What Are Leaf Cards?

There are quite a few rooms in this cold palace.

Zhou Wanwan led them into an empty room, where the concubines and palace maids all peeked around curiously.

The eldest princess saw several familiar faces. She looked at Consort Zhen and Consort Shu and said, "You've come too? How are you doing these days?"

With tears in her eyes, Consort Zhen looked at the Princess and said, "Princess, I never thought I would see you again. I'm doing quite well. I spend my days here growing vegetables and tending to flowers. It couldn't be more pleasant."

Consort Shu nodded and said, "I also think this place is nice. I even have two cats. Don't you think they're cute?"

The eldest princess looked at the two cats and nodded, saying, "They're quite cute."

Consort Zhen frowned and looked at the Eldest Princess, saying, "Why have you come?"

The eldest princess sighed helplessly, "My mother banished me to the Cold Palace. She told me to reflect on my actions here."

Consort Shu smiled and pulled her along, saying, "That's wonderful! You can play cards with us now."

The eldest princess frowned and asked, "What are leaf cards?"

They led the princess to a room where many concubines and palace maids were playing cards.

The eldest princess was curious, so Consort Shu pulled her along and taught her step by step. After a while, the eldest princess finally understood how to do it.

She clapped her hands and said:

"These leaf cards are so interesting! Wanwan, that's not fair of you!"

"This is such a fun thing, and you're only telling me now?"

Zhou Wanwan said helplessly:

"This cold palace is a place that ordinary people can't easily enter. I never thought that our whole family would be reunited here."

I need to go back and tell my brothers, so they won't worry.

Zhou Qingyan was waiting anxiously. He looked at Zhou Wanwan and frowned, saying, "Father and Mother haven't returned yet. They said they went to the palace."

Zhou Wanwan looked at him and said, "Don't rush, don't rush, they're busy playing cards right now!"

"Huh? What brand of leaves?"

"Anyway, there's no need to worry; they're living quite comfortably in the palace."

Zhou Qingyan and the others were relieved. Zhou Wanwan packed some things and returned to the Cold Palace that very night.

When she went next door, she was astonished to find Liu Su'e at a table with the palace maids, and Zhou Fusheng, who hadn't been writing calligraphy today, was playing mahjong with the eunuchs.

This place not only has leaf tiles, but also mahjong tiles.

Zhou Fusheng won a lot of copper coins and couldn't stop smiling, "Wow! I'm on a winning streak today, I've won so much, I'm so happy, I haven't been this happy in a long time."

Zhou Fusheng studies every day; where would he find time to relax?

Moreover, people in the capital are very rigid and formal, and many people secretly look down on him.

So Zhou Fusheng didn't have any friends and lived a rather repressed life in Beijing.

But now these young eunuchs like to play with him, and he's quite happy about it.

Zhou Wanwan laughed and said, "We'll have a midnight snack tonight. We'll eat it after you're done playing."

Zhou Wanwan had a barbecue grill set up and some seafood caught. The crayfish shells were already quite hard and not as tasty.

The barbecue was pretty good, though.

Rows of grills were set up in the courtyard, the charcoal fires were burning brightly, and all kinds of barbecued food were laid out on the tables.

There are regular meat skewers and vegetable skewers, but even more fresh seafood.

Large prawns were neatly strung together, along with squid, scallops, clams, Little Hai, and other fresh seafood—a wide variety that was impossible to count.

She even made it a buffet style, preparing dozens of kinds of seafood ingredients, so that anyone could take as much as they wanted and enjoy the freshness.

The unique aroma of grilled meat mixed with seafood filled the entire yard, the fragrance wafting straight into people's noses.

The palace maids and eunuchs standing to the side were all stunned, staring intently at the table full of delicious food, swallowing their saliva repeatedly, their mouths watering, eagerly anticipating the start of the meal.

There are also more than ten kinds of fruits.

This is what a buffet is like now.

The entire Cold Palace became bustling with activity. The eldest princess, while eating barbecue skewers, said, "I really never imagined we could live such a life here."

While eating, Eunuch Hai remarked, "Oh dear! I never imagined the Cold Palace would one day become like this."

They spent three days in the Cold Palace when news came from outside. "Princess, Zhou Wanwan, Liu Su'e, Zhou Fusheng, the Empress Dowager wishes to see you. Quickly prepare."

The group went to Palace of Compassion and Tranquility together. The Empress Dowager looked at the Eldest Princess and said:

"You've been confined to the cold palace for three days, shouldn't you have calmed down by now?"

"You don't even recognize your own son? That's utterly absurd! How could you be so stupid?"

The eldest princess glanced at her indifferently and said, "Anyway, I only acknowledge Zhou Fusheng as my son. As for the others, I will not acknowledge them."

Zhou Fuyu's face stiffened. "Mother, if you don't want to acknowledge me, I won't force you."

The eldest princess looked at him and said, "Don't call me mother, it disgusts me."

Zhou Mei looked at the Princess and said:

"Grandmother, you're so good to Zhou Wanwan, why can't you be a little better to us?"

Besides, we are your own children, they are all fake.

The eldest princess scoffed coldly, "Even if it's fake, I'll accept it."

The Empress Dowager's face flushed with anger. Old Madam Zhou sighed and said, "Empress Dowager, please don't be angry. This Zhou Wanwan is no ordinary woman; she's adept at bewitching people."

The Empress Dowager looked at them and said:

"Fine, fine, since you're so stubborn, then the Princess's Mansion will be passed on to Zhou Fuyu from now on, as compensation for the children."

"Someone, go and search everything in the Princess's residence."

The eldest princess's expression changed:

"Mother, why do you have to force me like this?"

Can you please be reasonable? In what way does he resemble the prince consort? Does he resemble me?

The Empress Dowager sneered, "Don't mention that short-lived wretch to me. If you hadn't insisted on marrying him, would things have turned out like this?"

The eldest princess roared, "He was never a short-lived man! He was a great general, and he died defending the frontier!"

The Empress Dowager roared, "Enough! What I say goes! I want to see if your Princess's residence can be preserved!"

Zhou Fuyu couldn't suppress the smirk on his face.

"Your Majesty, isn't this a bit unreasonable?"

"The entire Princess's residence has been bestowed upon me. If people talk about it, it won't sound good."

The Empress Dowager looked coldly at the Eldest Princess and said, "She brought this on herself. Alright, all of you, leave! Let me Jing'an."

The eldest princess took Zhou Wanwan and the others back to the Cold Palace.

Upon arriving at the Cold Palace, she angrily cursed:

"This Zhou Fuyu is a despicable scoundrel. He actually wants to be my son. He's just delusional."

That family is all greedy; just looking at them makes me uncomfortable. I just don't understand why my mother seems to be poisoned."

Zhou Wanwan looked at the Princess and asked, "Do you have a good relationship with your mother?"

The eldest princess shook her head and said, "I was raised by my wet nurse since I was a child, and I was never close to her. She didn't seem to like me."