Phi-Fic Chapter 884: Grounded!
Chapter 884: Grounded!
Duanmu Qing was also quite frightened.
Although she had vaguely guessed that her half-sister would harbor some resentment towards her and her mother, she never expected that she would blame Zhuang Shi's mistakes on them.
She truly witnessed what it means to distort the truth.
“Mother, you don’t need to be angry. It’s not worth it for her. Now that Zhuang Shi has been imprisoned in the Shenxing Division, she probably hates us. If you are worried, just find a fault with her and confine her to her quarters.”
Princess Su nodded, somewhat relieved.
After all, this is her own daughter. This time, even though there was such a huge crisis, she managed to get through it.
"Good child, don't worry, your mother will never be upset because of those villains."
"Granny Song, go and tell the main kitchen to make some calming soup for Duanmu Ya and send it to her every day. Also, seal off her courtyard and no one is allowed to enter or leave at will. Tell the outside world that she is ill because she misses Zhuang Shi."
"Yes, princess."
Duanmu Qing was taken aback. "Mother, is this appropriate?"
“What’s wrong with her? With her kind of thinking and the fact that she’s been raised by the Zhuang family, I’m afraid she might do something before your wedding. Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to release her after your wedding.”
Duanmu Qing nodded, knowing that her father had always favored that daughter, and if she were to be placed under house arrest without any reason, her father would probably ask about it.
Now that Duanmu Ya is the one causing trouble, there's nothing to sympathize with her for. She only hopes that Duanmu Ya is smarter than her mother and doesn't think that everyone in the Prince's mansion is a fool.
"Your Majesty, the betrothal gifts have all been sent, and everything is in order. The entire Prince Su's residence is filled with joy. Moreover, the Prince Ming's heir and the Prince Mu's heir went to the Prince Su's residence together."
Mu Xin Nuan was somewhat surprised and smiled, "This Xing'er is quite clever. I know he is on good terms with A Xuan. His trip there this time is probably to increase A Xuan's influence. This child is really good."
"Your Majesty, you're only a few years older than him!"
Mu Xin Nuan chuckled and glanced at Aunt Fang. "He's a few years older, but I'm a generation older than him. Alright, next up is Duanmu Xing's turn to deliver the betrothal gifts to the Sun family. Remember to tell the inner court that they absolutely cannot be inferior to the Mu family's standards."
"Yes, Your Highness. Don't worry, we can handle such a small matter."
Where is Zong Yao?
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager sent someone to take the Second Prince away early this morning. The First Prince is now practicing calligraphy with the Emperor Emeritus every day, and I heard that he practices for two hours every day."
Mu Xin felt a little embarrassed, feeling that she had let her eldest son down.
I haven't seen him for several days now. This mother is really neglecting her duties.
"Let's go and take a look at Fushou Palace. Also, tell me about Zonghua's lessons these past few days."
"Yes, Your Majesty. The First Prince practices calligraphy for two hours every day. One hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon. The first thing he does every morning is practice for half an hour. This was personally arranged by the Emperor for the First Prince, and it must be completed regardless of wind or rain. In addition to practicing calligraphy for one hour in the morning, he also needs to read for half an hour. In the afternoon, after the First Prince's afternoon nap, he practices calligraphy for one hour."
"Reading books? He already knows a lot of characters?"
"Your Majesty, it was the Emperor Emeritus who accompanied the First Prince. Whenever there were words he didn't recognize, the Emperor Emeritus would remind him. The First Prince is still young, but he already knows quite a few characters."
When Mu Xin Nuan arrived at Fu Shou Palace, she indeed saw the Empress Dowager holding Zong Yao in the waterside pavilion, enjoying the cool air.
"Anuan is here? Come here quickly, look how happy this child is today, her smiling face hasn't changed."
Mu Xin Nuan greeted the Empress Dowager and, seeing that her complexion was not bad, she was not in a hurry to see the child. While the wet nurse was taking the child away, she took the Empress Dowager's pulse directly.
"My pulse is fine. You should take good care of yourself and give me a granddaughter. That would be wonderful."
Mu Xinnuan blushed, checked her pulse for a while longer, and then stopped.
"Mother, your pulse has been quite good lately, but there are some things you must not indulge in."
The Empress Dowager smiled. "Did you come to see Zonghua?"
"I'm so happy that Zonghua can stay by Father Emperor and Mother Emperor's side. It's just that I haven't seen him for a few days, and I'm wondering if he's grown taller?"
"Since you've come today, please have lunch with us here. I heard that the Emperor has been busy lately. Although there's not much to worry about in the harem, you are the Empress, and you still need to take care of the ladies of the outer court and the young ladies."
"Yes, Mother, I've got it."
Seven or eight days later, the heir of the Prince of Ming's mansion personally went to the Minister's mansion to propose marriage, which was a great honor for the Sun family.
At this point, giving face to the Sun family is giving face to Sun Ruomei.
Mu Qingxuan went along as well, and not only him, but also the heir of Prince Su accompanied them.
The betrothal gifts given to the Minister's Mansion were comparable to, or even slightly higher than, those given by Mu Qingxuan to the Prince Su's Mansion.
Prince Su's heir understood perfectly. After all, Duanmu Xing was Prince Ming's heir, and the generous betrothal gifts showed how much Prince Ming valued his heir.
Before we knew it, it was August.
"Your Majesty, in three to five days, Madam Sun will be taking her child to the capital. That will be just in time for Sun Ruomei's wedding."
"Well, I'm just worried that Sun Ruomei's stepmother might use this as an excuse to cause trouble. But considering that Sun Ruomei is married to the heir of the Ming Prince, Xu Shi wouldn't dare to be so bold."
“Your Majesty is right. In addition, I heard that Duanmu Ya has been claiming to be ill and has not left the house for more than a month.”
"But is it the Zhuang family's daughter?"
"That's right. I had someone inquire carefully. It turns out that Duanmu Ya secretly cursed when Prince Mu was delivering the betrothal gifts, which angered Princess Su."
That makes it clear. It's essentially a disguised form of house arrest.
Mu Xin Nuan shook her head, "In the end, it was all influenced by the Zhuang family. If the Zhuang family knew that her daughter would soon follow in her footsteps, I wonder what she would think."
"That Zhuang woman is quite audacious; she dares to say and do anything. Just thinking about how Princess Su lived with her for over a decade gives me the creeps."
Mu Xin Nuan raised an eyebrow, "Is there any movement from the Zhuang family?"
"The people from the Censorate have come back to tell us that what we were told before has been handed over to Zi Yi for verification."