Chapter 360: She Gave Me a Kingdom

Chapter 360: She Gave Me a Kingdom

The Emperor stared at one of them and said, "Consort Ning, I remember your aunt was respected by the entire family when she returned to her natal home. Is that correct?"

Consort Ning had no choice but to respond despite her reluctance.

"Yes, that's because my aunt provided substantial support to my father. When my natal family fell on hard times, my aunt often sent money and provisions. She never came empty-handed. Our family’s current status is largely due to my aunt’s assistance, so everyone in the family respects her greatly."

Therefore, every time her aunt visited, she brought gifts and benefits, which naturally earned their respect.

The Emperor looked at the others and asked, "What do you think of Consort Ning’s family’s behavior?"

This time, Consort Shu spoke up, "Consort Ning’s entire natal family knows how to repay kindness."

"Yes, repaying kindness is commendable," said Consort Shu, though inwardly she sneered.

She thought about how the Princess Royal always came to the palace empty-handed and took everything she could.

It was rumored that the treasures in her princess mansion surpassed those in ten imperial treasuries. All the best things were in her possession; it was as if she wanted to move the entire palace into her mansion.

Your intentions toward her are clear, but alas, even as the Emperor, you dare not let anyone know.

The Emperor said calmly, "That’s right. Consort Ning’s aunt sent money and provisions to her natal family, and such small favors earned their respect."

Everyone: "..." Are these considered small favors? What did the Princess Royal give? A bamboo helicopter, a kite—these don’t even count as small favors, do they?

The Emperor proudly said, "My elder sister gave me a kingdom. Isn’t that enough to earn your respect?"

Everyone’s expressions changed.

Is this considered enough?

They thought, wasn’t it out of necessity? If she could be the Emperor herself, would she give it to you?

Everyone grumbled inwardly but dared not say anything aloud.

Someone weakly said, "We do respect the Princess Royal very much."

"Hmph, respect? You show respect outwardly but talk behind her back, saying she takes everything like a beggar?"

Everyone: "..."

"She takes things because she respects me. If she didn’t take anything, it would mean my chefs aren’t good enough for her."

Hearing these remarks, everyone was speechless.

Then they heard the Emperor instruct a eunuch nearby, "Find out who made the chestnut cakes today and send the chef to the Princess Royal."

What?

All the consorts stared dumbfounded at the Emperor.

Has he gone mad? Sending gifts is one thing, but now he’s sending people too.

The Emperor looked disappointed at them, thinking that it was time to replace the staff in the palace.

As soon as the Emperor left, everyone gathered around Consort Shu to vent.

"The Emperor has really lost his mind. This can’t go on. I suspect he’ll eventually give away the entire palace. Your Highness, you’re the highest-ranking consort here; please think of something."

Only Consort Shu knew the Emperor’s secret.

What could she do?

Her only advantage was that she was visible, her son was visible, and she was the highest-ranking consort in the palace.

Now, she understood.

She couldn’t compete with the Princess Royal; she would never win.

Not just her, but all the women in the room couldn’t win either.

So she decided not to see the Princess Royal as an opponent. Her real opponent was still within the harem.

As long as no woman in the harem could surpass her, she needed to wait until the Emperor passed away.

Once the Emperor died and her son ascended the throne, all problems would be solved.

As for the treasures in the palace, she could treat them as stored in the Princess Royal’s mansion.

Thinking this way, she felt she was on a different level from the other women.

She just needed to occasionally incite them to dislike the Princess Royal, leading to the Emperor’s displeasure.

"We all understand the situation, but what can we do? Giving away a kingdom is a tremendous favor to the Emperor."

Everyone was speechless.

"Your Highness, what kind of favor is this? If she didn’t give it to the Emperor, she’d give it to another prince. After all, she’s a woman and can’t be the Emperor herself. Blame her mother for not making her a man."

"That’s true. Blame her mother for not giving her a male body."

Everyone chimed in, criticizing the Princess Royal to vent their frustration.

Every time tributes arrived, the Princess Royal picked first, leaving them with only the leftovers.

Now, she has to pick for herself and then for her future daughter-in-law. Whatever is left after that is what they get.

Which dynasty's imperial concubines have ever been as oppressed as this?

What’s even more infuriating is that now they’re taking the cooks away too. It’s just too much.

Empress Shu listened quietly, occasionally adding a few words of provocation, but only enough to make a point.

After the venting session ended, she had someone bring a bowl of freshly brewed soup to request an audience with the Emperor, hoping to have a private conversation with him.

If the Emperor didn’t want to see her? No problem, she’d go back and try again tomorrow.

If he wouldn’t see her, wouldn’t he also not see anyone else?

The Emperor was still in his thirties, at the prime of his life. How long could he go without a woman?

...

Once the weather turned truly cold, everyone would stay indoors for the winter, rarely going out.

Taking advantage of the pleasant autumn weather, Zheng Jinyu also ventured out more often.

But she wasn’t sure where to go.

After all, entertainment options for women in ancient times were limited. Even shopping was restricted to a few shops.

She wasn’t like the old Fang Jinxiu, who followed Zheng Hongqi and Zheng Hongxu around, making a bunch of dubious friends.

For example, Lu Shen was one such friend she made through them.

One day, she was discussing with Chunmei about going to a manor outside the city to pick persimmons before it got too cold.

The next day, the County Princess arrived.

Zheng Jinyu found it quite coincidental. Why did she come today of all days?

She really wanted to go pick persimmons.

“Oh well, we’ll pick persimmons another day. Let’s go greet the County Princess.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Soon, the servants brought the County Princess in. She was dressed differently than usual, as if she was planning to go horseback riding.

"County Princess, why are you here?"

The County Princess smiled. "I’m taking you out to play. You haven’t ridden a horse in a while, right? Come, I’ll take you."

"Oh, please wait a moment. I need to change my clothes."

"Sure."

Her clothes were already prepared, and she quickly changed.

Outside the city, both of them were on horseback, leisurely strolling.

Behind them were over a dozen guards to ensure their safety.

"County Princess, why did you suddenly decide to take me horseback riding?"

The County Princess laughed. "The weather is perfect for riding. Mainly..." She leaned closer to Zheng Jinyu and whispered, "Yu'er asked me to take you out to play."

Ah? Xie Peiyu?

Zheng Jinyu looked away, embarrassed.

The County Princess said, "Don’t blame him for not accompanying you. He serves the Emperor and thus has official duties to attend to. He only gets one day off every ten days."