青春期撞上更年期第1部

Besides, she didn’t think she was a good-for-nothing when dealing with the affairs of the inner court.

“Okay, just be careful. If you meet any difficulties, remember I’m always with you!” Chu Liuchen nodded and said with tenderness in his heart. The gloomy and bloodthirsty expression on his face had long disappeared. He lowered his head slightly and set his pretty eyes on the top of Shao Wanru’s head with a trace of gentleness that he himself didn’t notice.

Outside the window, a gentle breeze was freely blowing, lifting the gauze curtain and revealing this exceedingly beautiful couple hugging each other tightly. The scene was as beautiful as a painting. The man lowered his head slightly, looking warm and tender when looking at the woman. But when he looked up, a hint of violence flashed across his dark and cold eyes.

All he wanted in this life was the woman in his arms. For Chu Liuchen, he was more than willing to help her settle everything. But since she insisted on doing it herself, he would give her plenty of space. No matter how things went, he would always be there for her!

Shao Wanru went to the Empress Dowager’s Palace of Benevolent Peace the next morning. As soon as she walked out from the side door of Prince Chen’s Mansion, she met the palace maid named Qing Mu, Consort Lan’s personal maid.

“Her Highness!” Qing Mu stepped forward and saluted respectfully.

Shao Wanru’s eyes fell on Qing Mu as she asked, “What’s the matter?

“My master invites Your Highness to her Shuangxi Hall. Is that okay?” Qing Mu asked politely.

“Consort Lan wants to see me at this time?” Shao Wanru’s heart skipped a beat. Consort Lan was not the one she used to be — everyone in the Palace knew her now.

The Emperor was said to have been living in the Shuangxi Hall for the past few days. In addition, he harshly published many servants in the imperial kitchen for her.

Did Consort Lan win the Emperor’s favor again? Or were there some other reasons?

She had asked Chu Liuchen about this, but he was quite indifferent to Consort Lan. Evidently, he didn’t feel like mentioning her, nor did he change his unfavorable attitude toward her.

If Consort Lan’s situation hadn’t changed, Shao Wanru wouldn’t have had to care about her. But now, Consort Lan was in the limelight. In this case, if Chu Liuchen provoked her, she had to be careful.

But Shao Wanru, still worried about this, asked Nanny Zheng about it. Nanny Zheng wanted to say something but stopped on second thought. In the end, she said she couldn’t talk about it and asked Shao Wanru to find the chief supervisor.

When the chief supervisor came over, he spoke frankly and told Shao Wanru that Consort Lan was Chu Liuchen’s aunt. However, their misunderstanding had not been cleared up, so Chu Liuchen still did not like her aunt.

Hearing this answer, Shao Wanru breathed a sigh of relief. At least she was sure of one thing: Consort Lan had no malice toward Chu Liuchen. Knowing this was enough. As for other things, she could pretend she noticed nothing.

Chu Liuchen would tell her anything if necessary.

Since Chu Liuchen didn’t like Consort Lan, it was not convenient for her to have more contact with her. Therefore, Shao Wanru refused with much regret, “I’m not feeling well, so I’m afraid I won’t have much strength to meet Consort Lan after coming back from the Palace of Benevolent Peace!”

“It won’t take long. My master has something important to tell you. Please make some time. A soft sedan chair will be waiting for you before the Palace of Benevolent Peace!” Qing Mu pleaded.

“How dare she send a sedan chair to wait for me at the gate of the Palace of Benevolent Peace?” Shao Wanru’s eyes darkened. After thinking for a while, she accepted the invitation. “Okay!”

With a sense of relief, Qing Mu briskly stepped aside. “Your Highness, please!”

Shao Wanru nodded and went to the Palace of Benevolent Peace with Yujie. Since she was much better now, she could walk all the way if at a slower pace. Nevertheless, she couldn’t exhaust herself. She had used her poor physical condition as an excuse to refuse others, and it wasn’t a lie.

After entering the Empress Dowager’s Palace of Benevolent Peace, Shao Wanru turned around the large screen and saw the Empress Dowager leaning back against the pillows on the bed. She looked listless and sick, her face as withered as autumn leaves.

At first glance, Shao Wanru felt relieved. The Empress Dowager looked ill, but she was not in a bad state. She must just have had a common cold and would recover after recuperating.

“Greetings, Imperial Grandmother! I wish you good health!” Shao Wanru stepped forward and was about to prostrate herself before the Empress Dowager, but Nanny Wei, standing aside, stopped her.

“Don’t stand on ceremony. You are in poor health and should carefully heal your wound in your mansion. Why do you come here?” The Empress Dowager rebuked in a low voice.

Suddenly, Nanny Wei fell to her knees with a thud and pleaded, “Please forgive me, Your Highness. I was deceived and misled you with dissatisfaction. I told you the Empress Dowager liked that kind of screen and asked you to put it on. Please pardon me this time. I only want to serve Her Majesty wholeheartedly and would no longer care about other people’s affairs!”

She apologized for what she had done to the table screen presented at the Empress Dowager’s birthday.

Shao Wanru’s liquid eyes ran across the Empress Dowager’s face. Seeing that she looked unperturbed, Shao Wanru instantly knew the Empress Dowager must have known this. So, she smiled slightly, reached out to help Nanny Wei up, and comforted her. “Nanny Wei, you are too polite. I only hope you can take good care of my Imperial Grandmother in the future. You should serve her with your whole heart and soul and never betray her. Then, I can forget what you’ve done in the past.”

