Chapter 307: Chapter 308: Self-blame Edict

The Emperor had deliberately suppressed news of the Imperial Ancestral Temple’s collapse.

But somehow, it had still gotten out.

First, an earthquake, and then the collapse of the Imperial Ancestral Temple—both happening on New Year’s Day. It was impossible for people not to read into it.

The commoners were abuzz with discussion about it.

Some believed it was a warning from the heavens, a sign of treacherous villains wreaking havoc in the imperial court.

Others felt it was an omen of the Great Zhou Dynasty’s impending decline.

In short, none of it boded well.

To stabilize public sentiment, the Emperor personally wrote a Self-blame Edict, declaring that all the fault lay with him. He promised to improve and hoped the heavens would forgive his past transgressions and continue to protect the Great Zhou Dynasty and its people.

The Empress Dowager also took the initiative, announcing her willingness to go to the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple to pray for the people.

With the Empress Dowager taking the lead, the imperial concubines naturally had to follow suit. Soon after, the female relatives of princes and nobles all expressed their desire to go as well.

As Princess Consort Zhao, Hua Manman naturally had to go as well.

Hua Manman was on good terms with Princess Anshun, so the two shared a carriage to the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple.

Once everyone had arrived, the Empress Dowager led the concubines and other noblewomen into the temple.

The abbot, knowing the Empress Dowager was coming to pray, had cleared out the entire Ten Thousand Buddha Temple in advance.

The Ten Thousand Buddha Temple was silent today, without a single worshipper in sight.

Hua Manman and Princess Anshun blended into the crowd of noblewomen, kneeling on prayer cushions with the others, facing the Buddha statue with their palms pressed together.

Afterward, they had to listen to the abbot’s sermon on Buddhist scripture.

Hua Manman had no interest whatsoever in Buddhism and grew drowsy as she listened.

Princess Anshun wasn’t faring much better, often raising her sleeve to discreetly stifle a yawn.

They finally managed to endure it until the end.

Next up was the vegetarian meal—Hua Manman’s favorite part.

The noblewomen were seated four to a table.

Hua Manman planned to sit with Princess Anshun, but Princess Ningyang sent someone to summon her.

Princess Ningyang was originally dining alone. Since she couldn’t finish all the food by herself, she had Hua Manman sit and eat with her, making small talk as they did.

Hua Manman didn’t stand on ceremony and sat down readily.

Princess Ningyang was getting on in years and had a weak stomach, so she put down her chopsticks after eating her fill.

Cradling a cup of hot tea, she asked in a gentle voice.

"I heard Prince Zhao was injured at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Is it serious?"

Hua Manman swallowed the food in her mouth. "It’s just a flesh wound. It has already scabbed over, so it’s nothing serious."

Princess Ningyang said, "As long as he’s all right. You must take good care of him. Don’t let the wound get wet, and be careful with his diet. Try to avoid foods that might hinder his recovery."

Hua Manman nodded obediently. "Yes, I’ll be careful."

Seeing her so compliant, Princess Ningyang was quite pleased, and her gaze softened.

"You and Prince Zhao have been married for a while now. When do you plan on having a child?"

Hua Manman nearly choked.

’Here it comes! It’s one of the three questions every elder is bound to ask!’

’Do you have a significant other? What’s your salary? When are you going to have kids?’

Hua Manman picked up her soup bowl and gulped it all down.

She picked up a napkin, dabbed the corner of her mouth, and answered quietly.

"The Prince says we’re both still young and there’s no need to rush things."

’Sorry, Prince Zhao, but at a time like this, I have no choice but to use you as a scapegoat.’

’As a great, upstanding man, you surely won’t mind... right?’

Princess Ningyang frowned slightly. "It is precisely because you’re young that you should have children sooner. You can’t wait until you’re old and gray, can you?"

Hua Manman replied, "The Prince meant we should wait another two years and see."

Princess Ningyang was still not pleased.

"In another two years, Prince Zhao will be twenty. By the time the Saint was twenty, he already had four children."

What could Hua Manman say to that? She could only offer a heartfelt compliment.

"The Saint was certainly bursting with vitality."

Princess Ningyang: "..."

’Do all young people speak so bluntly these days?’

An awkward silence descended.

Utterly unaware that she was a conversation killer, Hua Manman asked curiously.

"Why are you so quiet, Eldest Princess?"

Princess Ningyang’s expression was inscrutable. "You have quite a way with idioms."

Hua Manman feigned modesty. "I’m just average. I learned all my idioms from Prince Zhao."

Princess Ningyang remarked, "In that case, you two are truly a good match."

Hua Manman looked even more bashful. "I think we’re a good match, too."

Princess Ningyang: "..."

’I was just making a casual remark. How dare you actually agree?’

Hua Manman said, "The vegetarian dishes here are delicious. Could I get a portion to go?"

Princess Ningyang asked, "Are you taking it back for Prince Zhao?"

Seeing that Hua Manman still thought of Prince Zhao even when she was out for a meal, Princess Ningyang felt a sense of gratification.

Hua Manman replied, "I wanted to take a portion home for a late-night snack. It’s not every day I get to visit the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple, and who knows when I’ll be back again."

Princess Ningyang: "..."

’So I was just getting my hopes up for nothing.’

After eating her fill, Hua Manman actually found a monk and had him pack up a portion of the vegetarian food to take with her.

「On the way back to the city.」

Inside the carriage, Princess Anshun glanced at the food box next to Hua Manman and couldn’t help but ask.

"Why did you get a portion to go?"

Hua Manman patted her stomach, sighing wistfully.

"It’s all the fault of the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple’s vegetarian dishes for being too delicious. I hadn’t eaten my fill, so I had to get some to go."

Princess Anshun was suddenly filled with awe. "You dared to ask for a doggy bag right in front of Princess Ningyang? You’re a true warrior!"

Hua Manman said, "You make Princess Ningyang sound so terrifying. I thought she was quite approachable."

Princess Anshun adopted the mysterious expression of someone who was in on all the gossip.

"I can tell you don’t know the stories. Back when the late Emperor ascended the throne, Princess Ningyang was instrumental in his success. When it comes to schemes and tactics, she’s this."

She gave a thumbs-up and waved it in front of Hua Manman.

"Later, after the late Emperor passed away, the court and the inner palace were in turmoil.

The Empress Dowager had only just received her title. With no one she could rely on, she was struggling to hold her ground in the inner palace.

In the end, it was with Princess Ningyang’s help that the Empress Dowager gradually stabilized the situation in the inner palace.

And that’s why the Empress Dowager is always so respectful toward Princess Ningyang.

Any normal person would be trembling in their boots in front of Princess Ningyang.

Forget about asking for a doggy bag—they’d be too nervous to even taste their food."

As Princess Anshun spoke, her gaze on Hua Manman grew very peculiar.

It was the kind of look one gives to a complete oddball.

Hua Manman never would have guessed that Princess Ningyang had such a legendary past.

’*Palace Intrigue* barely mentioned Princess Ningyang. It only said that she was the late Emperor’s sister, her husband had died young, and she had a son and a daughter. The daughter was Princess Rouwan, Prince Zhao’s birth mother.’

’Her past and her personality were almost never mentioned.’