In fact, in the palace, there is a big difference between whether the servants around you are capable or not.
Some people know how to deal appropriately with things, and some people don't.
For example, in this case, Zong Cong may have only told Fulu to report to Concubine Su about Su Hai's return. But Fulu would have wondered why his master had to report at this time. Even if he had just received good news, it would not be impossible to report it later.
In such a situation, there is a lot more to it than meets the eye.
A useless servant will just mindlessly follow orders, but a useful servant who understands the implied intention gets twice the result with half the effort.
So Fulu went to Jingren Palace and asked the servants there to announce the good news, and he specifically chose Xiao Tianzi. Could it be that Fulu who often frequented Jingren Palace didn't know that Xiao Tianzi was honest and straightforward, too much so, so why didn't he wait a while and let Xiao Dezi announce the news?
These considerations are naturally just conjecture.
So the day’s events turned out like that. There would be no need for a decree. Everyone who came to the palace for the banquet that day knew that Concubine Su actually had a maternal family. Her brother has just made a contribution and would be coming to the capital soon.
He has a sister who is a favoured noble concubine and has made achievements himself. It is no surprise that he would also join the scenes of the court soon. It seemed that there would be another big name family in the capital soon, a family with the surname Su.
Moreover, this matter was handled in a very honorable way. At least for Pan'er, it was both honorable and dignified.
However, there are still few servants like Fulu. In addition to having a delicate heart, it takes many years of practice to cultivate to the point of mastery. Only such people can be by the side of Emperor Jianping, since his time as a crown prince. After all, the environment in the palace is complicated. If a servant fails to live up to expectations, they will be replaced by someone who is better.
So even though Zong Cong sneered and cursed, he didn't seem to have any intention of blaming Fulu at all.
"When did you send Su Hai to the border?" At this point, Pan'er felt a little embarrassed, and her fingers were rubbing against Zong Cong's collar.
Zong Cong looked down at her and grabbed her distracting hand: "When I was in Yangzhou, before I met Pei Yongchang, Pei Yongchang came to him with other motives. I thought he still had some redeeming points, so I gave him a chance."
"Is there redeeming features then?"
Pan Er guessed that Pei Yongchang had no way to get in during that period, so he must have schemed, and it was predictable that he would go to the Su family. In other words, Pei Yongchang went to Su Hai, and Su Hai found out her and the prince's identities, but did not come to her, so in Zong Cong's eyes, he still had some merits.
"It's hard for anyone to resist this kind of temptation, especially someone of their status," he said lightly.
That much was true. Pan'er had always felt that although the Su family had many flaws, they were not actually bad people.
"Just an opportunity?" Obviously Pan'er didn't believe that the process was as casual as he said, because he was too good at hiding things, and maybe he even covertly supported Su Hai.
Moreover, Pan'er found it a little hard to believe that Su Hai could mature and be promoted to the point where he could take command on the battlefield that quickly on his own.
"It was just the opportunity. Do you think I have the leisure to deal with such trivial matters?"
Pan Er was a little unhappy after hearing this. It wasn't that the Su family was not a small matter, but how could it be a small matter when it was related to her? Why did this sound so unpleasant?
She didn't say anything, just turned away.
Obviously this was a sign of anger, which made Zong Cong embarrassed. He was a little confused as to why she was angry.
She glanced at him sideways and said, "Have troubled you to make you to take care of such trivial matters. You might as well just ignore me and go to sleep in your Qianqing Palace."
How is taking care of Su Hai related to taking care of her?
Although Zong Cong didn't truly understand, it didn't mean he didn't have a sense that he had misstepped. Did she feel belittled? But how could she feel disrespected? He had just paved the way for her, and he was concerned about everything. Otherwise, would he have remembered to ask Fulu to pass on the message today?
Zong Cong was also a little annoyed, but he saw her fair face from the corner of his eye, and he didn't want to make trouble in bed late at night, so he cleared his throat and said, "Of course it's not a small matter, I was just making an analogy."
