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

After Consort Chen left, Su Nuannuan did not take any action. After all, Jinse had not yet returned to the palace, and she could not send two people back to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion in one day unless it was a particularly urgent matter. Otherwise, doing so would only cause trouble for herself.

"Sigh, it seems I really need to ask my father to arrange two capable bodyguards for me, otherwise I'll be restricted in everything I do, and this lazy life won't be easy!" Su Nuannuan muttered to herself as she pondered this.

After a brief pause, she slowly rose and walked towards the east side hall. Just before entering, she turned back to look at Yaoqin, who was following closely behind her, and softly instructed, "When Jinse returns, remember to have her come to see me as soon as possible."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Yaoqin replied with a smile and a respectful bow.

Then, Su Nuannuan stepped into the east side hall and went to the workbench with practiced ease. She carefully took out a small, exquisite brocade box from the drawer, gently opened the lid, and inside lay an unfinished phoenix hairpin adorned with feathers. Su Nuannuan focused intently on picking up the various small parts and tools neatly arranged on the table and began to assemble the phoenix hairpin with great concentration.

Time passed quietly, and about half an hour later, a familiar sound of footsteps approached the entrance of the east side hall. Immediately afterwards, Jinse's extremely respectful voice came from outside the door: "Your Majesty, this servant has returned."

Su Nuannuan, who was busy inside, didn't even look up. She simply replied, "Come in!"

At this moment, Su Nuannuan was carefully holding the tiny component that was about to be installed, working with complete concentration, and even beads of sweat were forming on her forehead. The component was almost successfully installed, and if she stopped now, all her previous efforts might be in vain.

"This servant greets Your Highness. Your Highness, the Duke has asked me to deliver a message to you." Jinse entered, bowed respectfully, and then reported in a low voice.

Su Nuannuan didn't immediately look up; her gaze remained fixed on the parts she was installing. She simply replied casually, "What is it?"

Jinse cautiously leaned forward, deliberately lowering her voice as if afraid of being overheard: "The Duke has prepared two highly skilled bodyguards for Your Highness, and they will be able to come and pay their respects to Your Highness tonight."

Before she could finish speaking, a sharp "clang" was heard. It turned out that Su Nuannuan had dropped her tools on the table due to her surprise. The sudden sound startled both Jinse and Su Nuannuan.

However, just a moment later, Su Nuannuan quickly realized what had happened and hurriedly looked down to check if the part she had just installed was affected. Once she saw that the part was securely installed, her heart finally settled, and she involuntarily let out a long sigh of relief.

Seeing this, Jinse, standing to the side, showed a hint of worry on her face and softly called out, "Your Majesty..."

Su Nuannuan waved her hand to indicate that she was fine, then slowly put down the exquisite phoenix hairpin in her hand. She then raised her head, looked calmly at Jinse, and said slowly, "It's alright, you can continue."

"The Duke said that since I frequently travel between the palace and the Duke's mansion, such behavior is easily exploited and used to cause trouble. Therefore, it would be more appropriate to send two secret guards."

Furthermore, as long as these two secret guards remain well-hidden, even the Emperor's fearsome Dark Dragon Guard would likely struggle to detect their presence. Moreover, these two guards obey only the Empress's orders.

"I never expected that Father would be so in sync with me. The arrival of these two guards has truly relieved my immediate crisis. We will discuss all matters later tonight."

"I wonder if Mother has anything to say?"

"The lady instructed, hoping that Your Highness would take good care of yourself, as well as the Fifth Prince and the Little Princess. With her personally overseeing the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion, Your Highness need not worry about it."

Oh, by the way, Madam also mentioned that Marquis Ding'an has quietly left the capital to secretly work on the things Your Majesty bestowed upon him.

However, the official statement was that the Marquis of Ding'an was suffering from an illness and needed to recuperate.

The lady specifically instructed me to inform Your Highness of this matter in detail, so that Your Highness would be well-informed.

"I gave you my things too early. My sister-in-law is pregnant now and needs someone to keep her company," Su Nuannuan said thoughtfully, her brows slightly furrowed. She secretly regretted not giving the gunpowder formula to her brother later.

At this moment, Jinse suppressed her laughter and softly reported to Su Nuannuan, "Your Majesty, I heard that it was the Lady of the Marquis who personally chased the young Marquis away. She said that the young Marquis was too clingy and kept asking when the child would be born, which annoyed the Lady of the Marquis." After saying this, Jinse couldn't hold back any longer, and her face turned up slightly, but she was afraid of being blamed by her mistress, so she tried her best to hold it in.

Seeing this, Su Nuannuan rolled her eyes at Jinse helplessly and said irritably, "Laugh if you want to, don't hold it in." After getting permission, Jinse could no longer care about anything else and burst out laughing, saying between laughs, "How clingy is the young marquis? Even the marquis's wife couldn't stand him and chased him away!"

Hearing Jinse's words, Su Nuannuan couldn't help but laugh as well, shaking her head and saying, "That makes sense, after all, it's his first time becoming a father, so it's inevitable that he'll be nervous and excited."

That very night, as darkness fell and all was silent, two dark figures appeared silently in Su Nuannuan's palace like ghosts. They moved swiftly and landed without a sound. Upon arriving before Su Nuannuan, they quickly knelt on one knee, clasped their hands in a fist salute, and respectfully greeted her, saying, "Your subordinates greet you, Master."

Su Nuannuan slightly raised her eyes, which were as clear as autumn water, and her gaze slowly fell on the two guards kneeling below. Her exquisite and beautiful face was expressionless at this moment, like a calm and still lake, making it difficult for anyone to see her true thoughts.

She parted her lips slightly, her voice clear and calm, seemingly devoid of any emotion, and asked indifferently, "What... are your names?" These simple words, spoken by her, seemed to carry an invisible pressure, causing the two guards to tremble involuntarily.

"Your subordinate is listening to the news."

"Your subordinate listens to the rain."

"I am willing to serve my master like a dog or a horse, even at the cost of my life."