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“Take the Third Princess to watch the execution. Afterward, escort her and Concubine Xian to the Cold Palace. No one is to assist them. If I find out otherwise, the fate of those guards outside will be on your hands,” Xuan Feiran remarked, observing Concubine Xian’s somewhat distressed expression with a faint smirk.
As Su Yu accompanied Xuan Feiran, leaving Concubine Xian behind, she harbored resentment.
It was all Su Yu’s fault.
With this matter settled, Su Yu informed Xuan Feiran before heading back.
Upon returning home, Wang Jinhe was not present, so Su Yu went to the Su residence to visit Su Xi.
Su Xi, looking displeased, glanced at Su Yu and asked, “What are you here for?”
“I’ve come to see Grandfather,” Su Yu replied.
Su Xi snorted disdainfully, “You’ve been back for so many days and only now you come to see me. You sure have a good heart.”
Su Yu smiled and said, “Grandfather, I’ve been busy. As soon as I was free, I came to see you.”
“When is your elder brother coming back?”
“He should be back within ten days at most. Bringing back an army naturally slows their pace significantly,” Su Yu explained. He and Yuan Bao’s group had hurried back, but Su Jiu and the others couldn’t compare.
“You really have no shame, saying such things so casually,” Su Xi chuckled, shaking his head.
It was originally just a matter of returning a few days late, but now this child was coming back early, leaving the entire army behind.
“Well, your brother went with you. The Emperor has given you a lot of freedom. Otherwise, do you dare to come back so easily?” Su Xi remarked, a hint of annoyance in his tone.
At times, Su Xi couldn’t help but feel that the Emperor had been overly generous towards Su Yu, granting him significant power and status.
“My brother and the Emperor have been kind to me. Grandfather, you don’t need to envy that,” Su Yu said smugly, looking at Su Xi.
Su Xi couldn’t believe this was his once proud and independent grandson.
After chatting with Su Xi for a while, Su Yu excused himself, anticipating Wang Jinhe’s return soon.
Upon returning home, Wang Jinhe was indeed back, sitting at her desk with a serious and somewhat displeased expression, seemingly deep in thought.
Approaching Wang Jinhe and putting an arm around her shoulder, Su Yu curiously asked, “What’s on your mind?”
Furrowing her brow, Wang Jinhe replied, “It’s the commoners on the outskirts of the capital.”
“Oh? What’s going on with them?” Su Yu inquired, intrigued by Wang Jinhe’s somber demeanor.
What could have happened to make Wang Jinhe appear so worried?
Wang Jinhe let out a soft sigh, “A few days ago, I went with others to survey the surrounding land. I had plans to establish a workshop there, but after finalizing the location, the villagers from that village unexpectedly disagreed. Not only did they disagree, but they were resolute in their stance, as if they would retaliate if I dared to proceed.”
Upon hearing this, Su Yu’s expression darkened significantly. Putting an arm around Wang Jinhe’s shoulder, Su Yu spoke with a cold tone, “They really have some nerve.”
“Initially, when I mentioned building a workshop there, they seemed pleased. I have no idea how things suddenly took a turn like this,” Wang Jinhe felt like someone was deliberately opposing him.
It was strange how they had initially welcomed the idea but now adamantly refused, even rejecting the opportunity to earn money.
Su Yu wrapped an arm around Wang Jinhe’s shoulder and asked, “Feeling unhappy about this?”
Wang Jinhe shook her head with a smile, “Not exactly unhappy, just that feeling of someone meddling at the last minute doesn’t sit well with me.”
“I plan to investigate further to understand what’s going on,” Wang Jinhe expressed his determination to get to the bottom of the situation.
“Would you like me to assist you?” Su Yu asked Wang Jinhe.
Wang Jinhe smiled and shook her head, “No need for your help. I can handle it myself. You have to trust your wife.”
Although Su Yu felt somewhat helpless, he agreed, saying, “You’re right, my wife is undoubtedly the most capable.”
Wang Jinhe couldn’t help but chuckle, playfully giving Su Yu a light pat and teasingly remarked, “What kind of talk have you been listening to?”
Su Yu looked at Wang Jinhe earnestly and said, “I speak nothing but the truth.”
With a mock scowl, Wang Jinhe replied, “You talk nonsense. Weren’t you supposed to see the emperor today? Why are you back so early?”
“I’ve been up to mischief already. When I got back and found you were not home, I went to chat with Grandfather for a while,” Su Yu explained.
“The Emperor is fine, but today, he sent Concubine Xian and her daughter to the Cold Palace.”
Wang Jinhe looked surprised, “Sent them to the Cold Palace? What happened? Why would the emperor suddenly do such a thing?”
Su Yu explained the actions of Concubine Xian and her daughter to Wang Jinhe, leaving her somewhat stunned and disbelieving, “Is this… is this true?”
Su Yu nodded, confirming, “It is.”
“Woah, Concubine Xian really went too far. As the Emperor’s consort, allowing her child to behave in such a way and indulging her in harming her own siblings, it’s no wonder the emperor got angry,” Wang Jinhe shook her head in dismay.
“Who can argue with that? But Concubine Xian brought this upon herself. You didn’t witness how arrogant the Second Princess was. Such a child is truly unpleasant.”
“And her reason for targeting the Third Princess was simply because the Third Princess played the zither better than her. How could such a thing even happen?” Wang Jinhe further expressed her disbelief.
Wang Jinhe was left speechless. Concubine Xian’s failure to properly discipline her daughter had led to this outcome.
Not only did Concubine Xian fail to discipline her daughter, but she also allowed her to engage in such actions. It’s truly baffling to understand Concubine Xian’s thought process.
Resting against Su Yu, Wang Jinhe furrowed his brow and said, “I’ve heard about some incidents involving the Third Princess lately, and I think she’s quite decent. Concubine Li has done a good job teaching her.”
Su Yu nodded with a smile, “You’re right. Princess Li has indeed done a good job with the Third Princess, who shows great talent in archery, music, and more.”
“Make sure you teach her well and don’t slack off, hear me?” Wang Jinhe advised Su Yu.
Shaking his head helplessly, Su Yu replied, “Now that you’ve asked, how could I dare not?”
Satisfied, Wang Jinhe nodded, “That’s more like it.”
“You didn’t bring Xiao Bao and the others back?” Wang Jinhe inquired.
Su Yu sighed, “It’s not that I didn’t bring them back; they just don’t want to come back.”
Why are these two children so fond of staying at the palace instead of being at home? The older ones are one thing, but even the younger ones have been clamoring to go to the palace these days. All they do is walk around and keep causing a ruckus. When Su Yu goes to teach the children, he has to bring both of them along. In the carriage, they entertain themselves or watch Xiao Bao excitedly dance around.