Harem Daily Life

Chapter 457: Shu Fei Complains

On the second day after the Empress Dowager returned to the palace, Concubine Shu brought the third prince to Changchun Palace to ask for an audience. At that moment, Concubine De was accompanying the Empress Dowager with the eldest prince.

"It seems like you two have made an appointment to come and visit me one after the other. Please take a seat." Shu Fei greeted De Fei and then sat aside with the child.

"Kang'er seems to have lost some weight these days. Has he been using the prescription given by the imperial physician?" Compared to the plump eldest prince, the third prince looked like a skinny monkey, especially his small head. The empress dowager couldn't help but frown.

Shu Fei hated it most when people said that her son was thin, but the other person was the empress dowager, so she couldn't just turn a cold shoulder. She could only answer whatever was asked, repeatedly emphasizing that the third prince was able to eat and sleep well and was also taking care of himself. She must not let the empress dowager think that she was an incompetent mother.

The empress dowager had the third prince brought over so that she could have a better look at him. However, the third prince was shy and started crying when he was touched. Shu Fei had no choice but to ask the wet nurse to take the third prince out for a walk in the yard to prevent his crying from upsetting the empress dowager.

When Concubine De saw the Third Prince being taken away, she also told the maidservant who served the First Prince to take him out to play. After the children were gone, Concubine De said, "Originally, in addition to visiting the Queen Mother today, I also wanted to report on the arrangements for this year's Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet. It just so happens that Sister Shufei is here too, so why not listen to her too."

Shu Fei didn't care about the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet at all, but since De Fei was here, she couldn't ask the Queen Mother to drive her away, so she could only listen boredly.

Defei reported some matters, which were no different from the past. After listening, the Queen Mother waved her hand and said, "You have accumulated a lot of experience in managing the harem in the past two years. For this palace banquet, we will use last year's as a reference. You can do whatever you want. But we should innovate the dishes. Ask the Imperial Kitchen to write a list and select two new dishes."

The foodie queen doesn’t care about anything else but whether she can eat well.

Concubine De smiled and said, "Before I came here, I asked the Imperial Kitchen to draw up a list. Please review it, Your Majesty."

Eunuch Qin took the list with both hands and handed it to the Queen Mother.

The Queen Mother frowned as she watched. "We have two fish dishes. Let's remove one. Imperial Concubine Tao cannot stand the smell of fish due to morning sickness. The same goes for the mutton. Although the male guests like it, the smell is not good. Imperial Concubine Tao cannot stand it. Replace it."

When Concubine De heard that the Empress Dowager was considering Concubine Tao in every way, she clenched her hands tightly and her expression was almost unable to maintain.

"Yes, I understand. I will revise it when I get back." Defei concealed her dissatisfaction and responded.

"The Yan State delegation will also arrive in the capital before the Mid-Autumn Festival. The marriage between Prince Yong and the Princess of Yan has already been decided. Their seats must be arranged properly. They should not be too far or too close. Be careful about the distance." The Queen Mother reminded.

Concubine De wrote them down one by one.

"Okay, you can handle the rest. I trust you." The empress dowager glanced at Shufei and guessed that Shufei must have something to say, so she sent Defei away first.

De Fei respectfully withdrew, and Shu Fei then said, "The Queen Mother is not in the palace, and I really have a lot of suffering." Her eyes were red as she spoke, "My father was demoted, and I didn't even get to see him before he was transferred out of town. My mother came to the palace to see me and cried uncontrollably. My brothers were also terrified and couldn't guess what Your Majesty was thinking. Queen Mother, Your Majesty... has such a cruel heart."

The Queen Mother snorted in her heart. This Shu Fei is really going backwards. She scolded her son in front of her for being cruel. Did she really understand the relationship between them? Even if the Shu family is her mother's family, how could they be closer than her own son?

"Well, you should know better than anyone what caused this incident. You, knowing that the emperor favors Concubine Tao, why did you bother to make things difficult for her? Besides, you actually offended Concubine Tao for the sake of the surname Lu. What on earth were you thinking? Don't you know that the person I hate most in my life is everyone related to Concubine Li?"

The Queen Mother's tone of voice was somewhat harsh, and Shu Fei trembled with fear, with layers of cold sweat on her back.

She quickly explained: "I... I didn't speak up for the surname Lu, I just... I just wanted to... I wanted to make the imperial concubine suffer for a few days."

The Queen Mother looked at her inexplicably, "Put your mind back and concentrate on raising the Third Prince. It is more important than anything else! The Third Prince is born with deficiencies and has been thin since childhood. He needs to be given much more energy than other children. As his biological mother, you should focus on him. With this son, the Emperor will still have some affection for you. How come you still don't understand?"

The Queen Mother is really disappointed with her niece. This niece really makes her tired.

Shu Fei was so moved that she burst into tears. After a long while, she said, "Well... at worst, I will never go against her again. Can I ask the Queen Mother to transfer my father back to the capital? Without my father's protection, my brothers will become less powerful in the capital!"

The Queen Mother looked at her and said, "Shu Fei, the current situation of the Shu family is not a bad thing. At least the family is still there. Go back and think more about what I said today, and don't mention transferring your father back in the future. The emperor has his reasons for doing so. Although your father's official position has been demoted, he has more real power. Let him stay there and make some achievements. It will be much more effective than your pleading in the palace."

Shu Fei bit her lip. It was not that she did not understand what the Queen Mother meant. What the Queen Mother meant was that His Majesty would punish the Shu family sooner or later. Making the Shu family silent and away from the core of power was the only way to protect the family.

Although she understood, she was very unhappy in her heart, and her face was darker than ever.

The Queen Mother didn't want to see her cold face any longer, so she sent her away: "The Third Prince is young, it is not appropriate for him to stay in the garden for too long. You should take him back quickly and take good care of him."

Shu Fei didn't achieve her purpose and was very unwilling to accept it, but since the Empress Dowager had ordered her to leave, she was not so shameless as to sit still and had to get up and leave.

After the Changchun Palace calmed down, the Queen Mother rubbed her brows and said, "Go to the Imperial Hospital and ask for Doctor Xu. I want to ask about the Third Prince's condition."

Doctor Xu was the best doctor in the Imperial Hospital and was highly regarded by the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager trusted everything Doctor Xu said.

"I summoned you here today because I want to hear the truth. How is the third prince's health?" The empress dowager looked at Doctor Xu with a serious expression.

When the Queen Mother saw her little grandson today, she was extremely shocked - that child was so different from ordinary children!

Doctor Xu hesitated for a while before saying, "Your Majesty, please understand. The Third Prince was born with congenital deficiencies. He has a small head circumference and a weak body, which makes feeding difficult. As he grows up, the difference between the Third Prince and ordinary children will become more and more obvious. I'm afraid that in the future... his brain will not be very good, and his stature will not be very tall."

"How dare you!" The Queen Mother slammed the table, her breathing rising and falling with anger.

Doctor Xu knelt down hurriedly and said, "Please calm down, Queen Mother!"

The Queen Mother was angry for a long time. She looked at Doctor Xu who was kneeling in front of her and asked with the last glimmer of hope, "Is there any way to cure it?"

Doctor Xu lowered his head even more, almost touching the ground: "I hope the Queen Mother will forgive me. I am not an expert in medicine."

The Queen Mother held her forehead with her hand, suffering from a terrible headache. She had never expected that this little grandson would have such a miserable life and grow up like this!