Chapter 14 The Empress Dowager’s Backing
In the side hall of the Imperial Garden.
Wen Jingshu revealed the matter of Wen Xueling and her mother. The Emperor remained silent.
That year, when he first ascended the throne, the court was unstable, and the officials each had their own agendas.
If it weren’t for Wen Jingshu, the top scholar, offering advice and strategies, he wouldn’t have stabilized his rule so quickly.
“Your Majesty, your subject originally intended to bring his wife and children to the capital, but then received news of their deaths.”
Wen Jingshu’s voice revealed sorrow, “At that time, your subject wanted to follow them in death, but the great task was not yet accomplished, and Rong Kingdom was not yet settled. Your subject......dared not.”
The Emperor said in a deep voice, “The ground is cold, my dear minister, rise and speak.”
Wen Jingshu did not rise, continuing to kneel, “Ling’er was just born when your subject left home. As a father, I did not see her grow up, and I am deeply pained.”
“Later, there was An’an, so your subject compensated all that guilt towards her onto An’an. She absolutely has no malicious intent, and did not intentionally falsely claim credit.”
The Emperor sighed, waving his hand for him to rise.
Wen Jingshu’s marriage to Xie Siyu was personally decreed by the Emperor. But unexpectedly, this countrywoman, Mu Qingyu, came back alive from the Northern Frontier.
She was the original wife. If she entered the Prime Minister’s Estate, she naturally could not be a concubine.
But to make Xie family’s daughter, who had outstanding military achievements, a concubine was absolutely out of the question.
For now, the best course of action was to pacify the Empress Dowager, then meet that child.
If she was a reckless and brainless person, then sending the mother and daughter back to the Northern Frontier together would be ideal......
Wen Xueling was led by a palace maid to the Imperial Garden.
She immediately saw Wen Jinli and his sister kneeling in the garden. Wen Jin’an’s eyes were red, and her shoulders trembled slightly.
The winter wind was bitterly cold, but Wen Xueling wore only a thin bamboo-green light silk dress. Her long black hair was braided to one side with a green ribbon. She wore no hairpins or jewelry, yet possessed an unyielding and aloof aura.
The Emperor and Empress Dowager emerged from the warm hall, sitting regally at the head of the gathering, observing the young girl in the garden.
“Wen Xueling greets Your Majesty, Empress Dowager......”
In her previous life, Wen Xueling suffered endless torment in the Slave City. One of the most torturous aspects was being forced by an old nanny from the palace to learn palace etiquette.
One movement had to be maintained for several hours.
In the bitter cold, she was made to kneel on the ground in only a thin single layer of clothing, tormented to the point of fainting multiple times, until she made no single mistake before they left.
But in this life, how could a girl who grew up in the countryside perform flawless palace etiquette?
Seeing Wen Xueling kneel stiffly, her movements neither here nor there, the noble young ladies snickered at her comical demeanor.
The Empress Dowager’s phoenix eyes swept across them, and everyone bowed their heads in fright.
“Raise your head.”
The Emperor’s gaze was sharp, and a sense of oppression welled up spontaneously. However, upon seeing her face clearly, he froze, and the image of an old acquaintance from his youth suddenly flashed in his mind. It took him a long time to regain his composure.
He said in a deep voice, “Rise.”
The Empress Dowager spoke gently, “Ling-yatou, come closer to Aijia.”
The noble young ladies who had mocked Wen Xueling earlier felt their hearts tighten. The Empress Dowager had never shown such affection to any young lady.
Wen Xueling had originally intended to use a “bitter-meat strategy” to stab her scumbag father in front of the Emperor, but she never expected the Empress Dowager to be so caring towards her.
She obediently approached, respectfully lowering her gaze, “Empress Dowager......”
Wen Xueling’s voice stopped abruptly.
Her ice-cold hand was taken and held by the Empress Dowager. Her body stiffened, and countless coping strategies flashed through her mind in an instant.
The Empress Dowager said with a face full of distress, “Child, why is your body so frail? I’m afraid you’ll be blown away by a gust of wind.”
She instructed the old nanny serving beside her, “Go fetch Aijia’s newly made fox fur cloak.”
The Empress Dowager personally placed the fox fur cloak on Wen Xueling, smiling, “That's better. Such a beautiful little girl should be dressed more luxuriously.”
Wen Xueling’s heart tightened, and she spoke with even greater caution.
