thefictionvixens Chapter 144 Nian Gengyao Enters the Palace
Chapter 144 Nian Gengyao Enters the Palace
Nian Shilan nodded and asked him, "Do you want to see your uncle?"
The Fourth Prince nodded, his eyes brightened, "Of course I did. My uncle is the General of Fuyuan, a general who galloped across the battlefield. I have long wanted to see what kind of person he is."
Nian Shilan smiled and looked at him tenderly.
For a moment, she even felt hopeful.
It would be great if the Fourth Prince was really her biological child.
But then she thought that the reason she couldn't have children was all because of the hypocritical Yinzhen.
This thought cooled down again.
It's a pity that she doesn't have a child of her own.
She is afraid that she will never be able to experience the joy of having children and grandchildren around in her lifetime.
It’s a pity that I don’t have a biological son.
That way, she could hold his little hand.
Tell him how, when his mother was little, she followed his uncle around and pestered him to teach her some self-defense skills and horse riding techniques.
Tell him how brave and good at fighting the men of the Nian family are.
Tell him what a mighty general his uncle was.
But she never had such an opportunity.
I can only treat the Fourth Prince as my own son to comfort the regret in my heart.
Thinking of this, she suddenly pulled the Fourth Prince into her arms and hugged him tightly.
Rest your face against his forehead.
The Fourth Prince only felt his body stiffen for a moment, and before his brain could react, his hands had already wrapped around his mother's waist.
Savor this moment carefully, feel this embrace that belongs only to me, feel her warmth...
Whatever she thought of.
It doesn't matter what you think of yourself as.
As long as at this moment, she is holding me in her arms, that is enough.
Nian Shilan took a deep breath, patted his back, and let go of his hand.
But she found that the Fourth Prince had not let go, so she patted him again.
The Fourth Prince finally reacted and let go of his hand with a little embarrassment.
He lowered his head, touched the tip of his nose, and whispered, "Mother..."
"Your uncle will come to the palace in a few days. If you have any questions, please ask in private. Remember to keep your distance in front of outsiders."
Nian Shilan took a deep breath, didn't realize anything was wrong, and just continued.
The Fourth Prince looked up and nodded blankly without asking why.
Because actually he was still missing that embrace just now.
After dinner, Nian Shilan asked Fudong to send the Fourth Prince back to his bedroom.
Songzhi was left to ask questions.
"How is Concubine Li?"
Songzhi replied, "Don't worry, Madam. Mo Hua said that Concubine Li was very careful and no one discovered anything."
"Where is that thing? Has anyone discovered it?" Nian Shilan raised her eyes.
"It is a precious object for praying for blessings. The servants usually don't dare to get close to it, and it was repaired very carefully, so no one noticed anything different." Songzhi answered word by word.
Nian Shilan nodded, "That's good. Let Mo Hua keep a close eye on him. We don't know when brother will be able to enter the palace. Don't let anything go wrong during this period."
"Yes, the servants will definitely be careful."
After saying this, Nian Shilan finally fell asleep peacefully.
There really wasn't anything wrong in the past few days.
Nian Shilan was resting and recuperating from her illness. The old doctor from the Imperial Medical Bureau, who was sent by the Emperor, had been visiting her palace non-stop for the past few days.
Many things became inconvenient.
Fortunately, Doctor Xie was an excellent doctor and was very careful with both the prescription and dosage when prescribing medicine for her.
No one noticed anything was wrong.
After receiving the secret order from the emperor, Nian Gengyao set off quickly, without caring about other things, and rode back to the capital at full speed.
It was already evening when we arrived in the capital. The original plan was to rest outside the palace for a day before entering the palace.
But he was worried about his sister, so he decided to enter the palace immediately.
Don't dare to delay for a moment.
When Yinzhen learned about this, he was also quite moved and allowed Nian Gengyao to go to the Yikun Palace first instead of paying his respects to him in the palace.
But Nian Shilan had anticipated that this might happen.
He asked Zhou Ninghai to arrange people at the city gate, and as long as the general was about to reach the palace gate, they would immediately send a message to the palace.
When Nian Gengyao entered the palace, Nian Shilan still sent eunuchs to wait at the door.
The eunuch relayed her words to his brother.
Tell my brother not to make any mistakes if he enters the palace without paying his respects to the Emperor first.
Tomorrow he will surely be criticized by all the civil servants in the court, saying that his achievements surpass those of his master and that he is disrespectful to the emperor.
Obviously, after so many reminders and warnings from my sister.
It also made Nian Gengyao more cautious.
