Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Geng Shuning and Nanny Chen exchanged worried glances. They knew the Empress Dowager wasn't trying to force them out of the palace; clearly, something serious had occurred.

Both of them felt a heaviness in their hearts. Geng Shuning had spent a large amount of silver, buying shops and arranging for Chen Zhen, the Chen family, and the Qi family to set up their operations, all waiting for Geng Shuning to make a decision.

If Geng Shuning couldn't leave the palace... many things would become difficult to handle in the future.

Nanny Chen was anxious and quickly asked Geng Shuning for her opinion with her eyes.

Geng Shuning was also in a hurry but only gave Nanny Chen a slight nod.

They would start packing. As palace servants, they couldn't openly defy the orders of their master.

No matter what happened, as long as her head wasn't chopped off immediately, there would definitely be room for maneuvering.

*

On the way to the front hall, Nanny Wu Ya noticed Geng Shuning's pale face and didn’t beat around the bush. She lowered her voice and explained to Geng Shuning.

"As soon as His Majesty returned, he was busy with imperial matters and refused to rest even after dinner. Just now, a message came from the imperial chamber that His Majesty collapsed from exhaustion."

"The Empress Dowager was overwhelmed by shock and also fainted. Upon waking, she immediately asked me to bring you here, Miss. The Imperial Physician is diagnosing her pulse right now."

As they arrived at the entrance of the front hall, Nanny Wu Ya gave Geng Shuning a meaningful look.

"The Empress Dowager has trusted no one more than you in the past year. Now, her body can't withstand any more shock. Miss, please don't let her down."

Geng Shuning, with her eyes lowered, remained relatively calm. "Don't worry, Nanny. Shuning knows what to do."

Since her palm itched earlier that morning, she had foreseen that her plan to leave the palace would encounter obstacles.

At this moment, whether the Empress Dowager and the Emperor were genuinely unconscious or not, she wouldn't waste time dwelling on what had already happened.

Since immediate departure from the palace wasn't an option, she needed to make early arrangements for matters outside the palace.

With these thoughts in mind, she entered the door. After taking a few steps, Geng Shuning heard the weak call of Lady Wu Ya.

"Is that Shuning? Come quickly."

Geng Shuning took a deep breath, stepped forward, and knelt by the Empress Dowager's bedside, her face filled with concern.

"How are you, my lady? Please give any orders, and don't worry. Take your time."

"I'm alright," Lady Wu Ya paused for a moment and waved vaguely at the Imperial Physician and the servants. "You may all leave."

With Nanny Wu Ya attending to her, Nanny Zhou led the others out.

Lady Wu Ya held Geng Shuning's small hand. "Good child, I wasn't joking when I said I wanted to keep you here for a couple more years and arrange a good marriage for you."

"I was thinking that after a few years, when your father returns to the capital with his merits, I would grant you marriage based on your dedicated service."

"Even as a secondary wife, the status of a secondary wife in a princely or noble household is far above that of an ordinary one."

Geng Shuning understood that this was a significant offer, but she didn’t want to accept it.

Her eyes showed hesitation, meeting Lady Wu Ya's slightly scrutinizing gaze, and she shook her head earnestly.

"My lady, after the incident in the pavilion, being near a man makes me feel chest tightness and shortness of breath, and everything goes dark before my eyes..."

She lowered her eyes. "So, I've given up on the idea of marriage and intend to ask for your grace to remain unmarried, to become a lay nun, and to dedicate my life to serving Buddha, praying for your health and happiness."

Lady Wu Ya’s gaze flickered, and she asked with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "When the emperor was here earlier, I didn’t notice anything wrong with you."

Geng Shuning instinctively raised her head. "To this servant, the emperor isn’t just a man—he’s our master. How can he be compared to ordinary mortals?"

Lady Wu Ya: "..." This flattery was so awkward that she didn’t know whether to praise it or not.

Nevertheless, Lady Wu Ya felt more relieved.

Earlier, the former emperor had hinted that Geng Shuning should go to the imperial presence to serve. The empress dowager had already weighed this in her mind.

At this point, the emperor's health was as fragile as tofu, and even the unborn children in the palace were now visible.

Lady Wu Ya knew that Geng Shuning was endearing and feared that she might lead the emperor to ruin his health further.

After learning about Geng Shuning’s condition, Lady Wu Ya asked her to rise and discuss the real matter.

"Sit first. I want to entrust you with a task," she said.

Geng Shuning gracefully sat on the edge of a stool, holding her breath and concentrating.

