her chest and sloppily wiped her face. With reddened eyes, she said: “This old slave is truly worried about His Highness. Niangniang, please allow this old slave to go.”
This Nanny Liu was the wet nurse of the Ninth Prince. Not long after she entered the palace, her only son at home had died of illness. From then on, she treated the Ninth Prince as her own flesh and blood, pouring all her love into him.
The Empress Dowager knew her character. This appearance of hers was merely due to excessive worry, so she did not blame her.
On Meng Fu’s side, she also saw the palace attendants sent by the Empress Dowager. The attendants said they were here to escort the Ninth Prince back, and the Ninth Prince’s arms around Meng Fu’s neck tightened again, as if unwilling to return with them.
Meng Fu turned her head to look at him. In his pupils, Meng Fu’s current appearance was clearly reflected. Then he lowered his head, and his small face gently rubbed against Meng Fu’s shoulder.
Meng Fu’s heart softened again. Moreover, His Majesty had especially instructed her to take good care of this prince. So she said, “Forget it. Zhen will personally send him back.”
After speaking, Meng Fu immediately realized another problem — she didn’t know where the Empress Dowager’s Cining Palace was located. But this problem wasn’t hard to solve. She had Gao Xi prepare the imperial palanquin and got on it together with the Ninth Prince.
She didn’t know whether what she was doing was right or wrong. When they met, His Majesty only mentioned the Ninth Prince and didn’t bring up the Empress Dowager. She couldn’t be sure of His Majesty’s attitude toward the Empress Dowager, so she planned to leave immediately after sending the Ninth Prince over.
The palace attendants sent by the Empress Dowager were puzzled — why would His Majesty think to personally send the Ninth Prince back to Cining Palace today? Could it be that His Highness had committed some mistake before the Emperor?
These things weren’t for them to speculate on, so they dared not say anything, only nodded in response.
Cining Palace received word that His Majesty was personally bringing the Ninth Prince over. Upon hearing this, Nanny Liu hurriedly went out to prepare to welcome them.
The Empress Dowager didn’t mind her lack of decorum. In her heart, she too was puzzled — why would His Majesty suddenly come?
The imperial palanquin stopped in front of Cining Palace. Everyone knelt and paid respects. Only after Meng Fu said “no need for formalities” did they rise.
Nanny Liu at the doorway, upon seeing the Ninth Prince getting off the palanquin, scrambled over using both hands and feet. She knelt on the ground and wailed: “My Highness, how could you dare to go before the Emperor? Did this servant not already tell you? If you offended His Majesty, what would happen? Your Majesty, please do not be angry at His Highness. His Highness is still young — if there’s anything done improperly, please punish this old slave instead!”
The Ninth Prince’s small hand was still holding onto Meng Fu’s wide sleeve. He lowered his head and looked at Nanny Liu kneeling at his feet, saying nothing.
Nanny Liu was used to this little prince’s silence. This Ninth Prince was dull by nature. He was already six years old this year, but still couldn’t speak. Even when he occasionally uttered a sound, it could make the Empress Dowager laugh for half a day.
She continued sobbing and begging on behalf of the Ninth Prince. But as she cried, she started to feel a little guilty. In the past, whenever the Emperor heard her complaints, he would always fling his sleeve and leave on the spot. But today, for some reason, he remained silent and just quietly stared at her. Nanny Liu began to feel like she couldn’t breathe. Her voice gradually became faint.
Meng Fu merely stood there, listening to Nanny Liu’s crying and found it a bit strange. These words of Nanny Liu sounded like she was worried about the Ninth Prince’s safety — but wasn’t the Ninth Prince with the Emperor? What danger could there be? Wasn’t this implying that the Emperor would harm the Ninth Prince?
Such tactics were very common in the inner courtyard. She didn’t expect that even in the palace there would be people using this kind of method against the Emperor. Meng Fu felt she had broadened her horizons. When Nanny Liu finally stopped, Meng Fu asked, “What do you mean by these words?”
“Your—Your Majesty,” Nanny Liu didn’t dare lift her head. Her voice stuttered at once. “This old slave is merely worried for His Highness.”
“Is that so?” Meng Fu asked, “So you think Zhen would harm Ninth Brother?”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but when Nanny Liu heard it, her whole body turned cold. The officials all said that the Son of Heaven had a violent temperament, but since he ascended the throne, there hadn’t been much bloodshed in the harem. Otherwise, Nanny Liu wouldn’t have dared to say these things repeatedly in front of him. But now, she suddenly felt as if everything about her had been seen through by this Emperor.
“This servant does not dare, this servant does not dare,” she knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly. But after just a few knocks, blood already appeared on the floor.
The Ninth Prince stood off to the side, watching all of this indifferently, completely unmoved.
Meng Fu did not speak. She somewhat wanted to know whether that His Majesty also knew these things — and if he knew, how could he endure it?
Not long after, the Empress Dowager came out from the palace. Meng Fu made a formal greeting. When the Empress Dowager saw her standing together with the Ninth Prince, her face could not help but show more of a smile. Although the Empress Dowager didn’t say it, she most hoped that the two brothers could get along harmoniously.
