The fool has become a spirit, and she can speak

Some words were on the tip of her tongue but were swallowed back by Suiying. How could Cheng Youning understand the affairs of adults! "Your Highness, please persuade your great-grandfather. He wants to walk back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation barefoot."

Wan Lianxing raised his hand and pushed the obstructing Cheng Youning away from him, then walked forward on his own.

Looking at his great-uncle's arrogant back, Cheng Youning squeezed out a few words: "Great-uncle is so dissolute and unkempt!" Cheng Youning shook his head and added: "Outrageous!"

Before Cheng Youning even stepped into the entrance of Wanshou Palace, she saw another barefoot person. Confused, Cheng Youning raised her voice, "Grandma, are you imitating my grandpa? Why aren't you wearing shoes? Isn't the ground cold?"

Meeting Cheng Youning's puzzled gaze, Zhong Siyu quickly looked away, secretly wiping away the tears on her cheeks. She still had to save face in front of Cheng Youning; she couldn't walk barefoot on the bluestone road as carefree as Wan Lianxing.

With the help of her maid Zhu'er, she quickly put on her shoes and explained, "Grandma was chasing after your grandpa and forgot to put on her shoes in her haste. Youning, where did your grandpa go?"

"Where could he go? Besides here, it's the Hall of Mental Cultivation."

Just as Cheng Youning was feeling sorry for his great-uncle who had nowhere to go and whose life was so dull, he heard his maid Zhu'er say angrily, "The Emperor will have many more places to go in the future."

Cheng Youning blinked twice, knowing that Zhu'er's words had a hidden meaning, and asked, "Where else could my great-grandfather go?"

Pearl said with a pitiful look, "The Emperor is going to choose a concubine!"

"Choosing a concubine? Who is it? It can't be Han Muran, can it?" Cheng Youning's bright eyes were like a pair of obsidian stones, reflecting a strange light under the lanterns.

Zhu'er finally grinned, her voice trembling with tears, and said, "Your Majesty, look, even a child as young as the Crown Prince knows about this. It seems that His Majesty has long planned to take Han Muran as his concubine, but you are still kept in the dark."

Unbeknownst to her, Cheng Youning was adding fuel to the fire. "That's nothing! Han Muran's father is not only going to be the emperor's father-in-law, but he's also going to be an official, and a high-ranking one at that!" Cheng Youning's mouth opened and closed without any restraint as she started babbling, her row of small white teeth adding to the credibility of her words. "I heard that Han Muran is really determined. She's put in a lot of hard work to become a concubine in the palace. She's already started learning palace rules. Sui Ying said that every smile and gesture of Han Muran has the elegance of my little grandma."

Zhong Siyu and her maid turned green upon hearing Cheng Youning's words, but Cheng Youning was unaware of the extent of the blow he had dealt to Zhong Siyu. He took out a phoenix lantern and handed it to Zhong Siyu, saying, "Young mistress, this is a lantern I chose for you. Young mistress, you are as graceful and dignified as an empress, and only this phoenix lantern is worthy of you." Cheng Youning's gaze fell behind Zhong Siyu, and he instructed, "Young mistress, hang this lantern on the eaves so that you can see it whenever you come in or out."

The lantern was indeed a fine lantern, its design no less impressive than the rabbit lantern Wan Lianxing had made for her. However, Zhong Siyu was in no mood to appreciate the lantern at the moment; her mind was filled with thoughts of Wan Lianxing and Han Muran, and her heart was in turmoil.

Not wanting to lose her composure in front of Cheng Youning, Zhong Siyu forced a smile while holding back her tears. "The lanterns are so beautiful. My grandson is so thoughtful. I'll have someone hang them on the eaves in a little while."

Cheng Youning chuckled with a great sense of accomplishment: "I knew my little grandma would like this. I took a liking to it at first sight."

Cheng Youning then found another lantern. "This is a lark. Zhu'er, you usually talk the most, so this is for you."

Although Cheng Youning disliked Zhu'er for talking too much, Zhu'er smiled when she saw the lantern, and her anger disappeared. She gave Cheng Youning a palace salute and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Zhu'er asked Cheng Youning, "Your Highness, who is that butterfly lantern in your hand for?"

"This is Zhuoyang's! I hope that one day she will emerge from her cocoon and become as beautiful as this butterfly."

"And what about this crab lantern?"

"Is this for the old steward? He lectures me every day, and he's the only one who dares to act so arrogantly in front of me!" Mentioning the old steward, Cheng Youning couldn't help but smirk angrily.

"Then who is this toad for?" This lamp is the strangest of all the lamps; it's hard to say whether it's beautiful or ugly.

"Oh, this is for my master's attendant, but I haven't seen him for about twenty days, and I don't know if he's still in the capital."

"That attendant is elusive; who knows? We servants rarely see him. Unless His Highness says he's not in the palace, we have no way of knowing. By the way, Your Highness, who is this shrimp lantern for?"

"This one is for Suiying, he's my great-uncle's little minions, this lamp is practically tailor-made for him. The most impressive one is this one, this is the Dragon King who can stir up wind and rain, this one is for my great-uncle."

Pearl had a question: "Your Highness, why are the women's lanterns flying in the air, while the men's lanterns are swimming in the water?"

Cheng Youning observed carefully and exclaimed, "It really is! Zhu'er, you're so observant! I didn't even notice until you pointed it out. I'll buy you some ground-dwelling animals next year!"

Since she also needed to give everyone lanterns, Cheng Youning didn't linger and left with Qiao Rong.

Zhong Siyu looked at the empty and cold bed and silently shed tears. Zhu'er carefully comforted her, "Your Highness, don't cry. If your eyes are swollen tomorrow, the Emperor will scold me again."

Zhong Siyu angered the Emperor so much that he left barefoot without uttering a single word of reproach. But the little maid Zhu'er wasn't so lucky. At the slightest provocation from her mistress, Zhong Siyu, Wan Lianxing would hold her accountable. The pretexts for punishing her were varied, but the most common reason was that she hadn't served her mistress well.

Zhu'er is innocent! She served the Empress with utmost diligence. She thought of what her mistress thought and was anxious about what her mistress was anxious about. When her mistress was wronged, she cried out for justice; when her mistress was sad, she was sad; when her mistress cried, she shed tears; when her mistress stayed up all night, she kept her company. She cared about every single thing concerning her mistress and paid attention to every single matter.

So every time she was punished, she would plead her innocence in her heart. In order to prevent the emperor from taking his anger out on her, she racked her brains to persuade Zhong Siyu.

How could Zhong Siyu not be upset by what Wan Lianxing had just said? She was the last person who wanted Han Muran to enter the palace, but did she dare to go against Madam Wan? Even the Emperor had to give way to Madam Wan, so how could Zhong Siyu be so ungrateful?

She could pretend to be magnanimous and let Han Muran enter the palace, and she could also swallow her anger and serve Wan Lianxing with Han Muran, but how could she willingly give up the throne of empress!