CHAPTER 144: CHAPTER 142: ELDEST PRINCESS ZHAO XUNYIN, COURTESY NAME FANGHUA

After watching the fireworks, it was already the latter half of the night. Xu Shu still had to rush back to spend New Year’s Eve with his family, so he didn’t enter the courtyard to sit but asked someone to tidy up the road, bid farewell to Song Wei, and got in the carriage to leave.

Song Fang lifted her eyes with lingering interest to gaze at the sky. The nearby fireworks had mostly stopped, although there was still noise from afar, it was too distant, and they were not high up to see.

Yawning, Song Fang said, "After watching the fireworks, I’m feeling sleepy."

Song Wei indicated to her, "If you’re sleepy, go sleep!"

"But we still need to stay up for New Year’s Eve!"

"It’s too cold tonight; you won’t be able to stay up." After saying that, Song Wei looked at Wen Wan with gentle eyes, "Wanwan, you should also go back to your room and have a good sleep, so you’ll have energy to go to the temple fair tomorrow."

Upon hearing about going to the temple fair on New Year’s Day, Song Fang’s sleepiness diminished greatly, "When will we go, early morning?"

"It depends on the situation."

Wen Wan, someone who always soaked in medicinal jars, was prone to drowsiness. She wanted to accompany her husband to stay up for the New Year but could not resist her drooping eyelids, finally going back to her room alone, following her sister-in-law.

Song Wei spent New Year’s Eve alone. He didn’t mind being bored, sitting quietly by the fire pit flipping through a book.

——

Princess Changping had just returned to her own mansion when the palace sent someone over, saying the Empress Dowager invited the Eldest Princess to bring the Prince Consort and Young Marquis to the palace.

The Eldest Princess showed no emotion on her face, "Go and return the Empress Dowager’s words, saying that I am tired, and whatever it is, let’s discuss another day."

The messenger eunuch was very troubled, "Eldest Princess, you see, the carriage has been prepared for you..."

The Eldest Princess didn’t acknowledge him, straightening her steps to walk inside.

The eunuch had no choice but to look at the Prince Consort for help.

Lu Xingzhou glanced at the eunuch, "The Empress Dowager knows better than you and I about the Eldest Princess’s temperament. Since the Eldest Princess doesn’t want to enter the palace, it’s best not to force her. Otherwise, if she gets angry and makes some commotion, it won’t be good for anyone."

The eunuch sighed, "The Empress Dowager also wishes to see her daughter once a year. After waiting for this New Year’s Eve banquet, who would have thought the Eldest Princess would go to the Marquis Mansion instead, which led to the servant being sent to invite you. If you can persuade, please help the servant persuade her!"

Lu Xingzhou’s smile carried a chill, did the Empress Dowager really not have a clue why Ah Yin didn’t want to enter the palace?

"I can’t persuade her, the eunuch should go back and report truthfully to the Empress Dowager."

——

Shou’an Palace.

Empress Dowager Renyi listened to the report, her expression was not very pleasant.

Nanny Qiu by her side comforted, "The Eldest Princess rarely went to the Marquis Mansion; perhaps she is indeed tired. Why don’t you summon the Eldest Princess another day?"

Empress Dowager Renyi laughed softly, "Fanghua is not tired, she has become estranged from me over the years. She doesn’t want to see me, so she doesn’t even approach the edge of this Imperial Palace, staying secluded and going out less. Over time, her temperament has grown more aloof, her thoughts deeper, leaving me unable as a mother to understand what she is truly thinking."

Princess Changping, Zhao Xunyin, styled Fanghua.

Nanny Qiu listened to these words, unsure how to respond.

Empress Dowager Renyi looked at Nanny Qiu, her eyes carrying a hint of weariness, "Qiu Rong, do you think I’ve made a mistake?"

Nanny Qiu replied, "The Empress Dowager has always been thinking for the Eldest Princess’s benefit."

"But she doesn’t think so. Back then, when I didn’t let her marry Lu Xingzhou, she resented me. Later, I had someone bring her back, fulfilling her wish and granting their marriage, she still resented me. Our mother-daughter relationship, I’m afraid will never reconcile in this lifetime."

Nanny Qiu asked the question lingering in her mind, "Could the knot in the Eldest Princess’s heart be because of that child?"

The Dark Guard Leader who brought Zhao Xunyin back said there was a child with the Eldest Princess, but just before leaving, the child was taken away by a young man.

They had already traced Zhao Xunyin’s hiding place, so if the Empress Dowager wanted to find the child, it wouldn’t be difficult.

However, as it was something that could not be exposed, for the sake of the Imperial Family’s reputation, the Empress Dowager chose to ignore it back then.

If not for Nanny Qiu mentioning it now, she almost forgot about this matter.

"If it’s truly as you say, and the knot in Fanghua’s heart is because of that child, then I will have someone find her."

——

In the palace, there were spies under the Eldest Princess; the Empress Dowager’s intent to secretly investigate Wen Wan’s whereabouts had reached the Eldest Princess’s ears shortly after being spoken.

