The Farm Girl's Charismatic Fortune-Chapter 303 - 299 No Successor

Aunt Yuhua had just placed Xuanbao in the warmed sedan chair and handed her the hand warmer with instructions to hold it tight, when Princess Kangyi ran over, "Aunt Yuhua, did the Empress Dowager send a warmed sedan to pick me up too?"

At this moment, the ladies of the Protectorate Duke’s Residence also approached.

The Lady of the Protectorate Duke glanced at the person from the Ruo Family, who had already boarded the warmed sedan chair.

They were from the Empress Dowager’s maternal family, yet the Empress Dowager had arranged warmed sedan chairs for several outsiders but never treated her own family members with such consideration.

Aunt Yuhua smiled as she greeted them with a bow and then said with a smile, "The Empress Dowager has instructed this servant to wait here for you ladies."

Then Aunt Yuhua said to the eunuchs carrying the warmed sedan chair, "Quickly take Princess Wuyou to Xuanyang Palace so as not to keep the Ninth Prince waiting."

This remark was meant for the people of the Protectorate Duke’s Residence, implying that the sedan chair had been arranged by the Ninth Prince.

After finishing, Aunt Yuhua said to the ladies from the Protectorate Duke’s Residence, "Granny, Madam, Crown Princess, Cousin, please! This servant will now take you to Cining Palace."

Princess Kangyi was discontent, pointing at Ruo Xuan, "Why does she have a warmed sedan chair, and I don’t?"

Aunt Yuhua laughed and said, "This was arranged by the Ninth Prince. It just so happened that he knew I was coming to the palace gate to meet you, so he let this servant also welcome Princess Wuyou incidentally."

Her words were watertight, leaving no room for criticism.

As for why the Ninth Prince hadn’t arranged anything for the people of the Protectorate Duke’s Residence?

Why would the Ninth Prince arrange anything for the Protectorate Duke’s Residence?

The Ninth Prince had no relations with the Protectorate Duke’s people at all.

The eunuchs were from Cining Palace, all shrewd, and hurriedly lifted the sedan chair and left.

Princess Kangyi stamped her foot, "I don’t want to walk, I want to ride in a warmed sedan too."

Yuhua pretended not to hear and smiled, "It’s cold, Granny, Lady of the Duke, Crown Princess, Cousin, please."

It wasn’t her place to lecture or cajole an ill-mannered cousin.

The matriarch of the Protectorate Duke scolded, "No making a fuss! Your status is not as distinguished as theirs, what warmed sedan for you? Aren’t you ashamed?"

Princess Kangyi pouted in aggrievement, "I’m a Commandery Princess too, how am I less distinguished than her?"

Aunt Yuhua watched as the matriarch of the Protectorate Duke remarked, "The cousin is but a child and may have forgotten, but surely Granny and the Crown Princess haven’t forgotten the undeclared imperial edict sitting in Cining Palace."

The Lady of the Protectorate Duke and the Crown Princess’s faces changed.

Two years ago, the Empress Dowager had issued an imperial edict to strip away the title of Princess Kangyi.

However, with the imperial seal in the palace and the Empress Dowager out of the palace, the edict lacked the seal and therefore was never proclaimed.

As long as the directive was not declared, Kangyi was still Princess Kangyi.

If Kangyi angered the Empress Dowager today and in her wrath, she stamped it with the seal and proclaimed it, that would be troublesome.

The matriarch of the Protectorate Duke frowned, "Kangyi, you mustn’t be unreasonable! That was prepared by the Ninth Prince for Princess Wuyou."

Seeing her grandmother truly angered, Kangyi dared not act up any longer.

Only then did the matriarch say to Yuhua, "Let’s go!"

With that, she took the lead and walked ahead.

The people from the Protectorate Duke’s Residence followed with trepidation and resentment.

Today, the snowstorm was severe, and it was quite a distance from the palace gates to Cining Palace or the Empress’s Kunning Palace!

The Empress Dowager had gone too far, sending a warmed sedan to pick up a Commandery Princess of peasant origin without fetching her own family members, subjecting the Protectorate Duke’s Residence to ridicule.

Aunt Yuhua also felt stifled, feeling it unfair on behalf of the Empress Dowager.

Who wouldn’t want their maternal family to fare well? Yet the men of the Empress Dowager’s maternal family were all hopeless cases!

The Empress Dowager’s sister-in-law truly couldn’t make a respectable appearance.

If it hadn’t been for the chaos of war, if she hadn’t been bullied, the Duke wouldn’t have married her after seeing her body when he came to her rescue.

Later, in choosing wives and daughters-in-law, they didn’t heed the Empress Dowager’s objections and insisted on marrying their own nieces, all incapable of seeing reason!

It was difficult even for the Empress Dowager to help her maternal family.

A virtuous wife results in fewer disasters for her husband; marrying an unworthy wife brings calamity across three generations—sometimes, there’s truth in old sayings.

