The Changchun Palace team travels back in time to Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

After what happened with Consort Tong, Rongyin and the others couldn't help but worry that Ruyi might cause some trouble again.

The emperor also expressed that he had no romantic feelings for Ying'er and did not want any further trouble.

He added with deep sorrow, "Since Ruyi is so unwilling, and I don't want her to eat the heart either, then I can only send Ying'er away. I hope the Empress understands what I mean."

Rongyin thought that the two of them had a common goal after all, so she held back and said skillfully, "Yes, the Emperor treats Consort Xian differently from others."

After discussing it with Yingluo, she invited Hengti to Changchun Palace to ask if she could manage after the staff reduction and if she needed more people to serve her.

Hengti already knew about what happened at Shou Kang Palace that day and guessed Rongyin's meaning. She immediately said that she could register Ying'er as a servant in the Xin Zhe Ku of the Princess's Mansion and let her work in the charity hall.

"This child is still young and must have suffered a lot. It would be better to let Shuangluo take care of him."

Rongyin said, "Then I, Your Majesty, will thank Sister Hengti on behalf of Ying'er."

The day before Ying'er left, Rongyin called her over and gave her two months' salary.

Ying'er said timidly, "Your Majesty, please forget about the monthly allowance. There's still the cost of the medicine for the potted flower I ruined..."

Yingluo said, "Her Majesty the Empress doesn't need that pot of flowers. You are from Changchun Palace, so the medicine should be paid by Changchun Palace. There is absolutely no reason to deduct a palace servant's monthly salary just because she is sick and needs medicine."

Ying'er still said, "That servant hasn't worked for almost half a month. I can't accept the first month's pay. As for the second month's..."

She turned to Yingluo: "Sister Yingluo, could you please pass this on to Eunuch Shuangxi for me?"

Yingluo was somewhat surprised.

Ying'er lowered her voice: "This servant knows that Eunuch Shuangxi dislikes this servant and certainly doesn't want to see this servant. But this servant has nothing to repay Eunuch Shuangxi with..."

Yingluo half-squatted down, looking Ying'er in the eye: "Okay, I'll pass it on. Is there anyone else Ying'er wants to see?"

Ying'er thought for a moment and said, "This servant also wishes to kowtow to Consort Ling. Consort Ling was very kind to me in the past, and her attendants, Sister Lancui and Eunuch Wang Chan, also helped me. And, Physician Jiang..."

Yingluo said, "We can go to Chengqian Palace. Physician Jiang is too busy at the Imperial Hospital lately. He has been called back to work because of family matters. I'm afraid he won't be able to get away."

Ying'er nodded, turned around, faced Rong Yin, and knelt down respectfully.

"Your Majesty the Empress's kindness is something I can never repay in my lifetime."

As she was about to kowtow, Rongyin quickly had Yingluo help her up.

Ying'er had almost nothing of her own. When she arrived at Changchun Palace, she had already missed the time when the embroidery workshop would take measurements for the palace maids to make their own clothes. So all she had were a few old clothes made from green branches and two bottles of pills. When she left, she simply packed a small bundle.

Green Branch sighed with regret: "Sigh, the spring clothes haven't been made yet, and Ying'er is leaving. Aunt Mingyu hasn't come back either, and Ying'er didn't get a proper goodbye to her."

Bai Zhi instructed, "Ying'er, remember to behave well while you are with Princess Rou Shu, take good care of yourself, and remember to take the medicine prescribed by Physician Huang on time."

Ying'er was also reluctant to part with everyone. She sniffed, held back her tears, and said, "This servant will remember the kindness of my sisters and the eunuchs for the rest of my life."

She walked out of the gates of Changchun Palace, looked back one last time with lingering reluctance, and stepped onto the palace path.

At the end of January, the weather was still cold, and it snowed occasionally.

It snowed early that morning, and the snow has now stopped. The sun hangs in the sky, and its rays shine on the snow, making it glitter like silver.

After Ying'er left, neither Ruyi nor Consort Tong made any statement.

Ruyi simply mentioned to the Emperor once again what he had told her to rest assured years ago, while Consort Tong fell seriously ill and seemed truly disheartened, refusing even to take her medicine and no longer mentioning Ying'er's matter.

