This means that it will not be easy to depose the empress, and it will be easier for his grandson to become the king of this land.
Jiang Zhongsi's eyes were filled with complex emotions, two voices tearing at his heart, which eventually turned into a soft sigh.
As Song Yansi watched Jiang Zhongsi kneel down, lifting his robe, the moment his knees touched the ground, this man who had been stubborn and fighting his whole life finally bent his knees to him.
In the empty hall, only the sound of foreheads hitting the ground could be heard.
Jiang Yuan had just woken up and sent Yang Jing'e to the Yang residence to collect money when a maid rushed over to report, "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived."
"Let him in." Jiang Yuan had barely finished speaking when a blue figure slipped in, throwing himself straight into her arms. His lips were pouting, his face clearly saying, "I'm not happy." He buried his head tightly in his hands, prompting Jiang Yuan to ask, "What's wrong? Who upset Yu'er again? Did Mr. Wei assign too much homework again?"
"No." The little voice in her arms was as soft as a cat's. Cheng Yu hadn't been this childlike in front of her for a long time. "No, sir."
"It's not Mr. Cheng?" Jiang Yuan feigned surprise, pulling Cheng Yu out of her arms and subtly scrutinizing her son. He looked listless, his usual lively expression gone, revealing that he was probably truly heartbroken.
Jiang Yuan glanced at Zhu Chuan and saw her nod. Zhu Chuan and Luo Nuan had been given to Cheng Yu, who took care of them by her side on a daily basis. Jiang Yuan then thought for a moment, "Yu'er, tell Mother."
She deliberately used the word "mother" to refer to the Empress Dowager. Sure enough, when Chengyu heard Jiang Yuan's words, her lips trembled, her little face turned red, and she almost burst into tears. However, because of the many people in the hall, she desperately held back her tears.
Upon seeing this, Bi Fan quickly led everyone away, leaving only the mother and son behind.
"Mother, will Father not love Yu'er as much anymore?" The little one blushed and tears streamed down his face as he wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "It's all those vixens' fault. Once they have their own little foxes, Father won't love me as much anymore."
"Chengyu!" Jiang Yuan's heart skipped a beat when she saw Song Chengyu sobbing. She rarely called him so formally. She just frowned and asked, "Who taught you to say that?"
What vixen? Little fox? Is this the kind of talk a crown prince should make?
Jiang Yuan's smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression, which made Cheng Yu somewhat flustered. He had never seen his mother like this before. After a moment's internal struggle, he whispered, "It's what Granny Ren said. She said that Father Emperor won't love me as much if he has other children in the future..."
After being slapped twice on Jiang Yuan's wedding night, Granny Ren behaved herself for a while. Later, when she went to Chaisang with Song Yanji, she was moved to the estate to prevent her from causing trouble in the mansion. However, after Song Yanji ascended the throne, and Granny Ren had no children, Jiang Yuan had no choice but to bring her in for the sake of his reputation. He then raised her in the back garden, and Jiang Yuan pretended not to see her bullying him because of her status as Song Yanji's wet nurse.
Unexpectedly, after only a few days of comfortable living, her old habits from her past life returned. In her previous life, Rong'an's son was still young, but she had already taught him to be full of wickedness and exuding an evil aura. Rong'an used to lock herself in the palace all day long, neglecting her children as a mother, and she, as the Empress, was even less so. Beating eunuchs and maids to death was commonplace, but it was unclear who he inherited his lecherous nature from, as he was taught to flirt with concubines of lower rank at a young age.
Now that the illegitimate prince was gone, Granny Ren set her sights on Cheng Yu. "What else did she say?"
Although Chengyu was young, she was not stupid. Seeing that Jiang Yuan was angry, she knew that the old woman was probably not a good person. "She said I shouldn't tell Mother."
"It seems I've made her life too comfortable all these years." Jiang Yuan thought to herself with resentment. What a shrew. She then turned to Cheng Yu and said, "Don't learn to say that in the future. A man's ambition lies in the world. Don't pay attention to these old women anymore. Listen to Mr. Wei more."
"Yes, Your Majesty will follow Your Majesty's teachings." Cheng Yu immediately agreed. Now that he had changed his mind, he stopped dwelling on the matter. His eyes darted around. "Granny Ren said that if I want to hear about Father's childhood, I should go to Ying Sui Garden to find her at 1-3 PM. She also said that this is a secret between the two of us and I must not tell Your Majesty."
Cheng Yu has always admired Song Yanji and used to ask him about things. Whenever Jiang Yuan talked about it, she listened with great interest. Granny Ren really knew how to cater to her interests.
Jiang Yuan rubbed Cheng Yu's head and said with a smile, "I know, Yu'er is so good."
"Has the Empress Dowager given any reward?" Cheng Yu hugged Jiang Yuan's arm, sat down beside her, and revealed a sly little face.