Nanny Wei’s heart leaped. She suppressed the panic in her heart, wiped away her tears, and nodded repeatedly. “Your Highness, you’re right. I’ll remember what you said. I won’t be so self-opinionated and do such a thing again. After that, I regretted it, but I thought there might be nothing wrong. I’m sorry I brought disgrace on you!”

It was unknown how severe the matter of the table screen was. But in the end, everyone thought Shao Wanru had been framed.

The person behind this matter had taken the initiative to stand up and bear all the responsibilities. If Shao Wanru insisted on inflicting severe punishments on her, it seemed she showed no respect to the Empress Dowager.

Moreover, the Empress Dowager was sick now. With a familiar person serving her, she could recover quickly. At this time, Shao Wanru couldn’t do all in her power to deal with Nanny Wei.

Shao Wanru’s response was the most appropriate and kindest.

Of course, a trace of displeasure emerged in the Empress Dowager’s eyes when Shao Wanru said the word “betray”. She glanced at Nanny Wei and pondered it. Nanny Wei was still helpful. But although the Empress Dowager appreciated her devotion to her, she knew Nanny Wei wouldn’t serve her wholeheartedly like before.

Frankly, the Empress Dowager preferred punishing Wei Dahai. Yet she didn’t do it because Nanny Wei had begged her piteously.

Nanny Wei repeatedly said Wei Dahai was her elder brother’s only son. When she was a child, she was raised by her elder brother. How could she bear to see his only son suffer?

The Empress Dowager had been very edgy lately, and she wasn’t feeling very well. Thus, she had no energy to deal with Wei Dahai. There were so many vital things in the imperial harem and imperial court. She could hear them even when lying in bed. At this time, she knew she could put many things aside. In the Empress Dowager’s eyes, Wei Dahai’s official rank was low to get her attention.

The Empress Dowager didn’t even bother to tackle this trivial matter. For Nanny Wei’s sake, she spared him.

Of course, the Empress Dowager also said she should ask for Shao Wanru’s opinion. Just now, what Shao Wanru said showed enough respect for the Empress Dowager. After all, Nanny Wei had served her for many years, so the Empress Dowager didn’t have the heart to see Nanny Wei get into trouble because of such a thing.

Since the matter had been made clear, the Empress Dowager was in a good mood and asked Shao Wanru to sit on the chair beside the bed. With a loving smile, she looked at Shao Wanru’s delicate face and asked, “Is Prince Chen fully recovered? Is he fine these days?”

The Empress Dowager still couldn’t believe Chu Liuchen had made a full recovery. A little cold could no longer send him to the gate of death. The Prince Chen’s Mansion was adjacent to the Palace, so it could be considered one part of the Palace. The Empress Dowager had virtually raised Chu Liuchen day by day. Many times, she worried about him so much that she couldn’t sleep well. It was because she feared she would hear the news that Prince Chen was at his last gasp when she woke up.

Now, he was all right, and the Empress Dowager no longer needed to worry terribly like this! The imperial physicians said Prince Chen wouldn’t fall seriously ill easily.

“Thank you for your concern, Imperial Grandmother. He is okay. Actually, we’re quite concerned about your health. When he came back yesterday, he talked about your condition with me, saying that you should get away with gloomy thoughts and be happy. Everything can be solved, and keeping a good mood can help you get better more quickly. He told me he was speaking from his experience!”

Shao Wanru comforted the Empress Dowager.

“This child… How could he joke about his illness…” The Empress Dowager’s nose twitched, and she almost cried. Her grandson had often been on the verge of death. Every time he escaped from death, he would soothe her with a smile. Whenever the Empress Dowager thought of it, she would shed tears in distress.

Thank goodness, it was over! Finally, he was cured!

“Imperial Grandmother, I also told him not to make fun of his illness, but he said it was okay,” Shao Wanru said softly.

The Empress Dowager nodded and added with concern, “Tell him not to be restless and wander in thought. He might disturb gods in heaven. When he is free, ask him to worship gods in the Buddha halls.”

Thinking of Chu Liuchen’s character, the Empress Dowager felt it was more appropriate to entrust this to Shao Wanru. Therefore, she added, “If he doesn’t want to go, you can go by yourself and pay respects to the gods on his behalf.”

“Imperial Grandmother, I understood!” Shao Wanru agreed obediently.

The Empress Dowager was very satisfied. She took the handkerchief from Nanny Wei and wiped her tears. A light smile appeared at the corners of her eyes. “Well, let’s not talk about this anymore. I heard some people from the Marquis Xing’s Mansion came to see you yesterday. So, after so many days, did they only come to see you once?”

“Imperial Grandmother, it’s not like that. Since I was in poor condition, and Prince Chen wasn’t at home, I didn’t let them come over. Prince Chen has come back, so I welcomed them as they visited me!”

...

Shao Wanru explained.

From her words, she had been following on the heels of Prince Chen. The Empress Dowager, obviously pleased, nodded and said, “This mansion is descending into chaos, and you haven’t intervened much.”

The Marquis Xing’s Mansion was getting more and more unreliable. The Empress Dowager was afraid that they would implicate Shao Wanru.

“I do have something to ask for your permission!” Shao Wanru said, kneeling with an embarrassed look.

“What did they ask you to beg me for?” The Empress Dowager asked, and her face darkened. She understood fully what had happened after one glance at such a scene.