Red Mansion and Crimson Pearl

Chapter 189: Three Things to Do When Returning to the Palace

Aunt Jing finally said nothing more and left silently. After a long while, Aunt Zheng came in and apologized to Tanchun:

"We have been in the palace for our whole lives, and there are many things we need to learn slowly. The only things the Queen Mother asked us to teach were eating, drinking, sitting and lying down.

"As for other social etiquette, I'd like to ask the county lady to give me some advice."

Tanchun waved her hand: "That's not necessary. The aunts in the palace have a standard for what is considered loyal and what is considered obedient.

"Now, if the aunts can just ask themselves, they will not use the same ruler to measure themselves and the masters in the palace, and then use the same ruler to measure me. That will be good."

Aunt Zheng retreated with a look of shame on her face.

At night, when the two aunts came up to help close the windows and blow out the lights, they became much more polite.

Tanchun didn't care at all.

She had no intention of winning over these two female officials from the palace. She just wanted them to help teach Snow Crow the rules and keep the two little palace maids.

At noon the next day, Aunt Meng had not returned yet, and Lin Daiyu had only drunk a bowl of soup. Even Miaoyu sensed the tense atmosphere and could not help but come over to inquire.

When Daiyu saw her now, she thought of Prince Zhongshun, Prince Beijing, Jia Yucun and Jia Yuanchun. She felt annoyed and simply refused to see her.

Miaoyu was puzzled, but she understood. Seeing Xueyan wanting to explain but not knowing how to do it, she smiled:

"When I'm in a bad mood, I don't want to talk to anyone. I advise your master to drink more soup and water to clear his mind and relieve his irritability."

He strolled back leisurely.

Tanchun happened to be walking towards her and passed by her. Neither of them spoke, just nodded to each other.

Hearing that Lin Daiyu was feeling upset, Tanchun did not go in. Instead, she had a table set up and stood in the courtyard copying calligraphy.

The two of them, one in the room and the other outside, waited anxiously until 3:45 p.m., when suddenly someone rushed in from outside to report, "Aunt Meng is back!"

Lin Daiyu's voice immediately rang out in the room: "Please ask her to come directly to me."

After a while, Aunt Meng went into the inner room as usual, and Tanchun followed her in.

Seeing Daiyu standing in front of her with a nervous look on her face, Aunt Meng shook her head and said, "It's nothing, she just caught a cold from wanting to stay cool at night.

"Because I've been busy with government affairs recently, I've accumulated some anger in my heart. This disease may seem dangerous, but it's actually harmless."

Daiyu heaved a sigh of relief, then slowly sat down at the table and ordered Zijuan to serve some tea and snacks.

Tanchun smiled and shook her head, then told Zijuan to first bring a bowl of bird's nest porridge to her daughter, and then get some refreshing sugar water for everyone.

Qingwen tactfully brought a basin and a towel and asked Aunt Meng to wash up briefly.

After the red date lotus seed tea and bird's nest porridge were served, Aunt Meng sat down and drank the sugar water, then she whispered the news from the palace one by one:

"It's indeed nothing. But the Queen was instigated by someone and made a big scene. The Queen Mother and the Emperor don't like her behavior. I'm afraid that Your Majesty will punish her after he recovers."

He then told her how Yuanchun and the Seventh Prince had arrived earlier than the Grand Master, the Queen Mother, the Crown Prince, and the Queen, and then he frowned and said,

"I just can't understand why Tao Xingjian shouldn't have let her in so early even if she was just taking a walk nearby.

"If the imperial physician had not repeatedly stated that His Majesty was already unconscious when they arrived, and that the imperial concubine arrived after them, I'm afraid even the emperor and the queen mother would have suspected that Supervisor Tao was colluding with Concubine Jia."

He glanced at Daiyu and said, "No one thought about it before, but now that you are here, everyone is speculating about it."

Daiyu sighed softly and said nothing.

She had guessed that this situation must have been caused by the emperor himself - if it weren't for him, Supervisor Tao would never have broken this rule no matter what.

This plot in Tanchun's horoscope was probably aimed at Prince Zhongshun's party; but could the emperor's own illness also be a plot? Was he deliberately sick?

This is really...

What is the picture?

Daiyu put aside the random thoughts in her mind and asked Aunt Meng, "Then how did you come back?"

"I was still somewhat respectable in front of the Queen Mother. So after I went there, the Queen Mother insisted that I look after His Majesty, regardless of the fact that the Grand Master and the Queen were not happy about it.

"Of course, the group of people in the Imperial Hospital refused to let me stay. But I looked after him all night. This morning, His Majesty woke up for a while, drank some rice soup, took some medicine, and went to sleep. So they had nothing to say.

"I asked the Queen Mother for permission to come back to get the needle bag and homemade moxa, and a few changes of clothes. Only then did she let me out.

"Now I'm going to take a bath and change clothes, and then I have to go back to the palace. The Queen Mother is sitting in the Xuanzheng Hall, and she refuses to go anywhere, and is guarding Your Majesty."

Daiyu hesitated for a moment and looked at Tanchun: "What do you want to say?"

Tanchun nodded and said, "Aunt, go back and tell the Queen Mother for me that the Emperor's illness is indeed worrying. But if the old lady knows that he is suffering like this, the Emperor will be even more worried, and I am worried about that."

Aunt Meng smiled and nodded: "Okay, that's good, this way I can persuade the Queen Mother to go back and rest."

After a pause, without waiting for Daiyu and Tanchun to nod, he continued, "Once the Empress Dowager leaves, the Emperor can also leave, and we can take the opportunity to drive the Empress back as well.

"Ah, Xuanzheng Palace can finally live in peace!"

Daiyu chuckled but said nothing. She first looked up at Zijuan.

Zijuan understood, lowered her eyes and went out, taking all the maids out, leaving only Daiyu, Tanchun and Aunt Meng in the room.

Daiyu then said softly, "Aunt is going back to the palace to bring back a few things.

“First, we need to explain to the Majesty and the Queen Mother that Yimin and I are very frightened.

"Of course, half of it is because I know that His Majesty is ill, but the other half, you don't know, is that I started to panic since I came back from Taiji Palace last time."

Aunt Meng's eyes flashed: "Is it because of Concubine Lai?"

Daiyu raised her eyebrows: "Aunt knows about this?"

"I was on duty at the emperor's side yesterday, and Cheng Qian accompanied me. We talked about this during a night chat." Aunt Meng said, looking at Tanchun and sighing, "Life is full of suffering."

Daiyu hummed, then said seriously: "The second thing is very long, I will tell you slowly, aunt, please listen carefully."

Then he told Miaoyu all the details about the destruction of her family, except for the fact that Miaoyu knew that "Lin Zhixiao's wife told her that Prince Beijing kept the painting of the beauty."

This time, not only Aunt Meng, but even Tanchun was stunned.

"This is a beastly behavior!" Aunt Meng gritted her teeth, her eyes full of anger.

Daiyu held her down and whispered, "When your majesty wakes up, I will report this serious case to your majesty in detail. I have tried several times to find an opportunity to tell you, but I have no way to see you, so I have to ask you to convey it."

Aunt Meng nodded vigorously: "Okay! Leave it to me!"

"Also, the Jia family invited Miaoyu to the mansion." Daiyu glanced at Tanchun and said frankly to Aunt Meng, "It seems that there is a hidden story.

"If Your Majesty were to ask the Imperial Concubine about this matter, you might not be able to get some details. I would like to meet the Imperial Concubine. Please allow me to find an excuse."