Chapter 1288 - 977: Military Food Supplier
Suisui nodded, "It’s just as Your Majesty Father imagined. In three months, Dongyue should completely become part of the Great Han’s territory!"
The Emperor was delighted beyond measure upon hearing this.
"Are you speaking truthfully?"
Suisui blinked, "If Your Majesty Father doesn’t believe me, then forget it."
Pouting, she turned to leave.
The Emperor hurriedly grabbed her by the collar and asked, "Where do you intend to go?"
Suisui pouted, "Naturally to Grandma’s place; my eighth and sixth aunts are visiting her palace. I need to go and bring them back home together!"
Upon hearing this, the Emperor smacked his forehead, "Look at me, I’ve completely forgotten about that. Let’s go! I will accompany you to see your two aunts!"
The Emperor reached out and picked up Suisui, holding her in his arms, while his other hand reached for Xie Pan’Er.
Xie Pan’Er shyly dodged.
Softly, she said, "There are people outside!"
The Emperor said happily, "I have already decreed you as Empress; now everyone in the Imperial Palace knows you are the Empress, and for me to hold the Empress’s hand is perfectly justified!"
So off they went, the Emperor holding the little one and leading the elder one, as they headed toward Cining Palace.
The Empress Dowager heard about the matters of the Imperial Court and couldn’t contain her joy.
She gratefully looked at Xiao Zhenzhu and said,
"I do not yet know how I should thank Princess Zhenzhu; perhaps you’d care to say what you desire?
As long as it’s something I can accomplish, I will certainly do so."
Xiao Zhenzhu never imagined the Empress Dowager of Great Han would be such an amiable old lady.
In front of them, she was completely unpretentious.
Unlike their Dongyue royalty, where every palace member schemed, donned airs; a careless outsider entering the palace could lose a layer of skin!
"I... to be able to live well now is already a blessing from heaven; how could I dare request anything of the Empress Dowager?
The Dongyue Royal House has already changed hands, and soon Dongyue will be no more. I am truly a person of a fallen country.
I seek nothing else in life, just the hope to live peacefully, without disturbance for the rest of my days; all this would be the greatest blessing for me!"
There were several meanings in her words, which the Empress Dowager understood.
A princess of a fallen state, how many live to old age?
However, she also knew the Emperor was a wise ruler, and she herself had no intention of eliminating Princess Zhenzhu.
"As long as you remain part of the Ji Family, no one in the world can touch you, furthermore, I assure you, once Great Han unites the land, if no one from Dongyue stirs trouble in the name of your Xiao royal clan, our Great Han Royal Family will never move against you!"
Xiao Zhenzhu was moved to speak but could not utter a word for a long while.
"Does this satisfy you?
If you’re still worried, how about I have His Majesty grant you an Immunity Medal?"
The Empress Dowager was excessively joyful today, and her words were a bit conceited.
An Immunity Medal isn’t something she can request for just anyone!
"No! That’s unnecessary!"
Xiao Zhenzhu quickly stood up from her seat and respectfully kowtowed to the Empress Dowager.
"Many thanks for completing me, Empress Dowager. Zhenzhu never thought Great Han’s Empress Dowager would be such a compassionate person. Before coming, I was terribly worried, fearing I might upset the Empress Dowager.
Now I understand, it was me being too petty."
As Xiao Zhenzhu spoke, she hurriedly took a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
The Empress Dowager said, "Oh dear, why are you like this, quickly rise, quickly rise, look at this conduct, if someone who doesn’t know sees, they’ll think I’ve bullied you!"
With these words from the Empress Dowager, Nanny Xiao promptly stepped forward to assist Xiao Zhenzhu.
Upon lifting her, she sniffed.
She smelled a familiar scent of ginger water.
Inexplicably mute, she kept staring at Xiao Zhenzhu as she used the ginger water-soaked handkerchief to wipe tears all morning.
She didn’t stop until Suisui and Xie Pan’Er arrived for their greetings, shifting the crowd’s attention elsewhere, allowing her secretly to exchange it for another identical handkerchief.
After everyone greeted the Emperor, he asked several things according to custom, then instructed Eunuch Ling to distribute rewards, suddenly remembering something, he said.
"The Ji Family’s several brothers have made great contributions to the court; speaking of nothing else, it’s Ji Youlin; soldiers due to using Ji Youlin’s modified weapons, on the Battlefield Great Han has lost fewer soldiers and commanders.