Even if the eunuch had not passed the message, he would first go to the Yangxin Palace to pay his respects to the emperor, and then go to the Yikun Palace.
Therefore, Yinzhen, who was reviewing memorials in the Yangxin Palace.
I was full of surprise to learn that Nian Gengyao had come.
He looked up at Su Peisheng, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Nian Gengyao came to the Yangxin Palace first after entering the palace? Can you have someone convey my intention to him?"
Su Peisheng also found it strange, but he could only speak honestly.
"Yes, it was Xiao Xiazi who personally notified General Nian, so there is no way he could be wrong."
Yinzhen hesitated for a moment, "Come in, please."
"Yes."
Su Peisheng then went out respectfully, nodded and smiled as he walked towards Nian Gengyao.
"General, the emperor invites you in." Su Peisheng smiled, but it didn't quite sound like a smile.
Surprisingly, Nian Gengyao was not as arrogant as last time.
This time, he actually nodded slightly to Su Peisheng and said, "Eunuch, lead the way."
Su Peisheng was stunned for a moment, then quickly bent down to lead the way, "General, please come this way."
After entering the Yangxin Palace, I saw Yinzhen sitting at the table drinking tea.
The last time Nian Gengyao met the emperor, he just bowed and said, "Your Majesty."
But this time it was different. He knelt down and kowtowed.
He also said: "Your Highness, I, Nian Gengyao, pay my respects to His Majesty."
Yinzhen was stunned for a moment when he sipped his tea, but soon he passed it over with no expression.
He raised his hand, "Hey, there is no need to stick to these etiquettes between you and me, please stand up quickly."
Su Peisheng was also very tactful and helped Nian Gengyao up.
The moment Nian Gengyao stood up, he said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
When Su Peisheng came forward to help him, he actually added, "Thank you, eunuch."
This made Su Peisheng almost amazed, and he doubted whether the person in front of him was General Nian.
But this is certainly not false.
"Recently, Imperial Concubine Hua has been getting weaker and weaker. The Imperial Hospital is taking good care of her, but she has not been in good health. Imperial Concubine misses you as her brother, and asked me to let you enter the palace to meet your family. Didn't I order someone to let you go directly to Yikun Palace after entering the palace? Why are you here in Yangxin Palace again?"
Yinzhen spoke slowly, looking at Nian Gengyao's face meaningfully.
He was looking carefully to see what kind of thoughts were hidden under the mask.
But it's hard to tell.
I only heard Nian Gengyao speak slowly.
"Your Majesty loves the Imperial Concubine, so he arranged for me to meet her. However, as a subject of the Emperor, I must not forget the etiquette and rules. No matter how anxious I am, I cannot ignore them. Therefore, I have come to the Yangxin Palace to pay my respects and wish the Emperor good health."
Nian Gengyao's answer was flawless, and his words were full of his sincere devotion to the emperor.
There is nothing wrong with it, and it's not like his original self.
If Su Peisheng had not seen his unruly appearance in the past, he would probably have thought that the man before him was such a docile and loyal minister.
Yinzhen nodded and laughed a few times, "This etiquette is for others. You and I are monarch and subject in public and relatives in private, so why should we be so formal? I love the concubine, and I also love you, a young general."
These words are again praising Nian Gengyao.
The more unruly Nian Gengyao was, the more he wanted to hold him in high esteem, letting him float in the sky until that day came when he could take action.
Therefore, Nian Gengyao's behavior gave him a headache.
"Your Majesty's grace is immense. I am able to achieve what I have today, and my family is able to achieve what they have today, all because of your favor. I am far away in the northwest, and I have no way to pay tribute to your Majesty. If I don't follow the etiquette, how can I show my loyalty?"
Nian Gengyao's attitude remained humble, as if he would not be proud of anything he said.
It is a world of difference from before.
"Well, you weren't so polite to me before. I missed you in the past. Now it seems like we are strangers."
Yinzhen nodded subconsciously and continued.
Nian Gengyao smiled and said, "I was not polite enough before, please forgive me, Your Majesty."
After the test, Yinzhen didn't say anything more to him.
He just said calmly, "Forget it, Imperial Concubine Hua is still waiting to see you in Yikun Palace, you should hurry there as well, don't make Imperial Concubine wait anxiously."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Majesty."
Nian Gengyao stood up and even said a few words to show his respect.
When Nian Gengyao's figure disappeared behind the door curtain, the smile on Yinzhen's face disappeared completely. His face darkened and he said in a low voice.
"Su Peisheng."
"The slave is here."
"Has General Nian met anyone before entering the palace?" Yinzhen raised his lips with a frown.
