Whispering Slander
Xiao Jiangzi was taken aback when he heard Hua Meng's words. This was not the first time he had seen an imperial consort come to request an audience with the emperor, but it really was Consort Jing's first visit.
Especially now that she had been found to be pregnant.
"Your Highness, please rest in the side hall for a moment. This servant will report to His Majesty at once."
Xiao Jiangzi did not dare leave Hua Meng standing at the entrance. Far from it, he personally escorted her to a seat in the side hall, ordered others to attend to her carefully, and then hurried into the main hall to report.
As soon as Xiao Jiangzi appeared in the hall, Wei Fugui noticed him out of the corner of his eye.
Wei Fugui had thought Xiao Jiangzi needed him for something, but before he could step back and ask, Xiao Jiangzi had already walked up to Emperor Jing'an and bowed. "Your Majesty, Consort Jing has arrived." Xiao Jiangzi paused before continuing, "Her Highness says she has something to discuss and requests an audience."
Almost the instant Xiao Jiangzi finished speaking, Emperor Jing'an rose and asked urgently, "How does Consort Jing look?" After asking Xiao Jiangzi, Emperor Jing'an hurriedly turned to Wei Fugui and demanded sharply, "Has someone in the harem made things difficult for her?"
Wei Fugui had served Emperor Jing'an for so many years that he was accustomed to him assuming the worst whenever something happened. Yet seeing the panicked expression he had worn when he first took the throne, Wei Fugui could not help sighing inwardly.
His master truly had not had it easy.
At the thought, Wei Fugui hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, nothing has happened in the harem."
As soon as Wei Fugui finished, Xiao Jiangzi added, "Her Highness's complexion is normal, and she seems to be in a good mood."
Only after hearing both replies did Emperor Jing'an breathe a sigh of relief. Once he learned that Hua Meng was waiting in the side hall, he rose and headed straight there.
In the side hall, Hua Meng had no idea what had happened in the main hall. She had been to this side hall before when she came to Phoenix Approaches Palace to keep the emperor company.
But looking around today, she noticed that the side hall had clearly been tidied up.
Sharp objects and things that could easily trip someone had all been put away.
Just as Hua Meng was wondering who had done it, a rush of hurried footsteps sounded behind her.
Hua Meng slowly turned around. Seeing Emperor Jing'an stepping inside, she hurried forward with a smile. "Your Majesty, I've come to blow a little wind."
Emperor Jing'an's steps faltered the moment Hua Meng finished speaking.
"What did you say you came to do?" Emperor Jing'an thought he might have misheard. He crossed to Hua Meng's side in a few strides and looked her over from head to toe. Only after confirming that she truly was all right did he continue, "If you need something, have someone send me a message. I can come to you. There's no need for you to come in person."
"Your Majesty needn't worry. Nanny Jiang said I shouldn't stay still all day now. This was a good chance to take a walk and get some sunshine." Hua Meng understood that Emperor Jing'an was worried about the child in her belly, so she brought up Jiang Chan at once.
Seeing Emperor Jing'an nod slightly, Hua Meng went on with a smile, "Besides, I came today to whisper slander and blow some pillow wind in Your Majesty's ear. How could I not come?"
Emperor Jing'an was utterly baffled by Hua Meng's words.
Whisper slander?
Blow pillow wind?
"I dislike the Elder Princess..." Hua Meng deliberately paused before continuing, "...'s daughter, Commandery Lady Ningyan. I came especially to seek an audience today and beg Your Majesty to bestow a training nanny to teach the commandery lady proper etiquette."
The Elder Princess outranked her as Consort Jing, so she had chosen Wei Ningyan instead of acting directly against the princess.
After listening to Hua Meng, Emperor Jing'an asked with interest, "Ningyan's etiquette is poor?"
"Yes. Today at Chaohuang Palace, when her mother angered the empress dowager into fainting, she, as her daughter, made no attempt to stop her. Isn't that a lack of proper etiquette?" Hua Meng blinked her almond-shaped eyes and deliberately added, "Besides, if she knew proper etiquette, how could she have married while pregnant?"
Hearing Hua Meng say this, Emperor Jing'an recalled another piece of news he had heard that day.
Though he was puzzled, Emperor Jing'an looked at Hua Meng with feigned nonchalance and asked, "How did you learn of this?"
As though she had not noticed Emperor Jing'an's probing, Hua Meng kept the same smile on her face. "Your Majesty must know that my family's home is separated from the Zhang family's by only a wall. The Hua and Zhang families used to be as close as one family. Even without deliberately asking around, we could still catch wind of certain things." Hua Meng then seemed to remember something. She shook her head and continued, "Besides, ever since the engagement was broken off, whenever our servants meet the Zhang family's servants outside, they can hardly resist rushing up to fight them."
