About half a month later, Yanshu heard news about Dangxia from the system.
It was said that Empress Dowager Xiao received a secret letter and verified the evidence of Che Hongtu's crimes. In her fury, she immediately had him and that palace maid executed.
As for his daughter's young grandson, he was brought back to the palace to be personally raised by Empress Dowager Xiao, which put people's minds at ease.
Surprisingly, Empress Dowager Xiao was also very fond of her novels. Not only did she have someone deliver them, but she also specially sent two beautiful jade pieces and a fox fur cloak from Dangxia as a token of her appreciation.
Of course, Empress Dowager Xiao thought she was a man, so the jade and fur cloak were in men's styles.
But Yanshu didn't mind and was very pleased. After all, she had originally only intended to use the novels to improve relations between the two countries. She never expected to gain such a generous fan, and a foreign one at that. Moreover, it was a discerning and talented empress dowager.
As the saying goes, great minds think alike. This proved that those who liked her were all winners.
Seeing that the Prince of Gaoli had stabilized from his injuries and departed for home, all the foreign envoys who had come to the capital for the Changning Festival had now left.
The weather in the capital was also noticeably cooler.
A few days later, it was time for the Zhongyuan Festival.
The Zhongyuan Festival is an important holiday for honoring ancestors. Besides commoners releasing river lanterns and burning offerings, the imperial court also held grand memorial ceremonies.
These included dispatching special officials to release lanterns in the river, and setting up altars in major temples and Taoist abbeys in the capital to invite monks and priests to pray for the souls of soldiers who had died for the country and homeless spirits throughout history.
Of course, Yanshu had no chance to see these grand events. After all, it wasn't a suitable day for going out, and she was pregnant, so she could only obediently stay in the palace.
However, since it was a court holiday, Yuwen Lan spent the whole day with her after going to Fengxian Hall in the morning to pay respects to the ancestors.
The two had lunch together and then rested for a while. When they got up again, Yanshu saw that Yuwen Lan had changed into casual black clothes and asked Fu Hai to prepare incense and candles, looking as if he was about to go out.
She asked curiously, "Is Your Majesty going to Fengxian Hall again?"
Yuwen Lan's expression was somewhat solemn as he simply said, "I'm going to Yongfu Palace."
Yongfu Palace?
At first, Yanshu didn't quite understand, but then she heard the system say, [The Emperor's birth mother used to live in Yongfu Palace.]
She suddenly realized that the Emperor was going to pay respects to his birth mother.
Perhaps he was being so secretive because he was afraid the Empress Dowager would find out and feel resentful.
Ah, perhaps it was because of the little one in her belly, but she had been feeling more emotional lately. Suddenly feeling sympathetic, she said, "Would Your Majesty like me to accompany you?"
Although she was pregnant and couldn't go to the mausoleum, she could still pay respects in the palace.
Yuwen Lan was somewhat surprised and asked, "You want to go?"
Yanshu nodded and looked at him sincerely, saying, "May this humble concubine have that honor?"
[Aww, it's because you feel sorry for the little emperor, isn't it? A child who lost his mother soon after birth probably doesn't even remember what she looked like, sob...]
Yuwen Lan, "..."
He felt touched, amused, and a bit confused -
Why did she keep calling him "little" emperor lately?
Where exactly had he given her that impression?
With mixed emotions, Yuwen Lan still...
Nodded and said, "It would be good to go together."
He then took her hand and left.
Before long, they arrived at their destination.
Ever since Consort Dowager Hui passed away, no one else had lived in Yongfu Palace, so the furnishings remained the same as before. After Yuwen Lan ascended the throne, he had arranged for people to specially guard it. Every Yuanxiao Festival, they would come to light some incense and candles as a token of respect.
Although he truly could not remember his birth mother's face, she was after all the one who brought him into this world, and he did not want to forget her.
And as Yanshu had said, since the Empress Dowager was still alive and had raised him, no matter how much he missed his birth mother, he had to be considerate of the Empress Dowager's feelings. So he always came quietly by himself in casual clothes, paid his respects, and then left.
However, this time he had company.
Two people, in fact.
Though touched, he was still concerned about her pregnancy. When they reached the hall entrance, Yuwen Lan said, "This place hasn't been lived in for a long time, so the yin energy is probably strong. You wait here, and I'll go in alone."
Hearing him say this, Yanshu could only agree and stop at the hall entrance, watching as Fu Hai followed him inside.
Rendong accompanied her as she took a few steps in the somewhat desolate courtyard, and couldn't help but feel emotional again.
-- Sob, on a day like this, the Emperor is thinking of his own mother. I wonder if the Empress Dowager is also remembering her child who died young?
