inspire-indiana Chapter 191 Disposal
Chapter 191 Disposal
When the news reached the Emperor's ears, he was furious: "Go and summon Consort Xian!"
Consort Xian was overjoyed, thinking that the Emperor would trust her. She dressed up beautifully and came to the Hall of Mental Cultivation: "Your Majesty, did you call for me?" As she spoke, she tried to snuggle up to the Emperor.
The Emperor's health is poor, and in the past two years, he has rarely visited the harem. She hasn't shared a bed with the Emperor for almost a year. Today, this is a rare opportunity; she must be with the Emperor and find a way to have another son or daughter.
Unexpectedly, the emperor forcefully waved his hand, shoving her to the ground: "You ignorant fool, kneel down before me!"
Consort Xian was shocked and, without thinking, immediately knelt down on the ground with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly, not daring to utter a single word.
The Emperor angrily rebuked, "Du Wanyin, isn't she your niece? You dote on her, don't you?!"
Consort Xian, bewildered, could only stammer, "Your Majesty, yes, she is my niece. She is a very kind person, both intelligent and lovely, which is why I like her so much!"
"Intelligent and cute?! Are you blind?!" The Emperor sneered and said contemptuously, "She is just an arrogant, domineering, and wicked woman, and you actually say she is cute?! I have received Your Majesty's decree and brought with me the Empress's oral decree."
Du Wanyin's father, Lord Du, was demoted three ranks.
Du Wanyin's mother was reprimanded by the Empress and stripped of her title of Lady of the Imperial Decree;
Du Wanyin was also reprimanded by the Empress and ordered to remain confined to her residence for a year. She was forbidden from leaving the Du residence for that year; otherwise, she would be sent to Huangjue Temple.
At the same time, Consort Qin also received a reprimand from the Empress, who severely criticized her for allowing Du Wanyin to insult the royal daughter-in-law and even for praising Du Wanyin.
The Empress Dowager Qin was so frightened that she fell ill and never recovered.
Hongcha reported, "Your Highness, the Dowager Consort has fallen ill. Would you like to go and visit her?"
Zisu: "Of course I'm going! Not only am I going, but I'm also going to cook some appetizers for the Dowager!"
Half an hour later, at Rongfutang.
Consort Qin pushed the food box away and said coldly, "Take it away, I won't eat it. Who knows if you've poisoned it!"
Zisu chuckled and said, "Poisoning? Is there any need for that? Besides, you are Ziqian's mother. What good would it do me if I poisoned you? If Ziqian found out, wouldn't he fight me to the death?"
Consort Qin rolled her eyes at her: "Who knows? Don't try to trick me into drinking it, I won't fall for it!"
Zisu shook her head, sat down at the table, and opened the food box, immediately releasing a fragrant aroma. She brought out the pork rib and vegetable porridge and said to the maid in Rongfu Hall, "Bring two small bowls and two small spoons!"
The maidservant quickly and respectfully agreed, and soon brought over a bowl and a spoon.
Zisu ladled out two bowls of porridge, cooled them with a spoon, picked up one bowl herself, and began to eat with relish.
Consort Qin's stomach rumbled loudly, and she couldn't help but swallow, feeling as if her stomach was about to burst from hunger. Previously, she had had no appetite and couldn't eat anything.
Zisu gave a wink to the maid in Rongfu Hall, who was quick-witted and immediately brought over another bowl of porridge: "Your Highness, the porridge is no longer hot, please drink it quickly!"
Consort Qin was so hungry she was dizzy and her stomach was growling. Forgetting all about saving face, she quickly took the bowl and ate a spoonful. The moment the porridge entered her mouth, a sweet and fragrant taste filled her mouth, and after swallowing a mouthful, her stomach felt much better.
Zisu slowly finished her bowl of food, then got up to say goodbye: "Mother, please enjoy your meal. Tonight, your daughter-in-law will cook something delicious for you and bring it over!"
Consort Qin waved her hand: "Alright, you can go now! You don't need to bring food tonight, I have a cook here!" Sigh, what a pity, Zisu ate a bowl, and she didn't have enough to eat.
Zisu smiled, said nothing, and left with the black tea and red beans.
On the way back, Hongdou couldn't help but feel indignant on Zisu's behalf: "Your Highness, even the Dowager Consort suspects that you poisoned the porridge. Why did you still make food for her? In my opinion, you should just give up and avoid doing something thankless!"
Hongcha rolled her eyes at her: "What are you talking about? There are only three masters in this manor. The Dowager Consort is also the Prince's birth mother. If the Princess Consort gets along well with the Dowager Consort, isn't that for the harmony of the entire manor?" Most importantly, if the Princess Consort does this, the Prince will also think more highly of her, which can promote the relationship between the Prince and the Princess Consort.
Currently, the princess and the prince have not yet consummated their marriage. If the princess does not maintain a good relationship with the dowager princess, and the prince finds a new lover, then the princess will have no place to stand!
Hongdou said with dissatisfaction, "But the Dowager Consort has repeatedly tried to intimidate the Princess. Now, it is only reasonable for the Princess to ignore the ailing Dowager Consort. The Dowager Consort's illness this time is entirely her own doing, and has nothing to do with our Princess!"
Zisu didn't interrupt, letting the two maids analyze the situation.
Hongcha sighed, "Oh dear, you should know that walls have ears. If what you said reaches the Prince's ears, it will be bad for the Princess. You'd better keep your mouth shut and not say everything!"
Hongdou exclaimed "Ah!" and immediately shut her mouth, glancing around.
Zisu couldn't help but shake her head with amusement: "Don't worry, the prince's shadow guards won't eavesdrop on our conversation!" She still trusted the prince a lot on this point. If he didn't even have this much trust, then life would be unbearable.
