Now, let's talk about Shi Aohan in the palace. She felt as if she were floating on a cloud. Before, although her life outside the palace was not that great, at least she could live her own life behind closed doors without too many troubles. After coming to the capital, everything about her was compared to He Chan's. Even without her aunt's subsidies, she was still better off than the daughters of ordinary families.
Later, when she was sent to the Cold Palace, she finally knew what despair was and what it meant to be as insignificant as an ant. She tried several times to send messages to the crown prince, but the crown prince simply ignored her. As for the situation outside the palace, she had no idea at all.
Now she knew everything. The He and Fu families had been demoted, and the man she loved, Fu Rongxuan, had become a commoner. If it had been before, she would surely have been sad, but after suffering so much, she no longer had such feelings.
What did others matter? The most important thing was to live well herself.
Moreover, she was now a princess, a princess recognized by the emperor. She was not some lost pearl or an illegitimate daughter that couldn't be shown in public. She was a princess bestowed by the emperor, even more glorious than Princess Qin.
In the future, she would not marry out but would choose a son - in - law. What kind of family and what kind of young man could she not choose? Fu Rongxuan was a man of great talent and good looks, but he was not the only one in the world. She would surely meet someone better and more suitable.
Shi Aohan lowered her head, smiling with a gentle look. The emperor doted on her very much, even more than Princess Qin and Lu Wanning. The emperor also explained that he had been temporarily muddled before and no one had reminded him that she was still suffering.
There was a hint of doubt in her eyes. If the emperor really loved her, how could he forget? No, no. The emperor had so many state affairs to attend to, and so many things had happened in the past few months. How could the emperor have time to think about her? It must be like this. As soon as the emperor was free, he immediately took her out of the Cold Palace.
The emperor... No, he was her father now, her imperial father.
She told him every day about how her mother had missed him in the past, and he knew all about it. When she said she wanted to see her uncle and aunt, he also fulfilled her wish and sent someone to invite them to the capital.
Of course, she didn't really want to see her uncle and aunt. Back then, they had known the truth but still treated her and her mother so badly. Now, she wanted them to see that she was a high - ranking princess. With just one word from her, she could make them fall into eternal damnation.
She was really happy.
Shi Aohan wore the most gorgeous clothes. The plain clothes from the past would never appear in her wardrobe again.
She walked out gracefully, wanting to go for a stroll in the imperial garden, but was stopped by a palace maid.
"Princess, you can't go out."
Shi Aohan calmly glanced at her and said, "Does the emperor know that you're stopping me?"
The palace maid quickly explained, "Princess, it was the emperor's order. The emperor said that your body is not fully recovered yet, so he forbade us to let you go out."
Shi Aohan was a little angry, but then thought that the emperor was doing it for her own good. She endured it and said, "But I'm so bored. I want to see the emperor."
The palace maid looked embarrassed. "The emperor is busy and doesn't have time to come."
Shi Aohan scolded, "Nonsense. The emperor came to see me every day a few days ago. He didn't come yesterday, and now he won't come today either? Go and announce me to the emperor."
The palace maid knelt down and said, "Princess, it's true. The emperor has been unwell these days. Knowing that your body is weak, he was afraid of passing the illness on to you, so he didn't come."
Shi Aohan asked nervously, "Is the emperor sick? Is it serious?"
The palace maid shook her head. "It's not serious. The emperor even went to court today. Princess Zhaoyang has already entered the palace to attend to the emperor's illness yesterday."
The jealousy on Shi Aohan's face couldn't be hidden, but soon she managed to suppress it. This was the difference between a real daughter and a fake one. When the emperor was sick, he was worried about passing the illness on to her but not to Lu Wanning. He even specifically asked Lu Wanning to attend to his illness.
However, another day passed, and Shi Aohan still hadn't waited for the emperor. She was a little anxious and quickly asked, "Why hasn't the emperor come to see me yet?"
The palace maid still said the same thing, "The emperor is sick and can't come."
Shi Aohan felt something was wrong. "But before, when the emperor couldn't come, he still bestowed me all kinds of gifts. Why has there been no movement at all in the past two days?"
The palace maid didn't say a word. An old nurse walked over with a bowl of medicine. "Princess, it's time to take your medicine."
Shi Aohan was shocked. She had been blinded by joy before, but now she felt that everything was strange. For example, although there were many old nurses and palace maids, they had been restricting her, not allowing her to go out, not allowing her to wander around, and not even allowing her to inquire about things.
It was not like the way they treated a princess but more like the way they treated a prisoner.
Shi Aohan reached out and knocked over the medicine bowl. "I want to see the emperor. I won't take this medicine. I want to see the emperor!"
The old nurses and palace maids knelt on the ground. Shi Aohan felt even more strange. The medicine must be poisonous. If she drank it, would she die?
The servants were at their wits' end and had no choice but to send someone to invite the emperor.
The emperor was teaching Lu Wanning how to play chess. While teaching, he laughed heartily. "Zhaoyang, your chess skills are really poor. In the future, when you get married and your husband wants to play chess, what will you do?"
Lu Wanning didn't care at all. "Just find a husband who doesn't know how to play chess."
The emperor thought to himself that A Yu was very good at chess. He couldn't just stop playing because of you.
Lu Wanning really didn't want to play anymore. She coquettishly said, "Your Majesty, I really don't know how to play. How about we play the game of arrow - throwing into a pot? That's more fun."
The emperor shook his head helplessly. Well, no one was perfect. Zhaoyang liked fun things. It was really difficult for her to do something that required concentration.
Then, he asked, "Zhaoyang, are you afraid of the marriage alliance?"
Lu Wanning nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid."
The emperor was puzzled. "If you're afraid, why did you still agree to go?"
Lu Wanning propped her face up and asked, "Can I not go?"
The emperor paused for a moment and shook his head. "I'm reluctant to let you go."
Lu Wanning burst out laughing. "My father is also reluctant, but he still wants me to go. I thought that anyway I had to go. Whether I'm happy or not, I have to go. So why can't I go happily? But Your Majesty, you can't be stingy with my dowry. I don't want things like chessboards and calligraphy and paintings. I want gold and silver."
The emperor laughed heartily. "You girl, you want gold and silver treasures? Do you know that chessboards and calligraphy and paintings are worth a fortune?"
Lu Wanning said seriously, "Your Majesty, things like chess, qin, calligraphy, and paintings are just for elegance. They are products of a prosperous age. If the common people can't even live well, who will like these things? Gold, silver, silk, and grains are what the people really need. I don't know what kind of person Zhao Bi is. Although being the crown princess should be good, what if I don't get along well with Crown Prince Zhao Bi? I'm a princess of the Great Zhou. I don't want to be inferior to others. With gold and silver, even if I eat rough rice and wear coarse clothes, I can still live decently."
The emperor's eyes flashed. He suddenly understood why Lu Hongxi was so determined to send Zhaoyang for the marriage alliance. He was right. If it was Zhaoyang, he might be able to bring her back in the future.
A eunuch walked in. "Your Majesty, Princess Han is making a fuss and refuses to take her medicine."