At this time, Cherdenzab, who was already serving in the imperial court, submitted a memorial to pay his respects, inquiring about his nominal maternal grandmother, and also sent a letter of greeting and gifts through the palace.

The letter was torn up by Consort Tong as soon as it was presented to her.

Consort Tong was too weak to even tear the letter a few more times. Her withered hands tore the letter in half, then hung limply, letting the two irregular pieces of paper fall.

This usually cautious and prudent concubine, now that her maternal family had committed such a grave offense, seemed to have no regard for anything else. Her body trembled violently as she cursed, "Is this illegitimate son here to laugh at me! If he and his brother hadn't disregarded the princess's favor and seized the title and glory of the legitimate son because of their age, the Ulanara clan might have had more support!"

The palace servants knelt on the ground, all pleading, "Please, Your Highness, be careful what you say!"

Cheng Gunjabu and Cherdenjabu were both meritorious officials who had made military achievements and received awards during the reign of the late emperor. If such slanderous and insulting words were spread, Consort Tong, as a concubine of the Holy Ancestor, would not be affected, but these servants would be implicated and suffer greatly!

Cherdenzab was unaware of these matters and didn't care.

He was still young when Princess Chunke passed away and had little impression of her. It was only after he grew up and became sensible that he felt some gratitude for her having made his mother a concubine.

As for his stepmother's biological mother, he had never met her and had no feelings for her.

However, as a junior and subject, he had to put on a show to preserve his and Abu's reputation for filial piety.

He handed over the letter and gifts, and then stopped getting involved.

At this moment, he was listening to the butler report news from all sides.

Since Ao Deng had become the royal bride-to-be, her family planned to have her live in the capital for a while to avoid any discomfort later. They had already decided to send her younger brothers, along with their concubines, to the capital.

The steward, an elder in the family, sighed with emotion when discussing this matter: "Among the grandchildren, the Emperor's favorite is Young Master Aodeng. I'm afraid the Emperor is also reluctant to part with him."

At that time, the Dzungar Khanate launched a surprise attack, and Cherdenjab's wife suffered a difficult childbirth due to the shock. Cherdenjab was also seriously injured while pursuing the Dzungars, and coupled with the grief of his wife's death, he was physically and mentally exhausted, and it took him a long time to recover. During that time, Aodeng was taken in and cared for by Tsering. As a result, Aodeng was always favored by Tsering, and the other elders in the family also doted on him.

Cherdenjab himself felt the most pity and love for his youngest daughter, who had lost her mother at birth. The thought that she would marry into the royal family in a few years made him feel complicated.

He changed the subject, asking, "Any other news?"

The old butler said, "Also, Zhao Jiuxiao, he's feeling better now. He said he knows he's ashamed to see you, but he still wants to thank you in person."

Cherdenzab sighed: "The Han people say that shame leads to courage, and that is indeed true. It's just that Zhao Jiuxiao acted decisively and his plans were quite thorough, showing that he has some talent. However, he was dragged down to this point by a fool like Ling Yunche. The price is far too high."

The old steward said, "Actually, there's something I don't understand. The doctor said that although Zhao Jiuxiao only suffered flogging and wasn't subjected to interrogation, his chest and abdomen were severely injured, causing his internal energy to scatter and blood to accumulate. He's seriously injured. Aren't those people in the Censorate afraid that they might actually find out something from such harsh torture?"

Cherdenzab snorted coldly: "They don't want to find out anything. They'd rather use some subtle means to kill Zhao Jiuxiao and Ling Yunche and shut them up forever. Anyway, the case has reached that point, and interrogating them to death is not against the law. Otherwise, if they really bring up some royal scandalous affairs, then they'll be unstoppable."

After all, both Ling Yunche and Zhao Jiuxiao had saved Xian Changzai's life, yet Xian Changzai only promoted Ling Yunche, while Ling Yunche in the Shenxing Division kept saying he wanted to clear Xian Changzai's name.

Whether the emperor harbored suspicions or not is unknown, but he was very suspicious, no, he was quite certain that there was something between the two.

That's why he tried to quell the matter as soon as possible; otherwise, not only would the royal family lose face, but his family might also be implicated because of their kinship with the Ulanara clan.