The Eldest Princess sat under the lamp, her face obscured and undistinguishable in the faint candlelight.

A knock was heard outside, it was Lu Xingzhou.

"Ah Yin, have a bowl of sobering soup before you sleep!"

The Eldest Princess rose and pushed open the door, outside, the tall figure of the man came into view, holding a small porcelain bowl with steaming hot steam rising from it.

The Eldest Princess took the small bowl, casually blew on it, then tilted her head back to drink it, and afterwards looked at the man, "Prince Consort, have someone prepare a carriage for me. I need to enter the palace."

"Didn’t Ah Yin already reject the people from Shou’an Palace before?"

The Eldest Princess lowered her eyes, "I’ve suddenly changed my mind."

She needed to stop the Empress Dowager, but this matter couldn’t be told to the Prince Consort. Until now, the Prince Consort was unaware of the existence of that child.

Lu Xingzhou didn’t ask much and quickly had a carriage prepared.

When he returned, he saw that the Eldest Princess was already fully dressed and asked her, "Do you want me to accompany you?"

"No need." The Eldest Princess left these two words and quickly exited the mansion.

Because it was New Year’s Eve, the palace gates were locked later than usual. The Eldest Princess had an unimpeded journey straight to Shou’an Palace.

Empress Dowager Renyi was just about to retire when she suddenly heard the Eldest Princess requesting an audience and was momentarily stunned, looking at Nanny Qiu.

Nanny Qiu was also bewildered, completely unable to guess what the Eldest Princess was up to with this sudden change of mind.

"Prepare my clothes, since she’s here already, there’s no avoiding it," Empress Dowager Renyi ordered.

If she didn’t see her, who knows how many more years it would be before this daughter of hers would willingly enter the palace again.

A quarter of an hour later, the Empress Dowager came out from the inner hall.

At a glance, she saw Zhao Xunyin sitting in the outer hall drinking tea.

The last time she saw her should have been two years ago.

She had become much thinner since then, and the cold isolation between her brows and eyes was even more apparent.

"Greetings to the Empress Dowager."

Zhao Xunyin curtseyed, but not from the standpoint of a princess, her distant manner of address enough to chill the heart.

"The Empress Dowager heard that the people who previously went to the Princess Mansion came back and said that Fanghua went to the Marquis Mansion?"

"Yes." Zhao Xunyin admitted directly, "The Old Marquis has returned."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager’s eyelids faintly trembled, and her hand holding the teacup slowly tightened.

Zhao Xunyin keenly captured these two small details and quickly averted her gaze, "I came to the palace to tell the Empress Dowager, no one can think of laying a hand on my child."

The Empress Dowager suddenly raised her head, eyes filled with anger, "Fanghua, have you planted spies around me?"

Zhao Xunyin curled her lips, eyes cold, "Fifteen years ago, didn’t you also plant spies around me? Otherwise how could you have managed to forcibly bring me back from so far away while remaining secluded in the inner palace?"

The Empress Dowager’s grip on the teacup tightened to the point where her knuckles turned white.

But ultimately, her anger did not erupt, the words that surged to her throat were swallowed back and replaced with something else, "Wasn’t Fanghua always fond of that Lu family boy? Eighteen years ago, I failed to bring you together, and I deeply regretted it. I searched for you for three years, brought you back to make up for it, and finally allowed you to marry the man you desired. I thought Fanghua would be very pleased."

Zhao Xunyin looked at her birth mother before her, feeling only a piercing coldness in her heart.

"Do you really think I don’t know why you stopped me and Lu Xingzhou eighteen years ago, and why you completed us fifteen years ago?"

"Fanghua, enough!"

There were some things Zhao Xunyin had held back for many years, "I don’t care if it’s for your selfish desires or for your son’s empire, the rights and wrongs within this palace, I want no part of it. I’ve come with only one thing to say, if anyone dares drag my Wanwan into the strife of the Capital, I’ll perish together with her!"

This statement shocked Empress Dowager Renyi, who looked at Zhao Xunyin in disbelief.

The daughter she bore after ten months of pregnancy actually stood before her saying she would perish with her birth mother?

Empress Dowager Renyi clutched her chest, nearly choking on her breath, "Fanghua, you’ve changed."

Zhao Xunyin laughed, not stingy in praising her with a word, "The Empress Dowager is truly perceptive."

"You..."

"As a mother, during my most destitute, darkest moments in life, you deceived me, saying you were sending me away to give birth, then secretly tampered with my meals wanting me to abort the child. When I finally escaped, you sent assassins to follow me all the way.

I know it was wrong to be pregnant before marriage, he was going to marry Su Yi, the child couldn’t stay, but at that time, what I needed wasn’t your decisive ruthlessness, but a mother’s care for her daughter, but you didn’t give it. Not aborting the child, you even wanted to kill me along with it.

On the road to escape, I kept thinking, being in the Royal Family, does it mean one is unworthy of possessing familial love?

The one who gave birth to me is you, the one who wants me dead is also you.

As your daughter, having gone through so many tribulations, how could I not change?

If a mother shows no mercy, how can I show filial piety?"