Zhen Zhu was shocked to hear this.
"Could it be that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor knew what was going to happen this afternoon?"
In that case, just how terrifying is this palace?
She was thankful that she was serving such a master.
Even the last time, she did not hesitate to plead for my life. I will remember my master's kindness for the rest of my life.
Su Nuan glanced at Zhen Zhu, not afraid of letting her find out the truth.
She continued, "That's right. Think about it. The entire palace belongs to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. If the Emperor knew, why wouldn't the Empress Dowager not know?"
Su Nuan grew more afraid as she spoke. She wasn't wrong at all.
The Emperor and the Empress Dowager were not on good terms. Su Nuan did not know what the Empress Dowager thought of the Emperor.
Did she want him to be a puppet for her? Or is she content with only being the Empress Dowager? If she wanted the Emperor to be a puppet, she would definitely set up spies around him.
The Emperor was no fool. It was only natural that he would send someone to watch the Empress Dowager and monitor everything in the palace.
Zhen Zhu said, "So that's what happened. Your Majesty, I will put the gelatin cake away, you shouldn't trouble yourself with this incident anymore. At the end of the day, it's still Commandery Princess Shuanghua's fault. None of this would have happened if she didn't want to harm you."
Su Nuan did not respond. She popped the melon seeds in her mouth one by one, and their fragrance filled her mouth. She was too occupied to talk to Zhen Zhu.
Zhen Zhu was also tactful. She had done a lot for her master during her time in the palace and understood her temper.
She didn't fight with others and was no longer as willful and unruly as before.
Zhen Zhu thought that the Empress was much cuter when she appeared more confused and ignorant.
After Feng Junyi finished bathing and changing his clothes, he saw Su Nuan sitting at the table munching on melon seeds.
Her little mouth moved as she chewed, and her slender fingers pinched the melon seeds.
Her fingers were fair, and there were cute crescents on her pale pink nails. They were clean and looked healthy and delicate.
He was reminded of the warm feeling of her hands in his.
He walked forward slowly and stood beside Su Nuan.
She is so innocent. If I wasn't there, she would not have survived today.
He glanced at the palace maid next to her and said, "Bring them in."
Before Su Nuan could react, Eunuch Wang left the room. He led a man and woman in when he returned. They also brought two children and knelt before Su Nuan and Feng Junyi.
Su Nuan was still trying to figure out who they were when Zhen Zhu suddenly exclaimed, "Father, mother, brother, sister, y-you…"
Before Zhen Zhu could finish her sentence, she started to cry. Then, she wiped her tears and kowtowed to Su Nuan and Feng Junyi. "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."
Su Nuan stopped eating her melon seeds. It seemed like Feng Junyi was one step ahead of her and had brought Zhen Zhu's family over.
She had been terribly busy because of this and had quietly taken care of her servants in the palace so that they could bring a letter out of the palace on behalf of her.
She did not expect Feng Junyi to complete her task before she could do it. He didn't even mention it.
Being the Emperor was much better. Rich and powerful, the Emperor could accomplish whatever he wanted in minutes.
Feng Junyi continued, "I will arrange a safe place for them to stay. From now on, you will serve the Empress diligently, and your family will live a peaceful life outside the palace."
Zhen Zhu thanked him profusely. Su Nuan realized that Feng Junyi was threatening Zhen Zhu so that she would serve her loyally.
However, she had the same intentions. I don't want to get involved in a bigger mess than I'm already in.
At night, the Emperor arranged for Zhen Zhu's family to leave the palace secretly.
As soon as they left, Zhen Zhu immediately knelt in front of her and thanked her profusely. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for letting the Emperor bring my family back. The Third Princess and her people won't be able to threaten me anymore. I will do anything for Your Majesty."
Su Nuan remained silent for a moment. It seemed that Zhen Zhu had misunderstood her and thought that she had begged the Emperor to bring her family here.
She decided to go along with it.
"As long as you're loyal to me," she said.
News of the Emperor bestowing Su Nuan a few luminous pearls quickly spread throughout the palace.
Everyone knew that the Emperor was indifferent. Other than the Third Prince, he hardly had any good relations with the other Princes and Princesses in the palace. The Empress Dowager was no exception.
However, the Princess of Yun Nation, against everyone's expectations, was actually favored by the Emperor. This immediately aroused everyone's curiosity.
After all, some ministers and envoys offered their beautiful women before this, but all of them died within a month. Everyone believed that the Emperor was the problem.
When the Eldest Princess heard about Su Nuan being favored, she was unable to restrain herself anymore. She arrived at Fengqi Palace with her palace servants. She sent someone to report her arrival. She waited at the entrance in her plain dress. She stood against the wind, looking very delicate.
When Zhen Zhu reported her arrival, Su Nuan was shocked. After all, Su Nuan had been alone in this palace every day and was used to freedom.
She knew that Feng Junyi had two female royal siblings, but they were not the Empress Dowager's daughters. They weren't likable at all, and Feng Junyi usually did not bother to interact with them.
The Eldest Princess was 15 years old. It was said that she was the daughter of Consort Xiao. She looked like a fairy, but because she was weak and sick, the Empress Dowager spared her from paying respects to her in the mornings and evenings. Therefore, despite being in the palace for almost a month, Su Nuan had yet to see the Eldest Princess.
Zhen Zhu had reported that the palace servants had been discussing the Emperor's bestowment of her luminous pearls. However, she didn't expect that the first one to come was the Eldest Princess.
Su Nuan instructed Zhen Zhu to invite her in. The weather was rather cold. As she sat on the chair, she saw Eldest Princess Muyang. She was dressed in an elegant turquoise dress and a cloak of the same color. It made her pale face appear even paler. From afar, she looked gentle and demure.
When Su Nuan saw the Eldest Princess, she was stunned. She had never seen such a beautiful girl before. Before the Eldest Princess could get close, Su Nuan remarked, "Eldest Princess, you're so beautiful."
The Eldest Princess had a different kind of beauty. Su Nuan's beauty was too common. Even a 10-year-old girl could be just as charming. However, the Eldest Princess was an otherworldly beauty. She was like a light feather that brushed past one's heart. It was almost impossible to forget her face.
It seemed like at 15 years of age, she was at the peak of her youth.
As Su Nuan's compliment was very sincere, the Eldest Princess immediately blushed.
"Your Majesty is joking with me. You are the truly beautiful one."
She was also fond of the young Empress. She had a good impression of her, especially since the Emperor and the Empress Dowager liked Su Nuan.