Dethroned the Crown Princess? Then she became your mother

"I was just about to go take a bath. The emperor came here now, I guess he is taking a break from his busy schedule. I knew that the emperor was busy earlier, so I didn't dare wait and had dinner on my own. The food in the garden has been tasted for a long time and it has a unique flavor. Has the emperor had it before? If not, would you be willing to share it here?" Zhang Tianai opened her red lips and responded to the emperor, while being supported by Chunmei and slowly moving forward.

"I haven't eaten yet, but there's no need to trouble my beloved concubine. I'll have someone bring it to you. I heard that the food in the garden is very good, so you can eat more. Go take a bath, and we'll talk later." Murong Shuo responded, his eyes inadvertently sweeping over Nanny Li and the old lady of Weiyuan Marquis, Mrs. Yuan.

Zhang Tianai responded softly and nodded gently.

Chunmei, the wife of the Marquis of Weiyuan, Yuan, and Nanny Li all bowed to the Emperor. The palace maids followed suit, behaving respectfully.

Murong Shuo raised his hand to signal everyone to stand up, and the scene returned to peace for a while.

Zhang Tianai then turned to Li Ma, telling her to quickly fetch Eunuch An or send for the Emperor's dinner. She knew the Emperor must be starving from his busy schedule.

"Yes, sir." Nanny Li responded and then turned and left.

Zhang Tianai noticed that her grandmother Yuan was about to leave, so she gently told her to rest first and not to worry about anything else. Her voice was soft and concerned.

Yuan nodded and slowly left.

After the figures of grandmother and Nanny Li disappeared from sight, Zhang Tianai held Chunmei's hand and continued to walk towards the bathing place.

Murong Shuo looked at the woman and sighed inwardly. It had been a long time since she had suffered from headaches, dizziness, or memory loss. He turned around gently and found a place to sit.

Not long after, Nanny Li led the servants to deliver dinner. After respectfully bowing, she began to serve the emperor.

Seeing this, Murong Shuo didn't say much.

It was not until Eunuch An arrived that he spoke briefly to Nanny Li, then got up and went to the bathing and changing room.

Nanny Li watched silently from the side, patiently waiting for her master's return.

Time slipped by. Zhang Tianai finished her bath, still slightly damp, and hurried over without drying herself. She looked around, but didn't see the Emperor, so she asked Li Ma. Li Ma told her the Emperor would soon finish his meal and return for his bath.

"Oh." Zhang Tianai replied softly, and said nothing more. She sat down on the couch beside her, casually stretched out her hand, and let Chunmei apply hand cream on her.

Chunmei applied the lotion carefully, while Nanny Li stood by and asked tentatively, "Master, are you waiting for the Emperor to come and rest with you?"

"Well, what else can we do?" Zhang Tianai responded softly and turned her gaze to Nanny Li.

Nanny Li thought to herself that both the master and the emperor were exhausted, and she knew it very well.

Soon, Murong Shuo walked into the room. Seeing this, Zhang Tianai smiled gently and stood up to greet him.

-

Inside the garden, the news spread like wildfire. Even the emperor's decree, delivered late at night, couldn't stop its spread.

Everyone knew that the Emperor had taken Miss He, who had saved him, into the harem and granted her a position. However, the position of a talented woman seemed a bit low.

Despite this, He Cairen was finally able to remain in the garden legitimately. Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager merely nodded. She had just finished bathing and was about to rest. "The Emperor should have granted her a higher rank, but whatever he can give me is fine. I don't ask for much." She knew that once she had her in the harem, she could make plans later.

After saying this, the Queen Mother stopped talking and Nanny Qin continued to serve her.

Meanwhile, the other women in the harem were buzzing with gossip. Concubine Shu scoffed at the news, and Concubine Xian learned of it before bed. After inquiring about the situation, she felt a mixture of emotions. The Emperor had ultimately granted that woman her position, and from then on, she was no different from the others. However, all this had been expected.

Concubine Xian looked at the palace maid and said nothing more. She decided to leave it at that for now and make plans tomorrow. After the palace maid left, she slowly closed her eyes.

The Queen summoned the people around her and ordered, "Send someone to He Cairen to find out what she is saying."

Upon hearing this, the palace maids and the nanny all responded in unison, but they couldn't help but ask, "What does the Queen want to ask?"

The Queen was silent for a moment, pondering. Congratulations to the Consort. Though a Consort's rank was low, she was still the Emperor's woman. Though she felt reluctant, she still wanted to offer her congratulations. As for Consort Liang, she wanted to know her reaction. She also wanted to know the movements of other forces within the palace. She had already heard more about the Crown Princess.

Meanwhile, Zhang Tianai and the Emperor had already laid down on the bed, ready to rest. Zhang Tianai gazed at the Emperor through the dim light.

"This garden is still the most peaceful, much quieter than the palace, both in terms of environment and atmosphere." She said softly.

"Yeah." Murong Shuo responded softly.

"Is the emperor really going back to the palace tomorrow?" Although Zhang Tianai already knew the answer, she still couldn't help asking.

Hearing this, Murong Shuo stared into her eyes and gently brushed her cheek with his fingers: "If you don't want to go back, we can stay here."

"Your Majesty, I am indeed reluctant to leave. I have only come back once in such a long time, and the garden has been damaged because of me. By then..." There was some worry in Zhang Tianai's words.

"Fix it." Murong Shuo said firmly, but secretly he was angry. He had already ordered people to start repairs and would definitely restore the burned part to its original appearance.

"Repair it? This is a big project. There are more than one burnt places." Zhang Tianai was still unaware of the situation and was a little surprised.

