flstandardbreds Chapter 119 The world is so big, bigger than we can imagine.
Chapter 119 The world is so big, bigger than we can imagine.
"Your Majesty, Consort Qin has arrived." Li Quan hurriedly entered the hall and respectfully reported to Consort Zhuang, who was sitting on a soft couch reading a book.
Before the words were finished, a woman dressed in magnificent palace attire, with dignified bearing and a smile on her face, walked in. She was Consort Qin.
"Sister Zhuangfei." Consort Qin greeted Consort Zhuang with a smile as soon as she entered the room.
Upon hearing the call, Consort Zhuang quickly put down the book in her hand and stood up to greet her. After exchanging greetings, Consort Zhuang took Consort Qin's hand and sat down together, asking with concern, "Sister Consort Qin, what brings you here today? Have you put everything away properly? I wanted to visit you yesterday, but I thought that you were new to the palace and busy with many things, so I was afraid I would disturb your rest and didn't go."
Consort Qin gently patted Consort Zhuang's hand and replied with a smile, "Sister, you are so thoughtful. After arriving at the palace yesterday, I went to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager first. If you had come yesterday, I'm afraid you would have been turned away." As she spoke, Consort Qin couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.
At this moment, Consort Zhuang seemed to suddenly remember something, turned to look at the door, and asked in confusion, "Where is Xu'er? Why didn't you bring him with you, sister?"
Upon hearing this, Consort Qin's face showed a hint of helplessness. She sighed softly and said, "Alas... he's fast asleep in his palace right now. I only came to visit you, my sister, while he was asleep, to say hello and have a chat." After saying this, Consort Qin let out another long sigh.
Consort Zhuang noticed that Consort Qin was in low spirits and asked with concern, "Sister Consort Qin, you keep sighing. Is something troubling you? If you don't mind, you might as well tell me about it, so that I can share your burden."
"To be honest, Consort Zhuang, the reason I came to this palace is simply to escape all the troubles and annoyances and find a peaceful place," Consort Qin said to Su Nuannuan with a wry smile, gently waving the silk handkerchief in her hand.
Su Nuannuan smiled slightly and replied softly, "Sister Qinfei is absolutely right. If we're talking about a quiet place, it's really hard to find one that can compare to this palace." Her gaze was as gentle as water as she looked at Qinfei, as if she could offer her some comfort.
Consort Qin sighed softly, her expression slightly forlorn, and continued, "Sometimes, I often think to myself, if I had given birth to a princess instead of a prince, perhaps I would have far fewer troubles now." Her words were filled with helplessness.
Su Nuannuan quickly comforted her, "Sister Qinfei, please don't think like that. Actually, giving birth to a prince is a wonderful thing."
However, Consort Qin turned her head slightly, glanced at Su Nuannuan with a hint of resentment, and said softly, "Sister, you naturally can't understand my suffering. After all, your maternal family has always been reasonable and knows their limits, so they naturally wouldn't be as troubled by this as I am." After saying that, she sighed again.
Hearing this, Su Nuannuan paused for a moment, seemingly choosing her words carefully, before cautiously asking, "Then... Sister Qinfei, have you ever had any other thoughts?"
Consort Qin rolled her eyes at Su Nuannuan, annoyed, and said reproachfully, "Hmph! If I really had such thoughts, why would I be so worried and troubled?"
"Yes, it's because my sister can't speak properly," Su Nuannuan said softly with an apologetic expression, her gaze sincere and gentle.
"In fact, the world is so big, bigger than we can imagine. But why do people always fixate on that one particular spot, as if there is nothing else worth paying attention to?"
I sincerely hope that when Cheng'er grows up, he can travel the world and visit various countries to see the unique world firsthand.
It's important to know that besides our Azure Kingdom, there are numerous small and medium-sized countries and all sorts of tribes in the surrounding area. Moreover, on the other side of that vast and boundless sea, there are entirely different kingdoms waiting to be discovered.
Why limit your vision to such a small position? Fighting to the point of bloodshed and death is simply not worth it! Su Nuannuan said, a faint smile on her face, gently shaking her head, seemingly quite helpless about this kind of struggle.
"You really are a very perceptive person," Consort Qin couldn't help but exclaim sincerely, her eyes filled with admiration and approval as she looked at Su Nuannuan.
“Sister Qinfei, you see things very clearly. However, perhaps it’s because you didn’t fully explain your thoughts that they have doubts. For example, although you told them that you had no intention of vying for that position, you didn’t mention a word about Xu’er’s future arrangements. As a result, it’s inevitable that they would speculate and overthink things.” Su Nuannuan responded to Qinfei’s praise with a smile and patiently analyzed the situation.
"Coming to chat with Consort Zhuang was indeed a wise move." Consort Qin then smiled broadly.
Su Nuannuan smiled and replied, "Sister Qinfei, please don't say that. You've just temporarily forgotten about those troubles." Then, she blinked and asked curiously, "I wonder how long you plan to stay at the palace this time, Sister Qinfei?"
Consort Qin nodded slightly and replied softly, "When the Empress Dowager celebrates her birthday, I will return to the palace with everyone." At this moment, having found a solution to the problem, Consort Qin was clearly in a much better mood, and even her words were light and cheerful.
Upon hearing the news, Su Nuannuan clapped her hands excitedly and said with delight, "That's wonderful! We sisters will be able to get together more often and share happy times during this period."
Consort Qin sighed softly and said helplessly, "You don't know, when Her Majesty the Empress heard that I was coming to the palace, her face immediately darkened and she was very displeased. Fortunately, after I told her the truth and explained the reason, Her Majesty the Empress reluctantly agreed."
Su Nuannuan nodded thoughtfully and analyzed, "After all, there are only three imperial concubine positions in total. Now that two of them have come to the palace, the Empress is naturally a little unhappy. However, there are actually four imperial concubine positions in total, and the missing one will probably be decided soon." As she spoke, she picked up a delicate pastry and put it in her mouth, savoring it carefully.
"I wonder who could be so lucky?" Consort Qin shook her head slightly, her eyebrows furrowed as she murmured to herself, while casually picking up a delicate pastry and slowly chewing it.
At this moment, Su Nuannuan, who was sitting to the side, gently wiped the crumbs of pastry from the corners of her mouth and hands with her exquisitely embroidered handkerchief, and then said slowly, "Judging from the current situation, among the many concubines, only Consort Qing is above the rank of Consort. In my opinion, even if the Emperor were to bestow a title or promotion, he would probably not do so easily by directly granting a title that is above the rank of Consort."
Upon hearing Su Nuannuan's words, Consort Qin nodded thoughtfully, quickly swallowed the pastry she hadn't fully swallowed, and then said with emotion, "Now that you mention it, I realize that it seems our harem hasn't had a major conferment ceremony for quite some time!"