"Then what does my Yu'er want?"
"The eight-treasure cake made by the Empress Dowager." Cheng Yu sniffed as he spoke, "It smells so good, Your Highness misses it very much."
"Alright." Jiang Yuan nodded, her fingers clenched so tightly they turned white inside her sleeve, then she loosened them. Why couldn't she just follow the path of humanity? Why did she have to venture into the Avici Hell? Did she really think Jiang Yuan was someone easy to deal with?
Chapter 77 A Dream in the Garden
As its name suggests, Ying Sui Garden is very elegant. Because the garden is not large and there are few places to rest, not many people visit it.
Cheng Yu insisted on going along, saying he wanted to hear what the old woman had to say to him. Jiang Yuan originally didn't want him to be exposed to these things too early, but after thinking about it again, he acquiesced. However, this matter inevitably required informing Song Yansi.
Jiang Yuan suddenly felt that Song Yanji had had a tough time all these years, having such a wet nurse. Although she had been raised to be a bit domineering, her character was still acceptable.
"Granny Ren?" Song Yansi picked up a small pastry, and as soon as it entered his mouth, the sweet taste raged around, making him frown. Seeing this, Bi Fan quickly took the remaining half of the pastry with a handkerchief and handed him a new handkerchief to wipe his hands.
He wiped the scraps off his hands, again and again, making Jiang Yuan uneasy. After all, she was the nanny who had been with him since childhood; was he really going too far? Jiang Yuan thought that perhaps because her own wet nurse had died young, she couldn't quite understand the depth of his feelings.
After a moment, he threw down the handkerchief and sighed softly, "Let's do it your way."
“I didn’t want to do this, but leaving her in the palace, and with Chengyu being so young, I can’t help but worry.” Jiang Yuan pondered Song Yansi’s thoughts, leaning against him, the familiar scent of Ye Han Su lingering between them. “Don’t blame me.”
So cautiously. After entering the palace, Jiang Yuan became even more careful, deliberately avoiding all the things that had made her estranged from Song Yanji in her past life, but he still seemed unhappy. Looking at Song Yanji's still dim eyes, Jiang Yuan swallowed back the words she was about to say.
"I've said it before, it's all up to you." He reached out and stroked Jiang Yuan's cheek. Her skin was as warm as jade and as white as porcelain. This was his wife. So what if she was a little calculating? She had always been soft-hearted towards him. Her mood instantly brightened. Jiang Yuan was a little confused by this change. His temperament was really just like in his previous life, unpredictable.
"Then I'll go." Seeing that he was in a better mood, Jiang Yuan reached out and hugged his arm, shaking it in her arms, and said coquettishly, "No matter what the outcome, you can't blame me."
"Okay." Song Yansi smiled and pinched the tip of her nose, "but be careful not to overdo it."
Now that the previous dynasty is unstable, regardless of whether there are others behind it, it will all come down to Granny Ren.
"I understand." Jiang Yuan quickly realized what Song Yansi meant. Although she was a little unhappy, she put aside her reluctance for the sake of the bigger picture and remembered everything.
Inside the Shadow Garden, orioles sang sweetly, and although the flowers and plants weren't particularly valuable, they grew quite lushly. After giving Cheng Yu a few more instructions, Jiang Yuan allowed him to bring Xiao Qiu into the garden. Xiao Qiu was Cheng Yu's personal eunuch. Jiang Yuan had thoroughly investigated his family, ultimately deciding that he had a clean background and was clever, thus placing him safely by Cheng Yu's side. Because Xiao Qiu had never served under the eunuchs, his manners were somewhat lacking, but that was a good thing—he was a blank slate—and Zhu Chuan and Luo Nuan taught him regularly.
"Your Highness, that old woman." Xiao Qiu lowered her head, but her eyes were glancing around. She caught sight of Granny Ren's heavy purple robe peeking out from behind the artificial hill.
Cheng Yu indicated that he understood, winked at Xiao Qiu, then grabbed his robe and ran a few steps, panting heavily as he shouted, "Didn't you say you were waiting for me here at noon? How dare you speak such nonsense! That old woman is truly hateful!"
His voice was crisp and clear. Granny Ren, who had been waiting impatiently, was overjoyed when she heard Cheng Yu's slightly angry voice. She peeked out and saw that he had only brought a young eunuch of the same age with him, and she was even more delighted. She quickly ran around from behind the rockery and kept calling out, "Your Highness, this old servant has made Your Highness wait, and it is truly unforgivable."
The fish came out. Cheng Yu was unhappy that she had made her mother angry, but she hid it all on her face. She just followed Jiang Yuan's instructions, put on airs, and snorted, "I came at the appointed time. The old nanny is late. How dare you!"
