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

Meanwhile, inside the palace, Su Nuannuan was being carefully styled by Yaoqin. As Yaoqin deftly manipulated the hair and comb in her hands, she lowered her voice and reported to her mistress, "Your Majesty, this servant has noticed that Her Majesty the Empress seems to have no intention of conversing with the Emperor."

"You think you're so clever! Hurry up and comb Her Majesty's hair properly!" Jinse glared at Yaoqin and scolded her gently with a slightly reproachful tone.

"Oh dear, sister, don't be angry. I just spoke without thinking..." Yaoqin shrank her neck and lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly.

At this moment, Su Nuannuan, who had been silent all along, spoke softly: "Yaoqin, you must not talk about the Empress in private like this anymore. You know, this courtyard is not clean." Her voice was gentle, but it carried an undeniable air of authority.

"Yes, Your Highness, I understand." Yaoqin quickly released the hair she was holding, bowed respectfully, and then carefully continued to comb Su Nuannuan's hair.

After a while, her hair was finally combed again. Yaoqin picked up two exquisite hairpins from the dressing table, handed them to Su Nuannuan, and asked, "Your Highness, which one would you like to wear today?"

Su Nuannuan shook her head slightly and said calmly, "There's no need to wear it. Cheng'er and Yao'er will be coming to play with me later, and it's inconvenient to wear a hairpin. You can just wear your palace dress when you attend the palace banquet tonight."

Yaoqin nodded obediently and gently placed the two beautiful hairpins back on the dressing table.

Just then, footsteps sounded at the door, and Zhixiang walked in. She curtsied to Su Nuannuan and said with a smile, "Your Highness, breakfast is ready. Please come and have your meal."

Because she had gotten up very early today, and also because she had to go to Anning Palace to pay her respects to the Empress and celebrate her birthday, Su Nuannuan was indeed feeling a little hungry. Hearing Zhixiang's words, she smiled slightly, stood up, and slowly walked towards the dining table.

Upon approaching the table, I found the breakfast laid out as simple as ever—a bowl of steaming porridge, a plate of delicate pastries, and two refreshing side dishes. Although the selection was limited, each dish was prepared with great care, making it very appetizing.

She advocated against extravagance and waste, since she had to pay for some of the dishes herself, and it was always better to be frugal.

Besides, with a shrewd, thrifty, and reasonable empress around, the money saved for the Imperial Household Department wouldn't be embezzled. This is because not only does the Imperial Household Department have its own accounts, but there's also an account book in Cuiwei Palace. It would be quite difficult for the Imperial Household Department to falsify accounts, since Su Nuannuan would have Tingyu or Tingfeng report the daily vegetable prices.

After breakfast, the two adorable little ones still hadn't appeared. Taking advantage of this free time, the skillful woman decided to do something more for the children. So, she took out a soft piece of fabric and carefully sewed two flower-shaped wrist bells.

The bells used to make these wrist bells have an interesting history.

It turned out that Li Quan had brought this back from outside the palace on business. He originally planned to string it up and hang it on the bed for the two young masters to play with and have fun. However, Su Nuannuan unexpectedly saw it and then took it from him.

Recalling the past, in her previous life, she had also made all sorts of exquisite wrist bells for her best friend's baby. However, the bells she used back then were not as delicate as they are now, but just ordinary plastic rattles.

After much effort, the two beautiful wrist bells, as lovely as blooming flowers, were finally completed. Just then, the two little ones, in the arms of their respective nannies, entered the room.

Surprisingly, the two little devils seemed to be having a tiff.

All that could be heard was a series of incoherent sounds coming from their mouths, as if they were arguing fiercely about something, but unfortunately, no one could understand what they were saying.

Seeing this, Su Nuannuan quickly smiled and clapped her hands at the two children, then opened her arms and gently called out, "Cheng'er, Yao'er, come to your mother quickly."

Upon hearing their mother's affectionate call, the two little ones instantly stopped their noisy commotion, their faces beaming with excitement and joy, and eagerly rushed towards Su Nuannuan.

Seeing how anxious the two children were, Su Nuannuan quickly and gently comforted them, "Don't worry, don't worry, Mother will hug you one by one."

After saying these words, Su Nuannuan gently and carefully took her son into her arms, holding him securely in her left arm. Then, she quickly extended her right arm and gently embraced her daughter as well. She then lightly returned to the small, exquisite couch, slowly bent down, and gently placed her two children on the soft cushions.

At this moment, Su Yueniang and Honglian, who were following behind, quickly stepped forward to help Su Nuannuan settle the child.

After the children were settled, Su Yueniang smiled and said softly to Su Nuannuan, "Your Highness, our Fifth Prince is almost able to sit up on his own now."

Hearing this, Su Nuannuan's gaze immediately turned to her son on the small couch, her eyes filled with tenderness and love. She smiled and gently rubbed her son's chubby little face, praising softly, "Yes, my Cheng'er is only four months old, and he already knows how to try to sit up on his own. What a clever little guy!"

However, to everyone's surprise, the little boy didn't seem to appreciate his mother's gesture. He suddenly raised his little hand and slapped Su Nuannuan across the face without hesitation. The unexpected slap startled Su Nuannuan, but she quickly recovered and, seeing her son's bewildered and innocent expression, couldn't help but laugh.

After hitting her, the little guy seemed completely unaware of what he had just done. He just stared blankly at Su Nuannuan with his big, round eyes, as if wondering to himself: Huh? What did I just do?

Looking at her son's innocent and adorable expression, Su Nuannuan found it even more amusing. She smiled and gently poked his small, delicate nose with her finger, scolding him playfully, "You little rascal, how dare you hit your own mother?"

Then, Su Nuannuan's big, watery eyes darted around and landed on Jing Yao, who was happily playing by herself. The little one's chubby hands were constantly scratching at the toys in front of her, and she was making some indistinct noises from time to time, looking very cute.

Su Nuannuan grew increasingly curious and couldn't help but turn to Su Yueniang and Honglian beside her, asking softly, "I heard them arguing just now. What exactly was they arguing about?"

Upon hearing Su Nuannuan's question, Su Yueniang was slightly taken aback, seemingly hesitant about whether to tell the truth. But she quickly composed herself and cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, it seems that the Fifth Prince thinks our little princess is too stupid."

Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan immediately became interested and quickly asked, "Oh? Tell me in detail."