Chapter 256: Chapter 256
Thinking of this, Madam Qi didn’t say anything more. She held Jun Ning, whispering softly to comfort her. Only when Jun Ning’s emotions had somewhat calmed did she release her.
But once she let go, she saw Jun Ning’s face full of tears, like a little, wronged kitten.
Madam Qi tenderly helped wipe them away, thinking: This girl, at such a young age, cries without making a sound. Her crying is so restrained and subdued.
It made Madam Qi unaware that the little girl had shed so many tears.
"Yiyi, if you want to cry, cry out loud. Don’t hold it in," Madam Qi said.
Jun Ning wiped her tears and said, "...Mother, I’m fine."
"Mother Concubine must really need me now. I want to return to the palace to be with her." Jun Ning was truly worried about Qiong Hua’s state of mind after the sudden loss of her child, afraid she might take it hard and torment herself.
After all, she was a woman who loved children so deeply.
The sudden loss of the child in her womb must be very painful for her.
As Jun Ning spoke, she was about to get up and pack her things, but just as she stepped outside, she saw a squadron of Imperial Guards entering from outside the General Mansion, led by someone who seemed to carry an Imperial Decree.
The guards at the gate, upon seeing the Imperial Decree, dared not stop anyone and hurriedly invited them in.
After guiding them to Madam Qi and Jun Ning, the guards then withdrew.
"Greetings to Princess Anle!"
The Imperial Guards kneeled in unison to salute Jun Ning.
Jun Ning thought several of these Imperial Guards looked familiar, as if she’d seen them somewhere.
Right, she’d seen them just this morning.
When she wanted to enter the palace, either the guards at the palace gates stopped her, or these very Imperial Guards did. The guards stopping her were these very people in front of her.
In the morning, they were so adamant, and now they’re obediently kneeling before her?
Jun Ning let out two cold laughs.
The Imperial Guard holding the Imperial Decree, after greeting her, was the first to stand up.
He raised the Imperial Decree in his hand, intending to announce it.
"Princess Anle, please receive the decree."
Jun Ning sniffed, knelt down, and received the decree.
The Imperial Decree from Emperor Yongning didn’t actually assign her any significant task, merely ordering the Imperial Guard to pave the way for her return to the palace. Emperor Yongning feared that a verbal summons might prompt her refusal, so he deliberately drafted a decree.
Defying an imperial decree was punishable by death.
Emperor Yongning was confident that Jun Ning would not dare to defy his decree, which is why he took this approach.
Upon hearing it, the chill in Jun Ning’s heart intensified.
If Father Emperor had put such thought into Mother Concubine’s unstable pregnancy, how could the child suddenly be lost?
Now he regrets it and tries to make peace with her? Where was this earlier?
The grievances, pain, and suppressed sobs of Jun Ning...could no longer be held back... She cried out loud.
Sadness, despair, injustice...all these emotions were only heightened by the twilight.
"Mother Concubine..." she murmured, kneeling on the ground. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⟡𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕥⟡𝕟𝕖𝕥
What situations hadn’t the Imperial Guards witnessed? No matter how desperate Jun Ning’s cries were, they wouldn’t take them seriously. They remained stern, with a business-as-usual attitude.
"Your Highness, please back to the palace at once."
"His Majesty said that as long as you are willing to return, you may bring that little beggar back with you and have him as your companion from now on."
However, Emperor Yongning would assign Hidden Guards to protect Jun Ning, watching over her day and night.
The leader of the Imperial Guards knew about this but didn’t mention it.
Having someone assigned by the Emperor to protect you seemed like a rare privilege that many would envy. But in reality, having one’s every move monitored, even the number of bowls of rice eaten reported to the Emperor, meant no freedom.
For Jun Ning, it was not a good thing at all.
If the Imperial Guard had revealed this, whether Jun Ning would follow him back would be uncertain, so he chose to stay silent.
Poor Jun Ning did not yet know about Emperor Yongning’s decision.
She, along with Jing Shu, Lan Xihe, and Nanny Zhang, gathered their belongings and prepared to return to the palace.
This time, to bring her back, Emperor Yongning truly went all out.
He provided a luxurious carriage pulled by four horses, escorted by over twenty palace maids holding lanterns, and more than a hundred Imperial Guards. The squad that had just delivered the decree was merely the tip of the iceberg of all the Imperial Guards.
At twilight, the street, usually silent by now, was unusually lively today.
Men, women, and children crowded the streets to watch, with the laughter of children echoing continuously.
Jun Ning and Jing Shu sat side by side in the carriage, while Lan Xihe and Nanny Zhang accompanied them by the carriage.
The bustling street was filled with voices of discussion.
"My goodness, who is this noble person traveling? With palace maids lighting the way and royal guards escorting, such grandeur!"
"Who else could it be but Princess Anle, who is the most favored by the Emperor? I heard she had a falling out with the Emperor and went to stay at the National Guardian General Mansion out of anger for quite some time. To bring her back, the Emperor created such a huge spectacle."
"Hah, how pretentious!"
"Indeed, such pretentiousness, running off just because of a little dispute, tsk tsk tsk..."
"If I were her, I’d stay obediently in the palace, be a good little princess to the Emperor, not cause any trouble, not be quirky, not be pretentious, and dutifully show filial piety to the Emperor, being a good daughter to him."
"You must be dreaming, wanting to be the Emperor’s good daughter. Even if you wanted to wash his socks, the Emperor might not let you."
The discussion was mixed with some laughter.
Jun Ning heard it all, but remained expressionless.
However, Jing Shu beside her grew more and more incensed as she listened, waving her small fists and saying, "What nonsense are they spouting? Calling Little Aunt pretentious? Do they even know what really happened?"
"Let them be!" Jun Ning said indifferently.
But Jing Shu couldn’t be indifferent. She lay by the carriage window, looking at the people speaking outside, "Humph, their mouths are so loose. They better hope I don’t catch them. Otherwise, they’ll be sorry."
The carriage slowly moved forward, and the earlier discussions were no longer audible to Jing Shu, replaced by voices of envy.
"How nice it would be to be Princess Anle! Then I could wear beautiful clothes and have precious jewelry. I’d have people to serve me and protect me... Most importantly, no one would dare to bully me; everyone would be respectful... Wherever I go, people would kneel to greet me."
"I’m really, really so envious of Princess Anle!"
"If only I could be her for a day, to be a princess of Dongchu Kingdom for a day, I’d be content for a lifetime, with no regrets upon death."
A young girl of about ten said these words endlessly.
Jing Shu heard it all and identified the speaker.
"Stop the carriage..." Jing Shu shouted.