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but touch her slightly swollen belly and say to the little one inside, "Baby, you must grow well in mommy's tummy and be born smoothly and safely in the future. Both of us must stay safe and sound!"
After she finished speaking, Rendong, who was accompanying her, couldn't help but smile and say, "Both the mistress and the imperial child are blessed. Your wishes will surely come true."
Yanshu nodded and said, "I hope so..."
But before she could finish speaking, she suddenly froze.
She felt something in her lower abdomen seem to move a little.
Seeing her like this, Rendong was startled and quickly asked, "What's wrong, mistress?"
Yanshu's eyes widened, and she almost didn't dare to breathe, "I think... I felt the baby move."
The baby moved?
Although Rendong had no practical experience, she had received guidance from the imperial doctor. Upon hearing this, she immediately said happily, "Doctor Jiang said this is a sign that the imperial child in your belly is healthy. Congratulations, mistress."
[Tsk tsk, Doctor Jiang also said that from the first fetal movement, we need to count the number of movements every day for the mistress. We absolutely can't make any mistakes.]
Yanshu was startled.
-- She clearly saw Rendong close her mouth after saying "Congratulations, mistress," so why did she hear that last sentence?
...Rendong clearly hadn't opened her mouth again, but that was definitely Rendong's voice!
But that wasn't all. Immediately after, she heard Rendong's voice again, [Sigh, it's the Zhongyuan Festival today. I wonder if I'll have time to go to Taiye Pool tonight to release two lotus lanterns for my parents? Should I ask the mistress for leave? But how should I bring it up?]
Yanshu, "..."
She was certain she hadn't been seeing things; Rendong's mouth definitely hadn't moved.
What was going on? Could it be that Rendong knew ventriloquism?
How had she never discovered this talent of Rendong's in all these years together?
System, [... Haven't you considered that this might be something called mind-reading?]
Yanshu, [What? Mind-reading? System, are you saying I have mind-reading abilities now?]
System, [That's right. How else could you hear what others are thinking?]
Yanshu, [... But but but why did I suddenly get mind-reading abilities?]
System, [The system can't be certain at the moment, but it's very likely related to your pregnancy...]
Yanshu paused. Related to her pregnancy?
... Come to think of it, she had just discovered the fetal movement, and the mind-reading ability came right after. It seems it really might be related to the baby in her belly.
Thinking this, her eyes immediately lit up, and she touched her belly saying, "My baby really is a little lucky star!"
Although Rendong didn't know where her mistress's words came from, she quickly agreed, "That's right, the imperial child will surely be as blessed as the mistress."
Then Yanshu said to her, "After dinner, you should go release a river lantern for your parents too. Ask Lianxin and the others if anyone wants to go as well."
Rendong immediately became excited, "Thank you, mistress! Thank you! I'll arrange for us to take turns going so that someone will always be by your side."
[Sob sob sob, the mistress knows what I want to do without me even saying it! Is the mistress a fairy in the mortal world, to be so amazing?!]
Yanshu felt smug inside.
With the system and now mind-reading abilities, was she about to become invincible?
Just then, Yuwen Lan and Fu Hai walked out of the hall.
Seeing Rendong's excited face, Yuwen Lan curiously asked, "What happened?"
Yanshu concealed her pride and said, "Nothing much. I was thinking about the river lantern release at Taiye Pool today and told her to go release one for her own family. I didn't expect her to be so happy about it."
Hearing this, Fu Hai immediately said, "The Empress is kind-hearted. Miss Rendong is truly fortunate."
In her heart, she thought, [Come to think of it, I want to go release river lanterns too. Your Majesty, couldn't you learn from Consort Yi?]
Yanshu heard this and felt sympathetic, so she said to the emperor, "I wonder if Manager Fu wants to go too. Perhaps Your Majesty could show him some mercy?"
-- Hehe, since I have mind-reading powers now, I might as well go all the way and give out a special bonus today!
Yuwen Lan was stunned.
What did she say?
Mind reading?
What did that mean? Could she also hear what Fu Hai was thinking?
Then... what about him?
Could she hear his thoughts too?
Thinking of this, Yuwen Lan suddenly jolted and quickly looked at Yanshu.
He saw her blinking her big eyes at him, thinking, [What's going on? Didn't you hear what I said? Hurry up and agree! Otherwise, I'll lose face!!!]
Yuwen Lan thought to himself, if she's thinking this way, it means she can't hear his thoughts?
He quickly collected himself and said to Fu Hai, "If you want to go, you may. Just make sure to arrange your duties properly and don't neglect your official business."
Fu Hai immediately showed joy in his eyes, "This servant thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness."
[Oh my, I really benefited from Consort Yi's influence today.]
Yuwen Lan didn't say anything more, but secretly glanced at Yanshu again.