"Your Highness, please calm down." Granny Ren bent her knees and knelt down, but in her heart she kept thinking that it was better to be a little short-tempered and quick-tempered. If she really became like Song Yanji, who kept everything bottled up inside and was full of scheming, it would be worse. Thinking of this, her eyes reddened slightly, and she raised her sleeve to wipe the corners of her wrinkled eyes. "This old servant is getting old, and my legs are not as good as those of young people. When Your Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince were this age, this old servant was very fast."
Granny Ren did this on purpose; her cloudy eyes were slightly white. Seeing that Song Chengyu's anger was gradually subsiding, she made a plan in her mind.
"Get up, this is the last time." Cheng Yu flicked his robe, mimicking the gesture perfectly. As soon as Granny Ren got up, he gave Xiao Qiu a wink, "Go stand aside and keep watch. I have something to discuss with Granny Ren."
“But,” Xiao Qiu said, her face showing difficulty, her fingers gripping her sleeve, “if this servant leaves, won’t His Highness be left without anyone by his side?”
"Why are you talking so much nonsense?" Cheng Yu said, kicking Xiao Qiu. As soon as his foot touched Xiao Qiu's robe, Xiao Qiu pretended to fall and roll around. Then she quickly crawled to Cheng Yu's feet, kowtowing and begging for forgiveness. She looked quite disheveled.
"Get out!" To make the performance more convincing, Song Chengyu's face was dark and gloomy. Although he was young, he was quite frightening.
Granny Ren stood aside and watched coldly. The more irritable the young prince became, the happier she was. She saw Xiao Qiu scramble away to the side, leaving only the two of them in the vast area.
Cheng Yu watched Xiao Qiu leave with bated breath, goosebumps rising on his back. His father had taught him that fear was human nature, and as long as it wasn't shown, victory was still within reach. He could only clear his throat, put on a cold face, and suppress his unease.
Granny Ren's eyes flickered slightly, and she reached into her sleeve and pulled out a colorful dough figurine. A majestic monkey wearing a feathered crown stood on a vermilion pole, riding on golden auspicious clouds. She coaxed him, "This dough figurine was made by this old servant herself. I wonder if Your Highness will like it?"
"How delightful! It looks just like Father Emperor." Cheng Yu's eyes lit up. Children, after all, love these things, and he reached out and snatched it.
"Yes, yes, as long as Your Highness likes it."
Although Cheng Yu liked it, he was also preoccupied with important matters. While looking at the monkey, he asked, "Didn't you say you wanted to tell me about Father Emperor's childhood? Why are you just trying to fob me off with a monkey?"
"No, no, I wouldn't dare." Granny Ren gestured for him to sit in the pavilion. "Your Highness, please come with me to the pavilion. I will explain everything to you in detail."
Song Chengyu nodded, but kept thinking to himself: Xiao Qiu, you absolutely have to keep up with me!
In the Shadow Garden, there was a pavilion, surrounded by vines, quite secluded. Cheng Yu entered the pavilion and saw two cups of tea on the table. The tea was cold, indicating that someone had been gone for a while. He innocently asked, "Why are there two cups here?"
"I was having tea here with a maid earlier." As she spoke, Granny Ren quickly pushed the cup aside, poured another cup, and handed it to Song Chengyu with both hands. "Your Highness, what do you want to know about His Majesty? This old servant will tell you."
Song Chengyu nodded, and the two continued their conversation in a harmonious atmosphere. Granny Ren was quite adept at understanding children's minds and easily won people over. Chengyu felt that if Jiang Yuan hadn't given him instructions beforehand, he might have actually been fooled by her.
"So it turns out Father didn't like reading when he was a child either." Cheng Yu listened with great interest, his eyes curving into crescents as he held his cup.
"It is destiny's will; what is meant to be will be," Granny Ren said with a smile. "This old servant only thought of these things because I saw that His Highness was very tired from studying."
"I also get annoyed whenever I see Mr., but Zhu Chuan and the others keep urging me!" Cheng Yu's tone was full of dissatisfaction, and she even used the term "me" now.
“You are His Highness, above all others, how dare a maid say such things?” Granny Ren seemed dissatisfied as well. “Next time she speaks like that, just have someone give her a few lashes, and that will be enough.”
Cheng Yu lowered her eyes slightly, "But she was given to me by my mother after all."
“You’re just disciplining a palace maid,” Granny Ren thought for a moment and then added, “You can just issue a gag order and keep it from the Emperor and Empress.”
Is it really possible?
“How could this old servant dare to deceive Your Highness?” Granny Ren bowed and said, “His Majesty did the same thing back then.”
Xiao Qiu stood trembling behind Jiang Yuan. Fortunately, His Highness had told the Emperor and Empress about this beforehand. Otherwise, if he had actually believed the old woman's words and secretly brought him here, and if the Emperor and Empress found out that His Highness had been secretly learning these things, his life would most likely be over.
