nycdaug Chapter 458 I never expected anything from him
Chapter 458 I never expected anything from him
The eunuchs of Funing Palace had already left, and the glow of the palace lanterns flickered on the window paper, reflecting the quiet stillness of the room.
In the East Warm Pavilion, Mingyue stayed by Yu Nu'er's bedside without leaving her side. These days, due to taking care of her, she had also taken on a faint milky scent, which added a touch of gentleness to her.
Both wet nurses, Su and Li, were dedicated and responsible. Su, in particular, who stood on the right side of the bed, was dignified and very well-behaved.
Upon seeing Meng Shu enter, Su, the wet nurse, stepped forward, took the palace lantern from Meng Shu's hand, curtsied, and then said softly, "Your Highness, the First Prince has been sleeping soundly for half an hour. According to custom, he will only wake up once around 9 PM. We servants may now withdraw."
Meng Shu waved her hand gently, a warm smile on her face, and asked, "Are you getting used to Lingcui Palace now that you're new here? If you have any difficulties, feel free to talk to Green Willow, or tell Mingyue who is nearby."
Another wet nurse, surnamed Li, quickly responded softly, "Our Lingcui Palace is united and harmonious, Her Highness is kind and gentle, and Miss Donggua is also a good cook. We servants are very happy to be able to work here."
Meng Shu nodded slightly. After the two wet nurses left, Mingyue said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, this servant will be watching over the Crown Prince at night."
"You've had a tough month," Meng Shu said, smoothing the wrinkles around the baby's swaddling clothes. "Bring Yu Nu'er to my bedchamber tonight, and you can get some rest. I'll take care of him for the next few nights."
Without asking why, Mingyue stepped forward and carefully picked up Yu Nu'er. She chuckled and said, "Your Majesty, the eldest prince is the most well-behaved. He's so easy to take care of. Once he falls into a deep sleep, he won't even whimper until he's hungry."
Meng Shu smiled, leaned closer to take a look, and saw that Yu Nu'er's little face was rosy and she was sleeping soundly.
Back in the bedroom, Green Willow quickly took the swaddling clothes and whispered to Bright Moon, "Go and rest now, we'll take care of things here."
"This servant is with the wet nurse by the warm pavilion. Once the eldest prince wakes up, you can have Xia'er and the others go and call the wet nurse over."
Green Willow nodded in agreement and gently placed the swaddled baby inside the bedroom.
After Xia'er and Hongyu helped Meng Shu with her washing and dressing, Meng Shu changed into a soft silk nightgown and lay down on the outside fully clothed.
She kept a close eye on Yu Nu'er's movements. Yu Nu'er would occasionally smack her lips or kick her legs, which would soften her gaze.
Green Willow squatted beside the footstool. Seeing that she hadn't moved for a long time, she got up with concern. "Your Highness, you...you won't be able to sleep well tonight. I'll go and have Winter Melon cook a bowl of calming soup. You'll be fine soon."
"No need."
Meng Shu gently raised her arm to stop her, "She has to work hard to make breakfast every morning, why bother her?"
She paused, turned her head to look at Green Willow, her eyes revealing her weariness, but her tone remained gentle: "Green Willow, I'm really fine. After all this, apart from Wan'er, I've never relied on anyone else, including him."
"Go and rest outside. You'll be busy tomorrow, don't overwork yourself."
Green Willow's heart sank slightly. Having followed Meng Shu for many years, she naturally understood how much coldness was hidden in "never expected anything from him". She wanted to say something more, but when she met Meng Shu's clear yet weary eyes, she swallowed her words and whispered, "Then this servant will wait outside. If Your Highness has any instructions, please call this servant at any time."
She had just retreated to the outer room and lifted the half-drawn curtain when she heard heavy footsteps coming from the corridor.
Jingming carried a sandalwood palace lantern, carefully following behind the Emperor. The lantern's glow cast two long shadows on the ground. He glanced around the main hall of Cuiyu Hall, and when he saw Lvliu come out to greet him, his tense lips relaxed, and he gave her a wink.
When Green Willow saw that the Emperor had actually arrived, her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly curtsied and bowed.
"Shu'er has gone to bed so early?" The Emperor's voice was tinged with weariness, and as he spoke, his gaze passed over the green willows and looked toward the inner palace.
