mesbooks Chapter 281 One-sided love, so be it.
Chapter 281 One-sided love, so be it.
Su Nuannuan raised the corners of her mouth slightly, looking at the Empress with a half-smile, and said softly, "Your Majesty, let's see through this but not say it."
"At least you're comfortable now."
Su Nuannuan smiled slightly, seemingly unconcerned by the Empress's words, and casually said, "Whether it's comfortable or not, it's not that big of a deal." Her tone was relaxed, as if leaving the palace was just another matter.
Seeing this, the Empress's smile deepened. She turned to Yingqiu, who was serving beside her, and asked with a smile, "Yingqiu, what do you think about me giving her a beating?"
Ying Qiu quickly bowed and smiled, replying softly, "Your Majesty, if you beat Consort Zhuang, she really won't come back to see you again."
Upon hearing Ying Qiu's words, the Empress couldn't help but laugh out loud. Pointing at Su Nuannuan, she teased, "It's as if she came back to see me on special occasion. If the Emperor hadn't sent her an imperial edict, she probably wouldn't have come back at all."
"Your Majesty, how could that be? Even without His Majesty's decree, I would definitely return for such an important event as Jingyun's wedding! After all, Jingyun respectfully calls me 'Teacher'!" Su Nuannuan hurriedly explained, her tone firm, as if afraid that Her Majesty the Empress would not believe her.
However, only Su Nuannuan herself knows the truth of the matter.
"At least you still have some conscience," the Empress chuckled, scolding him with a smile.
Seeing this, Su Nuannuan also laughed, and the atmosphere immediately became much more relaxed.
"By the way, I still don't know which family the Crown Princess is from," Su Nuannuan asked curiously, as if she had suddenly remembered something.
The Empress smiled slightly and replied, "It is Zhang Qingyou, the second daughter of Prime Minister Zhang. Jingyun chose her himself, and the child was willing."
Su Nuannuan nodded repeatedly after hearing this, indicating that she understood. But when she heard what the Empress said next, her heart tightened and she paused.
She certainly understood the deeper meaning behind the Empress's words, but to say that she had willingly entered the palace as a concubine, yet later fled the palace for nine years, was hardly the behavior of someone who would do so willingly.
"If it's a mutual agreement, then that's fine." Su Nuannuan forced a smile and replied somewhat awkwardly.
"I know you did not enter this palace willingly, but I have no idea why the Emperor summoned you. Even the late Empress Dowager knew nothing about it," the Empress said slowly, a hint of helplessness in her voice.
Su Nuannuan smiled slightly and replied softly, "Your Majesty, I have been in the palace for many years and have a son and an adopted daughter. Now the children are all fifteen years old, and in another year they will be old enough to establish their own residences and offices. Why bring up these old matters? My life is quite comfortable now."
The Empress gazed at Su Nuannuan and said with a smile, "You're such a carefree person."
Su Nuannuan smiled slightly and replied, "Your Majesty, if I hadn't been more magnanimous, I'm afraid I would have already lost my life when I entered the palace."
Seeing this, the Empress sighed softly, then changed the subject, saying, "The day after Jingyun's wedding, he will bring the Crown Princess to the palace to pay his respects to me. You should come at that time as well."
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan looked surprised and quickly said, "Your Majesty, this arrangement seems somewhat inappropriate!"
"You yourself said that Jingyun calls you 'teacher,' so it's only right that he pays his respects. Or, you could have Jingyun bring the Crown Princess to your palace to pay her respects," the Empress said calmly.
Su Nuannuan's heart tightened, so she quickly waved her hand and said, "No, on that day, I'll come instead! Don't make things difficult for the two children."
Seeing this, the Empress smiled slightly and said, "Then I'll be waiting for you."
Su Nuannuan was a little puzzled. What did the Empress mean by this? But she didn't dare to ask too many questions and could only reply, "Yes, Your Majesty."
However, Su Nuannuan was still a little worried. After hesitating for a moment, she asked again, "Um, Your Majesty, shall I come by myself?"
The Empress seemed to see through her thoughts and replied calmly, "Besides the Emperor, it's just yourself."
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan realized the Emperor was also there. She quickly changed her tune, saying, "Then...then I'll wait in my own palace!"
Upon hearing this, the Empress was somewhat surprised and asked in confusion, "Why are you hiding when the Emperor is here?"
Su Nuannuan stammered, "Your Majesty, don't you find it strange?"
The Empress looked bewildered and pressed for an answer: "Strange? How so?"
Su Nuannuan took a deep breath and mustered her courage to say, "Your Majesty, Jingyun and the Crown Princess are paying respects to their parents. What an important occasion this is! I am but a concubine. It is really inappropriate for a concubine to be present!"
Upon hearing this, the Empress suddenly realized what was going on, smiled, and said, "Oh! I thought it was something serious! What's so strange about this? Strictly speaking, you are also Jingyun's stepmother, so it's only natural that you're here."
Besides, as you said, Jingyun still calls you "teacher." What's so strange about a student paying respects to his teacher?
"Then on that day, will I be Jingyun's stepmother or his teacher?" Su Nuannuan asked with a sly smile, blinking her big eyes as she looked at the Empress with great interest in the question.
Seeing this, the Empress chuckled inwardly; Su Nuannuan was truly an interesting person. She coughed lightly and replied with feigned seriousness, "That depends on what Jingyun thinks; I cannot make that decision."
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan deliberately sighed, a pained expression on her face, and said, "Alas! Your Majesty, I'd better not chat with you any longer. I need to hurry back and prepare a new gift for the Crown Princess. My purse is empty!"
Seeing Su Nuannuan's appearance, the Empress couldn't help but laugh. She teased, "Oh, look at how distressed you are. But speaking of which, if you don't dare to give me a gift, I won't allow it."
Su Nuannuan wasn't going to back down either. She gave the Empress a coquettish glare, then turned to Jinse standing behind her and said, "Jinse, look at this. The Crown Princess isn't even married yet, and her mother-in-law is already helping her get all the good stuff."
Jinse understood immediately and smiled in agreement, "Your Majesty, don't worry, we not only have the young prince, but also the princess. When they get married, we'll take all these good things back."
Upon hearing Jinse's words, the Empress deliberately put on a stern face and pretended to be angry, saying, "You two, mistress and servant, have gone too far! How dare you scheme against me right in front of me! Let's see how I deal with you!"
"Tch, what's the point of scheming behind someone's back?" Su Nuannuan smiled disdainfully and rolled her eyes at the Empress.
"Yingqiu, my hands are itching." The Empress said as she slowly raised her hand and rotated her wrist, as if she were loosening her muscles.
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan quickly stood up, bowed to the Empress, and said, "Your Majesty, I need to go back to prepare a gift for the Crown Princess, so I won't disturb you any longer."
Having said that, Su Nuannuan didn't dare to delay for a moment, and turned to leave hurriedly with Jinse. Her steps were somewhat hurried, as if she was afraid that the Empress would suddenly change her mind and call her back.
However, when Su Nuannuan walked into the courtyard, her gaze suddenly fell on the concubines who were still kneeling, and Su Nuannuan immediately turned cold.