Consort Zhuang doesn't want palace intrigue; she just wants to raise her child and live a caref

Chapter 293 Another Summer

Time flies, and before she knew it, Su Nuannuan had spent a full ten years guarding the imperial tomb. On this day, the sun shone brightly, a gentle breeze caressed her face, and as usual, Granny Song carried a thick stack of account books into Su Nuannuan's room.

Granny Song approached Su Nuannuan, bowed slightly, and said with a smile, "Your Highness, these are the account books from the estate. Please take a look."

Looking at the mountain of account books in front of her, Su Nuannuan couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. She frowned and said impatiently, "Granny, why are you sending them over again? You know I have no interest in these account books."

Song Mama seemed to have anticipated Su Nuannuan's reaction, and she quickly explained, "Your Highness, please don't worry. In seven days, we will be returning to the palace. Before we leave, we must organize and check these account books to ensure there are no problems, so that we can hand them over to the next steward with peace of mind."

Although Su Nuannuan was somewhat unwilling after hearing what Song Mama said, she understood the reasoning behind it. She sighed helplessly, waved her hand, and said, "Never mind, just leave it there for now! I'll look at it when I have time."

Upon hearing Su Nuannuan's words, Granny Song quickly and gently placed the account book she was holding on the table, then bowed to Su Nuannuan before slowly leaving the room.

Watching Song Mama's departing figure, Su Nuannuan muttered to herself, "This account book is giving me a headache. How can I possibly look at it!" However, she knew that these things had to be dealt with eventually, so she turned to Jinse, who was standing to the side, and instructed her, "Jinse, go and call the young prince and Jianping here."

Upon hearing this, Jinse's lips curled up slightly, revealing an expression of "I knew it." She knew very well that the Empress would never look at those account books herself; she would definitely send someone to help her.

After responding, Jinse turned and quickly walked out of the room to instruct someone to invite the young prince and Princess Jianping over.

Just after the New Year this year, Su Nuannuan made a decision to change how she addressed her two children. Previously, she affectionately called them "Cheng'er" and "Yao'er," but now that they were both sixteen, it seemed inappropriate to continue calling them that. Therefore, Su Nuannuan decisively changed her address, calling them "Little Prince" and "Jianping."

Not long after, Canglan Jingcheng and Canglan Jingyao entered the room together.

"Your sons greet Mother Consort," the two said in unison, bowing to Su Nuannuan at the same time.

Su Nuannuan smiled and nodded, then pointed to the thick stack of ledgers on the table and said to them, "You two look at the ledgers on the table and mark any problems you find."

Canglan Jingcheng and Canglan Jingyao exchanged a glance, both inwardly groaning. Looking at the pile of account books, they knew today would be another busy and tedious day, with little opportunity to do anything else.

However, the two did not complain at all, but obediently walked to the table and sat down. Seeing this, Jinse and Yaoqin quickly brought them writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and an abacus.

Canglan Jingcheng and Canglan Jingyao looked at the abacus in front of them and simultaneously revealed a helpless smile. After exchanging a glance, they tacitly moved the abacus aside.

Watching their movements, Su Nuannuan knew that their mental arithmetic had improved again, and they were about to start practicing abacus calculations without a hand.

The two men each picked up an account book, opened it, and then used their left hands to turn the pages while their right hands hovered in the air, calculating the numbers on each page before moving on to the next.

Su Nuannuan stared listlessly at the scene before her, a sense of vexation rising within her. While she was willing to teach others, she absolutely couldn't do the actual work herself. Take this empty abacus, for example. At first, she could manage, but as time went on, her attention gradually wandered, and she almost fell asleep to the sound of the abacus.

Su Nuannuan shook her head helplessly, then quietly instructed Yaoqin to serve her, while she led Jinse out of the room to get some fresh air.

The sunlight felt warm and comforting on her skin. Su Nuannuan couldn't help but sigh, "It's summer again. Time flies so fast. Before I knew it, I've spent ten springs and summers here." As she spoke, she enjoyed this moment of freedom, but she knew in her heart that this freedom would soon come to an end.

Jinse smiled and replied, "After we return to the palace, the young prince and Princess Jianping will have their own residence. Your Highness, you can also leave the palace and stay at their residence for a while."

Su Nuannuan's lips curled up slightly, revealing a bitter smile, and she said softly, "It's difficult!" She knew very well that as long as the emperor was still in power, it would be harder than climbing to heaven for her to leave the palace even once.

Seeing this, Jinse quickly comforted her, "There will always be opportunities, Your Highness, don't worry too much."

Su Nuannuan nodded and replied, "Yes, there will always be a chance. Let's go see how the dried vegetables are drying." With that, she walked towards the drying area, and Jinse quickly followed behind her.

It's more accurate to call it a place for drying medicinal herbs than a place for drying vegetables.

However, since there were no medicinal herbs available for drying recently, this place naturally became a site for drying vegetables.

When Su Nuannuan and Jinse arrived at the drying ground, the first thing that caught their eye was the string of hanging gourd strips. These gourd strips were indispensable every year, as they were one of the important ingredients for making various delicacies.

Next, she saw dried eggplant, dried bok choy, dried lettuce, and dried green beans, among other things. It could be said that Su Nuannuan would generously use all the vegetables available in her garden that could be dried to dry, and arrange for them to be dried here without any hesitation.

The maid who was turning over the dried vegetables heard light footsteps. She looked up and saw Su Nuannuan and Jinse walking slowly towards them. The maid quickly stopped what she was doing, stepped forward, bent her knees, and bowed to Su Nuannuan.

"This servant greets Your Highness, may Your Highness be well." The little maid's voice was clear and respectful.

Su Nuannuan smiled slightly and said softly, "Get up! Go about your business. I'm just taking a look around, no need for special service." Although her tone was calm, it revealed an undeniable authority.

The maidservant quickly replied, "Yes, thank you, Your Highness." Then she bowed again, stood up, stepped aside, and continued to busy herself turning the dried vegetables over.

Jinse stood behind Su Nuannuan, quietly observing everything around her. She noticed that although the maids were busy, their movements were very skillful, clearly indicating that they were already very familiar with their work.

"Your Majesty, someone from the palace has arrived," Li Quan said hurriedly as he ran over, supporting his lame leg.