The Tianji Office is only under the jurisdiction of the current Empress Dowager. If the current Empress Dowager passes away, the Tianji Secret Order will be kept by the attending aunt who serves the Empress Dowager.
The attending aunt will hide the Tianji Secret Order in the palace and leave a personal secret letter. In the future when the Emperor passes away and a new Empress Dowager moves into the Xian Shou Palace, someone will surely present the letter to inform the next Empress Dowager of the hiding place of the Tianji Secret Order.
During this period, the Emperor cannot force the attending aunt to reveal the whereabouts of the Tianji Secret Order, otherwise if this matter spreads to the previous dynasty, it will surely invite much negative talk, losing more than gaining.
After the previous Empress Dowager passed away, Aunt Qingzhu gave the Tianji Secret Order to Zhao Hua. Neither she nor the Empress Dowager made a fake Tianji Secret Order to confuse people.
Firstly, it's normal that Xiao Jingheng can't find the secretly hidden order.
Secondly, the Empress Dowager firmly believed that Zhao Hua would become an Empress Dowager in the future, so she gave it to her in advance.
But Zhao Hua's thoughts went further than this.
The moment she obtained the order, she thought:
The Tianji Office has always only recognized the order, not the person. Such an organization, free from imperial power, gathered many talented people. With Xiao Jingheng's crazy desire for power, how could he let it go?
Zhao Hua guessed that he must order someone to secretly check Aunt Qingzhu's luggage when she leaves the palace to keep vigil for the Empress Dowager,
Or make her take drugs and search her body while she sleeps.
In short, if he can't get the Tianji Secret Order, his heart won't be at ease. He might even secretly harm Aunt Qingzhu to completely eliminate the order once and for all.
If so, why not make a fake Tianji Secret Order in advance and let Xiao Jingheng go through much trouble to find it.
This way, whenever he needs to use the Tianji Office in the future, no matter what he wants to investigate, Zhao Hua will know it clearly.
Once knowing clearly, any information Xiao Jingheng obtains from the Tianji Office in the future will be what Zhao Hua wants him to know.
The next day, when Zhao Hua went to pay respects to Ning Wanshuang, she brought Ruo Xin with her.
It happened to be Chenghuan's day off from lessons today. After finishing paying respects, Ruo Xin made a fuss about playing with her brothers and sisters. So Zhao Hua naturally stayed.
At that time, Ruo Xin and Jin Yue pestered Chenghuan to play blind man’s bluff with them, but Chenghuan said, "I'm afraid I don't have time today. I still have to go to Zhao Chun Palace to see my third brother later."
Hearing this, Ning Wanshuang unpleasantly said:
"What are you going there for?"
Thinking of how Chengjing had scolded Chenghuan a freak and even threw rocks at him, Ning Wanshuang was furious from head to toe.
"With so many people waiting on him in Zhao Chun Palace, don't go add to the chaos."
Chenghuan bowed to Ning Wanshuang and explained:
"Yesterday when Father came to ask me about my homework, he mentioned that I was his eldest son and told me to set an example for my younger siblings. He said I can't just focus on studying, but also have to be friendly with siblings and uphold benevolence and righteousness."
Hearing his words, Ning Wanshuang and Zhao Hua looked at each other, both with mixed feelings.
Eldest son...
Yes, according to reason, Chenghuan is Xiao Jingheng’s eldest son and noble son.
But before, when Chengyu was around, Xiao Jingheng didn’t want to recognize him as eldest son at all.
He even tried to kill him several times, to avoid him bringing shame to the imperial family.
Now seeing his own heirs scarce, he readily recognizes Chenghuan as eldest son.
It's really ironic.
"Fine, since it's your Father who told you to go, go early and come back early."
With Ning Wanshuang's permission, Chenghuan and the maid taking care of him were about to leave. But Jin Yue and Ruo Xin followed him like little tails, yelling:
"We want to go too. Brother, take us together!"
Seeing the children's enthusiasm, Ning Wanshuang and Zhao Hua couldn't bear to stop them. So they let Liu Yue, Yun Shan and Xiao Fuzi go with them to avoid any mishaps.
After the children left noisily, the hall instantly became quiet, making people feel empty.
Ning Wanshuang had prepared Zhao Hua’s favorite drink, yangzhi sweet dew, and now had it served. But she indifferently said:
“This is what Consort Shun taught me to make recently. I originally wanted to make it for myself, but since it’s my first try I don’t know how it tastes. You try it first. If it doesn’t taste good, pour it out to feed the cats and dogs.”
She was always hard on the outside but soft on the inside, looking down on everyone. She didn’t even give Zhao Hua a direct look.
But Zhao Hua knew clearly that such awkwardness was Ning Wanshuang's way of expressing concern. Naturally she enjoyed it.
After drinking a full cup, Zhao Hua said repeatedly: "Sister made it very well, I like it a lot."
Ning Wanshuang tried her best to restrain her expression, but the faint smile at the corner of her lips was still keenly captured by Zhao Hua.
She didn't poke holes in it, but respectfully said:
“I haven’t congratulated Sister yet. You’ll soon be instated as Noble Consort.”
"You already know?" Ning Wanshuang asked indifferently, the joy on her face gone in a flash.
Zhao Hua nodded. "It was the Emperor who said it."
Ning Wanshuang sneered coldly. “What’s Noble Consort or Imperial Noble Consort? Things longed for yet unattained, as time goes on, are no longer longed for.”
She glanced at the golden sunlight outside the window, her eyes gradually going out of focus, her voice weak:
“No matter what position he gives me, as long as it’s not Empress, I’ll smile and accept it. Anyway, whether I genuinely like it or am perfunctory doesn’t matter to him. He just wants to see me smile to satisfy himself. This is my existence, the meaning to him.”
Zhao Hua said, “I know Sister doesn’t want to be Empress, but...”
"There are no buts."
Ning Wanshuang listlessly cut off Zhao Hua's words and shook her head indifferently:
"If you become Empress, then in the future you'll be buried with him in the imperial mausoleum. I don't dare want such a blessing. Anyway, isn't Empress Jia Rui already buried there? In the future the Emperor will have his legal wife to accompany him. That should be enough."
Although she spoke ruthlessly, Zhao Hua still sensed the loneliness she desperately tried to hide, from the corners of her eyes and brows.
This loneliness precisely showed that after so many years, Ning Wanshuang still hadn't completely let go of her feelings for Xiao Jingheng in her heart.
The boy she had loved since youth, who she had once fantasized about spending her whole life with,
Such feelings, for a woman who values emotions like Ning Wanshuang, can't be easily severed just by saying so.
Now when she privately mentions Xiao Jingheng, it's always with hatred and disgust on her face.
Hatred,
Yet how is it not another manifestation of deep love?