Princess Kangyi pales in comparison to Xuanbao’s good behavior, understanding, and cleverness – she falls tens of thousands of miles short!

The Protectorate Duke’s Residence still wants their young Miss to be betrothed to the Ninth Prince.

With the young Miss’s temperament, why would the Empress Dowager even consider it?

Hopefully, the Protectorate Duke will soon bring forth someone capable!

Being from the Empress Dowager’s maternal family, if people from the Protectorate Duke Residence are incompetent, it reflects poorly on the Empress Dowager as well.

The entrance of the Imperial Palace teemed with influential officials, ladies of high rank, and noble daughters who were there for today’s palace banquet.

Seeing the approach of the Protectorate Duke’s Residence, all harbored disdain, especially those from prominent families.

The Empress Dowager is also a woman who doesn’t let men overshadow her; unexpectedly, her family members are all so ineffectual.

With no one to follow in their footsteps, their decline is only a matter of time.

Ruo Xuan comfortably reached the Cining Palace seated in a warm palanquin.

Since the Empress could receive the lady guests at the palace banquet, the Empress Dowager didn’t have much to do and it was quite tranquil at her palace.

Xuanyuan Que was sitting in front of the west window reading a book, summoned by the Empress Dowager to keep Ruo Xuan company.

Madam Liu and others were deeply impressed by the majesty and splendor of the Imperial Palace along the way.

The stairs are all made of white marble!

By contrast, the decor inside Cining Palace was much more modest.

Simply because the Empress Dowager said that too much glitz and glamour made her eyes hurt.

Madam Liu walked in with Ruo Xuan, feeling much at home as if they had returned to their villa in Shaxi County.

Just as the five of them were about to salute, the Empress Dowager stopped them, "Enough, there are no outsiders here, what’s with the formalities? Xuanbao, come here, are you cold?"

The Empress Dowager extended her hand to Ruo Xuan.

Granny Lei and the others laughed, "Rituals must not be discarded."

They still performed a courtesy.

Only Ruo Xuan ran directly into the Empress Dowager’s embrace, "I’m not cold; I was sitting in a warm palanquin the whole way and I’m quite warm, I even started to sweat."

Xuanyuan Que glanced at the flower bundled up like a glutinous rice dumpling, thinking expressionlessly, how could she not be hot? She must be wearing two cotton quilts on herself, right?

The Empress Dowager felt the sweat at the back of Ruo Xuan’s neck and hurriedly helped her take off her cloak, "It’s warm inside, you don’t need to wear so much."

After taking off two layers of clothes, Ruo Xuan finally felt much more comfortable!

Ruo Xuan handed over a red pouch embroidered with pine and cranes to the Empress Dowager, "This is Xuanbao’s New Year’s gift for Grandma Empress Dowager. This pouch glows at night! So you don’t have to worry about not finding it if it falls."

The Empress Dowager immediately knew it was stitched by Madam Liu upon inspecting it, but the seams must have been done by Xuanbao; the stitching had greatly improved.

The Empress Dowager said with a smile, "Xuanbao’s needlework has really come a long way!"

Xuanyuan Que took a look and agreed, hm, indeed it had improved a lot, last year the stitches were loose enough to fit a finger, this year only a chopstick could fit.

Last time, the clothes she gave as presents even had their cuffs sewn together—they were losing Silver!

At least last year the cuffs weren’t sewn shut, although the waist did show some skin because she forgot to sew it up.

Hearing this, Ruo Xuan was very happy, "Really? I think so too! I will continue to make a pouch for the Empress Dowager next year."

"Haha, good! Xuanbao, what present did you prepare for your brother this year? Brother has been looking forward to it for a long time," the Empress Dowager noticed her little grandson’s gaze fixed on her pouch and hurriedly asked.

Xuanyuan Que: He wasn’t looking forward to it at all! Every time she gave a present, it required his rework.

Ruo Xuan quickly turned to Madam Liu, "Mother, give me the present I prepared for Brother Xuanyuan."

Madam Liu handed over a bundle to Ruo Xuan, smiling, "Xuanbao has been working tirelessly on this gift for the past few days, hardly sleeping at night. She wants to prepare a surprise for Brother Xuanyuan!"

Xuanyuan Que’s eyes landed on the bundle: Half a year ago, she started proclaiming that she was preparing a birthday present for him, but it ended up being a last-minute rush job done in just six days. He had no expectations for the present from the flower.

But the Empress Dowager disagreed, "That won’t do, Xuanbao. You’re still young and it’s your growing period, you can’t stay up late. Not sleeping at night will keep you from growing taller."

Ruo Xuan didn’t care, she handed the bundle to Xuanyuan Que, "Happy birthday, Brother Xuanyuan!"

Xuanyuan Que accepted it, and the Empress Dowager urged, "Open it quickly and show your Imperial Great-Grandmother what Xuanbao has prepared for you!"