tallest building

Ying Shan and Gong Chang'an chased a cat all the way to the Empress's Palace.

Consort Hui was talking to the Empress when two children ran in, smiling and greeting her.

"Don't run around in this heat, or you'll get heatstroke." The Empress's attitude towards them was quite kind. "There's some freshly made fruit tea here, it's cool and refreshing, the children will surely love it."

The palace maid quickly brought two bowls of fruit tea to the two of them.

"This little boy is so naughty, look at all that sweat on his head." Consort Hui said with a smile, but her eyes were fixed on Gong Chang'an. The more she looked at him, the more she felt that he looked like Shen Fu, especially his eyes.

"Where are the people who were with you?" the Queen asked.

Two eunuchs hurriedly came in from the outer room to report.

"The weather is hot now, so they don't need to do homework; they just listen to lectures every morning. They'll have plenty of time to play, but you who are with them must be very careful. Don't let them bump into anything, get bitten by poisonous insects, or get too hot. Take good care of their food and daily life at all times; don't be careless." The Empress felt a little guilty for not having checked on Ying Shan much these past few days, so she took this opportunity to give these instructions to those who were with her.

The two eunuchs quickly replied, "Her Majesty the Empress is right, we keep that in mind at all times. Wang Mama and the others have also been very diligent in everything they do, not daring to be negligent in the slightest."

"I know you are all good people, but I was just giving you a few words of advice." The Empress smiled slightly. "His Majesty is coming to my palace for lunch today, so you two should eat with him! It will be more lively with more people."

The Empress did this so that the Emperor would think she was a kind and compassionate person.

When the Dong family ran into trouble, the Emperor didn't blame her at all, but the Empress knew that her family would always be her support, and she had to find a way to restore the Dong family to its former glory.

The Emperor is no longer young. Over the years, he has worked tirelessly for the country, which has taken a toll on his health, and his energy is not what it used to be.

With no hope of having an heir, the only option was to adopt members of the imperial clan.

The Empress knew in her heart that as long as she remained firmly in the position of Crown Prince, the Dong family would rise again.

"It's still early before lunchtime, Your Majesty, why don't you rest for a bit? You two, come with me over there and have some fun, shall we?" Consort Hui said kindly to Gong Chang'an and Ying Shan.

She knew the Queen didn't like noise, especially children. Inviting them to lunch was for another reason, not because she liked them.

Having served the Empress for so many years, she naturally understood the situation and therefore felt it was appropriate to help the Empress share her burdens at this time.

As expected, the Empress nodded after hearing this and said, "Alright, you can go and play at Consort Hui's place first! I'll have someone bring you over for lunch."

Consort Hui then brought the two children out, saying as they walked, "Actually, I still have quite a few things in my palace, things that the two princesses played with when they were little."

Ying Shan replied, "That's something girls do; I don't like it."

"Not entirely. When the Second Princess was little, she had the personality of a boy. She played with many things that girls wouldn't want, such as marionettes, spinning tops, and kites," Consort Hui said with a smile. "As for the Nine Linked Rings and Huarong Road, she had plenty of those too."

“There are kites too! I want to fly a kite,” Ying Shan said immediately upon hearing this.

“It’s not the right time of year. Kites are only good to fly in the spring. In the summer, the earth’s energy is too chaotic, and kites won’t fly,” Consort Hui said. “Fortunately, I have a little eunuch in my palace who is very good at playing with string puppets. Come to my place, and I’ll have him perform for you.”

Ying Shan is a child, so of course she was happy to hear that there was something fun to do.

He immediately grabbed Gong Chang'an and urged him to walk quickly together.

"Fourth Young Master Gong, how old are you this year? When is your birthday?" Consort Hui looked at Gong Chang'an and began to try to get information out of him.

Actually, she brought the two children out for another reason: she wanted to get something useful out of Gong Chang'an. "Your Majesty, I am ten years old this year, and it is my birthday on the Double Ninth Festival," Gong Chang'an replied casually.

Consort Hui actually knew his birthday and age, and continued to ask, "Do you still remember what happened at Shuangxi? Was there anything fun there?"

“Of course I remember. I was seven years old when I returned to the capital.” Gong Chang’an said as he walked. “Shuangxi is much colder than the capital. You can only go for a spring outing at the end of March. By August, the weather is unbearably cold. There aren’t many fun places to go. The only fun thing is to go fishing in the river in the summer.”

"So, do you miss anything here now that you're in the capital? Your journey must have been quite tiring, right?"

“I didn’t think much about it. I only had my mother, Zhang Mama and Hui Niang by my side since I was a child. Later, Hui Niang got sick and passed away, so I came back to Beijing with my mother and Zhang Mama.”

"I can tell you two are very close," Consort Hui said with a smile. "She must have taken care of your diet since you were little."

Consort Hui sat in a small bamboo sedan chair, while the two children walked on foot.

In the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, they arrived at their palace.

Upon entering the room, Consort Hui ordered people to bring food and toys for the two children.

There was a plate of fresh water chestnuts, and Ying Shan wanted to eat them, so Consort Hui had a palace maid peel them for him.

Then they asked Gong Chang'an if he wanted to eat. Gong Chang'an shook his head: "I don't eat this."

"Why aren't you eating? This stuff is so delicious," Ying Shan asked him.

“I used to love eating this when I was little, but one time Zhang Ma hit me a few times for secretly eating it, and I stopped eating it,” Gong Chang’an said. “She never used to hit me.”

"It's just a water chestnut, I ate it, why did I hit you?" Ying Shan asked, tilting her head as she ate the water chestnut.

“Every year on the 18th of June, Aunt Zhang would offer a plate of water chestnuts, a plate of purple jade cakes, a plate of candied apricots, and a plate of crisp pear candy. The offerings would last for a day and a night before being taken down. That year, I couldn’t resist taking a water chestnut, and she hit me, saying I wasn’t allowed to touch it.” Gong Chang’an said with some grievance, “So I secretly vowed in my heart that I would never eat water chestnuts in my life.”

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Consort Hui listened from the side, her heart stirring with every word.

She knew that Shen Fu's birthday was June 18th, and the sacrificial items that Gong Chang'an mentioned were Shen Fu's favorite foods when she was alive.

If Zhang Ma held this memorial service on this day, was it for her or for whom?

With June 18th fast approaching, will Zhang Ma still hold a memorial service for Shen Fu's death anniversary as usual?

If that's the case, I won't need to rack my brains to think of anything else.

As long as the Empress knows that Zhang Ma held a memorial service on Shen Fu's birthday, and that the offerings used were Shen Fu's favorite foods.

The Empress will definitely become suspicious, and if I add fuel to the fire from the sidelines, the fire will surely spread to Zhang Ma.

As she thought this, the two children were still talking.

"Who is Zhang Ma mourning? Do you know? Is it her husband?" Ying Shan asked deliberately in a mature tone.

“I don’t think so. Every year she makes me go and kowtow! If it were her husband, she wouldn’t make me kowtow. I’ve asked her, but she never says who he is, only that he’s a benefactor.” Gong Chang’an seemed to be fascinated by the nine-linked rings that were a tribute from the Western Regions, and answered while disassembling them.

His words, to Consort Hui, only confirmed her earlier suspicions. (End of Chapter)