"It must be repaired." Murong Shuo said firmly, "This garden needs renovation anyway. We'll repair the burned parts first."

"The person who hurt me..." Zhang Tianai stopped talking suddenly.

"I told you before." Murong Shuo interrupted her and stared at her deeply.

Zhang Tianai said nothing more.

"There is something I need to tell you." Murong Shuo's voice was soft and low.

"What's the matter, Your Majesty?" Zhang Tianai asked curiously, but in her heart she was guessing what the emperor wanted to say.

"That woman." Murong Shuo spoke bluntly, reaching out to pull her into his arms, holding her tightly, and looking down into her eyes. Zhang Tianai was startled when she heard this, and blurted out: "What woman? Which woman?"

"The one with the surname He." Murong Shuo said without any hesitation.

Zhang Tianai's heart trembled. Wasn't that He the eldest daughter of the He family? She looked up at the emperor and smiled gently. Zhang Tianai asked, "Your Majesty, what do you mean?"

Murong Shuo said slowly, "Before I came here, I issued an edict granting her a status. The Queen Mother also sent someone to see me. I have ordered her to stay in the garden temporarily and enter the palace when the time is right."

"Oh?" Zhang Tianai's heart moved slightly, but he remained calm. "In this case, I have a new sister. I must meet her in the future."

"Of course we need to spend more time together." There was a subtle complexity in Murong Shuo's tone.

Zhang Tianai nodded slightly and said, "That's right."

Murong Shuo's gaze fell on her and he spoke slowly: "As for her... whether she sees you or not is not the point for now. What I have given her is only the position of a talented person." His tone was as calm as water, as if he was talking about something insignificant.

Talented person? A flicker of surprise flashed through Zhang Tianai's eyes. She looked at Murong Shuo, seemingly in disbelief. A talented person? Had she really heard correctly? That was too stingy. Was the He family girl disappointed or delighted at this moment?

Perhaps she had never considered from the outset that she would only receive the rank of a Talented Lady. Anyone who heard this news would be surprised. Why did the Emperor make such a decision? Was it out of concern for her, or was there something else going on?

However, no matter what, the He family girl should be happy. After all, this is at least a starting point, an opportunity to enter the palace.

"Yeah." Murong Shuo stared at her, as if he wanted to see through her thoughts.

Zhang Tianai met his gaze and said, "It is normal for the emperor to grant me a title, but after returning to the capital, I also have something I want to ask the emperor."

"Oh?" Murong Shuo raised his eyebrows slightly, "What's the matter?"

Zhang Tianai shook her head slightly, then nodded gently, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. Seeing this, Murong Shuo stopped asking questions.

"Your Majesty..." Zhang Tianai called softly.

Murong Shuo lowered his head and gently kissed her cheek. Zhang Tianai's heart remained calm; she wasn't particularly interested in the emperor's actions. Since he had already granted the He family girl a title, she was naturally displeased. And now he wanted her to serve him? It was simply unrealistic.

She simply pretended to be sleepy and squinted her eyes. Seeing this, Murong Shuo said, "Are you tired? Want to sleep, Concubine Liang?"

Zhang Tianai nodded gently and said, "Your Majesty, don't you want to rest? I am a little tired."

She gently stroked her bulging belly and said, "The child wants to sleep too."

Murong Shuo heard this and said, "Then go to sleep."

He didn't do anything else, just lay quietly beside her. Zhang Tianai closed her eyes, but her mind was still thinking about that thing.

When she woke up, she knew Murong Shuo had left. She got up and began to wash and dress, with Chunmei and Li Ma waiting on her.

Chunmei and Li Mama both seemed to be hesitant to speak. Zhang Tianai saw their expressions in the mirror and couldn't help but smile. She didn't ask them what they wanted, but just waited quietly.

After they finished washing and Chunmei left with the basin, Zhang Tianai looked at Li Ma and asked, "What's wrong, Li Ma? You and Chunmei are both like this. Do you have anything to say?"

Nanny Li was a little panicked when she heard this. She hadn't expected her master to ask her so suddenly, and for a moment she didn't know how to answer. She was still thinking about how to report this matter to her master.

"Tell me, what's the matter?" Zhang Tianai urged when she saw this.

Nanny Li gritted her teeth and finally spoke, "My Lord, the Emperor issued an edict last night, and I inquired about it and learned that it was about a conferment of rank."

"Oh?" Zhang Tianai raised her eyebrows slightly. "Who is it?"

"She's a girl from the He Mansion, from Minister He's residence," said Nanny Li. "I heard she saved the emperor in the enclosure."

Zhang Tianai's heart was slightly moved when she heard this. So this is what the emperor had told her last night. She looked at the expressions of Li Ma and Chunmei and knew that they might have heard about this matter.

"Her, this matter." Zhang Tianai chuckled and interrupted Li Mama. "I know, I knew it a long time ago. I heard about it on the way back to the capital, and the emperor also told me last night."

Upon hearing this, Nanny Li breathed a sigh of relief. The Emperor had already told the Master, which meant the Master already knew about this matter. Furthermore, the Emperor had also discussed this with the Master, so the He Family girl must have really saved the Emperor, right?

"Really saved?" Zhang Tianai asked Nanny Li.

Nanny Li nodded and said, "Yes, Master."

"Your Majesty..." Nanny Li hesitated to speak. She wanted to know what would happen to the girl from the He family and whether the Emperor would favor her.

Zhang Tianai saw through her thoughts and smiled, "You look worried, don't worry. There's no need to worry too much. The Emperor is only giving her a title. This is also what the Empress Dowager wanted."

Hearing this, Nanny Li felt a little relieved. As long as the emperor didn't favor the young lady from the He family, it would be fine.