After traveling through time, I became the aunt of the loyal dog emperor

It was late at night, and Ziheng specially arranged a carriage to take them back to Xiangwanxuan.

The two tiptoed to sneak in, and just as they stepped over the threshold, they saw Zhu Ying, Wan Tao and Shui Yue standing in the courtyard. The three of them paced back and forth anxiously in the courtyard, especially Zhu Ying, who was gloomy and angry at her cousin for secretly taking the princess out of the palace to do something dangerous, and Shui Yue, who lowered her head with a guilty conscience and did not dare to look at Wan Ning.

Wan Ning came up with a plan and pretended to be seriously injured, limping and struggling to move in. Seeing this, Zhu Ying and Wan Tao were inconvenient to say anything, and hurriedly stepped forward to stand on both sides of the princess to support her shoulders, while Zhu Zi stood beside her sister like a child who had done something wrong.

Wan Ning has tried this trick many times and it always works. When she was young, she was worried that her grandmother would scold her when she got into trouble outside, so she would exaggerate her own pitifulness so that her grandmother would not have the heart to blame her. This trick has a fatal flaw: it can only be used on people who care about you.

Wan Ning took Zhu Ying's arm and limped forward while explaining, "It was me who strongly requested Zhu Zi to accompany me this time. I also told her not to tell you. She had to obey the princess's orders, so you can't blame her, Zhu Ying. Not only can you not blame me, you should reward her. Thanks to Zhu Zi, she came back so smoothly." Then she turned around and called Zhu Zi who was standing there nervously, "Don't stand there in a daze. Didn't we buy a lot of cakes outside the palace? Take them out and let the sisters taste them. I tell you, these cakes outside are really delicious. I'll take you out of the palace to play next time I have the chance."

After all, it was a child's habit. When Shuiyue heard that she could go outside the palace to play and get cakes from outside the palace, she happily stepped forward to take the cakes from outside the palace. Zhuying was no longer angry with her sister. Several people helped the princess into the room.

After sending the others away, Wan Tao was left alone to treat her wounds, first applying cold compresses, then hot compresses, and finally applying medicine. During the long process of treating the wounds, Wan Ning deliberately asked Wan Tao about the relationship between Princess Le Yan and the emperor. Before meeting the emperor, Wan Ning's impression of him was what the retired emperor said, "He has been loved since childhood and used to being spoiled", or "He is a little weak, indulgent and greedy for enjoyment". After meeting him today, he felt that this was true, even a little absurd: As the emperor of Chu State, he actually picked up his imperial aunt in front of everyone? His behavior made people think a lot, and there was a sense of indulging in it.

The heat of the late summer night had not yet completely dissipated. Wan Tao stood by the table and gently poured tea for the princess, letting the candlelight beside the table jump back and forth on the veil on her face. Her eyes were lowered and her silence was full of tenderness.

"I'm really thirsty. You handed me the tea just right." Le Yan eagerly took the tea, drank it all in one gulp, and handed the cup back to Wan Tao. She took the initiative to mention Six Stars TV, "I almost died of thirst at the Six Stars TV party today."

"Six Star Channel never provides tea, so ordinary people usually bring some simple food when they go there. Princess, you can ask me to prepare some in advance next time." Wan Tao took the cup, glanced at it and found it was empty, then filled another cup, and asked casually, "Did you go to Six Star Channel to watch the show smoothly this time?"

"It went smoothly. It really went smoothly at the beginning. My friend and I both got six-star tickets for the front row. The viewing effect and the stage performance were both excellent. I just don't know which bastard secretly attacked me. Not only did he make me look bad on the stage, but he also caused my legs to swell into this horrible state. I'd better pray that he doesn't fall into my hands one day. The princess who used to repay evil with kindness is no longer here. Now I'm here to repay evil with evil!"

After saying so much, Wan Tao only grasped one key point and asked tentatively: "Princess, you still performed on stage? Did anyone discover your identity?"

"So what if they were discovered? The eldest princess of Chu country is afraid to meet people." Wan Ning answered nonchalantly, then smiled embarrassedly, "But it was indeed discovered, hehe. It was our future neighbors - the prince and princess of Tumo who are about to move to Yuxi Palace next door."

After hearing this, Wan Tao turned around and let out a long sigh, and her tense mood was relieved a little.

"It was he who was so kind-hearted that he helped me slip down from the stage. When they move into Yuxi Palace, I will invite them to Xiangwanxuan for dinner to express my gratitude."