Tsk tsk tsk, what a good teacher. Jiang Yuan listened from beginning to end. Granny Ren was really determined to lead her son astray. "I see. I didn't know His Majesty was like this when he was a child."
Jiang Yuan arrived with a smile before she did, startling Granny Ren. Before she could even suspect Cheng Yu, she saw the young prince drop his cup in fright, exclaiming, "Why is Mother here?"
Jiang Yuan wore a five-phoenix hairpin with pearls on her head and specially made soft shoes, so she walked silently. She looked at the old man and the child kneeling on the ground with their heads bowed. Before she could speak, Cheng Yu looked up and met her gaze. In the sunlight, he showed eight white teeth the size of grains of rice. This child, Jiang Yuan suppressed the smile on her face and said coldly, "Speak!"
"Your Majesty, this old servant..."
"Mother!" Before Granny Ren could speak, Cheng Yu's sweet and crisp voice rang out quickly. He turned around, grabbed the dough figurine he had just received from the stone table, and threw it in front of them. The monkey had already been squeezed out of shape by Cheng Yu. "Granny said this is Father Emperor!"
A group of people all turned their gazes to the ground. Granny Ren was also stunned. When had she ever said that? Before she could refute, Cheng Yu poured out everything that Granny Ren had just told him, with urgency, as if he was afraid that Jiang Yuan would misunderstand him.
"This old servant is innocent!" Granny Ren was speechless. She was stunned for a long time before she kowtowed vigorously. In her heart, she hated Cheng Yu to death. What an irresponsible person!
"You audacious servant! Are you saying that I have wronged you?" Cheng Yu finished speaking and knelt down before Jiang Yuan. "Your Majesty must have heard what happened. This matter has nothing to do with your son. It was this servant who tried to deceive your son with words."
"Your Majesty the Emperor and Empress!"
“I heard you. Do you think I’m deaf?” Jiang Yuan interrupted, glancing at the cups and saucers pushed aside on the table. “It’s so lively here, Granny.”
Granny Ren was in a panic. She remembered what that person had told her: as long as she could win over His Highness, she would have no fear of not having wealth and glory in the future.
"I have been quite lenient with you because you are His Majesty's wet nurse, but I never imagined that you would dare to teach the Crown Prince such things!" Jiang Yuan said angrily. "Take him away!"
"Injustice! Your Majesty the Emperor and Empress, have mercy! Your Majesty, have mercy!" Granny Ren kowtowed so hard her head throbbed, and said incoherently, "It was Baoyun, it was Baoyun who told me to win over the young prince."
"Baoyun?" Jiang Yuan sneered inwardly, his smile turning into a chilling grin. "Even now, you still dare to implicate Madam Xie? Where's the evidence?"
Evidence? Where did the evidence come from? Granny Ren was speechless. That girl had only whispered a few words to her in private. She had other ideas and naturally didn't dare let anyone see that girl with her. She should have known better than to let that girl leave in the first place!
“You can summon Bao Yun; this old servant will confront her.”
"What a joke! Without any evidence, why would I have a rift with Madam Xie because of you?" Jiang Yuan stroked the nail polish on her fingertips, constantly telling herself that it wasn't the right time yet, and she should wait a little longer.
Cheng Yu had already stood up by now and quietly asked Xiao Qiu, "Is Madam Xie the one from the Yuanluan Palace?"
"Exactly." Xiao Qiu's voice was so low that only the two of them could hear it.
Chapter 78 Springtime Romance
Jin Xiu stood behind Xie Jiayan, massaging her shoulders. Inside the Yuanluan Palace, the silk curtains swayed gently. The sky, which had been clear in the morning, was now overcast with low-hanging clouds. Soon, a light rain began to fall outside the window, and puddles dripped silently from the eaves, spreading out in ripples on the ground. Bao Yun hurriedly entered the palace with an oil-paper umbrella, which she tossed aside at the doorway. "Madam."
Xie Jiayan slightly opened her beautiful eyes, waved her sleeve, and all the palace servants in the hall bowed their heads and retreated. "Tell me the result."
"The person was dragged to the Fourth Detention Center in Ganxi and beaten to death." Baoyun watched from the crowd, blood mixed with rainwater flowing everywhere, the sounds fading away, making her heart tremble with fear. In the past, she only thought that her young mistress was ruthless, but after entering the palace, she realized that Jiang Yuan was not a soft-hearted woman either. With power intertwined in the imperial family, she felt confused about her future for the first time.
Jiang Yuan acted swiftly and decisively in dealing with Granny Ren, ruthlessly reprimanding all the palaces. She showed no mercy even to the Emperor's wet nurse. Anyone who dares to do anything should think twice.