Chapter 218 A Family

Chapter 218 A Family

After seeing her sister-in-law off, Shen Nanzi headed towards the Hele Palace.

She spotted Consort Wei and, as a junior, felt she should go and see her.

I mainly wanted to inquire about Xie Yu's health. The two of us have been seeing each other frequently these days, but we haven't had a chance to ask him in detail.

The palace lanterns shone brightly, and several more wooden boxes were brought out of the Hall of Harmony.

Consort Wei happened to come out as well, and the two met at the door.

"Your Highness, Imperial Concubine." Shen Nanzi still used the old title.

"Princess Consort Jing!" Consort Wei was somewhat surprised and quickly corrected herself, "I should call you Empress Dowager."

"Let's still call her Princess Jing, it sounds more natural." Shen Nanzi was still young and felt very uncomfortable with it, finding it awkward.

"Propriety must not be neglected." Consort Wei said with a kind expression, "Has Cheng'er not returned yet?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid it will be a busy period of time."

"Both Prince Jing and Grand Commandant Shen are here, so there's no need to worry."

“I’m not worried,” Shen Nanzi glanced into the Harmony Hall, “If we can’t finish moving it today, we can come back tomorrow!”

"It's all moved in," Consort Wei said with a cheerful smile, a hint of relief in her voice. "Before Cheng'er marries the Empress, this entire harem will be yours."

Shen Nanzi smiled and asked, "Where is Xie Yu? When I left last time, were his waist and thigh injuries completely healed?"

The smile on Consort Wei's face faded, and there was relief in her eyes. "If his injuries are properly treated, they will not leave any lasting health problems."

"After you left, the Xue family was about to ascend the throne. Despite his injuries, he led a group of princes and grandsons to stop them."

"I have lingering problems with my back and legs. I can't walk for long periods of time, otherwise I'll become a bit lame."

"His back often hurts. He's stubborn. If you meet him, talk to him nicely and ask him to cooperate with the doctor and get proper treatment."

Consort Wei's eyes reddened as she spoke of Xie Yu's pain.

Shen Nanzi was also heartbroken. Xie Yu, who was in good health, had been harmed because of this change of imperial power.

＊

Xie Yan and Shen Minghan walked out of Shengming Hall side by side; it was pitch black outside.

Shen Minghan headed out of the palace, while Xie Yan, holding Cheng'er's hand, walked towards the inner palace.

The early spring night was still a bit chilly, blowing against their robes.

Neither father nor son were talkative, and they remained silent the entire way.

Xie Chengze would occasionally look at the hand that was being held; these days, Xie Yan had spent most of his time holding his hand.

At first, he wasn't used to it, but after a while, he got used to it.

In recent days, he has often heard him call him Cheng'er, more often than he has in all these years.

He felt conflicted; he wished he were Yunxiao, but he was Prince Jing.

He could feel that he was being treated well and taught as much as he could.

Xie Chengze wanted to treat him like Yunxiao, but his heart was filled with all the things that had happened before, making it impossible for him to hold a grudge or truly accept him.

The two, one big and one small, walked across the stone bridge. When they saw that slender figure standing at the end of the bridge, both of them tightened their grip slightly before letting go.

Xie Chengze's steps quickened involuntarily, and a smile appeared on his face, which had been tense all day.

She almost ran to Shen Nanzi, "Mother!"

Shen Nanzi bent down and gently rubbed Xie Chengze's face. "Are you tired?"

Xie Chengze nestled against her, leaning against her affectionately, "I'm not tired."

Shen Nanzi hugged him tenderly, "You must be exhausted!"

No emperor is without hardship. This child has exceptional endurance and is expected to do everything well. He's likely destined for a life of toil.

"Mom had someone make something delicious. Eat it and then get a good night's sleep."

Shen Nanzi stood up and took Cheng'er's hand.

Xie Yan was already standing beside them, watching the mother and child.

He gazed at them quietly, and for a moment, all three fell silent.

On the day of Seung-er's ascension to the throne, the two often stood together. In public, they maintained royal decorum, like a respectful couple.

Now, in private, without outsiders around, Shen Nanzi doesn't know how to face him.

She felt nothing at his appearance, even after her brother told her about what he had done to her.

She should have been moved, but she wasn't; it seemed rather heartless.

Remembering what her sister-in-law had said before she left, she looked back at Xie Yan and asked, "Are you hungry too?"