Wan Tao took the empty cup from Wan Ning and turned to put it on the table next to her: "Princess, you are very thoughtful. We can visit each other more often in the future."

"By the way, I also saw my nephew later, and he recognized me, too."

"Your Majesty," Wan Tao unconsciously tightened the cup in her hand and repeated it in a slightly trembling voice. Then she quickly regained her composure and asked as if nothing had happened, "The princess hasn't seen him for many years. Is he doing well after meeting him again today?"

Wan Ning shook her head: "He is quite strange. As soon as he appeared, he carried me from the backstage to his carriage without saying anything. He also helped me check my wounds, but he was unwilling to call me aunt! He also arranged a carriage to take us back tonight, but he didn't say anything. Wan Tao, don't you think this guy is strange? I haven't seen him come to see me for such a long time since I returned to the palace. But when we met by chance, he was so enthusiastic, a little too enthusiastic. Humph, what a contradiction."

Wan Tao was also a very smart person. She knew immediately that the princess was asking her about her past with the emperor. She hesitated whether to tell the princess, after all, she had heard it from others. After thinking for a moment, she decided to tell the princess. She spoke in a hoarse voice:

"When I was working in the Queen Mother's palace, I did hear some things about you, Princess. But the maids who told me these things are old and forgetful, and they are just bits and pieces of idle talk, so you don't have to take them seriously."

Just after finishing the "disclaimer", Wan Ning took out a handful of melon seeds from her pocket and placed them on the table in front of her, pricked up her ears and prepared to eat the melon. She picked up a melon seed and put it in her mouth to chew, urging: "It's okay, just keep talking. Wait a minute, I'll get some paper and a pen, listening to their family story requires sorting out the relationships between the characters."

Everything was ready, Wan Tao sat on the bed and began to tell the story:

"Princess, your mother is the empress dowager's sister and the last consort appointed by the late emperor. Her title was Lan. When Concubine Lan first entered the palace, she was only eighteen or nineteen years old. Because her father died of illness, her sister sent someone to take her to Nanye."

"Sister? Isn't her sister the Empress Dowager?" Le Yan asked.

"That's right. The Queen Mother was the Crown Princess back then. Concubine Lan was in her youth, lively and smart. When she came to the palace to pay homage to the late Emperor, she was very much in love with him. So she was quickly taken into the harem and was favored by him. She was the most popular person at the time. But three months after the canonization, the late Emperor unfortunately passed away."

"This old man, he doesn't have much time left but he still wants to harm other girls." Wan Ning was so angry that she slammed the melon seeds in her hand on the table. As soon as these outrageous words came out, Wan Tao quickly covered her mouth, fearing that someone would hear it and cause trouble.

"According to the old calendar, when the emperor passed away, all the concubines without children were given poisoned wine and buried with him. Also, because Concubine Lan was the most favored during the last three months of the late emperor's reign, she attracted the jealousy of others and became the target of public criticism. Even the court began to discuss these matters in the harem. Your grandfather was also an important official in the court. He had different political views and offended many people. After this incident, they seemed to have grasped the family's Achilles' heel and were determined to send Concubine Lan to be buried with him."

"This is too much. Instead of expanding the territory, settling land disputes and seeking benefits for the people, these ministers held a girl of 18 or 19 years old and refused to let her go. Even if they let her live, what would that do?" Le Yan asked anxiously, "What happened next? Did Concubine Lan really have to die?"

Wan Tao's expression could not be seen due to the veil. She shook her head and said calmly, "That's not the case. Otherwise, how could you, Princess, come into the world?"

Wan Ning was very happy. God finally had a vision: "That's great. Who saved her in the end?"

Wan Tao smiled slightly and pointed at Wan Ning: "It was you, the princess, who showed up! At that time, the court was arguing about the issue of burial alive with the emperor. Suddenly, news came from the harem that Concubine Lan was too sad and fainted. The imperial physician diagnosed that she was pregnant. Because of the late emperor's posthumous child, Concubine Lan was able to keep the baby."

"This old man did a good thing." After thinking about it, Wan Ning felt that it was not right, so she changed her words and said, "No, the incident started because of him, so he did something that was not bad at all. Then what happened later? Why didn't I see her?"

"After that, all kinds of rumors spread. Some said that Concubine Lan was not pregnant at all, and that this was just a lie made up by the Crown Princess because she didn't want her sister to be buried alive with him. There were also rumors that Concubine Lan was really pregnant, but the child was not the late emperor's at all, and that she had an affair with someone just to have an heir, otherwise why would she find out the result two months after the late emperor's death?"