She recalled what she had heard in her previous life: from palace maid to Empress Dowager, this woman before her had stood at the pinnacle of power. Naturally, she was accustomed to all sorts of palace schemes, and any more tricks would likely not escape her eyes.
It was better to let genuine emotion flow.
She recalled the suffering of her previous life and let her tears flow freely.
Compared to the restrained noble young ladies of the capital, who hid their tears with handkerchiefs, Wen Xueling cried with her face full of tears, looking very dishevelled.
Wen Jinli glanced at her, his face sinking. She thought she was An’an, that two drops of tears would arouse sympathy? Crying so hideously was simply imitating an ugly woman’s beauty! It was annoying.
The Empress Dowager frowned: “Why is Ling-yatou crying?”
“Besides Mother, Ling’er has never felt such warmth like family before.” Wen Xueling spoke very softly. Besides the Empress Dowager and the nanny behind her, no one else heard.
Her appearance reminded the Empress Dowager of her own time when she first entered the palace and had no one to rely on.
At that time, she also cried like that......
“Silly girl.” The Empress Dowager’s gaze towards her held a touch more affection.
Wen Jin’an recognized Wen Xueling’s face and recalled the incident in the plum forest pavilion, feeling both apprehensive and jealous.
Thinking of what Wen Jinli had said earlier, she immediately understood that this was their full-blooded sister.
She could accept Wen Jinli and his four brothers entering the mansion because it meant four more shares of a brother’s affection, but she would never allow another daughter to usurp her identity as the Prime Minister’s legitimate daughter.
“Fourth Brother, is she really An’an’s older sister?”
Wen Jinli nodded.
“That’s wonderful, An’an has an older sister now!” Her tears fell in large drops.
His eyes were complex and pained. An’an was naive and pure-hearted like a child, unaware that Wen Xueling’s appearance would affect many things.
If their father acknowledged her identity as the eldest daughter, then he would inevitably have to bring her and her mother into the mansion. What then would become of their mother and An’an?
Rong Kingdom had no “equal wives”
When the Empress Dowager publicly asked her if she had any other wishes, Wen Xueling earnestly said, “Ling’er wishes to bring Mother home.”
The Emperor said in a deep voice, “This matter is not difficult. After the banquet, you and your mother may return to the mansion with the Prime Minister.”
Wen Xueling’s eyes tightened, and she understood the implication in the Emperor’s words.
He clearly knew that Wen Jingshu’s original wife was not deceased, yet he did not mention the matter of her marital status. It was plainly meant to protect the one in the Prime Minister’s Estate.
That’s right, that engagement was originally granted by the Emperor.
Seeing her silent, only shedding tears incessantly, the Empress Dowager immediately understood her grievance, and also recalled the injustices she had suffered in the past, instantly empathizing.
She questioned Wen Jingshu, “Prime Minister Wen, a wife of hardship should not be discarded. How do you propose their mother and daughter enter the Prime Minister's Estate?”
“Rong Kingdom has no ‘equal wives’. According to order of seniority, Ling-yatou is the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister’s Estate. Her mother should have been the Prime Minister’s wife who has endured suffering and finally found joy.”
The Empress Dowager was originally the daughter of a military general. In her youth, she had also fought alongside the former Emperor to build the empire. Only after entering the palace did she restrain her personality, but her bones still held a valiant and straightforward nature.
The Emperor intended to speak but was glared back by the Empress Dowager.
Wen Jingshu came out from the side hall and knelt back beside his two children. The Winter Banquet had become their Hongmen Banquet.
He lowered his head and replied, “Your subject will certainly give their mother and daughter an explanation.”
“Aijia remembers that Prime Minister Wen’s days were not easy before his return to the capital. His original wife was willing to bear five children (four sons and one daughter) for him, five times walking through the gates of hell. Did you personally go back to seek your wife after you became successful and prosperous?”
Wen Xueling’s lowered head slightly lifted. She saw the Empress Dowager’s stern expression, and a strange feeling welled up in her heart.
The Empress Dowager did not expect men to offer any foolproof solutions when it came to dealing with women.
She turned to look at Wen Xueling, asking her what she thought should be done about the matter, also wanting to see if this girl was truly bold or just pretending.
Wen Xueling raised her head to meet the look in her eyes, without any fear.
She said seriously, “Eight-bearer sedan chair, enter through the main gate.”
0 Comments