Noble Lady

"Empress Dowager, please calm down." Nanny Fang quickly handed over tea.

The Queen Mother glanced at it, didn't take it, flicked her wide sleeves, turned around and sat down.

Upon seeing this, Nanny Fang quickly put down the tea, walked behind the empress dowager, straightened out her layered collar and maroon sleeves, and then skillfully massaged her shoulders.

"Master, please don't be angry anymore. Take care of yourself. To be honest, this matter cannot be entirely blamed on His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Anyone who encounters this kind of thing will feel upset.

The Queen Mother paused after hearing this, closed her eyes, and took a long breath. "I know that child was angered by the Han family. He was angry and aggrieved, but he had nowhere to vent, so he just threw it all away."

Nanny Fang sighed.

The Queen Mother raised her right hand and stroked the emerald jade hairpin inlaid with gold on her bun. She continued, "He nearly lost his life in the Northern Territory. He knew it was Han Hongyue's doing, but he completely disowned him. In the end, Han Hongyue only received a few scoldings and paid a small amount of silver. It didn't hurt the Han family at all. How could he feel good about it?"

Nanny Fang paused, kneading his shoulders and asked in confusion, "If you already know all this, why are you still so angry? It's really harmful to your health. Look at how tense your shoulders and neck are."

"I'm not angry because he wanted to become a monk and moved to Qinglong Temple, but because he was so reckless." The empress dowager was very disappointed.

"Dafu will inherit the title sooner or later. He will be a prince, the crown prince's right-hand man, and a pillar of the country. His every move will affect the prosperity and decline of the country. How can he act so arbitrarily?"

"He threatens to become a monk whenever things go wrong. If everyone in the court were like him, wouldn't the Great Sheng Dynasty come to a halt?"

"When you encounter trouble, you should find a way to solve it. What's the point of just running away? Where's the courage a real man should have?"

Nanny Fang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, "I thought you really had irritated His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"He is just too kind and upright and doesn't understand those conspiracies and tricks. It's not a bad thing. Why should I, as his grandmother, be angry with him?" The Queen Mother disagreed.

As he spoke, he became worried, "But then again, at his age, he still has this temper. His likes and dislikes are completely his own, and he has no idea how treacherous people are. If I and the Emperor grow old and pass away, who will be able to protect him?"

She made this fuss not entirely out of anger, but also to put on a show.

The Han family and the Queen must also be alerted. The old woman covets her eldest grandson. If Han Hongyue is sensible, he should be honest.

"The Queen Mother and His Majesty can choose a princess for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who is good at judging people and using them." Nanny Fang had an idea and blurted it out.

"Find a princess for Dafu who knows how to use people well?" The Queen Mother pondered seriously. "That's a good idea, but such a woman is not easy to find."

Nanny Fang thought about it and agreed.

The Queen Mother continued, "But even if that doesn't work, I and the Emperor can still choose a princess who can persuade him."

As this thought flashed through her mind, the empress dowager thought of the situation at Qinglong Temple that day when Xue Chenyu dissuaded Situ Zhen.

In that situation, with so many people persuading him, he insisted on becoming a monk. In the end, he listened to what Miss Xue said.

Over the past few days, the old woman has sent so many people to the Wu'an Marquis' Mansion. Every time they go, the people in the mansion say that the eldest daughter of the Xue family is out.

Either he goes to burn incense, or he goes out with his younger brothers and sisters.

Either go to meet friends or go to appreciate flowers.

There were even people who took their sisters to the city to watch the trial in Jingzhao Prefecture.

Is it just such a coincidence?

"Madam Fang, take my badge and go to the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion in person. If Miss Xue is still not home, wait for her at the mansion and personally take her to Qinglong Temple."

Nanny Fang was startled when she heard this. "Empress Dowager, this...are you planning to marry the divorced Miss Xue off to Prince Cheng? Or are you simply trying to find a few more people to try out?"

"That girl is cautious. She avoided me for seven days straight. She must have figured out that I wanted to use her to persuade Dafu."