Xie Yan's eyes lit up with astonishment and disbelief, and his voice trembled slightly.

"Is one of mine?"

Shen Nanzi turned around, "Yes."

Her voice fell into the darkness, yet it was like an invisible hand that grasped Xie Yan's lonely figure.

Xie Yan turned his head to the side, his eyes reddening in the darkness.

Knowing that she was only doing it for Cheng'er, she was willing to include him so that everyone could have a happy ending.

Her willingness to bring him along was enough to make his heart flutter.

Inside the Yunyang Palace, on a round table, there were several plates of exquisite side dishes and steaming soup.

Xie Chengze changed out of his dragon robe and crown, and into a light-colored casual outfit, and sat upright at the dining table.

Shen Nanzi did not have the palace servants serve her, but instead personally scooped the food into Cheng'er's bowl, occasionally giving him a few words of advice.

"This meat has a crispy outer layer that's been deep-fried; it's sweet, have a taste!"

She picked up a piece herself and put it in her mouth with Cheng'er. The crisp sound rang out at the same time, and the mother and son looked at each other and smiled.

Seeing the heartwarming scene between the mother and child, Xie Yan couldn't help but pick up a piece, taste it, and found it to be sweet and crispy.

The sweetness seeped into my heart; the scene of happiness felt so unreal, almost unbelievable.

Is such a happy and fulfilling life really something Xie Yan could have?

He had pushed it away for eight years, but now he realizes that the fulfillment he sought was right beside him, within easy reach, yet it had slipped through his fingers for so many years.

Everyone took what they wanted for dinner, and all three enjoyed it to the fullest.

Cheng'er was indeed exhausted and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

My great-aunt was heartbroken and muttered softly, "Go to court tomorrow after he wakes up. He's still a child. How can he work as hard as an adult?"

Shen Nanzi felt sorry for him and leaned against the door frame, gazing at the little face sleeping peacefully on the bed.

“I’m here, he won’t get too tired,” Xie Yan’s voice sounded from behind. “I let him sleep for an hour during the day.”

"With three consecutive days of enthronement ceremonies, the government affairs that have been piling up for half a year may keep us busy for some time."

"If you're worried, you can go visit him at noon!"

Shen Nanzi turned around and asked, "May I enter Shengming Palace?"

Why not?

"Isn't it said that women of the harem are not allowed to set foot in Shengming Palace without being summoned?"

"Have Cheng'er change the rules tomorrow, allowing the Empress Dowager to visit at any time." A faint smile appeared in Xie Yan's eyes.

Shen Nanzi looked at him, "You're lying to me?"

"Rules are made by people. Your son is the emperor. Who would dare to object to an additional rule?"

Shen Nanzi couldn't help but feel proud, "Yes! Cheng'er is the emperor now, his power is boundless!"

Then he thought, "Forget it, there's a bunch of stubborn old men in the court who will surely remonstrate to the death again. It's too much trouble."

"No trouble at all." Xie Yan's voice was soft, yet firm.

Afraid of waking Cheng'er, Shen Nanzi went to the outer room, with Xie Yan following behind her.

"Is General Zhao going to aid Prince Qi's army?"

"I plan to send General Lin; the border at Fangshuo cannot be relaxed."

"Fang Shuo is the least of my worries; I still have leverage."

Xie Yan stared intently at her with great interest. "Tell me about it."

“Mo Lanxing is in my hands, and Fang Shuo and I have a contract,” Shen Nanzi said lightly, referring to the cards in her hand.

Now that they are all working for Yunhan, they naturally cannot hide it.

"You mean, you still want General Zhao to lead the troops to fight the Cangjue?"

"Yes, he has always been in charge of the Prince Cheng's army. He understands the personalities of the other generals in the army, so the chances of victory are greater."

"It is indeed dangerous to change generals rashly! Mo Lanxing is in your hands, so you can send General Zhao to meet him." Xie Yan said, "But Cangjue is not easy to fight. The Cangjue king is young and ambitious, and he is both wise and brave. He is not easy to deal with."

Shen Nanzi didn't know much about Cang Jue, so she thought she needed to brush up on her knowledge, since she still had the identity of Lady Rou over there that she could use.

"Prince Jing, Princess Jing, the bed has been changed. You can rest now!"

A palace servant came forward to report.