mesbooks Chapter 188 The Mischievous Matter of the Minister of War's Grandson
Chapter 188 The Mischievous Matter of the Minister of War's Grandson
When Su Nuannuan stepped into the Imperial Garden, she saw that Consort Qin and Consort Li had already arrived before her in the beautiful and flower-filled place, chatting and laughing with a group of ladies dressed in gorgeous clothes.
As Su Nuannuan's figure came into view, Consort Qin and Consort Li stopped their conversation at the same time, smiled, and gracefully rose to greet her, saying in a sweet voice, "Sister Consort Zhuang, you're late!" After that, the three of them greeted each other.
The ladies-in-waiting dared not be negligent and hurriedly bowed to Su Nuannuan in unison, saying, "Your humble servants greet Consort Zhuang, may Your Highness be blessed with ten thousand years of happiness and peace!"
Seeing this, Su Nuannuan's smile deepened, and she gently raised her hand to indicate, "Please rise, everyone! I just heard a lot of laughter and chatter as I walked here. What were you all talking about?" With that, she moved gracefully towards her seat, her figure elegant and her demeanor exquisite.
"Thank you, Your Highness Consort Zhuang!" After expressing their gratitude, the ladies-in-waiting slowly rose to their feet. Once Su Nuannuan was seated comfortably, they also took their seats in turn.
At this moment, Consort Qin smiled slightly and replied, "Sister, you may not know this, but we were just talking about the young master of the Minister of War's family!"
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan turned to look at Shi Huijuan, the wife of the Minister of War, with great interest and asked curiously, "Oh? Madam Shi, I wonder what has happened to your grandson that has caused such a stir among you all?"
Shi Huijuan looked embarrassed, sighed softly, and said with a wry smile, "Alas, Your Majesty, please forgive my rudeness. My grandson is really too naughty. He's always jumping around and never quiet for a moment. He's truly a 'spare the rod and spoil the child' kind of kid. I'm at my wit's end, so I have no choice but to tell everyone about him so that we can brainstorm and help me think of a way to properly discipline this rascal."
At this moment, she had completely forgotten about the so-called "family scandal should not be aired in public," and she didn't care whether her husband's mortal enemies would laugh at her. To her, the most important thing was that someone could help her devise a plan to properly discipline her grandson; after all, that was more important than anything else.
If we don't correct my grandson's behavior in time and let it continue, he may become a spoiled brat who causes trouble and disasters all day long, and the consequences would be unimaginable.
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan asked, "May I ask how old your beloved grandson is this year, Madam?"
Shi Huijuan quickly stood up and replied, "Your Highness, my grandson is now nine years old. To my shame, my wife and his mother are truly at their wits' end with this child. We have punished him severely when necessary, and we have scolded him mercilessly when necessary, but it has all been to no avail."
This child is always causing trouble. Right now, he's just making a ruckus at home, so there's still room for discipline. But what if he causes a big disaster outside in the future? At this point, Shi Huijuan couldn't help but look worried, her brows furrowed.
It's important to know that both she and her daughter-in-law came from military families, and their upbringing was characterized by harsh and simplistic methods. When it came to disciplining their child, they seemed to have no other effective methods besides beating and scolding. I remember one time, the two of them were so cruel that they beat the child until his skin was torn and his buttocks were almost mangled. Even so, the child remained defiant and showed no remorse whatsoever.
Before the Empress arrived, the rest of the group clearly had no interest in appreciating the flowers and were all sitting there, enjoying the gossip from the Minister of War's household.
Upon hearing this, Consort Zhuang nodded slightly, then asked, "Nine years old? That's not young anymore. Has he been sent to school?"
“He went, and after he started school, he caused quite a bit of trouble. On his first day, he was so audacious that he tore the teacher's books to shreds when the teacher wasn't looking. The second day was even more outrageous; he skipped class and secretly climbed a tall tree to steal bird eggs. What's even more infuriating is that he actually threw the eggs he found directly at the teacher's head! Well, the teacher was furious and immediately had the child sent back home. After that, he hired tutors at home, but every tutor he hired drove him away.” Shi Huijuan's voice was filled with worry as she finished speaking.
These things had already spread far and wide, and every family with a child studying at the same school as him knew about it; it was no secret at all.
Hearing this, Su Nuannuan thought to herself, "This child just has too much energy and nowhere to release it!"
Then, a thought struck her, and she suggested, "How about this, we consider sending him to a military camp to train him properly? And we don't need to send him too far, just the camp outside our capital will do. Maybe after this child has suffered enough, he'll change for the better!"
Upon hearing this, Shi Huijuan's eyes lit up. She slapped her thigh as if in sudden realization and said excitedly, "Your Majesty's idea is truly brilliant! How come I didn't think of this method before?"
Just as everyone was discussing this, a loud shout suddenly rang out: "Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"
In an instant, everyone present dared not be negligent. They quickly stood up and respectfully bowed to the Empress, saying in unison, "Your Majesty, we pay our respects. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
The Empress walked over slowly with a dignified demeanor and a smile on her face. After everyone had finished paying their respects, she gently raised her hand and said softly, "Everyone, please rise!" Then she stepped to the main seat and sat down gracefully.
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress." Everyone rose and took their seats.
"Today we are holding a spring banquet. In addition to enjoying the flowers and scenery, we are here by imperial decree to inform everyone that His Majesty is going to hold a selection of consorts. This selection is for the purpose of expanding the royal family and continuing the bloodline. If any of you have women of marriageable age, we hope that you will participate."
Upon hearing this news, the ladies-in-waiting present exchanged bewildered glances, each secretly making their own calculations.
Some of the court ladies were overjoyed, thinking that if they could take this opportunity to send their beautiful daughters into the palace, once they were chosen to become concubines, their entire families would benefit and enjoy wealth and honor, and rise to prominence from then on.
Other court ladies looked worried, their hearts filled with concern for their beloved daughters, wondering whether their lives in the palace would be satisfactory and smooth sailing.
However, no matter what these court ladies were thinking, the Empress, sitting high above, paid them no heed, still smiling and warmly inviting everyone to enjoy the exquisite and delicious spring pastries laid out on the table.