"If it were anyone else, they would be eager to be associated with the Tian Family, not to mention such a good thing coming to them. Look at those families. The Ai Family just said hello, and they were afraid of being late. Only she avoided it as much as possible."

"Even before, when Marquis Xue got into trouble and Madam Xue also fell ill, the Marquis's mansion remained completely intact. Even after the Imperial Guards sealed off the mansion, they continued to lead an orderly life. How many girls can possess such courage and determination?"

Nanny Fang could only nod her head continuously. Who said it wasn't true?

At this point, the Queen Mother couldn't help but sigh, "What a pity, she's a divorced woman. Otherwise, with her courage, even if her family background in the Marquis of Wu'an is a bit inferior, she's still a good match for our Dafu. Being a concubine wouldn't be bad either."

Nanny Fang: "Yes, it is indeed a pity. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will inherit the throne of Prince Cheng in the future. There is no way he can marry a divorced woman."

The Queen Mother became increasingly uncomfortable as she listened, and she interrupted, "You should go quickly, or she might find another excuse to go out."

Nanny Fang said in her heart, it’s already this hour, if Miss Xue really wants to go out, she would have left long ago, so how could she wait for me?

But the Empress Dowager was the master, so Nanny Fang respectfully took the badge and left the palace.

Before leaving, he ordered people to replace the tea set and vase that the empress dowager had broken.

……

At that time, the Han family.

"General, the old lady has ordered that you are not allowed to leave the house." Han Hongyue, a tall and strong man dressed in Confucian robes, appeared at the gate and was immediately blocked by the servants.

Hearing this, his expression turned cold and he angrily said, "How many days have passed, and you still won't let me leave the house? Who is the head of the Han family?!"

The servants said nothing, but simply blocked his way.

Han Hongyue was filled with rage and slowly clenched his fists. With his strength, he only needed to slap the opponent lightly to kill him on the spot.

"General."

Mother Zhou, who was wearing a royal blue spring outfit, called out loudly and then walked over quickly.

Judging from her appearance, she is only in her thirties, less than forty, but the way she is dressed makes her look very old-fashioned, almost like an old lady who knows her destiny.

Han Hongyue slowly lowered his fist, which he had just raised.

"Mother Zhou is a popular figure around my mother. She has always taken good care of her. Why is she not here to serve her at this time? What is she doing in the front yard?"

His tone was polite, but as he spoke, his eyes looked the visitor up and down, clearly showing no politeness at all.

Mother Zhou pretended not to hear the sarcasm in his words and said with lowered eyes, "General, the old lady wants to see you."

Han Hongyue said in a muffled voice, as if he had punched cotton, "How dare I not go when my mother invites me?"

A moment later, he followed Mother Zhou around and arrived at Fushouyuan where Old Madam Han lived.

"Son greets mother." Han Hongyue knelt on his knees and kowtowed firmly.

General Han Hongyue, who was extremely arrogant in front of outsiders, had to restrain his temper and kneel down obediently in front of Madam Han.

But Madam Han simply raised her eyelids and said, "I've told you so many times, now that you're the Great General of Zhenbei, you don't have to kowtow to me like this. Just bow and greet me when we meet."

She was wearing a dress made of turquoise green Song Dynasty brocade, which was the most common style at the time. The top and skirt were layered together in several layers, but such good material could only bring out her elegance.

With the full set of jade headpiece and gold hairpins on her head, she looks even more wealthy, even more so than the empress dowager in the palace.

Moreover, although Mrs. Han is over fifty years old, her skin is still smooth and elastic. Sitting there, she doesn't look like Han Hongyue's mother, but more like a sister.

"How can this be possible? A mother is always a mother, and a son will always be his mother's son even if he becomes a high-ranking official." Han Hongyue said flatteringly.

"As long as a son is your son, he will be your son forever. How can this ritual be abolished?"

If the people in the hall that day had witnessed how he tried to shirk the blame for the murder of innocent people in the northern border and the murder of Prince Cheng and then put the blame on Marquis Xue, they would definitely be very distraught when seeing him like this now.

Madam Han slowly put down her teacup and said, "Since you know he is my son, you should know that I never joke."