Green Willow lowered her eyes and replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, Her Highness was just with the First Prince and has just settled in. This servant will go immediately..."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor's brows furrowed slightly. "Why is the wet nurse not taking care of Yu Nu'er in the warm pavilion, but instead making Shu'er take care of her herself? The people in the Shanggong Bureau are becoming increasingly incompetent. Jingming, have two wet nurses come to Lingcui Palace tomorrow."
Green Willow could sense the deep anger in the Emperor's tone, so she quickly lowered her body and said, "Your Majesty, Her Highness was considerate of the wet nurse's hard work during the day and also wanted to be close to the First Prince, so she brought him over herself."
The emperor said nothing more and walked straight into the palace.
He lifted the curtain and entered the inner chamber of the bedchamber. He saw that Meng Shu was breathing shallowly and evenly, and had indeed fallen asleep. Yu Nu'er's swaddling clothes were placed on the inside, and the little one was sleeping soundly.
Seeing this, the frost between his brows faded a little.
He walked quietly, stood in front of the bed for a moment, his gaze sweeping over Meng Shu's slightly furrowed brows, then landing on Yu Nu'er's rosy face, before turning around and quietly retreating.
Once outside, he whispered to Green Willow, who was waiting nearby, "Tell Consort Jin tomorrow that since she is not feeling well, she should rest well. I will come to see her again the day after tomorrow."
......
Zhaoqing Hall.
Amber tiptoed into the hall and bowed her head to report, "Your Majesty, I just received news that His Majesty was originally going to Lingcui Palace tonight, but Consort Jin declined. However, not long after, His Majesty went to Lingcui Palace again, but only stayed for less than a quarter of an hour. He has now returned to Funing Palace to rest."
Upon hearing this, Consort Qing sneered: "The Meng family now dares to refuse the Emperor's presence, but I... sent people to invite them this evening, and they still couldn't come."
She grabbed a mother-of-pearl inlaid mirror from the dressing table. Her reflection was still radiant, but the corners of her eyes were red with anger, making her phoenix eyes appear particularly sharp.
Amber looked at Granny Yu beside her as if pleading for help, but Granny Yu didn't even glance at her, focusing her mind and entering a meditative state.
It was late at night, but Consort Qing Zhao still couldn't fall asleep.
She had been throwing a tantrum ever since she heard the news that Qu Jieyu was pregnant in the afternoon.
"It's one thing for Lady Shen and Lady Guo (Consort Qi) to give birth to daughters one after another." Consort Qing suddenly stood up, her tone filled with resentment and venom. "That lowly Lady Meng gave birth to the eldest son of the emperor and enjoyed all the glory. Now, not only Consort Chun, but even the most inconspicuous Lady Qu has quietly become pregnant with the emperor's child!"
Only then did Granny Yu step forward to soothe her, saying, "Your Highness, please calm down. Be careful not to upset yourself..."
"My body?" Consort Qing suddenly slapped her hand away, her eyes turning bloodshot. "What use is my body! The Empress had a miscarriage before, at least she had a glimpse of the imperial offspring, but what about me? I hope day and night, I pray night and night, why can't I conceive?"
"Go," she suddenly pressed her throbbing temples, "go and find out again whether Consort Qu's pregnancy is stable or not, what the imperial physician instructed..."
......
The next day.
Qu Jieyu, dressed in a plain palace gown, still came to Renming Hall to pay her respects.
Meng Shu arrived late, and as soon as she stepped through the palace gate, she met Qu Jieyu's gaze.
She remained unmoved and walked inside with an air of nonchalance. Upon seeing this, all the concubines turned around and bowed to her in greeting. Among them, Consort Qing's face flashed a hint of barely perceptible embarrassment, and she only gave a perfunctory curtsy.
Meng Shu seemed oblivious to this. Since the Empress had not yet arrived, she nodded slightly in return and sat down in her seat.
A moment later, the sound of imperial approval came from outside the hall, and the empress followed the emperor half a step into the hall.
The Emperor's gaze swept across the hall, lingering briefly on Meng Shu's bowing figure, before he sat down at the head of the table, with the Empress following suit to the side.
"...I have come to Renming Palace today because of the turmoil at the full moon banquet. The Empress has just recovered from her illness and should not overwork herself. After much consideration, I have decided to appoint Consort Jin, née Meng, to assist in managing the affairs of the six palaces."