vrcanaries Chapter 563 Leaving the Palace
Chapter 563 Leaving the Palace
After the first month of the lunar year, the festive atmosphere in the palace finally faded.
After attending the morning court, Hongxu reviewed memorials for a while before going to the Cining Palace to pay his respects.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, he felt something strange.
His godmother didn't let him come so early, so he would stay busy in the Yangxin Palace for a while before coming back.
At this time in the past, the Cining Palace would have been bustling with activity - the sounds of Caiyue preparing breakfast, Xiaoshi watering the flowers, and the women chatting and laughing.
But today, the whole yard was quiet, with only a few sparrows jumping around on the plum branches.
"They must have played too late yesterday and are still resting." Hongxu smiled to himself and stepped into the hall.
He casually sat down on a chair, and immediately a young palace maid, unfamiliar to him, trembling with fear, came forward to serve tea: "Greetings to the Emperor!"
"Be flat!"
Hongxu waved his hand casually, and just as he picked up the teacup, he felt something was wrong. Usually, it was either Xiao Shi or Aunt Caiyue who received him, so why was there a different person today?
He glanced towards the bedroom and asked, "Are the three mothers still awake?"
The young palace maid lowered her head and whispered, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, the Imperial Noble Consort, and the Literary Noble Consort left the palace early this morning!"
When Hongxu heard this, he stood up suddenly, then sat down helplessly: "Going to the Old Summer Palace again, right?"
Forget it, just go. At most, you’ll have to work harder and make two more trips to the Old Summer Palace.
The maid's voice was as thin as a mosquito: "Your Majesty, several ladies have gone to... Suzhou!"
Hongxu nodded: "Yeah, I understand!"
Having said that, he stood up and prepared to go out.
Xiao Luzi behind him looked confused. Isn't the emperor too calm?
After a moment, Hongxu came back to his senses: "Tell me, where did they go?"
This time the maid answered clearly and loudly: "Suzhou!"
Hongxu:......
On the official road outside Yongding Gate, two carriages were moving slowly forward, their wheels making slight squeaking sounds as they rolled over the early spring soil.
Shen Yunfei was dressed in a dark, formal outfit, with the imperially bestowed goose-feather sword at his waist. He rode a sleek, red horse as a guard. Behind him, six elite guards were arrayed in a fan-shaped formation, their horses' hooves clattering in unison, a testament to their well-trained demeanor.
Inside the carriage, An Lingrong looked across at Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang, who had changed into ordinary attire. A sly glint flickered in her eyes. "Sister, Sister Zhen, what do you think Hongxu's expression would be when he found out I 'sneaked' you out of the palace?"
After saying that, she couldn't help laughing out loud, with an unconcealable look of pride on her face.
Zhen Huan shook her head helplessly: "You! Even if you told us in advance, we would have followed you out."
"Yes!" Shen Meizhuang's face was full of smiles: "As long as I'm with you, I can go anywhere."
"I just wanted to give you a surprise!"
“I was pleasantly surprised!”
An Lingrong nodded heavily, then lifted the carriage curtain and said, "Cousin, how did you become a palace guard? Did you get in through the backdoor?"
Shen Yunfei reined in his horse and approached the car window: "Cousin, you underestimate me."
He smiled and patted the sword at his waist: "I defeated the captain of the guards beside the emperor, and this position is well deserved."
"Okay, then our safety along the way is entirely in your hands."
Shen Yunfei smiled and said, "Don't worry."
"it is good!"
Shen Yunfei couldn't help but smile as he listened to the laughter in the carriage.
She is destined not to be an ordinary woman, so it is also good to be with her in this way.
In the carriage at the back, Liu Zhu, Cai Yue and Jin Xi were sitting inside, while Xiao Shi, Xiao Yunzi and the coachman were chatting happily outside.
We stopped and walked along the way, enjoying the mountains and rivers along the way. The journey that was originally scheduled to take ten days took a month.
When I arrived in Suzhou, it was March, the spring was in full bloom, the peach blossoms were in full bloom, and the willows were swaying.
Several people returned to the workshop as soon as possible.
The carriage stopped in front of the workshop and several people got off one after another.
Uncle Li, who was guarding the gate, suddenly had his eyes light up and he took two steps at a time to step forward.
"Boss! Third Master, you're back!"
Then he turned and shouted towards the workshop: "Hurry up! The boss is back!"
With this shout, the originally orderly workshop suddenly became lively.
In a moment, An Lingrong was surrounded by the crowd that surged like a tide.
She was so shocked by the passionate scene that she took a step back. Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang behind her quickly supported her.
Looking at the faces in front of me, some familiar and some unfamiliar, there is sincere joy in everyone's eyes.
"Everyone..." An Lingrong just opened her mouth when she was drowned out by the chaotic greetings.
"Is the boss okay?"
"Is the workshop in Hangzhou going well?"
"Why does Third Master look like he's lost weight?"
An Lingrong's eyes warmed, and she raised her voice, "Thanks to everyone, everything is fine, everything is fine!"
She stepped aside to let the two people behind her pass. "These are my two sisters. I brought them here today to see our workshop."
Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang took half a step forward and nodded to everyone.
The workers immediately quieted down and looked at the two women curiously.
"Oh, this must be a noble lady from the capital. She is so beautiful."
"Yes, yes. Although I can't put my finger on what's beautiful, I feel that everything is beautiful."
"Oh my god, this whole body has such a majestic aura."
The two had never been praised so directly before. Even the usually eloquent Zhen Huan didn't know how to respond, but the corners of their mouths curled up slightly.
An Lingren suppressed his smile: "Aunt Wang! There are more dishes in the canteen today."
A chubby hand was raised with difficulty in the crowd, and a resounding voice pierced through the crowd: "Okay!"
"Okay, everyone, get to work first, and we'll talk when we have time."
After the crowd dispersed, An Lingrong took the two of them to visit the workshop and private school.
After walking around, beads of sweat appeared on the foreheads of the three people.
What they didn't expect was that Sun Miaoqing actually became a female teacher in a girls' school.
Returning to her backyard office, An Lingrong pushed open the carved wooden window, revealing the vibrant workshop scene. In the distance, smoke was rising from the canteen chimney, and the faint aroma of food drifted in.
"Are you tired?" she turned around and asked, picking up the celadon teapot from the mahogany coffee table and pouring two cups of cold tea for the two of them.
Zhen Huan was wiping the sweat from her neck with a plain white silk handkerchief. Shen Meizhuang was leaning against the window, breathing slightly, and waving the round fan in her hand, but she couldn't hide the amazement in her eyes.
"Not tired!"
"How is it?" An Lingrong handed the teacups to the two of them, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Shen Meizhuang took the teacup and said, "This is truly eye-opening. I've only heard you talk about the workshop before, but today I've seen it with my own eyes. Its scale and the perfection of its regulations are truly..."
She paused, as if searching for the right words: "It's truly beyond imagination."
Zhen Huan's voice was filled with unprecedented excitement, "Rong'er, all of this... you have achieved in just one year?"
A gentle light shone in An Lingrong's eyes. "It's not just me, it's everyone's credit. Including you. If it weren't for your two hundred thousand taels of silver, this workshop wouldn't be able to open. So, the biggest contributors are you two."
The two were amused by her.
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[I'm taking tomorrow off. I've been revising the entire book these past few days. I'm so tired!]