inspire-indiana Chapter 30 Princess Jianping
Chapter 30 Princess Jianping
After setting down his empty teacup, the Emperor quickly said, "My dear consort, you've worked hard."
At this moment, Su Nuannuan raised her head, a hint of pride flashing in her eyes, and smiled as she replied, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. It seems that Your Majesty really likes the lotus leaf dew that I made myself."
Su Nuannuan said to Jinse with a face full of joy, "Jinse, quickly prepare the pot of Lotus Leaf Three Purities Dew that you just made. When the Emperor leaves later, you must personally hand it to Chief Steward Li so that he can take it away!" After saying that, her face was still filled with uncontrollable joy.
Upon hearing her mistress's instructions, Jinse suppressed the urge to laugh out loud and quickly replied respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant will certainly do as instructed."
In truth, Jinse knew perfectly well why her mistress was treating the Emperor so generously.
Originally, according to the Empress herself, this pot of Lotus Leaf Three Purities Dew was not a success at all; it was a complete failure! If the Emperor hadn't happened to come to Cuiwei Palace today, this pot of drink was originally intended to be bestowed upon the other palace servants.
Who could have imagined that at this crucial moment, the Emperor would unexpectedly arrive? Thus, the failed beverage instantly found a new home!
Upon hearing Su Nuannuan's words, the Emperor, who actually wanted to refuse, replied, "No need."
However, when his gaze fell upon Su Nuannuan's gentle and slightly aggrieved face, those two simple words seemed to be under a spell, stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter them no matter how hard he tried.
"My beloved consort is so thoughtful; it is truly my good fortune. Come, come, let me see our precious son and our adorable daughter." The Emperor knew that if he didn't change the subject soon, Su Nuannuan would probably bring out some new and unusual food for him to try, so he quickly spoke up.
Seeing this, Su Nuannuan, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but roll her eyes inwardly, but she still maintained a smile on her face and asked softly, "Your Majesty, I wonder if you have chosen a name for the little princess?"
At this moment, the Emperor carefully took the Fifth Prince from Su Yueniang's hands, then gently bounced the little guy in his arms with a loving expression, and praised with a smile: "My beloved consort knows best how to raise a child. Look at our Cheng'er, he has gained quite a bit of weight in just a few days!"
Hearing the Emperor's irrelevant words, Su Nuannuan suddenly recalled a scene from a TV series she had watched in her previous life. In the series, Consort Qi was always saying, "The Third Prince has grown taller again!" Thinking of this, Su Nuannuan couldn't help but find it a little funny. The Emperor and Consort Qi were really quite similar!
She didn't want the Emperor to hear "Cheng'er has gained weight again" every time he came over. Thinking of this, she frowned and hesitated for a moment before deciding to ask again.
The Emperor carefully handed the Azure Blue Mirror to Su Yueniang, then turned around and gently took the exquisitely beautiful little girl from Honglian's hands.
Once he had stood still, he said slowly, "Like her brothers, she is from the 'Jing' generation and will be given the single name 'Yao'."
“Canglan Jingyao…” Su Nuannuan murmured the name softly. After a moment, a radiant smile bloomed on her face. She bowed gracefully and respectfully, then said softly, “Thank you for bestowing this beautiful name upon me, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor nodded slightly, gazing lovingly at the young girl in his arms, and continued, "I bestow upon her the title of Jianping, with a fief of three thousand households. I only wish that she may grow up healthy and safe throughout her life, living a prosperous life free from hunger and thirst."
Su Nuannuan had originally planned to make a few minor complaints about the title, but when she heard about the astonishing amount of fiefdoms to be bestowed upon her, she was instantly stunned and opened her mouth wide.
After a brief internal struggle, she decisively chose to remain silent. As far as she knew, in this world, every princess of any dynasty was born with only a mere three hundred households of fiefdom. Usually, only upon marriage would they receive a fiefdom of three thousand households. For little Jingyao to receive such a generous reward so soon after birth was truly astonishing!
Her adorable little Jingyao, barely a few months old, was already granted a fiefdom of three thousand households! That's quite a generous gift!
However, upon closer examination, the reasons become understandable. After all, this is the current emperor's first princess! The emperor's love for his daughter is bound to lead him to act somewhat irrationally and shower her with affection—this is only human nature.
After all, this is how people are in the world; the rarer something is, the more precious it becomes. And our little Jingyao has just snatched this first favor, and other princesses born in the future will probably find it difficult to enjoy such preferential treatment.
However, she wasn't foolish enough to remind the Emperor that the fiefdom was too generous. In any case, the princess's treatment would eventually improve to this level. Now that her daughter had received it ahead of time, she might as well consider it part of her dowry.
With a smile on her face, Su Nuannuan slowly bowed and said softly, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great favor on behalf of Jianping."
"My beloved consort, please rise quickly. Jianping is also my own flesh and blood. This reward is nothing." The Emperor smiled as he gently teased his adorable little daughter in her swaddling clothes, his face full of affection.
After the Emperor finished playing with his daughter, he slightly raised his head, looked at Su Nuannuan with a smile in his eyes, and asked softly, "Is my beloved consort satisfied this time?"
Upon hearing the Emperor's words, Su Nuannuan couldn't help but let out a coquettish "Your Majesty~" Her voice was melodious and clear, like a nightingale singing in a valley.
"How about I also bestow a title of king upon our Cheng'er? I can't be biased, can I?" The emperor looked at Su Nuannuan with a smile, but his eyes held a hint of inquiry.
Su Nuannuan's heart tightened; she knew the Emperor was testing her again, setting a trap for her.
So she calmly replied, “Your Majesty, Cheng’er is still young. Moreover, as a boy, if Cheng’er wants to be made a prince, he should wait until he grows up and strive for it based on his own abilities and achievements. Besides, the Second Prince and the Third Prince have not yet been made princes! No matter how you look at it, the position of prince is not yet available to Cheng’er.”
The emperor nodded slightly, indicating his agreement with Su Nuannuan's point of view, but then he said, "I have bestowed a title and fief upon the daughter born to Consort Mei..." However, before the emperor could finish speaking, Su Nuannuan interrupted him hastily.
Su Nuannuan quickly said, "Your Majesty, Jianping is now my own daughter. Besides, girls should be pampered. With this fief of three thousand households as a guarantee, let's see who dares to bully our Jianping in the future."
Upon hearing Su Nuannuan's words, the Emperor fell into deep thought. After a long while, he slowly said, "My beloved consort, why not entrust the Second Prince and the Third Prince to your care?"
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan's face turned ashen. Without thinking, she knelt down on the ground with a thud.
Upon seeing this, the Emperor hurriedly asked, "My beloved concubine, what do you mean by this? Please rise and speak."
With teary eyes, Su Nuannuan looked at the Emperor and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, are you planning to drive me out of the palace? If you really have this intention, why not just tell me directly? Why go through all this trouble and beating around the bush?" As she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks like beads from a broken string.