CH 64

Care—Only a Wall Apart. (1)

When the news of the move to Lishan reached the East Palace, Chu Ning ordered someone to pack up her clothes and luggage and waited for the departure in five days.

In the eyes of others, this was just a consistent rule, or even a means—when the Prince was not in Chang'an, he must keep a close watch on the Crown Prince’s Consort and not leave any opportunities for others to take advantage of her.

But in Chu Ning's eyes, this was a hint that all her efforts had not been in vain, and the next opportunity was at hand.

She thought about it for a while, but she didn't bring all the maids into the dormitory with her. Except for Cui He, she only picked four others, and the rest were all assigned to chores outside.

On the eve of her departure, she received a letter from Xiao Yu from Huazhou, saying that he would come back to Changan around New Year's Day, and asked about the East Palace.

This was a practice, maybe it was out of meager feelings, maybe it was out of anxiety after his lies, when he had been away from Changan for a long time, he would write back to ask her about her situation.

Looking at the handwriting on the paper, Chu Ning couldn't help but sneer.

Only if he did something wrong and lied to her for two whole years would he feel uneasy all the time for fear that one day she would discover the truth.

One day, he would find out that not only did she already know the truth, but she even secretly communicated with his most hated uncle under his nose, begging the uncle not only to pluck his wings bit by bit, but also to force him to plead guilty for the evil things he did in the past. What would be his reaction?

With a cold light in her eyes, she held a corner of his letter on the candlestick and lit it until it burned to ashes. Then she took out the pen and ink, wrote two greetings in a respectful tone as always, and added that she would go with the emperor to Lishan. It was sent out.

...

The next morning, the weather was clear and sunny.

Outside the Chengtian Gate of Taiji Palace, hundreds of princes, nobles, courtiers and royal family members gathered here, waiting to follow the holy carriage to Lishan.

In the cold wind, prized horses and perfumed carts filled the road, and the laughter of men, women and children was endless.

Chu Ning came from Changle Gate in the East Palace. After the audience came to pay homage, she consciously stood at the front of the female relatives, waiting for the Emperor and Empress Dowager Qi to come.

The madames and maidens around were still afraid to talk to her. Occasionally, they came to greet her, and they hurriedly left after only saying a word or two.

No one wanted to be found out in the public eye to have a close relationship with the East Palace.

Only Madame Xu of the State of Lu brought her daughter Guoer over and sincerely greeted her.

Lu Guogong and his wife had the protection of the Emperor in Changan, and no one dared to face them disrespectfully. But they had the simple temperament of the Yanzhou plains, so even if they were covered in brocade, beads, and jade, the rich and the powerful would scorn them behind their backs. No one was willing to take the initiative to make good friends with them for fear that they would become an outlier, the laughing stock among the rich and powerful.

In the past two months, Madame Xu had seen through the thoughts of these people. Although she was still trembling for fear of making mistakes, she no longer worked hard to integrate herself into the life of the upper-class nobles.

"Long time no see. How is Madame faring?" Chu Ning looked at the mother and daughter beside her and greeted them with a smile, "Guoer seems to be more rounded than when she came here."

Madam Xu nodded, then pulled Guoer in front of her, and said, "This child was a little unaccustomed to the environment on the way to Changan. In those days, she was feeling a little bit of indigestion, and her face was sallow. Now she is probably more accustomed to it, and she has eaten a lot."

She and Lu Guogong both came from peasant families. They worked all year round and suffered from famine in the past. They were married for many years, but due to their poor health, they never gave birth to a child until they were nearly 30 years old. With such a miraculous daughter, both the husband and the wife cherished her very much.

Guoer blushed, raised her head and smiled at Chu Ning, and then cautiously reached out and pulled her sleeve.

Chu Ning touched her little hand and leaned down, only to see her smiling and turning in a small circle in front of her eyes, as if she was showing off today's clothes. Only then did Chu Ning realize that the little girl was showing that the clothes she was wearing today resembled the set from the first picture in the picture book she had given the other last time.

"Guoer's clothes are beautiful," she complimented her and nodded at the child with a smile, "The bracelet on your wrist matches nicely."

Guoer was very happy when she received the compliment and smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Your Highness."

After a while, Xiao Kezhi and Empress Dowager Qi finally came down to the open Chengtian gate, surrounded by the palace servants and guards.

Seeing this, everyone stopped talking and laughing, turned around and saluted the two of them respectfully.

When they stood up straight again, Chu Ning heard Guoer beside her pulling Madame Xu's hand and saying timidly, "A-niang, His Majesty seems to be coming towards us."

She couldn't help but look up, just in time to meet a pair of familiar, sharp eyes.

Xiao Kezhi did not bring a carriage, but rather rode on a high-headed horse, trotting forward step by step.

Everyone thought that he was here to talk to Madame Lu and her daughter. In fact, after disembarking the horse, he passed Chu Ning, who was standing at the front, and walked straight to Madame Lu and Guoer.

But Chu Ning knew in her heart that when their eyes met just now, he was indeed looking at her.

"I heard from my uncle a few days ago that in the past, due to work, he often had back pains. My aunt has also suffered from a cold for the past two years, and your legs are not very flexible. When we reached the hot springs, I ordered the Imperial doctor to prepare some herbs. It may relieve the chronic ailments of old age."

He stood sideways in front of Chu Ning, taking good care of Madam Xu with a normal attitude.