Su Peisheng pondered for a moment, "Well, Your Majesty, General Nian went to the palace immediately after arriving in the capital, and he didn't meet anyone."
Yinzhen glanced at him, like a cold arrow shooting, "Oh? Did the general meet someone in the palace that year?"
"Well, Your Majesty, please let me ask. I didn't expect General Nian to come directly into the palace." Su Peisheng lowered his head, hunched his back, and laughed awkwardly twice.
"No need." Yinzhen turned the emerald pearl necklace in his hand and spoke in a low voice.
Su Peisheng agreed, "Your Majesty, the general's attitude has changed suddenly this year. It seems to me that he has become a completely different person. It seems that this bitter and cold place in the northwest is also very good at training people."
Yinzhen knew what he wanted to say and understood what he meant.
He sneered, "He has been stationed at the border for many years, but he has not changed. After Longkodo's death, he has changed."
"The general must be afraid that the emperor will vent his anger on him because of Longkodo's incident, so he has become much more alert."
Yinzhen raised his eyes and stared at him, "Why do you also think that I will vent my anger on him?"
"This..." For a moment, Su Peisheng, who was always with the emperor, was also a little panicked. There was a kind of anger in his heart, as if to say, "How dare you guess what I mean?"
He knelt down quickly and said, "It was my nonsense that upset the emperor. It's my fault."
At this moment, Su Peisheng had already thought of ten thousand ways of explaining it in his mind.
He was very aware of the cruelty of the people around him.
But he didn't have time to say it yet.
Yinzhen didn't say anything for a long time. He let him kneel on the ground for a while, and then he spoke softly.
"Okay, get up and deliver the tribute of American ginseng from the West to Yikun Palace."
Su Peisheng kowtowed quickly and stood up: "Well, thank you, Your Majesty. I will go right away."
Yikun Palace.
Fu Dong was standing at the door, looking around. When he saw Nian Gengyao's bright official uniform, he immediately looked happy.
Take a closer look.
Seeing the man walking towards the Yiku Palace with majestic steps, she quickly pushed the eunuch beside her.
"Quick, hurry and inform the queen. The general is coming. The general is really coming."
"Yes, I'll go right away." The young eunuch ran into the hall swiftly and brought in the good news.
Sitting by the window, watching the sky darken little by little.
It was not until the eunuch came in and announced the good news that a smile actually appeared on her face.
After such a long time, she has been planning until today, and Nian Shilan finally waited for this good news.
For a moment, he couldn't hide his joy. He stood up excitedly and asked Songzhi to support him as they walked out together.
Sure enough, not long after, Nian Gengyao was seen walking in with big strides.
Looking at her brother's appearance, Nian Shilan's eyes quickly became misty. When Nian Gengyao approached, she would have cried if she had not held back.
"Silly child, what's wrong with you? You finally got to see your brother, why are you crying?"
Nian Gengyao was even more heartbroken when he saw his sister in this state.
The sickly look on her face had not yet faded, and even though she had intentionally put on a little makeup, it was still difficult to hide her haggard look.
Thinking back to the last time he saw his sister, she looked so glorious and full of energy.
How come you have become so haggard in just these few days?
As a brother, he not only felt heartbroken, but he felt so heartbroken that he wished he could be with his sister.
Seeing the deep brother-sister affection between the two, I wanted to say some personal words.
Songzhi hurriedly helped General Nian and the Empress into the bedroom.
Nian Shilan looked at his brother. After not seeing him for many years, his brother was no longer as young and strong as he remembered. There were signs of aging between his eyebrows and eyes, and the long hair under his official hat had tiny silver threads.
Her eyes were filled with heartache and longing, and she looked at her brother with tears in her eyes.
Seeing her like this, Nian Gengyao felt a slight soreness in his nose. He pinched his palms and forced a smile.
"What's wrong? Why are you staring at your brother like that?"
Nian Shilan wiped away her tears with a piece of silk and said sadly, "It's been several years since we last met, but I feel like I haven't seen you in my whole life. Look at me, I'm too worried again. Brothers and sisters should be happy to see each other."
Nian Gengyao sighed and shook his head, "What's wrong with you? Is it because the Queen is mad at you, or is it because the Emperor's new favorite, Concubine Wan, is making things difficult for you again?"
Nian Shilan fell ill suddenly, and even though she didn't know what was going on in the palace, she immediately suspected these two people.
Nian Shilan shook her head and said, "Brother, my illness is not serious. I will get better naturally after some time."
"Hey, you look pale and weak. I have brought the best doctor among the people. He is waiting outside the palace now. As long as you give the order, I will bring him into the palace immediately and ask him to treat you."