"Really...?" The person turned around and looked at him with shining eyes.
"Of course it's true. If it's really a small matter, why would I care so much about it?" Once he said this to show his weakness, the rest would be easier to say. Zong Cong blushed slightly, but the light was dim, so it was not obvious.
She didn't say anything, but just put her arms around his neck, with her eyes half-closed with shyness, and shook her head as if embarrassed, obviously like a puppy showing her belly.
But she was extremely beautiful like this. Zong Cong sighed in his heart, rubbed her back with his big hand helplessly, and said, "It's getting late, go to bed."
No words were spoken that night.
Even though Empress Chen was the empress, it was extremely difficult for her to find a chance to say a few words to her mother that could not be heard by outsiders in such an occasion in public.
It was only at the moon-viewing banquet that she found the opportunity.
The two of them found a secluded sideroom. Empress Chen ordered Fuxia to guard outside and Fuchun to guard inside the door before she sat down and talked to the Second Lady.
After hearing what her daughter said, the second wife sat as if frozen.
It was unbelievable, but she had no choice but to believe it, and felt as if she had choked on something.
"Are you saying that she is the daughter of that bitch? Have you investigated thoroughly? Is it certain?"
Empress Chen looked at the Second Madam with a complicated look in her eyes, especially examining her expression. She thought she must have felt the same way at the beginning.
"She has a jade pendant. I've seen it. It's the one with her name carved on it."
The second wife had also seen that piece of jade, and at that time she laughed at Aunt Wang for being so poor that she actually bought such a piece of jade for her daughter to wear. She didn't take the jade to heart at all, and the fact proved that even after many years, she still remembered it.
"Then what does she want to do? When did you find out? Why didn't you say it earlier, earlier..." The second wife was a little hysterical. She never spoke like this normally.
What would it matter if someone told her earlier? As if she could be sent away again? Besides, she herself had only just found out.
Empress Chen also knew that this was not a suitable place to talk, after all, it was not far from the moon-viewing banquet. She took a deep breath, put aside all distractions, and tried her best to comfort the Second Madam, reminding her that this was the palace and there was no room for misbehavior. At the same time, she recounted the whole story of how she had discovered the clues.
"Mom, please calm down. She has no intention of returning to the Chen family. Look at the commotion at today's banquet. It was either His Majesty or herself who was trying to build momentum for herself to elevate the Su family to sever ties with the Chen family. I'm not telling you this today to make you anxious, but to ask you to help me keep an eye on the family, especially father..."
Empress Chen paused and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. "Father hasn't told the family yet. If he hasn't told the family yet, then don't tell them. If he tells them, your daughter won't be able to survive."
Her actions actually calmed the Second Madam down.
Yes, how could the person who could set up such a heart-breaking trap be a fool? It’s just that Empress Chen’s words were too sudden, and what she said was too shocking.
How was this possible? Was this karma? Was retribution coming for her?
The Second Madam doesn't believe in retribution. If there is retribution, why haven't those people who have done so many evil things died and are still alive and well?
The most important thing at the moment was exactly as her daughter said. No matter what the reason is for Chen Pingwu not to say anything yet, he could not be allowed to say it at all.
Concubine Su was already so powerful and favoured. If the Chen family knew that she was actually a descendant of theirs, what would her father-in-law and uncles do?
Because she had been married into the Chen family for a long time, no one knew the Chen family better than the Second Madam.
On the surface, they act righteous, but in reality, they are driven by profit. They can easily be swayed by profit, especially such a major event that can affect the Chen family's century-old foundation. They might make other plans, and would stop making any effort to help her daughter establish her son as the crown prince.
If the position of crown prince did not end up in their hands, what would happen to her daughter? The second wife knew it without much thought.