But upon hearing Nanny Liu’s pleading for mercy, the Empress Dowager’s expression slightly changed. This old momo had, after all, stayed by the Ninth Prince’s side for many years. She hesitated for a moment and helped plead on her behalf: “Your Majesty, let it go, Nanny Liu is merely overly concerned and became disorderly, she has no bad intentions.”
Meng Fu’s facial expression didn’t change. The Empress Dowager’s words circled once in her mind. His Majesty ought to be very fond of this younger brother of his, but the Empress Dowager and the palace people seemed not to think so.
She asked the Empress Dowager: “Mother Empress also thinks so?”
The Empress Dowager was taken aback, and actually did not immediately refute it.
Meng Fu understood in her heart — they truly believed that Li Yue wanted to harm the Ninth Prince. She didn’t know why these people would think this way. There must be some hidden truth she did not know.
What should not be known, she would not ask further. That sentence just now was already somewhat a slip of the tongue. She reached out and touched the Ninth Prince’s head, and the Ninth Prince raised his head to look at her.
“Then your son takes leave,” she said.
Meng Fu boarded the imperial palanquin and soon left Cining Palace.
Long after she left, the Empress Dowager still stood in place, gazing in the direction where the palanquin had departed. Moonlight fell over the intricate pearls and jade on her head, appearing somewhat cold.
Chen Gugu came out from within Cining Palace and softly called to her: “Niangniang? It’s cold outside, you must take care of your health. Please go inside first.”
The Empress Dowager turned around, held the Ninth Prince’s small hand, and walked back toward the palace. Nanny Liu was still kneeling on the ground, her forehead covered in blood.
Chen Gugu asked, and the Empress Dowager said: “Let her step down first, apply some medicine, and don’t let her appear before the Emperor again.”
After saying this, she sat down on a chair and, looking at the lampstand on the table, sighed repeatedly.
Chen Gugu had returned late and didn’t know the conversation that had just occurred between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. She had followed the Empress Dowager for many years and rarely saw her like this, so she asked: “What’s wrong, Niangniang? Why do you keep sighing?”
The Empress Dowager said: “Aijia wonders, has Aijia done something wrong?”
She felt guilt toward the Emperor, thinking the Emperor would never forgive her, and thus could not be at ease when he was with Xiao Jiu. Adding to that the rumors circulating in the palace, she was also afraid that the Emperor might harm Xiao Jiu. But now it seemed — could all of this just be her overthinking? Every time the Emperor saw her being so nervous about Xiao Jiu, what did he really think?
“How could you think this way, Niangniang?” asked Chen Gugu.
The Empress Dowager let out a soft sigh, “Aijia doesn’t know either. Forget it, don’t think about it for now. Call someone to prepare the meal. Xiao Jiu must be hungry.”
She rose and walked toward the inner chamber. Chen Gugu followed behind her. After a long hesitation, she still spoke up: “Niangniang…”
The Empress Dowager turned and glanced at her. They had been master and servant for many years. Just from seeing Chen Gugu’s expression, she knew she had something to say.
She asked: “What do you want to say? Is there something wrong with Xiao Jiu?”
Chen Gugu shook her head. Looking at the Empress Dowager, she hesitated to speak, and the Empress Dowager helplessly said: “Just speak. Between us, what is there that cannot be said?”
Chen Gugu then said: “Earlier, when this servant went to look for the Ninth Prince, I saw His Majesty in the Imperial Garden having a private meeting with a young lady.”
When the Empress Dowager heard this, her half-lowered eyes instantly opened wide. The Emperor had been sent to the northern frontier by the late Emperor at the age of fifteen, and his marriage matters had also been delayed. The northern frontier was a bitter cold place with few women; he had always had no one by his side. After ascending the throne, ministers submitted memorials urging him to hold a selection of consorts to fill the harem, but he rebuked them so harshly in court that they nearly banged their heads on the pillars. After that, no one dared to bring it up again.
The Empress Dowager had once been deeply worried that it was because of herself that His Majesty was so averse to contact with young women. And now, Chen Gugu was saying she had seen him meeting a woman in private — this was truly something remarkable. She quickly asked: “A young lady? From which family?”
Chen Gugu said: “At that time, Eunuch Gao was standing guard there. This servant was too far away and didn’t see clearly.”
“Someone from the palace?” the Empress Dowager asked again.
Chen Gugu said: “Judging by the clothing, it didn’t look like it.”
The Empress Dowager nodded. Today, His Majesty for no reason held a banquet at Linde Hall and even allowed officials to bring their family members. It might be that the person he secretly met today was the family member of one of the ministers.
Upon thinking this, the Empress Dowager felt her head swell — that would be the wife of a court official! Could it be that the Emperor would really be so reckless?
But the Emperor had always acted without much concern for propriety — this matter wasn’t entirely impossible either.
“Which family’s woman has this Emperor taken a fancy to?” the Empress Dowager seemed to be asking Chen Gugu, yet also seemed to be asking herself.
All these years, there hadn’t been a single person at the Emperor’s side, and now he sets his sights on someone else’s wife — if this matter turns out to be true, then it will be quite troublesome.
Chen Gugu could not answer the Empress Dowager’s question. “Should this servant investigate it?”
“Go check,” the Empress Dowager nodded. After remaining silent for a moment, she instructed again, “Don’t let others find out.”
Chen Gugu replied: “This servant understands.”