The Empress of the Qing Dynasty is from the Northeast

Chapter 253 Plum Blossom Jade Letter

When Changning ran to the Imperial Garden in a rage, he met the naughty Hongchen, who for some reason ran up a tree and shot everywhere with a slingshot in his hand, sometimes at birds and sometimes at people. The eunuchs around him were trembling with fear and begged the Sixth Prince to come down.

Hongchen was still very proud, as if so many people couldn't catch him, and he looked very impressive.

Unexpectedly, he saw a group of empress's procession from afar. He had sharp eyes and knew that it was his mother, so he hurried down.

When Chang Ning saw him climbing up the tree, her eyes went dark and she almost cursed. But then she saw that his face and body were covered in dust and he showed a flattering look: "Mother, I just want to stand up there to see the view from a high place and take a breath."

"Go back!"

Changning didn't want to teach the child a lesson outside, so her face turned pale, which frightened Hongchen so much that he became obedient and didn't dare to act naughty anymore.

Changning angrily took Hongchen to Chengqian Palace and happened to meet Shupin on the way.

Shupin has been particularly respectful to the Empress Dowager recently, as if she follows the Empress' lead. She is always the first to arrive when paying respects, and she no longer looks as noble as before.

"Good luck to the Queen, and good luck to the Sixth Prince."

Concubine Shu quickly saluted Changning and Hongchen, and Hongchen also returned the salute obediently: "Madam Shu."

Zhang herself had never been favored, nor did she have any children, so she liked this half-grown boy and said happily: "What have you been doing, Sixth Prince? You are covered in dust? Do you want Madam Shu to wipe it off for you?"

Hong Chen looked at his mother's expression and didn't dare to say anything, but he still answered obediently: "Thank you, Madam Shu, Hong Chen is old enough and can take care of himself."

Hearing his adult-like words, Concubine Shu was overjoyed and said, "Sixth Prince is so cute. Madam, are you going back to Chengqian Palace? I happened to bring some plum blossom paper I made myself, and I wanted to give it to you."

Chang Ning was not so angry at this time, so he nodded gently: "We are going back, sister, come and sit with us."

Shupin was very happy and followed behind.

When Hongchen saw that Empress Shu was returning to the palace with him, he felt relieved. Even if his mother was angry, she would not spank him in front of the other empresses.

But he obviously thought too much.

As soon as they entered Chengqian Palace, Changning closed the door, which frightened Hongchen and Shupin.

“Mother…Mother…”

Shupin's heart was pounding, and a thousand thoughts flashed through her mind. She hurriedly thought about what she had done wrong and whether she had angered the Empress.

Changning took a few deep breaths to suppress his anger, and without saying a word, he pointed to the wall. Hongchen pursed his lips, but did not dare to resist. He walked over obediently and stood facing the wall, reflecting on his mistakes.

Then Changning ignored him, asked him to reflect on himself, and started chatting with Shupin about family matters.

Changning had mentioned this plum blossom jade paper accidentally before. Shupin thought it was very elegant and wanted to please her, so she went back and studied it for a long time and asked someone to make it. Finally, she made a stack of it and sent it over quickly.

The paper is of uniform thickness, as smooth as new, and has a tough texture. It is covered with a layer of white wax and decorated with ice patterns. It feels excellent to the touch, and is embellished with golden plum blossoms, making it look elegant, cool, transcendent and outstanding. It is truly the best quality paper.

Chang Ning was delighted when she saw it and praised it a few times: "Shupin's hands are really skillful. I just mentioned it, but I didn't expect it to be made. It really took a lot of effort."

Concubine Shu smiled immediately. She was so happy to hear the queen's praise: "Your Majesty, why should you be polite? As long as it is something your Majesty likes, I will definitely do it seriously. What's more, this is an elegant thing. I was very happy when I did it. I can't help but admire your ingenuity. This plum blossom jade paper has the charm of ancient people."

Changning couldn't help but be surprised. She had previously thought that Zhang was quite talented, but she was aloof and had never been very sociable in the mansion. She seldom interacted with others, let alone seen her smile.

The most common impression I have of her is that she published a new collection of poetry. The maids who served her said that she also read books every day in the courtyard.

I didn't expect her personality to change so quickly. In just a short period of time, she laughed more than in the past few years.

The two chatted about the plum blossom letter for a while. Shupin saw the Sixth Prince standing against the wall in a pitiful manner. She felt sorry for him and wanted to speak up for him.

"My queen, I wonder what mistake the Sixth Prince made to make you angry. Why don't you let him wash up first?"

Changning glanced at him and saw that he was quite well behaved. Then he slowly let out his anger and waved his hand, asking Hongchen to come over.

He seemed like a good boy now, totally different from the little bully he had before.

"Do you know you are wrong?"

Hongchen nodded and blinked: "Son shouldn't skip school."

"anything else?"

"You shouldn't lie."

"anything else?"

“You shouldn’t climb trees.”

"anything else?"

Hongchen scratched his head, revealing a confused look: "No more."

Chang Ning took a deep breath and explained to him in a gentle voice: "Hongchen, your first mistake was skipping school. As a prince, you didn't study hard in the study room, but lied and ran away. Not only did you embarrass your teacher and cause trouble, but you also made people around you anxious. Do you know how anxious your mother was when she heard that you were missing? If your father knew about this, do you think he would forgive you?"

Hong Chen pursed his lips and shook his head: "The Emperor will be angry too."

Seeing that he admitted his mistakes with a good attitude and was willing to listen, Chang Ning calmed down and continued, "Your second mistake was to ignore the danger to yourself. The tree was so high, and you climbed up. What if you fell and got hurt? So many eunuchs failed to stop you at that time. Isn't it their fault for not taking good care of you?"

At this point, Chang Ning became even angrier: "The people serving you are so short-sighted! The master was wrong, but not only did they fail to dissuade you, they also allowed you to climb the tree to such a dangerous place! No one even came back to pass on the news! What's their intention?"

Changning was so angry that she called Zhao Fuhai in and beat all the eunuchs and palace maids who had followed Hongchen out today with twenty boards, telling them that if they did not serve their master well, they would be punished in the future.

Hongchen was lucky today and nothing happened. If there was any danger, Hongchen's life would be in danger, and even if these people were beaten to death, it would be powerless to save him. Changning must not let this happen and must nip it in the bud.

At this point, Hongchen had already realized his mistake, but he dared not say anything. Seeing that his mother was extremely angry and had punished the people around him, he was a little frightened. Only then did he realize that his every move would affect the safety of the people around him.