Thinking of this, Cherdenzab became even more annoyed and said, "This Ling Yunche, after being tortured and then beaten a hundred times, is still alive. His bones and muscles are stronger than an ox. It's a pity he was exiled to the Mulan Hunting Ground. If he had been exiled to Uliastai, it would have been much better to tie him up and use him as a human shield on the front line!"

The old steward added, "There's one more thing. A young girl went to Zhao Jiuxiao's house a few days ago and left some food outside the door. We've already investigated. The girl is currently working at Princess Roushu's charity hall. She said she was an old acquaintance of Zhao Jiuxiao and sneaked over there when she wasn't on duty."

This wouldn't normally be worth mentioning, but this child... she's also from the Ulanara clan. Zhao Jiuxiao said she's Consort Xian's younger sister. She was originally a slave in the Imperial Laundry, but somehow she's now registered under Princess Roushu's name.

Cherdenzab said "Oh," and then asked, "So, what do you think of this little girl?"

The old butler said, "This young girl is shy and timid, and sometimes seems a bit confused, but she is a kind and sensible child who will not cause trouble."

Since it wouldn't cause any other problems, Cherdenzab was relieved.

The Suochuolun family also enjoyed a period of peace. Zhulonga and Zhuleganga returned from their hometown and took care of Guiduo for a few days. After Guiduo's condition improved, they went to the school to study.

Prince He sent someone to inquire after Qiu Yuexiu, who also visited him once before taking up his post.

Gui Duo handed over all the draft notes he had left behind when he was compiling the water management strategies.

Qiu Yuexiu bowed and thanked him repeatedly, but Gui Duo stopped him and asked, "Actually, I have something I've always wanted to ask Uncle Du."

Why does Shudu want to learn the methods of flood control?

Qiu said, “My hometown is Xinjian in Jiangxi Province. Xinjian is bordered by the Gan River to the east and Poyang Lake to the north. The people there often suffer from floods. Although my family is relatively well-off and has been spared from disasters, I have heard and seen the floods since I was a child, and I really cannot bear it.”

Gui Duo stood up, leaning on the table, and bowed solemnly, saying, "Shudu's intentions surpass mine a hundredfold. I only hope that these drafts and notes, which I will never have the chance to use again, can still be of help to you."

Qiu Yuexiu returned the greeting: "This student will certainly not let down your teachings, sir."

On the third day of the second month, Lady Socholun entered the palace. Although the spring banquet the day before had taken its toll, Aruo still got up early to dress.

She chose a light green silk robe embroidered with antique patterns, trimmed with embroidered flowers, and the collar was trimmed with mink fur with small furs. Her hair was also decorated with the finest gold hairpins and pearl flowers. Over it, she wore a white fox fur cloak made of pine-flower satin, a gift from the Empress. She waited in the courtyard early in the morning.

This time, unlike the sudden encounter last time, Lady Sochallen had learned the etiquette beforehand and was required to bow upon seeing her.

Aruo immediately stepped forward to help her up, while Lingzhi and Xinyan hurriedly welcomed the two into the hall.

When Lady Socholun saw Aruo dressed so beautifully, she recalled that more than ten years ago, her daughter was at the age where she loved beauty, but the family was poor and they were unable to buy her a few nice clothes and hairpins.

A wave of bittersweetness welled up in her heart. It wouldn't be appropriate to cry on such a wonderful day, so she held back her tears and smiled, "Your Majesty, this dress is truly beautiful."

Aruo exclaimed happily, "Mother thinks so too? That cloak was a gift from the Empress."

Lady Sochollen smiled and said, "Your Majesty looks good in anything."

The mother and daughter hadn't seen each other for a long time and had a lot to say to each other.

After chatting for a while, Aruo remembered that her two younger brothers were getting older, so she asked them about their studies and carefully instructed them to be careful when arranging marriages in the future.

"Not only should we look at the girl's family background and appearance, but we should also carefully observe her brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, and other relatives."

Mrs. Socholden smiled and agreed.

After exchanging some pleasantries, A'Ruo suddenly looked to the side and asked quickly in a low voice, "How is he?"