The empress dowager sighed and continued, "The emperor is truly reckless. Seriously injured, he refuses to rest properly. Not only that, but he also dares to stay in one place all day to review memorials. When I heard he collapsed, I wished I were dead."

Geng Shuning quickly rose. "Your Majesty, please don’t—"

"I have come to my senses and know the gravity of the situation now," Lady Wu Ya interrupted gently.

"Su Peisheng said that the emperor has had poor digestion lately and hasn't been eating or sleeping well. I know no one takes better care of people than you."

"We can't allow the emperor to continue ruining his health like this. The former emperor also shares this sentiment and has urged me to issue an imperial decree, commanding you to go to the imperial presence on my behalf to take care of the emperor's health."

Geng Shuning fell silent, thinking, "So, instead of letting him ruin himself, they’re sending me to bear the brunt of it?"

I’m so grateful to the Aisin Gioro family’s ancestors.

Unable to hear Geng Shuning's internal complaints, Lady Wu Ya comforted her, "My promise still stands. If you can’t persuade the emperor at his imperial presence, you can tell me, and I will take charge!"

"If you help me take good care of the emperor's health, whether it's a marriage bestowal or becoming a lay nun, neither the former emperor, myself, nor the emperor will mistreat you."

"Are you willing?"

Geng Shuning's eyes turned red as she held Lady Wu Ya's increasingly cold hand. "This servant will follow your orders, but... I’ll miss you."

Seeing Geng Shuning looking at her like a little beast, Lady Wu Ya’s scrutiny and calculations melted away, her heart softening uncontrollably.

She patted Geng Shuning's hand. "Silly child, in the future, you will be by the emperor's side, and when he comes to pay his respects, you will also get to see me."

"Let nanny Wu Ya escort you there. With my frail health, whatever the Imperial Physician advises, make sure to send news back to me promptly."

*

As she left the Changchun Immortal Hall, the Imperial Household Department had already prepared a cart.

Geng Shuning had quite a few belongings and had expected to need servants to move them, but with one command from the empress dowager, everything was loaded onto the cart.

It was clear that the empress dowager had planned this for some time.

Nanny Chen was handling the storeroom, so she couldn’t go with Geng Shuning to the imperial presence.

Geng Shuning couldn’t give many instructions and could only silently follow nanny Wu Ya all the way to Nine Continents Clear View.

Su Peisheng, who had received the news, was so happy he could have sung a song, and he was already waiting by the bridge.

Upon seeing Nanny Wu Ya, Su Peisheng quickly hid his joyful expression and approached her with a look of guilt.

"I’m sorry to trouble you, Nanny Wu Ya. The Emperor, upon hearing that the Empress Dowager fainted, insisted on visiting Changchun Pavilion. However, the Imperial Physician put him to sleep with acupuncture."

Without waiting for Nanny Wu Ya to ask, Su Peisheng handed her the medical report that could be shown to the Empress Dowager.

"Imperial Physician Chang said there is no major issue with the Emperor. He just needs a year or two of gentle nourishment to recover."

"Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has been tireless in his governance, which has depleted his strength and left him in this weakened state."

Nanny Wu Ya wore a stern expression. "The Empress Dowager anticipated this and instructed me to pass along a message."

Su Peisheng quickly knelt.

Nanny Wu Ya continued, "Since you failed to take proper care of the Emperor, Chief Su and the attendants in the imperial court will receive a beating. Once the Emperor has recovered, you will go to the Imperial Household Bureau to receive your punishment."

Su Peisheng wore a bitter expression. "Yes, I understand."

Nanny Wu Ya then revealed Geng Shuning behind her. "The Empress Dowager has also issued an imperial decree, ordering Geng Shuning, a female official from Cining Palace, to come to the imperial presence to care for the Emperor on her behalf. The Empress Dowager hopes that the Emperor will consider her motherly heart and allow Geng to serve him closely."

Su Peisheng bit his lip hard, barely holding back his smile. This is almost too good to be true!

He kept his head down to hide his expression. "I will report the Empress Dowager's oral decree and the imperial decree to the Emperor once he wakes, without missing a single word."

Once Nanny Wu Ya was far enough away with the medical report, Su Peisheng stood up, unable to contain his smile any longer. He bowed to Geng Shuning.

*

"It's a pleasant surprise that the Empress Dowager has sent you to the imperial presence, Miss. Please, come inside. I have already prepared a place for you."

Geng Shuning gave Su Peisheng a sideways glance but remained silent. There were too many people around the bridge, and she didn’t want to cause a scene.