Seeing her daughter crying anxiously and sadly, she hugged her, her face twitching with a ferocious look, and comforted her: "Don't panic, don't cry, mother was able to crush that mother and daughter to death back then, even if she survived till now, mother can still crush her to death again..."...
Empress Chen interrupted her and said angrily, "Mother, it's already at this point, and you're still talking about whether she should die or not? She is now a proper consort, and the most favored. Would you kill her, or would she kill you?"
"Don't mention these things now. I'm not competing with her for favor. This is all for the future. What you need to do now is make sure Dad does not tell the family about this, this is for me, for my son, and for you to become the proper authority of the Chen family in the future.
"Mother, haven't you always envied grandma? When Duo'er becomes the crown prince, no one in the Chen family will dare to look down on you. You are the crown prince's grandmother, the grandmother of the future emperor. He has your blood in his veins, and you are his closest person. Who in the Chen family would dare to treat you lightly?"
"Your father is not that stupid. After all, you are his biological child. Besides, you are the Empress." The Second Lady's eyes flickered. She seemed to remember something and felt a little lacking in confidence.
Empress Chen held her shoulders and looked at her straight in the eyes: "I might be the empress, but an empress can still be deposed. Mother, don't you see that His Majesty has only been on the throne for a year, and your daughter has almost no place to stand in this palace? That woman surnamed Su is a seductress, just like her mother, she was born to seduce men. Now only if Duo'er's position as the crown prince is confirmed, His Majesty will not easily touch me for the sake of the overall situation."
Maybe it was because Empress Chen's eyes were too deep, or maybe it was because her expression was too heavy, or maybe it was because she gritted her teeth and said "just like her mother", which made the Second Lady finally calm down completely.
"Okay, I understand. I'll go back and persuade your father with emotion and reason. Even if I have to beg him, I won't let him tell anyone."
Empress Chen nodded, her tense face relaxed and she revealed a gentle smile.
"If Duo'er can become the crown prince, it will all be thanks to mother."
"Why are you saying all this now? You are my daughter and Duo'er is my grandson. If mother doesn't help you, will she help outsiders? Don't worry. Even if your father doesn't care about us mother and daughter, he still has your elder brother and your younger brother. He has to take them into consideration." The Second Lady pursed her lips and said.
The mother and daughter chatted for a while longer, and then Empress Chen asked the Second Madam to leave first, and she would leave later to avoid being noticed.
After the second madam left, Fuchun looked at Empress Chen hesitantly.
"What's wrong? Just say it if you have something to say."
Fuchun thought about it and said it.
"Your Majesty, the master didn't know about this matter at first. Now that the Second Madam has taken the initiative to expose it, isn't it obvious that she is telling the master that there is something else going on?"
It would seem obvious there's some hidden scheme at the very least. It would be like her confessing to doing the deed herself. It all depends on whether her mother can make this matter sound clear without telling her of her own involvement.
However, Empress Chen couldn't care less about those things now. Only if her father gave up telling the matter, would the Chen family help her wholeheartedly.
In the face of the overall situation, individuals always have to make concessions, just like she and her mother said, as long as Duo’er becomes the crown prince, who would dare not take them seriously?
Let’s not talk about it. After experiencing this, the Second Lady naturally had no time to about the subsequent moon-viewing banquet.
The eldest lady of the Chen family saw through the absent-mindedness of the second lady and wondered what had happened. However, she did not think much of it. Obviously, this occasion was not the time to be distracted.
After the moon-viewing banquet was over, the men and women of the Chen family went their separate ways and did not meet again until they met outside the palace gate.
This was not a good place to talk, so the Second Lady could only suppress her anxiety and think about how to talk to the Master when she got back so that he would agree to this matter and not be suspicious of her.
Obviously, her own daughter had given her a difficult problem today, but the Second Lady had no choice but to go ahead with it, as she understood the importance of the matter.
Even if it's not for her daughter but for their grandson, it was for his two sons and the future as well.
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