Chapter 94: Princess Shou'an
Chapter 94: Princess Shou'an
While the young princes were suffering through their lessons, Suisui was nearly finished with her drink.
One cup of tea wasn't much, but it had a lot of extra ingredients.
After consuming all of that, she washed it down with some water.
Suisui felt her little belly puffing out.
After she finished drinking, Haitang helped her wipe her mouth. Suisui then climbed down from her chair, approached the Princess of Qi, and snuggled close to her, cooing, "Mother Princess, I'm done eating."
As she spoke, she gently patted her little belly, like a little animal bragging about its full stomach.
The Princess of Qi felt that this child was becoming more and more adorable.
Unremarkable at first glance, she now found herself unable to look away.
Perhaps, the Princess thought, it was a matter of affinity.
Over the years, due to the various questionable actions of her husband, the Princess of Qi had also developed a certain obsession with young girls.
However, there were quite a few people in the capital city who harbored various intentions and wanted to send girls into the princely mansion.
Yet, the Princess of Qi had not shown interest in a single one of them.
Suisui was the first one she truly liked.
Gazing at the little girl's sparkling eyes, the Princess of Qi gently caressed her little head. "Then let's take a walk, or else you won't be able to eat lunch. This afternoon, your brothers will be coming over for their riding and archery lesson."
Although Suisui didn't understand riding and archery lessons, she had heard her brother mention how majestic it was, and she had been wanting to watch for a long time.
Now that she heard the Princess mention it, she nodded vigorously. "I want to watch, Mother Princess."
The earnestness of the little girl made it impossible to control one's hands.
The Princess of Qi took Suisui to see the pond and also talked about the fish in it.
Suisui didn't understand, but she knew that fish tasted good.
Unconsciously, her mouth began to water, and she nodded gently, murmuring, "Fish tastes good."
Although the girl's voice wasn't loud, the two of them were very close, so the Princess of Qi heard her and lifted her veil to cover her smiling lips.
As the mother and daughter strolled leisurely around the estate, a luxurious carriage slowly made its way down the official road in the distance.
Listening to the commotion, the Princess of Qi gazed into the distance.
Following her gaze, Suisui saw that it was a strange carriage, and then she looked away.
Not recognizing it and not knowing about it, she trusted her mother's judgment.
The Princess of Qi glanced a couple of times, then retracted her gaze and led Suisui by the hand towards the inner orchard.
Thinking that Suisui would be living in the capital city from now on, she felt that Suisui should have some understanding of the people and matters in the capital. Thus, the Princess of Qi turned with her hand in Suisui's and looked into the distance at the carriage, "Suisui, did you see? The character hanging in front of that carriage is read as 'Ying,' and it belongs to the Anyuan Marquis Manor."
Suisui: ...
She didn't understand.
She honestly shook her head.
Seeing Suisui like this, the Princess of Qi couldn't help but find it amusing, and she didn't mind that the girl didn't understand.
They could take it slow; Suisui would understand after seeing it a few more times.
After realizing this, the Princess of Qi smiled and said, "Suisui, remember this. People with very high official ranks sit inside carriages like that."
Upon hearing this, Suisui's face turned serious as she thought that these were officials too grand to provoke. She nodded vigorously. "Mother Princess, I remember!"
Seeing the girl's solemn expression, the Princess of Qi couldn't help but want to laugh again. She gently caressed Suisui's head. "However, Suisui, you don't have to be afraid. No matter how noble the identities of these people in the capital are, they are not as noble as your... father king."
Although she was uncertain if her husband would acknowledge Suisui, it didn't matter.
The Princess thought: As long as I acknowledge her, it's fine.
She planned to go back to the palace and coax the empress dowager. As long as the empress dowager agreed, even if her husband disagreed, he would have to listen!
Suisui was confused by what she heard, and it took her a while to make sense of it. "Mhm, Mother Princess is the greatest!"
The father king she had never met held no status in Suisui's heart.
The Princess of Qi couldn't help but smile at the little girl's antics. She nodded in agreement and said, "Suisui is always right."
After speaking, the Princess of Qi continued to introduce the noble in the carriage, "Although the Marquis of Anyuan is not as noble as your father, his mother is Princess Shou'an, a kind and loving grandmother. Suisui, when you meet her in the future, be sure to greet her respectfully."
Suisui was still young and didn't understand many things. It was precisely because of this that the Princess of Qi felt it was important for her to receive a proper education and learn the necessary etiquette.
"Living in the capital, if you don't understand these things, no matter how noble your status, people may look down on you in private."
Princess Shou'an was also someone who valued rules and etiquette, so the Princess of Qi wanted to emphasize this to Suisui.
At this moment, inside the luxurious carriage, Princess Shou'an was listening to her daughter-in-law, "Should we stop by the Qi Prince's Manor? I heard there was quite a commotion here yesterday."
Her daughter-in-law, Sun, was talking about the Qi Prince's Manor and the lively scene of the livestock giving birth.
Princess Shou'an was not young anymore, and her head was now full of silver strands.
At this moment, she was sitting with her eyes closed, meditating. Hearing these words, she frowned slightly, "Such vulgar matters, and you bring them up so casually? Where have your manners gone?"
Even someone as noble as the Marquis of Anyuan's wife had to bow her head and listen to the princess's reprimand.
Seeing that Sun remained silent, Princess Shou'an opened her eyes and let out a soft hum, "Qi King has been acting more and more outrageously these past two years. I feel sorry for the women in his harem."
As she finished speaking, Princess Shou'an closed her eyes again, "Always stirring up trouble, just like his late Majesty."
Sun dared not respond to this comment.
Princess Shou'an was the late Emperor's adopted sister, and her status was extremely noble.
It was perfectly fine for a sister to criticize her brother, but Sun knew better than to get involved!
When Sun remained silent, Princess Shou'an did not get angry. She waved her hand and said in a low voice, "These few days, keep a close eye on the young masters and young ladies of the manor. Don't let them get too close to the Jin Manor. That manor is full of bad influences, and I don't want them dragging down our young ones..."
Before she could finish her sentence, a loud bang came from the back of the carriage.
Bang!
The sound was so loud that even the Princess of Qi heard it.
She had just been about to take Suisui to see if they could get someone to bring up a couple of fish for lunch. But as she took a couple of steps, a huge explosion shook the ground, causing even the earth to tremble.
Startled, Suisui instantly hugged the Princess of Qi's thighs, her small body shaking.
The Princess of Qi was also startled and, feeling the little girl's panic, quickly picked her up. She turned towards the official road to see what was happening.
At that moment, a cloud of black smoke rose from the road, making the luxurious carriage of the Great Princess look rather shabby in comparison.
Seeing this, the Princess of Qi's face turned pale.
She opened her mouth, but it took her a while before she could speak, "Quick... quickly, gather some people and go see what happened!"
Aunt Qiu and the others were also frightened. As soon as they heard the Princess of Qi's command, they quickly organized the people from the manor to go and help.
At this time, all the workers and servants were present, and at the master's call, they quickly sprang into action.
Even before they got close, they could smell a strange and pungent odor.
Moreover, the black smoke was accompanied by waves of heat, making it difficult to decide whether it was safe to approach.
(End of Chapter)
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