He saw her looking quite pleased with herself, [Hehe, no need to admire me too much!]
Then suddenly she paused, [Wait, why can't I hear what the emperor is thinking?]
Yuwen Lan, [...So that's how it is.]
He immediately felt relieved.
But Yanshu still couldn't understand it. She tried again but still couldn't hear Yuwen Lan's thoughts.
Puzzled, she had to call out to the system, [What's going on? Why can't I read the emperor's mind?]
The system replied, [...The system can't help with this one. After all, even I can't handle the emperor. Maybe it's because he's the Son of Heaven and has some dragon aura protecting him.]
Yanshu, [....]
Could it really be that mystical?
But thinking about it, besides this possibility, she really couldn't figure it out.
Well, fortunately the emperor was reliable. If he weren't reliable and had dragon aura protection, wouldn't that be hard to deal with?
Even with all her abilities, she wouldn't be able to affect him.
Yuwen Lan silently...
Nodded, indeed?
He was reliable, fortunately he was the emperor.
With her mind-reading ability, Yanshu's life opened a new chapter.
She experimented all night in her palace and found it worked every time. The next day, she happily went to chat with her number one idol.
They first talked about the aftermath of that Dangxia Kingdom prince consort Che's incident, then discussed yesterday's Lantern Festival.
Then she heard the Empress Dowager sigh, "Time passes so quickly, autumn is coming soon."
Yanshu was about to nod when she heard the Empress Dowager think, [The capital must be colder than Langya. I wonder if that fool brought enough winter clothes? After all, he didn't plan to stay when he came this summer.]
Yanshu paused, realizing that the Empress Dowager was worried about Mr. Qi?
Aww, her number one idol and her role model, though they couldn't meet often, they still cared about each other!
So she quickly said, "I heard this year's cotton harvest was bountiful. His Majesty, fearing that cheap cotton would hurt the farmers, specially ordered the court to purchase quite a lot. Some was made into official robes distributed to the court officials, and the rest was sent to the textile department to make winter clothes, which were distributed to the Imperial Academy and its affiliated schools, so all teachers and students would have winter clothes to wear."
"I see."
The Empress Dowager's eyes immediately lit up as she nodded, "That's a very good idea. His Majesty is thoughtful."
Yanshu quickly nodded, but heard the Empress Dowager think, [This girl, she's becoming more and more like a worm in my belly, answering whatever I'm thinking about.]
Yanshu thought, please don't say that about yourself, having worms in your belly isn't a good thing!
Besides, what she could do was really limited. It would be better to quickly think of a way to arrange another meeting between her number one idol and role model.
Just then, another voice came to her ears, [Hmph, this woman is good at fooling the Empress Dowager! Last night she was accompanying His Majesty to pay respects to Consort Hui, and today she's acting all sweet in front of the Empress Dowager! Speaking of which, His Majesty doesn't even appreciate the Empress Dowager's kindness in raising him. All these years, he never forgets to burn paper offerings for Consort Hui. Poor Empress Dowager, her whole life has been spent making wedding clothes for others!]
Yanshu paused and looked toward the source of the voice - Nanny Zhuang who was standing beside the Empress Dowager.
She saw the other person maintaining a proper appearance of minding her own business.
Tsk, although she had long known that Nanny Zhuang didn't like her, this was the first time she clearly heard the other's thoughts with her mind-reading ability.
She couldn't help but reflect that the emperor's inability to forget his birth mother was only natural, just as the Empress Dowager couldn't forget her own child who died young. Whenever she thought about it, she would inevitably feel sad. One couldn't say the emperor was unfilial to the Empress Dowager because of this.
Come to think of it, this Nanny Zhuang was truly loyal to the Empress Dowager, just a bit too stubborn in her thinking.
But then the system interjected, [Actually, she's most loyal to that old rascal Duke Cheng'en. On the surface she's concerned about the Empress Dowager, but in reality she's worried that the old lecher's descendants won't have glory and wealth in the future.]
Yanshu, [??? What? That old lecher Duke Cheng'en?]
Sure enough, right after that she heard Nanny Zhuang think, [His Majesty still can't forget his birth mother who only raised him for two months. It's clear that eventually, step by step, the Empress Dowager will be abandoned by him, and then the Duke and the Zhou family will completely lose their status and be trampled under others' feet! My lady, why can't you think about your own brother!]
Yanshu, [....]
Pft, who would have thought that old lecher Duke Cheng'en would have such a devoted follower? These inner thoughts actually sound quite touching.
Come to think of it, could she be secretly in love with that old lecher?
System, [That's right, after all, he was the only... man in her life.]
Yanshu, "???"
What kind of melodramatic story is this?