As the sun set, Zisu personally cooked several light and delicious dishes and delivered them to Rongfutang.
Consort Qin still refused to eat.
Zisu didn't waste any words. She took out her own bowl and chopsticks from another food box, picked up a little of each dish, sat down at the table, and began to eat happily.
Hongdou was still upset and couldn't help but grumble, "My princess was so kind as to cook for me, but the Empress Dowager doesn't trust her at all and wants my princess to taste it for her! Might as well not cook next time, no matter if she can eat it or not!"
Hongcha quickly tugged at Hongdou's clothes, and Hongdou shut up.
After Zisu finished tasting the dishes, she stood up and said, "Mother, I'm full. You can eat while it's hot! I'm leaving now!"
Consort Qin lay on the rocking chair, closing her eyes to rest, pretending to be asleep and not having heard anything. As soon as Zisu and the other two left, she quickly stood up, sat at the table, and began to wolf down her food.
She was starving. At noon, she had only eaten a small bowl of porridge, and now her stomach was rumbling again. Fortunately, her stomach hadn't rumbled when Zisu was around. Otherwise, Shangguan Zisu would have been laughing at her in her heart.
"Hmm, it tastes good!" After eating and drinking her fill, Consort Qin couldn't help but praise it. Then she frowned and looked at her maid: "Go and tell the cook to go to Rongrui Hall and learn from the Princess's cook how to cook meals for patients!"
"Yes, Your Highness!" the maid replied respectfully, but couldn't help but secretly smile as she turned around.
Sometimes, the Dowager Consort is like a child—a bit awkward, a bit funny. Also, she's quite stubborn. The Prince and Princess are so loving, yet she insists on trying to force women into the Prince's life. Isn't that just making things difficult for the Princess? Sigh, why does she do it? As the saying goes, children and grandchildren have their own blessings; why does she care so much?
Look, she's only making things difficult for herself. Why did she have to do that? She's just shooting herself in the foot, reaping what she sowed! The princess is such a good person. She treats all the servants in the palace, whether they are maids, old women, or guards, with great kindness, approachability, and care, just like she would treat her own family.
Such a wonderful princess is truly one of a kind in this world. How could the Dowager Consort bear to oppose such a good princess? What is the Dowager Consort thinking? Perhaps she's been kicked by a donkey?
"Oh dear! What a mess this is!" The maid sighed deeply in her heart.
As evening fell, Prince Duan returned from his official business and went first to Rongfu Hall to visit his ailing mother. When he arrived, he happened to see Consort Qin wolfing down her food, and he was both surprised and delighted: "Mother, you can eat now?"
With such a good appetite, her illness must be improving significantly, right? The imperial physician also said that her illness is nothing serious, mostly psychological. As long as she can eat, drink, and sleep well, there shouldn't be any problems.
Consort Qin hummed in agreement.
The maidservant quickly chimed in, "Your Highness, this is already the second bowl of rice Her Highness has eaten. Please rest assured, Your Highness! By the way, this meal was personally prepared by the Princess Consort for Her Highness!"
Upon hearing this, Prince Duan exclaimed with delight, "Mother, Zisu's cooking skills are truly exceptional, even surpassing those of the imperial chefs! However, Mother is still ill; two bowls will suffice, do not eat too much!"
Consort Qin looked up from her bowl, glared at the maid, and muttered unhappily, "If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute!"
The maid shrank back, a little scared.
Prince Duan smiled and smoothed things over: "Mother, I'm happier than anyone that you and Zisu have reconciled! Knowing that you two are getting along well at home and care for each other gives me peace of mind when I'm out here on my duties. That way, I can concentrate and not let the assassins take advantage of the situation."
Mother, harmony in the family brings prosperity! Now that we've driven the Lu family away, it's just the three of us masters in this house. We must get along well! If you and Zisu don't get along, wouldn't that give the Lu family something to watch? Mother, Zisu is a very easy person to get along with. As long as you don't target her, even if you don't do things perfectly sometimes, she won't make things difficult for you, just for her son's sake!
Consort Qin snorted coldly: "You've forgotten your mother after marrying a wife, you unfilial brat! I gave birth to you and raised you, what use are you now? Utterly useless! Fine, I won't choose any more concubines for you, is that alright? If she still can't tolerate me after that, then there's nothing I can do!"
Even so, her tone was noticeably better, which could be considered a form of compromise.
Prince Duan bid farewell to his mother, humming a cheerful tune as he returned to Rongrui Hall.
At this very moment, Zisu is in the kitchen making braised deer.
This muntjac was sent here from Wuliping by Xiangli half an hour ago. It only injured one leg and is still lively and energetic.
Prince Duan went to his bedroom to change out of his court robes and then came to the kitchen. Seeing Zisu busy at work wearing an apron, he couldn't help but feel a surge of warmth in his heart.
Returning home from a business trip, his wife had prepared a meal for him, which made him feel incredibly happy, joyful, and content. Marriage is wonderful! Although they hadn't consummated their marriage yet, and still slept in separate rooms, their occasional hugs and kisses were minimal. Yet, he was already completely satisfied, feeling that his heart had found its home.
However, seeing Zisu cooking, he still felt sorry for her.
"Zisu, let the maids cook from now on. It's too tiring for you to cook yourself!" he said to her with concern.
Zisu smiled and nodded at him, saying while cooking, "I'm not tired. I don't even wash or chop the vegetables. Just cooking isn't tiring at all!" Indeed, it wasn't tiring. She certainly didn't do the washing of dishes or cleaning up the kitchen, so it wasn't tiring.
Prince Duan was still very distressed: "Then do it only once or twice a month, no more than that, otherwise I'll still feel very bad!"