Chapter 203.1

After seeing off Qiao-shi, Yaoniang fell into silence.

Yu Chan approached her and replaced her teacup. “Niangniang, please don’t overthink. His Majesty definitely has a plan.”

Yaoniang lifted the teacup and took a sip, then glanced out the window.

While the braziers burned in the hall, she found it a bit stuffy. She had the lattice window opened slightly, allowing her to see the red plum tree in the courtyard.

It was the first month, but the weather was still cold, especially in the capital where it snowed frequently during winter. Now, fine snowflakes were falling. A cool breeze entered through the window, refreshing Yaoniang’s mind and making her unusually clear-headed.

Yangxin Hall was divided into a front hall and a rear hall. At the moment, Emperor Jin’an was in the front hall dealing with state affairs.

Ever since she moved into the palace, Yaoniang realized how busy he was. He would rise at yin-shi¹ and attend court at mao-shi². Sometimes the morning court lasted until noon, leaving no time for lunch. Occasionally, there would be two or even three court sessions in a day. Apart from the morning court, if there were additional meetings, they would take place in the front hall of Yangxin Hall. When the Emperor Emeritus was in power, these meetings were held in the Qianqing Palace.

And this was just during the New Year festivities; she couldn’t even fathom how busy he was during normal times.

Although Yaoniang had moved into the palace, she rarely saw Emperor Jin’an during the day. He would only return for dinner. After dinner, they no longer sat together and talked or read books as they used to. He often went to review memorials, and Yaoniang didn’t want to disturb him, so she would retire to bed when she felt tired. It wasn’t until the early hours of the morning that she would sense someone lying down beside her.

So, while Yaoniang knew Yu Chan was right, she couldn’t help but worry because Qiao-shi was also correct—she couldn’t rely on him for everything.

But even though she acknowledged this, Yaoniang couldn’t come up with a solution after pondering for a long time. This matter clearly exceeded her abilities. If her family had some influence, she could employ certain means, but unfortunately, the Su Family didn’t even have a ninth-grade minor official.

What should she do?

While thinking about this, she suddenly heard the voices of children in the courtyard.

It was Xiaobao and Erbao returning from Qianqing Palace.

Since the whole family had moved into the palace, the two little ones would visit the Emperor Emeritus to pay their respects every day. Usually, Xiaobao would take Erbao with him. Today, they had gone as usual, but the Emperor Emeritus asked them to stay in Qianqing Palace for lunch, so Yaoniang had her lunch alone.

Xiaobao and Erbao were surrounded by a group of palace maids and eunuchs as they walked in. Erbao didn’t even bother to remove his hat and cloak; he rushed toward Yaoniang like a little cannonball.

Yu Chan intercepted him halfway, saying, “Second prince, be careful not to fall.” She quickly instructed a palace maid to remove his hat, cloak, and boots before letting Erbao climb onto the heated bed.

“Did you misbehave during lunch? Did you make the Emperor Emeritus angry?”

Compared to the sensible Xiaobao, Erbao was like a mischievous little devil. The first time they went to Qianqing Palace, he ran around everywhere and even knocked over His Majesty’s favourite inkwell, which made the Emperor Emeritus furious. Yet, the next day, he was still allowed to go.

In the Emperor Emeritus’s words, this child was energetic, lively, and vigorous. Xiaobao relayed this to Yaoniang, and although she knew the Emperor Emeritus wasn’t genuinely angry, she couldn’t help but repeatedly warn Erbao to be more cautious. Unfortunately, he never listened and often caused trouble in Qianqing Palace.

“I didn’t cause any trouble. The Emperor Emeritus didn’t scowl at me today,” Erbao said.

Xiaobao chimed in, “Erbao behaved today and even received praise from His Majesty.”

“Really?” Yaoniang found it hard to believe.

Seeing her disbelief, Erbao became a little anxious and said hurriedly, “Mother, the Emperor Emeritus really praised Erbao today. During lunch, I ate three bowls of rice, and the Emperor Emeritus praised me for having a good appetite.”

Upon hearing this, Yaoniang and several palace maids couldn’t help but cover their mouths and laugh.

Indeed, it wasn’t wrong to praise him like this.

Erbao had always been a big eater. If there was anything he excelled at compared to Xiaobao, it was his ability to eat. Xiaobao also enjoyed eating, but he was picky and had a refined palate. On the other hand, Erbao didn’t discriminate and would eat anything, just as he did when he was a little toddler.

In simpler words, this child was easy to support.

Xiaobao also smiled and said, “The Emperor Emeritus said the soup you had someone send was delicious. He drank two bowls, I had one, and the rest was given to Erbao.”

Erbao nodded repeatedly, “The soup was delicious. Mother make it again.”

“Really?”

This “really” carried a completely different meaning from earlier, filled with a hint of surprise at being favoured.

In fact, this serving of soup was purely accidental.

The weather was cold now, and Yaoniang would stew some soup every day to nourish Emperor Jin’an and the two children. She had just finished stewing today and was planning to have it for lunch when she learned that Xiaobao and Erbao were having their lunch in Qianqing Palace.

The soup required careful control of the heat; if stewed for too long or not long enough, it wouldn’t taste good. Yaoniang had already sent some to Emperor Jin’an, and she couldn’t drink the remaining portion alone, so she had someone deliver some to Qianqing Palace as well. She thought the two children might enjoy it, and it could also be considered filial piety towards Emperor Jin’an.

In fact, she had always harboured the desire to be filial, but Yaoniang never dared to put these thoughts into action in the past.

gingercat's notes:

¹ 3-5 am ² 5-7 am