Consort Zhuang doesn't want palace intrigue; she just wants to raise her child and live a caref

"The young marquis sent over a thrush before, and the message was conveyed through this thrush," Jinse replied softly, her head slightly lowered.

"What? You actually understand bird language!" Su Nuannuan asked in disbelief, her face full of astonishment.

She had always known that Jinse and the other three were highly skilled in martial arts and each had their own unique expertise, but she never expected that Jinse would have such abilities.

Then, Su Nuannuan slowly sat down on the exquisitely carved armchair, a faint smile on her lips, her gaze falling on Li Quan, who was intently peeling gourd strips beside her.

"Your Majesty, I only know the calls of specially trained birds. I cannot understand the meaning of the calls of untrained birds," Jinse quickly explained.

"Oh, I see." Su Nuannuan nodded thoughtfully, indicating that she understood.

She was truly astonished. If Jinse could really understand all bird languages, wouldn't that mean that many secrets in the inner palace would be difficult to escape her notice?

"But... why didn't I see that thrush that can deliver messages?" Su Nuannuan was full of doubts and looked around, trying to find traces of the mysterious bird.

"I've kept that thrush behind Cuiwei Palace so it won't disturb you ladies," Jinse reported respectfully to Su Nuannuan, her head slightly bowed.

"Yes, you've always been so thoughtful and considerate in your work." Su Nuannuan, sitting in the armchair, nodded gently in approval.

"However, we still need to think of a way to leak this news to the Emperor without anyone noticing."

After all, the Duke of Zhenguo had voluntarily requested to leave his clan; the Emperor needed to know.

"Understood, Your Majesty. Rest assured, this matter will be handled by this servant." Jinse replied, then turned and hurriedly left to arrange the relevant matters.

Before long, a startling piece of news spread like wildfire through the palace—the Duke of Zhenguo had actually requested to leave his clan! When this news reached the Emperor's ears, he couldn't help but frown slightly, a sense of doubt creeping into his heart: "Li Desheng, go and investigate immediately, and be sure to find out what exactly happened!"

"Yes, Your Majesty. This servant will go and summon those gossiping people for questioning." Li Desheng accepted the order and left. At this moment, the two eunuchs who were whispering together were completely unaware that they had been spotted by the Grand Eunuch Li Desheng.

"Hey, you two! Come here right now, the Emperor wants to see you!" Li Desheng shouted at the two who were still talking in hushed tones.

Li Desheng's hoarse voice suddenly rang out, startling the two eunuchs who were whispering to each other. Their hearts nearly jumped out of their throats.

However, they quickly regained their senses, suppressed their fear, and like two frightened rabbits, took small, hesitant steps and cautiously walked towards Li Desheng's direction.

Li Desheng stood there expressionless, slightly gesturing with his lips to signal the two men to walk into the Hall of Diligent Governance, and said, "The Emperor summons you." Hearing this, the two eunuchs were so nervous that they didn't dare to breathe, and could only nod obsequiously, then lower their heads and tiptoe into the Hall of Diligent Governance.

Upon entering the Hall of Diligent Governance, a solemn and dignified atmosphere immediately enveloped the person, inspiring a sense of awe. Two young eunuchs approached the Emperor with trepidation, knelt on both knees, and cried out in unison, "Your servants pay their respects to Your Majesty." After speaking, they bowed deeply, their foreheads pressed tightly to the ground, displaying an extremely respectful demeanor, fearing that the slightest impropriety might offend the Emperor.

The Emperor sat high on his dragon throne, his face calm and composed, revealing no trace of joy or anger. He spoke slowly, his tone gentle yet authoritative: "Rise! I heard you were discussing something interesting just now. Why don't you tell me?"

Upon hearing this, the two young eunuchs stood up, quickly exchanging glances as if discussing who should speak first. In the end, the slightly older eunuch understood and cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, we were just discussing the matter of the Duke of Zhenguo requesting to leave his clan."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor frowned slightly and pressed for an answer: "When did this happen?"

The young eunuch quickly shook his head and replied in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, I do not know the specific time, but I have heard that the Duke of Zhenguo will open his ancestral hall tomorrow to formally announce his departure from the clan."

The Emperor pondered for a moment, then waved his hand, signaling the two eunuchs to leave. He then turned to Li Desheng, who was standing beside him, and instructed, "Li Desheng, quickly issue an imperial edict summoning the Duke of Zhenguo to the palace for an audience."

"Yes." Li Desheng received the order and quickly went to make the arrangements.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor has already ordered someone to invite the Duke of Zhenguo!" Jinse had been carefully arranging for people to keep a close eye on the movements in the Qin Zheng Hall. As soon as the Emperor made a move, she immediately relayed the latest news to her mistress.

Su Nuannuan sat calmly in the armchair, raised her beautiful eyes slightly, looked at Li Quan who was busy with his work, and said, "I understand."

At this moment, Li Quan's movements became more and more skillful, but since this was his first time trying to peel gourd strips, he was not able to control the force precisely at first. As a result, after working for a while, he only felt his hands were slightly sore.

Seeing Li Quan stop what he was doing and shake his aching hands, Yan Yaoqin quickly said, "You should go and rest. I'll take over the rest." With that, she strode forward and unceremoniously pushed Li Quan aside, then stood firmly in front of the gourd herself.

Actually, she had been watching Li Quan peel gourd strips the whole time, and she had been itching to try it herself.

Su Nuannuan, meanwhile, remained smiling, sitting leisurely in her armchair, occasionally sipping her fragrant tea, watching the two busy figures before her with great interest. Looking closer at the shelf, she saw many gourd strips already hanging there, each one slender and long, arranged neatly like white noodles.

Just then, a cry of surprise rang out: "Oh dear, you've overdone it!" It turned out that the sharp-eyed Li Quan had noticed that the gourd strips Yaoqin had cut had suddenly become much thicker.

"It's getting thicker, so what? Just remind me quietly, why shout so loudly? This isn't the first time I've peeled gourd strips, I just didn't control the pressure properly," Yaoqin defended herself.

"I am here to see you, Your Majesty."