In the State of Xia, generally speaking, the one who had the power to temporarily deal with government affairs in the court, except for prince regent, was the Crown Prince. However, as soon as Xia Huanyu took over the throne, he abolished the position of prince regent. In this case, it was very likely that Prince Rui would be... The Crown Prince.
For a moment, everyone had different expressions on their faces.
Lady Shu was the first one to come to her senses. She was only a secret guard of Xia Huanyu. Although Prince Qi was raised by her, he was not of Xia Huanyu's blood. It was impossible for him to inherit the throne. What she was worried about was another thing.
Lady Shu turned to look at him and said with a smile, "His Highness has made a great contribution in this expedition, and he deserves it. His Majesty has always appreciated Prince Rui, and often praises him for his courage and resourcefulness in front of me." After a brief pause, she continued, "I've heard that Prince Rui was an invincible general when he was in the State of Ning. Speaking of this, Prince Rui has inherited the talent of his mother, Empress Hua..."
Empress Hua had been forbidden to mention in the Palace for many years. Other concubines were surprised at Lady Shu's words, and their eyes were all focused on her.
Lady Shu didn't seem to care about it at all. "A few days ago, I heard that Empress Hua has been saved by someone after falling off the cliff and she is still alive. His Majesty missed her so much that he left the state affairs behind and went to look for her. Have you seen Empress Hua recently, Lady Rui?"
Hearing Lady Shu's question, Yun Shang nodded with a smile, "yes."
A complicated light flashed in Lady Shu's eyes. She kept silent for a while and then asked, "I've never got the chance to see Empress Hua. What kind of person is she? I heard that Empress Hua likes military tactics very much. She should be a decisive woman."
It was really a little out of line for Lady Shu to ask Yun Shang, the daughter-in-law of Empress Hua, this kind of question. Yun Shang let out a cough with the brocade handkerchief covered her mouth before she said with a smile, "I think she is a gentle person, sincere and generous to others."
"Really?" Lady Shu seemed to have noticed that it was not appropriate to ask Yun Shang, so she just replied indifferently and stopped asking, "I'm wondering when His Majesty and Empress Hua will return to the Palace."
"I don't know. It seems that Empress Hua hasn't agreed to go back to the Palace with His Majesty. The Emperor said that he wanted to stay with Empress Hua for a period of time, so he hurried to ask His Highness to come back and take charge of political affairs temporarily." Yun Shang replied with a smile.
All the concubines sitting there didn't look good and just kept silent.
The laughter of the children still echoed through the Palace. Suddenly, a little princess fell to the ground and burst into tears. A concubine sitting on the right side of Yun Shang seemed to have just been woken up from her own thoughts. She quickly stood up, ran to the garden and scooped up the little princess who had fallen, comforting her softly. Lady Shu frowned and said impatiently, "Be quick to send for the imperial physician."
The other concubines also got up and left with their children. After the palace quiet down, Lady Shu rubbed her forehead and said to Yun Shang in a soft voice, "I'm really old. The kids just played here for a short time, but I've already fell a little headache."
Yun Shang smiled and kept silent for a while. Then she said softly, "Kids are always a little noisy, but they could make you feel lively and hopeful. I felt a little dull on my way here as there were fewer people in the Palace, while the laughter of children in your palace made me cheerful."
Lady Shu sensed the meaning beyond Yun Shang's words, frowning and said nothing.
After leaving Shuya Palace, Yun Shang went to Meeting Hall. Luo Qingyan was discussing political affairs with some officials. Seeing that there were still many officials waiting outside the Meeting Hall, Yun Shang knew it wouldn't be over in a short time. Yun Shang just ordered the eunuch who was guarding at the gate to deliver a message to him, and then went out of the Palace.
After leaving the palace, Yun Shang asked the coachman to go to Lord Hua Guo's mansion first.
Lord Hua Guo's mansion was unprecedentedly lively. The gate was crowded with people who come to pay a visit or present greeting cards. Yun Shang thought for a while and knew that it must have something to do with the news of Empress Hua. All the officials in Jin City were smart and calculated, they must have known that Empress Hua would most likely return to her position as the Emperor had deprived Su Ruji of her title and had personally gone to pick Empress Hua up.
When the river rose the boat went up too. That's why they all came to visit Lord Hua Guo's mansion. They just didn't want to miss any possible chance.
Yun Shang sat in the carriage and looked for a long time, but she found that the servants didn't let anyone in. They just politely asked the visitors to leave.
Yun Shang smiled and asked Qin Yi to open the door of the carriage and help her get off.
Hearing this, Lady Hua Guo flashed a bright smile. "Take charge of political affairs? Qingyan is really awesome."
Yun Shang also laughed. After a while, she asked, "When I came in just now, I saw a lot of guests at the gate. I heard from the doorman that His Majesty had come here before leaving Jin City?"
Lady Hua Guo was stunned. Her smile faded. She sighed and said, "Yes. He came to my yard and knelt down for a long time. He said that thirty years ago we didn't agree him to marry Hua Ling until he promised that he would take good care of her. But he failed to do it, which made her suffer. He hope I could give him another chance and he will not let go of Ling'er. Then he said, whether I agree or not, he was determined to get Ling'er back to him. I was so angry that I almost drove him out with a broom." Hearing this, Yun Shang chuckled, "Grandma, you are so courageous."
Lady Hua Guo smiled. She lowered her head and put the account book aside. Then she looked up at Yun Shang without any smile on her face. After a long silence, she asked, "How is Ling'er?"
Yun Shang nodded, "Everything is fine. But she couldn't remember anything about the past, and she just treated the Emperor as a stranger."
"It's ok as long as she is alive." Lady Hua Guo lowered her eyes and smiled bitterly. "Since I got married, I've always hoped to have a daughter. And I finally had my Ling'er after several sons. She was the apple of everyone's eye in the mansion and every loved and spoiled her. Fortunately, even so, Ling'er did not turn into an arrogant girl. We didn't want her to go to the Palace just because we knew that she would not feel at ease being restrained in the Palace. But since she wanted to, we didn't insist. However, we didn't expect that such a thing would happen."
Lady Hua Guo sighed, "At that time, we felt like the sky was falling down." In the past 20-odd years, we have never forgotten her. Now that I know she is still alive and everything is fine, I'm so grateful."
After a pause, she shook her head and said, "In fact, I don't want her to come back. Now the Palace is much more complicated than before. Look at those ladies, they are all very scheming. Although the Empress has gone, there are still many other concubines. Ling'er is the last person to deal with such a situation, and the last thing she wants to do is to share her husband with other women. Even if she comes back, even in the high position of the empress, she still can't be happy."
"I don't want my daughter to live a unhappy life." Lady Hua Guo said softly. Yun Shang kept silent for a long time and said, "But the news that Empress Hua is still alive is almost known to all in the State of Xia. Those people won't be relieved even if Empress Hua doesn't return to the Palace. As long as the Emperor still loves Empress Hua, Empress Hua can't really stay out of it. In this case, I'm afraid that staying with His Majesty is safer for her.
^ PHOKMX ^FROP-
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