When Hua Meng had brought the matter up of her own accord at Chaohuang Palace that morning, she had already worked out how to explain it away.
The last time she went home, she had overheard the family's maidservants privately discussing how the Zhang family's new bride next door walked oddly. She had paid it no mind then, but thinking of it today, she felt it would make a perfect excuse.
She remembered that when her eldest sister-in-law was pregnant with her eldest nephew, no one in the family had noticed. It was only when a maidservant attending her mother saw that her eldest sister-in-law walked oddly and summoned a physician that they found out.
After hearing Hua Meng's explanation, Emperor Jing'an laughed. "I had forgotten how close your two families live." Then he thought of the Hua family's little courtyard and continued, looking at Hua Meng, "Your family's courtyard really isn't very big."
Hua Meng knew Emperor Jing'an looked down on her family's little courtyard, but her father was merely a commoner by birth. If her maternal grandmother had not been a merchant's daughter and her mother's dowry substantial, they probably could not have afforded even a courtyard like that.
She had not noticed it before, but Emperor Jing'an's words made Hua Meng think of her nephews, who still lived together in that one courtyard.
Once they grew a little older, there really would not be enough room.
Emperor Jing'an had been watching Hua Meng's expression all along. Seeing her look troubled, he chuckled and said, "In that case, since you are pregnant and have rendered a service to Great Yue, how about I bestow a residence on the Hua Family?"
Emperor Jing'an had many residences in his possession, all of which the Grand Ancestor had acquired from the previous dynasty's imperial family when he ascended the throne.
The founding emperor had hoped for a multitude of descendants to fill those residences, but after several generations, only a few favored princesses had been granted homes. The greater part of the residences required the imperial treasury to spend silver on maintenance every year, yet had hardly ever had owners.
"Thank you for your reward, Your Majesty." Hua Meng bowed in thanks without the slightest hesitation. Only after Emperor Jing'an stopped her and helped her up did she continue, "Your Majesty, what do you think of my proposal just now?"
When Hua Meng brought the matter up again, Emperor Jing'an initially thought it a little childish. But on reconsideration, he felt there was no harm in trying.
"There's no harm in trying. But I cannot be the one to bestow the nanny."
As soon as Hua Meng heard this, she knew Emperor Jing'an had agreed.
Hua Meng asked no further questions about what would be done next. Her main purpose in coming openly to Phoenix Approaches Palace today had never been merely to have Emperor Jing'an send a nanny to Wei Ningyan.
Hua Meng had chosen to come just before the evening meal, so naturally she could not simply leave after their conversation.
Only after eating the evening meal with Emperor Jing'an did Xiao Jiangzi escort Hua Meng back to Sparrow Plume Palace.
As for Emperor Jing'an, he went to Chaohuang Palace after Hua Meng left.
Early the next morning, just as the palace gates opened, eight nannies emerged from Chaohuang Palace.
In the past, when nannies left the palace, they did not make a point of keeping a low profile, but neither did they deliberately draw attention.
Today, however, these eight nannies seemed eager for everyone to see them leave the palace.
If anyone stopped to watch out of curiosity along the way, a "kind soul" would even take the trouble to explain it to them.
By the time the eight nannies left the palace and split into two groups of four, one going to the Wei Residence and the other to the Zhang family, word had spread throughout the capital that the empress dowager had sent nannies to instruct the Elder Princess and Commandery Lady Ningyan because they lacked proper etiquette.
"You wretched woman!"
Crash!
With that curse, the furious Elder Princess smashed the centuries-old Ru ware teacup in her hand against the floor.
Watching the precious teacup shatter on the ground, the maidservant below her felt a painful pang and hurriedly said, "Your Highness, those nannies have already arrived at the Wei Residence. As for the old madam..."
Though the maidservant did not finish, the Elder Princess understood what she meant.
The Wei Family's old madam, her mother-in-law, had never thought much of her.
Even though she was an imperial princess!
Her mother-in-law had always prided herself on coming from an aristocratic family that had stood for hundreds of years, on marrying into one that had endured for dozens of generations, and on having an eldest daughter-in-law who was also from an aristocratic family. Only the Grand Princess had an ancestor who had been nothing more than a registered soldier.
In the past, they had not lived together and met only during festivals each year. Even in those few meetings, her mother-in-law had shown contempt for her low birth.
Now that the empress dowager had slapped her face like this, the Elder Princess knew without looking how her mother-in-law would hate her for disgracing the Wei Family.
At the thought, the Elder Princess looked up in the direction of the imperial palace and said viciously, "Since you mother and son dare strike back, don't blame me for being ruthless!"