"Humph, I think they just don't believe that the late emperor still has the ability to make someone pregnant. If you have the guts, go and ask the late emperor in person. Why make things difficult for a powerless concubine!"

"Afterwards, the crown prince ascended the throne, and the King of Qi also left for Northern Qi to guard the border for the Chu State, vowing not to return to Southern Ye for nineteen years. The controversy in the court shifted to other matters, and since Concubine Lan's sister became the empress, she naturally had to be given some face. Therefore, few people mentioned this matter later, and even if someone still remembered it, there was no evidence. They just wanted to wait for her to give birth, and if the birth month was not right, they would bring up the old matter again."

"Princess Lan can finally take good care of her pregnancy now. After giving birth, she will come back to slap these people in the face."

Wan Tao looked distressed, paused for a few seconds and continued, "Until seven months later, Concubine Lan died of complications during childbirth, and the month of birth was correct, and no one mentioned this matter again."

"How could this happen so suddenly? Did you have any health problems before?" Wan Ning was so scared by the result that she almost dropped her melon seeds.

"I didn't know. I heard that the imperial physician who had been taking care of Concubine Lan resigned after her death. Although the empress dowager was sad, she didn't blame him too much. At that time, the current emperor was only a five-year-old child, so the empress dowager took the princess to her side to raise her together."

Wan Ning thought she was a noble princess, but in fact she was an orphan. With such a miserable life, how did she get rid of the lonely days and nights in Xiang Wanxuan? Could it be that her time travel was related to her?

"What happened next? Why did the princess move into this shabby Xiangwanxuan?" Wan Ning listened attentively and asked worriedly.

"There is no way to know this. I heard that it was Concubine Lan's last words. If her daughter becomes the eldest princess known to everyone in this country, she will be admired by thousands of people and will be taught to do things worthy of this status. She must be prepared to sacrifice for the interests of this country at any time or be used by others. Princess, you have already lost a lot, and Concubine Lan does not want the princess to lose her own life."

You don’t have to bear the responsibilities of a princess, so you have to give up the glory of a princess.

At this point, Wan Tao seemed to be a little emotional, with tears in her eyes. Seeing this, Wan Ning subconsciously wanted to comfort her, and in a daze, she reached out her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Wan Tao realized her loss of composure, so she quickly turned her face to the side to adjust her state, then turned her head and forced a smile to continue telling Wan Ning what she knew.

"But Princess, you are not without support. The Emperor at that time was your elder brother, and the Empress was your aunt." This confusing relationship shocked Wan Ning again. "At that time, the new Emperor had just ascended the throne and had many government affairs to deal with. The Empress took you to her palace and lived with you for five years. Five years later, the Empress found a trustworthy maid to bring you to live in Xiangwan Pavilion, hoping that people would gradually forget the existence of the eldest princess."

Although it was Concubine Lan's last wish to make people forget the existence of Princess Le Yan, this process is inevitably somewhat cruel.

Why five years old? At that time, the Queen's child Ziheng was already ten years old and was chosen to be the crown prince. The Queen had to focus all her energy on Ziheng's education and growth. Moreover, she also had to accumulate connections for Ziheng's future. More and more ministers' wives and daughters would appear in the Queen's palace. If this continued, more and more people would remember Princess Le Yan.

How long does it take to erase a person's traces?

Later, the queen took a fancy to Xiangwanxuan, the most remote place in the palace. She ordered people to clean it up and found the most trusted old nanny and palace maid to take care of it. An unhappy princess lived in the remote "cold palace" in the palace and had no contact with outsiders. The palace never responded to questions related to her, and gradually no one mentioned Princess Le Yan anymore.

It was almost dawn when I finished chatting with Wan Tao. The remaining heat had completely dissipated and was replaced by a gradually rising coolness. The moment Wan Tao opened the door and left, the cool breeze that squeezed in through the crack of the door made Le Yan, who was sitting on the bed, shiver and her mind became so clear.

That thought flashed through my mind again: "Could it be that I traveled through time because of the real princess? Was it because of her countless helpless prayers at night?"

Now she couldn't wait to know the answer, and was looking forward to the day when the mystery would be revealed. But she had to eat one bite at a time, and do things one by one. The most urgent thing now was to find Jiang Zhifan first, and work with him to find the answer to the time travel and the way to return to her own time.

Tomorrow, this very tomorrow, she will go to meet Prince Mu Xiu again!