mtl008 Chapter 127 Draft
Chapter 127 Draft
"You are so lazy, could it be that you are a thief on the roof at night?"
Su Rao smiled sweetly and replied, "Your Majesty, you are joking. The palace is heavily guarded, and you are so perceptive. How dare I act rashly?"
The Queen Mother wanted to blame her, but was blocked by Su Rao's joke, which was like a punch on cotton. She simply ignored her.
After the meal, Princess Qi leaned close to Su Rao and pretended to be concerned: "Concubine Su looks a little pale, are you feeling unwell?"
"Thank you, Princess Qi, for your concern. It's just that I accompanied the prince until late last night, so I feel a little tired." Su Rao's face was full of peach blossoms.
A hint of suspicion flashed across Princess Qi's eyes, but then she returned to normal.
Is Prince Yi really so doting on Su Rao?
This was completely different from what she had expected...
Princess Qi quickly put on a smile and said, "Then Concubine Su, please take good care of yourself."
Su Rao caught the Princess Qi's displeasure, but her unhappiness made her feel inexplicably pleased.
……
The Queen Mother was still dissatisfied with Su Rao, and even took her anger out on Su Yi. She did not allow them to sit at the same table for breakfast, and only let the two sisters watch from the side.
It happened that foreign countries were paying tribute, and the emperor ordered people to send many rare treasures. The empress dowager selected a few rare items and gave them to the wife of Qi.
"This jade can nourish people. You are frail, so wear it and work harder to give me a great-grandson." The Queen Mother held the Princess of Qi's hand, her words full of doting.
Su Rao and Su Yi watched the situation from the side. Su Yi seemed a little uneasy, while Su Rao looked calm and composed.
"This bracelet suits Concubine Su very well." Princess Qi seemed to have good intentions, but in fact she was trying to find a way out for the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother's face darkened slightly: "She is just a concubine, how can she use such a precious thing?"
The palace servants followed suit, and when they saw that the empress dowager was cold towards Su Rao, they followed suit and did not even prepare seats for them.
The two sisters had no choice but to stand aside awkwardly. The atmosphere was subtle and depressing.
It was not until the Queen Mother showed signs of fatigue and signaled them to leave that Su Rao and Su Yi were freed.
As soon as he walked out of the gate of Shoukang Palace, Su Yi took a deep breath.
"Why does the Queen Mother treat us like this?" Su Yi sighed helplessly.
"It's because Prince Qi is her beloved one, and Prince Yi doesn't please her. As people around Prince Yi, we naturally don't catch her eyes." Su Rao explained lightly.
Although Prince Yi was a prince, he did not become the target of the Queen Mother's unwarranted harassment. Instead, women of low status like them became innocent victims, bearing the blame that did not belong to them.
"As we are both descendants, this favoritism is too obvious, isn't it?" There was some injustice in Su Yi's voice, and the wrinkles between her brows revealed her dissatisfaction.
"Human nature is biased. There's no logic to it." Su Rao responded softly, with a hint of helplessness in her tone.
Perhaps, there is some philosophy hidden in her words, but Su Rao herself may not be able to fully understand it.
After all, in this world, unreasonable preferences are everywhere and it is no longer surprising.
"The Empress Dowager's birthday is still a few days away, and we still have to endure ten days or half a month in this deep palace." As soon as Su Yi finished speaking, he sighed involuntarily. Thinking of the long and depressing days in the future, he felt unbearable in his heart.
---
Inside Shoukang Palace, the flickering candlelight illuminated the empress dowager's tired face.
The nanny she trusted most was massaging her tense head with skillful techniques, trying to relieve the heaviness in her heart.
"Have they all left?" The Queen Mother's voice seemed a little hollow, as if she was asking a question, or talking to herself.
"Yes, they have all left." The mammy replied softly, without stopping.
"That illegitimate daughter of the Su family is as cunning as a slippery fish." The Queen Mother sneered, but there was no smile in her eyes.
She had tried many times to humiliate the other party, but found that all her attacks seemed to be in vain. Not only was the other party not embarrassed at all, but he could occasionally respond easily with a joke, appearing both dull and clever.
The Queen Mother had originally expected to see the other party appear pitiful and helpless because of her oppression, which would be in line with her pleasure.
However, the reality is that every attack she made seemed to hit cotton, silent and without any sense of accomplishment.
This feeling of failure made the Queen Mother feel suffocated and increasingly irritable.
"Empress Dowager, she is just a junior. Why bother with her?" The nanny tried to persuade her gently, trying to calm the Empress Dowager's anger.
"If it weren't for her seductive methods, how could anyone disregard the rules and prevent Tingduan from becoming the crown prince until now." There was a hint of unwillingness in the Queen Mother's words. She believed that it was the intervention of the woman from the Su family that disrupted the original order.
"Empress Dowager, the Emperor will naturally make the decision on the crown prince. Why do you have to interfere?" The nanny reminded carefully. She was well aware of the cruelty of court struggles and was afraid that the Empress Dowager would be accidentally involved in it and end up suffering a backlash.
After all, the emperor is not the empress dowager's biological son, and this relationship is delicate and complicated.
"The Zhao family's turmoil back then was resolved thanks to the mediation of Tingduan and the Wang family." The Queen Mother's eyes became distant.
Although the Zhao family eventually met with misfortune, she always remembered the friendship of Tingduan and the Wang family who extended a helping hand.
This nanny has been by the Empress Dowager's side since she was still a married woman, and has witnessed her entire journey from an innocent girl to the powerful Empress Dowager she is today.
The Queen Mother came from a prominent family, but she lost her parents at a young age and was bullied by her uncles and aunts, leading a hard life.
Fortunately, his aunt took him into the Zhao family, and he finally had some peace.
The Zhao family was once one of the three most prominent families of the time, along with the Xie family and the Wang family. It was both civil and military, was highly trusted by the royal family, and held a pivotal position in the capital.
During her time at the Zhao family, the Queen Mother received unprecedented care and love. Her aunt treated her as her own daughter, her cousins treated her like a sister, and her cousins also took good care of her.
That period was the most carefree time in her life.
However, fate played a trick on her. For the sake of family glory, her family arbitrarily submitted her name for selection in the imperial palace. Unexpectedly, she was chosen by the queen at first sight, and from then on she entered the palace walls of deep love.
Even with the support of the Zhao family, her position in the palace was not prominent, and she was only known as a concubine.
Fortunately, the Queen Mother had an open-minded personality and did not like fighting, so she was able to survive several palace disturbances safely.
Later, she saw a little prince who had lost his mother and was lonely, so she adopted him.
In the eyes of others, this mother and son are insignificant and no one cares about them.
They were like shadows in the palace, and thanks to the protection of the Zhao family, their lives were peaceful.
Who could have expected that in the end, the seemingly insignificant little prince would ascend the throne, and she, an unknown concubine, would become the empress dowager above everyone else overnight.
The nanny suddenly realized that the empress dowager who did not fight or compete was the real wise woman, and that the little prince had a clear mind.