Regent, please maintain your aloof image.

The next day, Su Qianrou summoned Granny Qi and inquired about the situation of the palace maids.

"Granny Qi, are those palace maids behaving themselves?"

"Your Highness, there are two cunning individuals who are always trying to cheat and sly, and they are also constantly inquiring about the whereabouts of the Prince. This old servant was just about to ask Your Highness how to deal with them."

"Inquire about the whereabouts of the prince."

"Yes, several times when His Highness came over, they tried to get closer. If this old servant hadn't stopped them, they probably would have already gotten close to His Highness."

"They were sent by the Empress Dowager. If they are expelled from the manor without having committed any serious offense, it will surely displease the Empress Dowager. Therefore, if they try to approach us again next time, we will not stop them."

“Your Highness, this…”

"Don't worry, Granny, just listen to me."

"Yes".

"By the way, what about that Huixiang?"

"She is quite obedient and will do whatever you ask her to do. However, she seems a bit aloof and rarely interacts with others."

Su Qianrou always felt that she was not simple, so she said, "Have someone keep a close eye on her."

"The princess suspects that she has ulterior motives."

"It's always good to keep a close eye on people of unknown origin, and the same goes for others. We can't let our guard down until we find out if they have someone behind them."

"Yes, however, there is one person who is almost certain to be the Empress Dowager's spy. Recently, this old servant discovered that she has been sending messages to the palace on multiple occasions."

"Do you know what she was conveying?"

"The news of the Princess's injury, and also, the Princess and the Prince are sleeping in separate rooms." Speaking of sleeping in separate rooms, Granny Qi couldn't help but feel anxious. She knew that Su Qianrou and Mu Jinchen had not yet shared a room, but she didn't dare to ask directly. So she could only inquire about the situation from Chunzhu and others. She learned that their marriage was only to avoid a political marriage. They originally thought they would be able to hold their little prince soon, but it seemed that this would be a long way off. How could she not be anxious? After all, her prince was not young anymore.

Su Qianrou thought to herself, "No wonder the Empress Dowager hasn't bothered me lately. It turns out she knows we're sleeping in separate rooms, which saves me a lot of trouble. Thank you for your hard work, Granny. Please continue to keep an eye on things."

"Your Highness is too kind. This is what this old servant should do."

"If there's nothing else, you may leave now, Granny."

Granny Qi did not answer, but looked as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Is there anything else, Granny?"

After hesitating for a moment, Granny Qi finally spoke, "Your Highness, tomorrow is His Highness's birthday. I wonder what Your Highness's plans are?"

Su Qianrou was unaware that tomorrow was Mu Jinchen's birthday, so she was quite surprised, "Tomorrow is the prince's birthday."

"The princess doesn't know," asked Granny Qi.

"The prince never said that."

"Why would His Highness bring that up?" Granny Qi said dejectedly.

"What do you mean by that, Granny?" Su Qianrou asked, somewhat curious.

Granny Qi sighed and then slowly said, "Your Highness, you may not know, but the Prince's childhood was not easy. As you know, the Empress Dowager had three children: the late Emperor, our Prince, and Princess Chang Le. Everyone knows that the late Emperor was made Crown Prince from a young age and was therefore highly favored by the Empress Dowager. Princess Chang Le, being Emperor Ming Chong's favorite princess, was also deeply loved by the Empress Dowager. Only our Prince was neglected from childhood. Neither the Empress Dowager nor Emperor Ming Chong paid him any attention or care, and naturally, they didn't remember his birthday. Initially..." The prince used to envy everyone who celebrated the birthdays of the late emperor and princess Chang Le, but over time he stopped hoping for it. Fortunately, the late emperor and princess Chang Le remembered the prince's birthday, so they prepared birthday gifts for him and celebrated with him every year. However, something unexpected happened on the prince's thirteenth birthday. On that day, the prince prepared wine and dishes as usual, intending to invite the late emperor and princess Chang Le to dine together. But someone took advantage of the situation and poisoned the late emperor's wine, which almost killed him. Although he was eventually saved, his health was damaged. If it weren't for this, the late emperor wouldn't have passed away so early.

"So, the prince went to the military camp because of this matter."

"Yes, but not entirely. The imperial physicians diagnosed that the late emperor wouldn't live much longer, and the Empress Dowager was devastated upon hearing this. She vented her anger on the prince, questioning why he wasn't the one poisoned. Furthermore, the late emperor had only recently ascended the throne, and if something had happened to him, our prince would likely have become the new emperor. Therefore, the Empress Dowager suspected the prince of poisoning the late emperor. No matter how the prince explained, she wouldn't listen, even declaring that she had no son like him and telling him to go as far away as possible." Far away, never to return. If it hadn't been for the later discovery that it was Consort Min who did it, the prince would probably have been unable to clear his name. The prince was already feeling guilty, and with the Empress Dowager's doubts, he had the idea of ​​leaving the capital. And he did just that. When the late emperor's health improved, he asked the late emperor to let him go to the military camp for training. The late emperor naturally disagreed, so the prince went secretly on his own. He was gone for seven years until three years ago when the late emperor fell seriously ill and summoned the prince back to oversee the country. Only then did the prince return.

Su Qianrou then realized why Yingfeng had stopped her from continuing when the eldest princess was mentioned that day, and why Mu Jinchen had said that the eldest princess was very lucky. She then said, "I understand, thank you for telling me, Granny."

"This old servant also feels sorry for Your Highness. Back then, when Your Highness was only three or four years old, you were a lively and cheerful child. If it weren't for Emperor Mingchong and the Empress Dowager's favoritism, Your Highness wouldn't have become like this now. However, now that Your Highness is here, this old servant believes that in the future, Your Highness will definitely be as happy as before."

Su Qianrou smiled awkwardly, thinking to herself, "You really overestimate me. I don't have that much ability." She said, "Granny, you can go now. I'll think of a good way to celebrate the prince's birthday."

"Yes, Your Highness, thank you for your hard work. This old servant will take his leave."

After she left, Chunzhu said indignantly, "Your Highness, I finally understand why the Prince and the Empress Dowager have a bad relationship. The Empress Dowager has gone too far. The late Emperor and Princess Chang Le are her children, but isn't our Prince also her child? How could she treat the Prince like this? No wonder the Prince is heartbroken."

"They say people's hearts are biased, and they're right."

In fact, Su Qianrou could understand Mu Jinchen's feelings at the time, because she had also experienced it. In modern times, her parents favored her younger brother. When they divorced, they fought fiercely for custody of her brother, while no one cared about her. Her father said she was a burden, and her mother thought she was a nuisance. In the end, neither of them wanted her. If it weren't for her grandmother, she might have starved to death on the streets long ago.