eurekapd Chapter 553 Entering the Palace Again
Chapter 553 Entering the Palace Again
Time flies, and Xuan-ge'er has grown into a composed and elegant young man.
Seven-year-old Gu Qingchen, however, was a complete troublemaker, always running around and causing headaches for all the maids and servants in the mansion.
"Mother, look, I caught a big fat worm! Shall we give it to the Grand Tutor for lunch?"
Gu Qingchen held up a tree branch with a wriggling green worm strung on it and rushed to Chu Ruohan as if presenting a treasure.
Chu Ruohan's eyelids twitched, and before she could speak, the maidservant presented her with a gold-embossed invitation.
It was sent from Kunning Palace; Empress Su Wan invited her to the Begonia Banquet three days later.
On the post, Su Wan's handwriting remained as affectionate as ever, with the words "To Sister Ruohan" as if there had never been a distance between them.
Chu Ruohan held the invitation in her hand, her heart rippled slightly.
In the evening, Gu Junze returned from the palace and changed out of his court robes.
Chu Ruohan handed him the invitation and said softly, "It was sent by Her Majesty the Empress. It's for the Begonia Banquet."
Gu Junze took it, glanced at it, and remained calm and composed. "Yes, I've heard about it. It was the old Princess Consort of Yong who pleaded with the Empress."
Chu Ruohan was taken aback, then understood.
Gu Junze said in a deep voice, "It's for the marriage of Prince Lin Jingchuan."
Prince Yong is the current emperor's uncle and holds a prestigious position, but his only son, Lin Jingchuan, has become the talk of the town due to a scandal.
Rumors circulate that he has an ambiguous relationship with his younger sister, Lin Xingyao, and the gossip is so offensive that no noblewoman has dared to accept the marriage proposal.
Chu Ruohan remained silent. Royal relatives are always rife with trouble.
Although Su Wan is now the mother of the Crown Prince and the Empress, her background as a commoner empress is still a thorn in her side.
Among the royal family, there were quite a few who openly or secretly looked down on her.
Prince Yong is the current emperor's uncle, holding a prestigious position. If Su Wan could use this opportunity to bestow favors upon Prince Yong's residence, it would undoubtedly be a good move to consolidate her own position.
Chu Ruohan sighed and rubbed her temples.
"Looks like I can't avoid this trip." She had a headache. "It's not just her business; I have another errand to run."
Her younger brother, Chu Chenyu, has now been appointed as the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and his future is bright, but he has become a major problem when it comes to marriage.
"A few days ago, Chenyu asked me to help him find a daughter for Vice Minister Zhao. He said he had taken a liking to her and wanted me to help him choose her at this banquet."
Chu Ruohan smiled helplessly, "My parents have been worried sick about this, and I've ended up becoming a matchmaker for a blind date."
Gu Junze said, "Alright, you can give him your opinion."
On the day of the Begonia Banquet, the sky was clear and the air was crisp.
Chu Ruohan, accompanied by her two children, rode in the Zhenguo Duke's carriage slowly toward the palace.
Xuan sat upright beside his mother, his brocade blue robe making him appear even more tall and straight. He quietly watched the scenery rushing past the window.
Gu Qingchen, however, was someone who could never sit still for a moment. She wore a charming pale yellow dress, her hair styled in two buns, and her big, dark eyes were filled with endless curiosity about everything in the palace.
"Mom, what building is that? It's so tall!"
"Mother, why aren't the birds on the palace wall afraid of people?"
She would peek out the window one minute and try to touch the delicate carvings on the carriage's interior the next, her little body twisting and turning, giving Chu Ruohan a headache.
"Qingchen, sit up straight." Chu Ruohan helplessly pulled her daughter into her arms. "There are strict rules in the palace. You can't be so naughty."
Gu Qingchen pouted, blinked her big eyes, and behaved herself for a moment, but she couldn't suppress her vibrant energy.
"Mother, are there toilets made of gold in the palace?"
"Mother, does Her Majesty the Empress have three heads and six arms?"
Chu Ruohan was so annoyed by her nagging that she had no choice but to put on a stern face: "If you keep making a fuss, I'll cook all your big fat worms for you when we get back."
Gu Qingchen then stuck out his tongue and calmed down for the time being.
The carriage stopped in front of the palace gate, and eunuchs led them to Kunning Palace.
Su Wan did not hold a grand ceremony in the main hall, but first met with a few close female relatives in her own bedroom.
Upon seeing Chu Ruohan enter, Su Wan's eyes lit up, and her smile became more genuine and warm.
She personally got up to greet him and grabbed Chu Ruohan's hand.
"Sister Ruohan, you've finally arrived! I've been looking forward to seeing you for so many days!"
Su Wan's tone was intimate, as if they were still the close friends who used to talk about everything in the Duke's mansion.
Chu Ruohan curtsied and said, "This humble woman greets Your Majesty the Empress."
"Get up quickly. There's no need for such formalities between us." Su Wan helped her up, her gaze scrutinizing her face. "It's been years since I last saw you, and you're still the same as before, unchanged at all."
She then looked at Xuan-ge'er and Xiao Qing-chen, her eyes full of affection: "These must be Xuan-ge'er and Qing-chen, right? They've both grown so much. Xuan-ge'er is becoming more and more handsome, and Qing-chen is such a cute little boy."
Xuan-ge'er bowed respectfully: "Xuan-ge'er greets Your Majesty the Empress."
Little Qingchen looked at Su Wan curiously, and after being gently pressed down by Chu Ruohan, she said in a soft voice, "Qingchen greets Your Majesty the Empress."
Su Wan smiled from ear to ear and quickly asked the palace servants to bring out the rewards that had been prepared in advance, all of which were exquisite and cute little trinkets.
Chu Ruohan saw Su Wan's enthusiasm, but felt a faint sense of estrangement in her heart.
Several years have passed, and an invisible chasm has already been drawn between them.
Her response was appropriate, her smile gentle, yet always tinged with politeness.
After exchanging pleasantries, Su Wan dismissed the palace servants around her, leaving only her trusted female official.
Only the two of them remained in the side hall of Kunning Palace.
The hall was filled with the finest ambergris incense, yet the atmosphere was somewhat stagnant.
“This palace looks magnificent, but it’s actually very cold.” Su Wan sighed, her voice carrying a hint of weariness. “Sometimes, there’s not even one person you can tell the truth to.”
She looked at Chu Ruohan with a mixture of expectation and vulnerability in her eyes.
Chu Ruohan picked up her teacup, gently blew away the foam, and gave a perfectly fluent answer.
"As the head of the six palaces and the mother of the nation, Your Majesty naturally bears more responsibilities than others."
She raised her eyes, her gaze calmly returning to the past, her tone sincere yet distant: "However, seeing His Highness the Crown Prince becoming increasingly intelligent must be a great comfort to Your Majesty."
She skillfully steered the conversation toward the children, avoiding the overly heavy emotional test.
The light in Su Wan's eyes finally dimmed.
She knew that what stood between them was not just a palace wall, but also an insurmountable chasm between a ruler and his subjects.
Chu Ruohan guarded that boundary clearly and never crossed it again.
She turned a passionate heart to utter cold...