When they reached Yingfei Pavilion behind Nine Continents Clear View, Geng Shuning stopped and looked at Su Peisheng with a half-smile.

"Chief Su, the side hall in the rear palace of Nine Continents Clear View isn’t suitable for a servant like me, is it?"

This place was essentially the surrounding rooms of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, where court ladies, Concubines of the Sixth Rank, and Concubines of the Fifth Rank who had not yet been assigned a palace stayed.

As a palace maid receiving the stipend of a female official, staying here didn’t make any sense.

Su Peisheng quickly smiled apologetically. "Oh, please don’t call yourself a servant, Miss. You are the senior female official from Cining Palace. Even here at the imperial presence, you will be a senior female official. You need someone to attend to you!"

"The duty rooms at Nine Continents Clear View are too small, and there’s not enough space for the servants to live. How could we possibly have you stay there?"

Geng Shuning smiled at Su Peisheng. "It’s no trouble. After all, my stay here will be brief."

Seeing Su Peisheng's smile freeze, Geng Shuning turned and headed towards the side room.

"Chief Su, let’s not use honorifics. It might cause misunderstandings. Just call me Shu Ning, and we’ll address each other casually."

Su Peisheng quickly blocked her. "Shu Ning... senior female official, please spare me this once. This was not my decision."

"The Emperor did not object. Miss, you mustn’t wrong the master and this servant."

"In Cining Palace, you didn’t need to worry about your daily arrangements. Surely, you won’t be less comfortable here in the imperial presence than you were with the Empress Dowager."

Su Peisheng’s regard for Geng Shuning’s status in the Emperor’s heart had risen significantly with each instance of the Emperor’s absent-mindedness. He had never shown such deference even to Consort Qi.

Seeing that Geng Shuning was still leisurely heading towards the cramped duty room of the female officials, Su Peisheng was so anxious that he was practically jumping up and down.

"Miss, if you prefer not to have servants around, how about I arrange for a little eunuch to run errands for you?"

"As for why the Empress Dowager arranged for you to come to the imperial presence, even if it means tearing myself apart, I swear I'll get to the bottom of it and give you a satisfactory explanation, Miss——oh!"

Geng Shuning suddenly stopped in her tracks, almost causing Su Peisheng to collide with her. He dared not offend her and awkwardly twisted aside, ending up in a strange pose.

Geng Shuning, the culprit, smiled and crouched down, "Oh dear, Su Interarch, are you alright?"

Su Peisheng: "..." It's fine, just my old back.

Was he indebted to this ancestor in a past life or something?!

Zhao Song, standing nearby, grabbed a thin little eunuch and, covering half his mouth, stifled his laughter as he went to help Su Peisheng.

Geng Shuning also stood up, smiling, "If you had just said... you were wronged and willing to open up to me, I wouldn't be unreasonable. How could I dare to throw a tantrum at you?"

"First, have someone arrange a proper room for me. Once it's ready, I'll go to the imperial presence to serve. As for the rest... I'll be waiting for some good news from you, Su Interarch."

Zhao Song quickly pushed the little eunuch forward, stifling his laughter as he fawned, "This is Xiao Chengzi. Miss, feel free to command him as you wish."

"If there's anything he can't handle, just come to me."

It seems... Father won’t be able to return anytime soon.

Geng Shuning gave a faint glance at the open windows of Nine Continents Clear View.

On a midsummer night, it wasn't too hot, so there was no need for such ventilation. Only someone as skittish as a dog would be this afraid of heat.

Her eyes held a slight mockery; this isn't over yet.

With a smile, Geng Shuning slowly turned and entered Yingfei Pavilion.

*

In the main hall of Nine Continents Clear View, a tall, slender figure standing by the window pressed his slender fingers to his lips and softly coughed a few times, hiding the smile on his lips.

He had tried several times to get this little fox to come to the imperial presence but failed.

Unexpectedly, just when she was about to leave the palace, she was thrown to his side.

The earlier performance wasn't for Su Peisheng but to show the master by punishing the dog.

Su Peisheng, the dog of a servant, wasn't easy to handle. He should give him a few days off.

As for who sent Geng Shuning over, Yinzhen didn't need to investigate to know.

Sometimes, the old man didn't follow proper procedures, acting more like a seasoned emperor, playing the game of using power to suppress others better than this new emperor.

Experience sharpens the blade, Yinzhen thought with a smile, lying back. He suspected this little fox would show her claws again, and he would need to learn more from the old man in the future.