Pampered By All In Different Planes-Chapter 33 - Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 33

Chapter 33: Chapter 33 Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 33

The Empress Dowager took care of the Princes, and Su Zhiruan couldn’t be more reassured. Yet, when she thought of Shen Qi’s dream of having a little Princess, she couldn’t help but want to laugh.

Shen Qi was worried she would be anxious about the stretch marks on her belly, so he searched the entire nation for ointments and medicines that could eliminate scars. Countless of them were sent to Kunning Palace alone.

Su Zhiruan looked at the boxes of ointment on the table and turned to Shen Qi with a helpless look, “It’s a good thing His Majesty is wise. Otherwise, if you send these precious items to your concubine every day, I’m afraid I would have already become the demon concubine of the nation in the eyes of the people.”

“That would never happen. Our Ruanruan is so good. Nowadays, when young couples pray for children, they pray to you first,” Shen Qi held her with a soft voice, “Right, we haven’t named the three children yet. I’ve thought of a few names, would Ruanruan like to make the decision?”

Little Fuzi came in carrying a tray with many characters written on it, all with very good meanings.

“It would be good for Ruanruan to think of a few names too.” Shen Qi wanted her to look at these characters and also to name the children.

Su Zhiruan looked at the red papers with the characters written on them and had an idea. She turned and smiled at Shen Qi, “How about this: let the three children draw lots to decide their own names? Perhaps fate will allow them to choose characters that suit them.”

The suggestion was good, and Shen Qi quickly agreed.

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Little Fuzi followed them with the tray as the three of them went to Cining Palace.

As soon as she entered Cining Palace, Su Zhiruan saw Little Xingzhi.

The Little Crown Prince had grown a bit more and could walk steadily now. The little figure’s eyes lit up when he saw her and Shen Qi, “Father Emperor, Mother Concubine!!”

Su Zhiruan picked him up. Mother and son cuddled, their affection boundless. This must be the power of blood relations; even without seeing each other every day, the bond of blood made them close.

The three Princes, held in the arms of three elderly nannies in the distance, looked over curiously with their eyes wide open. They were too young to understand what was happening, just staring with their round eyes.

“How is Ruanruan feeling now,” the Empress Dowager had her servants move a soft chair for Su Zhiruan, and Shen Qi sat beside it.

“Mother Empress taking care of the four children must have been hard,” Su Zhiruan insisted the Empress Dowager sit first. She turned her eyes, which were rolling round and round, to the three babies in swaddles, teased the children, and held each of them in turn. All three were well-behaved; when she picked them up, they all smiled with their eyes squinted.

The Empress Dowager drank a sip of tea, her eyes, filled with affection, looked at the children, “This old body is not distressed.”

“These days are truly good,” the Empress Dowager seemed to fall into some memories, “Ever since the late Emperor passed away, this old body has been managing the harem, only able to chat with people by my side. Later on, someone from my maternal home also entered the palace, and so they were doted on a bit more. Every time I saw those Madams doting on their grandchildren, I wondered when the harem would have some children, lively surrounding this old body. To live such a life, even death would be satisfying.”

“Mother Empress mustn’t say such things, surely you will live a long and prosperous life.” Shen Qi stopped her, then changed the subject, “Mother Empress, I have considered a few characters for the children. Ruanruan suggested letting the Princes pick their own names; whatever they grab will be their name.”

The Empress Dowager nodded in satisfaction, “This old body finds it feasible.”

So, the three of them had the nannies bring up the Second Prince, the Third Prince, and the Fourth Prince together.

The Second Prince was very calm. When Little Fuzi placed the tray in front of him, he just quietly looked at it and did not move. Su Zhiruan stood up, took the tray, and only then did the small child stretch out his hands to be held. Afterward, he seemed to grab something, and clenched it in his hand.

“It’s a ‘Shu’ character,” Su Zhiruan took off the paper strip, “Then the Second Prince shall be Shen Xingshu.”

The Third Prince hadn’t yet come forward when he started to fuss in the old nanny’s arms. Little Fuzi took the tray from Su Zhiruan’s hands and brought it in front of the Third Prince, who grabbed a large character—Qi—immediately.

And the Fourth Prince watched everything quietly; no matter who approached, he simply lay in his swaddling clothes, watching without showing any intention of reaching out to grab one. In the end, the Empress Dowager actively chose a character for him, “Duan”.

Thus, the names of the three young princes were decided: the Second Prince, Shen Xingshu; the Third Prince, Shen Xingqi; and the Fourth Prince, Shen Xingduan.

Once the young princes’ names were settled, Shen Qi brought up another important matter.

“Ruanruan, I’ve had the Observatory select a few auspicious days. Take a look and see which one is better, suitable for the Empress’s coronation ceremony,” Shen Qi said earnestly, holding her hand.

“This is quite timely! I also had the Observatory calculate a few auspicious days. I was planning to bring up this matter earlier. There are so many preparations needed for the coronation ceremony; it cannot be rushed, nor delayed too long,” the Empress Dowager also took out the auspicious days she had been eyeing.

Su Zhiruan looked at the expectant gaze of the two, then at Shen Xingzhi, who was blinking curiously in Shen Qi’s arms, and the children being held by the nannies in the distance. Suddenly, her heart was filled with indescribable emotions.

“Mother, Your Majesty, thank you.”

Originally, she had only wanted to complete a task and survive, yet she hadn’t expected that what she hadn’t received in her own world, she had obtained in Small World, care from others, in another form.

*

After the day for the coronation ceremony was set, the entire harem began to buzz with festivity once more.

The concubines, who had previously shut themselves in for fear of offending Su Zhiruan, now came one after another to congratulate her.

At the time, Shen Qi had ordered that the concubines below the rank of concubine be dispersed from the palace. Those above that rank, including concubines and Noble Ladies, amounted to a dozen or so.

When they came to see Su Zhiruan, their eyes no longer held jealousy or the ambition to vie for favor. All that remained was indifference, and for some, envy, and as for the Noble Consort, she now stayed far away, fearing that Su Zhiruan would find out she had once been a lackey for the former Noble Consort.

Apart from them, there remained the one who had been demoted from Noble Consort to Noble directly by the Empress Dowager’s order.

The Noble Mei, who was formerly a Noble Consort, tightened her grip on the broom upon hearing that Su Zhiruan was about to become Empress. Her expression twisted into one of malice instantaneously.

“What are you looking at? What’s with that expression? Go sweep the floor for me,” a concubine whom she had once bullied was now cracking melon seeds, spitting out the shells while berating her, “You dared to bully me, and later the current Imperial Concubine, oh no, who will soon be the Empress. You never expected this, did you? What goes around comes around.”

“Su Zhiruan, that bitch?! Empress?!” Noble Mei couldn’t hold back, and blurted out curses before she realized her own predicament.

“Oh, look at the big talker, offending the Empress,” snapped the concubine as she leaped to her feet and pointed at her nose, “Guards, slap her! How dare you insult the Empress, our current Empress is compassionate and benevolent, full of love; the entire Imperial Palace adores her, the whole world respects and cherishes her! You should be thankful for your own downfall; if you had risen to power back then, I would have been skinned alive!”

Amidst the loud slaps, the Noble Mei, once a Noble Consort, gradually harbored a sinister thought in her heart.

She was going to make Su Zhiruan die!

Along with her children, all of them, straight to Hell!

If she couldn’t have it, then no one else could!