tallest building

Chapter 257 Sister's Words

Ying Tong's illness wasn't particularly serious; what bothered her most was her reluctance to see people.

He certainly sensed Princess Duanmin and the others' estrangement and coldness towards him, and tried not to take it to heart.

But he was still just a child, so he had to use some deliberate methods to avoid it.

Princess Zhao came in and first touched her son's forehead: "Don't make this room too hot, just about right."

Then he asked Ying Tong, "Do you feel like eating? What would you like to eat? I brought some of your favorite snacks from home, they're still warm."

Ying Tong wasn't seriously ill, but when she saw her mother arrive with her favorite foods, she sat up.

After he finished eating, Princess Zhao added, "Although you are ill, there are some things I must tell you. You know I can't come to the palace every day, so you should take my words to heart."

I advised you about this a while ago, but you wouldn't listen. Look at you now, aren't you retaliating against me?

Ying Bai is far more cunning than you. Look at him, he's always with Princess Duanmin and Zhuolahan. As the saying goes, "Those near the water get the moon better." Don't take this lightly anymore.

“He likes being a prince consort, let him be. I don’t care!” Ying Tong still stubbornly insisted.

"Why won't you listen, child? I've already said it's not as simple as marrying Zhuolahan. Do you think the hundreds of thousands of iron cavalry on the grasslands are just a joke?"

"If you continue to disobey, when your maternal grandfather returns, I will tell him to teach you a lesson!" Princess Zhao had no choice but to bring up her father.

As expected, Ying Tong became proper as soon as his mother mentioned Grand Tutor Dong.

Although Grand Tutor Dong was his maternal grandfather, he was a man whom even the emperor respected. How could he not be afraid?
But he was also in a dilemma: "How could I possibly please that spoiled princess? You know Ying Bai is more cunning than I am."

Princess Zhao sighed upon hearing this and said, "I know this is difficult for you, but you must at least maintain appearances. I'll talk to the Empress again later and see if there's a better solution."

He glanced at the sky and said, "I haven't paid my respects to the Empress yet, and I can't stay here too long. You should take good care of yourself and get well soon so you can get back to what you need to do. You can't just stay cooped up in your room all the time."

He gave instructions to everyone who followed him again before getting up and heading to the Empress's palace.

The Empress was already preparing lunch, and her attendants had informed Princess Zhao and Princess Chu that they had entered the palace.

Princess Zhao arrived at the Empress's palace, only to find Princess Chu also there, and the two bumped into each other again.

"What a coincidence!" Princess Zhao laughed. "I heard that the Eldest Princess and the others were having a barbecue. You must have eaten some meat before coming here, Sister."

“Sister, you were absolutely right. I think no matter how lucky a person is, they can’t outsmart the heavens. Many things that seem like coincidences are actually the will of heaven.” Princess Chu smiled even more contentedly. “Then let’s go in together and pay our respects to Her Majesty the Empress!”

"Did you two arrange to come to the palace together today? I was thinking that you might not be willing to go out in this cold weather." The Empress wore a silver fox fur vest, and her hair was adorned with a large, red-gold peony hairpin, the center of which was set with a rare purple pearl. "It was precisely because the snow was so fresh that we thought of coming to the palace to pay our respects to Your Majesty. Our servants got up early this morning to hunt some fresh game, which has already been delivered to the Imperial Kitchen," said the Princess Consort of Chu.

"You're very thoughtful. I wonder if you've sent it to the Princess and the others?" the Empress asked. "Did you come from that direction?"

"I originally thought you and Princess Zhao would have a private chat, so I went over there first. Who would have thought I'd come all the way here and run into you again, sister?" Princess Chu explained with a smile.

"This is good, you two can stay and dine with me!" the Empress said.

"I dare not lie to Your Majesty. I did eat over there and came to pay my respects before leaving the palace. Besides, I still smell of smoke on me and I'm afraid it might bother Your Majesty. Please let my sister accompany Your Majesty for the meal!" The Princess Consort of Chu remained as respectful and submissive as ever in front of the Empress.

"That's fine then. We're family, so there's no need for too many rules. Just do as you please," the Empress said.

After the Princess Consort of Chu left, the Princess Consort of Zhao sneered, "Does Your Highness know that Princess Duanmin and the Crown Prince of Chu are now very close?"

The Empress didn't seem to care, and simply said, "You know Duanmin's personality; she harbors resentment towards me. Knowing that I am close to Tong'er, she deliberately tries to be nice to Ying Bai."

"But I vaguely remember hearing that the King of Fenye came here to choose a son-in-law for his daughter. Could it be that he has taken a liking to Ying Bai?" This matter has made Princess Zhao uneasy. She won't be able to sleep if she doesn't bring it up with the Empress soon.

"Who said that?" The Empress frowned upon hearing this. "How come I don't know about it?"

"Your Highness, have you really not heard anything about this? I've heard these rumors in many places," Princess Zhao hurriedly said. "Ying Bai won the horse at the last palace banquet, and since then, his family has become completely different. Perhaps they are still respectful in front of His Majesty and Your Highness, but when they speak to us, their tone is quite different."

Hearing her say this, the Empress did not believe it. After all, Ying Bai had indeed stolen Ying Tong's thunder, so it was understandable that Princess Zhao was dissatisfied.

He asked her, "Didn't you host a banquet at home a few days ago and invite Fenye King and Duanmin over? Didn't you mention this matter at the banquet?"

"Of course I couldn't ask directly, but I did try to inquire indirectly, but they both deliberately avoided it. I think they probably did, and if they didn't, they could just say no, right?" This also made Princess Zhao uneasy. The fact that the other party was being so secretive meant that they probably didn't like her son and were afraid of the embarrassment of saying it out loud.

"You don't need to worry too much. This marriage needs to be agreed upon by both parties. With His Majesty and I here, we will definitely advocate for Tong'er," the Empress said. "You are good in every other way, but you are too impatient. Nothing has happened outside yet, and you're already making a fuss about it."

"With Your Highness advising me, what am I worried about?" Princess Zhao smiled somewhat embarrassedly. "I'm just afraid that Tong'er will embarrass your sister."

"Are you aware of the Liu family's affairs? There's a commotion about it right now, and I find it rather suspicious." As she spoke, the Empress gently rubbed her face with a jade ruler.

Ancient books say that beautiful jade can eliminate blemishes. Regularly rubbing your skin with jade can make it white, smooth, and radiant.

Princess Zhao felt a little guilty upon hearing this, but she couldn't tell the Empress the truth.

So he said, "I've never cared about the affairs of the previous dynasty; who knows what they're up to!"