Chapter 700 - 255: Holy Birthday Festival

Chapter 700: Chapter 255: Holy Birthday Festival

The Empress Dowager did not make things difficult. Instead, she spoke with considerable sympathy, "This is the old madam’s first great-grandson, isn’t it? Speaking of which, this is also a blessing for her. I will be the first to congratulate her. Since the pregnancy is already in its late stages, you may frequently invite an Imperial Physician from the palace to take her pulse in the future. No matter what, as long as both mother and child are safe, that is all that matters."

She then held the old madam’s hand and asked a few questions about her health, even expressing her concern for Mr. Xu.

Towards the recently reunited Xu Su Ying, the Empress Dowager was even more affectionate. She held her hand and sighed endlessly.

"Long ago, before I entered the palace, I heard that Mr. Xu had a beloved daughter who was lost in her early years. I felt it was such a pity back then. Seeing Mrs. Chen’s mannerisms and conduct now, I feel we are kindred spirits. If Mrs. Chen had never gone missing, I imagine we would have become close confidantes over the years."

Goosebumps erupted all over Xu Su Ying’s back.

Living in the Capital City, she had heard countless rumors about the Empress Dowager being domineering, power-hungry, and utterly unwilling to return control of the government to Your Majesty. Yet among all these tales, not a single one claimed that she was sociable or fond of making close female friends.

Xu Su Ying thought, "When things are this unusual, there must be a catch. Could the Empress Dowager be trying to buy me off, hoping I’ll drag my father into her faction?

"Impossible. Absolutely impossible.

"Although my father appears easygoing about many things, he never yields an inch when it comes to his core principles.

"Even if I, his own biological daughter, were to throw a tantrum and plead with him, he would never give in!"

The Empress Dowager then earnestly inquired about Sheng Saya. She mentioned that since Sheng Saya’s marriage to De’an was approaching, the family must inform her when the time came so she could bestow a generous dowry to add to the Xu family’s joy. She also noted that several young ladies of the Xu family had reached marriageable age and asked if they had their eyes on any particular families. If they had someone in mind, they only needed to speak up; if they faced any difficulties, she could personally decree the marriages.

Seeing such a benevolent and amiable Empress Dowager left everyone in the Xu family in profound shock.

It wasn’t until they left the Empress Dowager’s palace and took a brief rest in the guest rooms of the side hall that Xu Su Ying finally spoke up, her voice filled with apprehension. "The Empress Dowager is acting far too approachable. What exactly is she trying to do?"

Mrs. Guo frowned deeply. "The Empress Dowager hails from the Northwest, so she naturally possesses a straightforward and open-minded temperament. Because she is the eldest legitimate daughter of an Alien King, she was educated in the Capital City during her early years. She excels in all four feminine virtues—morality, proper speech, modest appearance, and diligent work. That was why the deceased Grand Emperor passed over all the noble young ladies of the Capital City and chose her to be the late Emperor’s Empress."

However, even though the Empress Dowager embodied all those traditional virtues, she had grown up in the Northwest. The customs there were fierce and rugged, and it was inevitable that her words and actions had been influenced by her upbringing.

When the late Emperor was still alive, the Empress Dowager had clashed with him over his favoritism toward his concubines. Their most explosive argument happened before she had ever conceived, right when a concubine managed to get pregnant first. Overjoyed, the late Emperor had rewarded the concubine with copious amounts of jewelry that far exceeded her rightful station.

This struck a deep nerve with the Empress Dowager. At the time, she went straight to the Grand Emperor and the Grand Empress Dowager in tears. She stubbornly persisted until the two elders thoroughly reprimanded the late Emperor, which successfully suppressed the concubine’s arrogance and restored her own dignity.

These events were long in the past and rarely spoken of nowadays. Yet, in the twenty years since she had married into the Capital City, she had always been famously unyielding and domineering.

But this time, she was playing the role of a model Empress Dowager to perfection.

When someone who was normally so heavy-handed suddenly became this benevolent, it was certainly flattering, but it incited far more panic and dread than gratitude. The family members wondered if the Empress Dowager was plotting another scheme. She had to be! They knew they needed to keep their wits about them; one moment of carelessness, and they could walk right into her trap.

Ultimately, the palace was not their own home. With so many eyes and ears around, it was unwise to speak too freely. As a result, after exchanging just a few hushed words, everyone fell silent, quietly sipping their tea and eating pastries.

Fortunately, everything remained peaceful until the banquet finally concluded. It wasn’t until the Xu Family boarded their carriages, returned to the Xu Mansion, and stepped into the old madam’s courtyard that everyone finally breathed a genuine sigh of relief.

Now that they had a chance to carefully dissect the Empress Dowager’s words, they couldn’t help but form new theories.

"Could it be that we’re overthinking this?" someone murmured. "Maybe the Empress Dowager isn’t trying to win Father over after all?"

"The Empress Dowager has served in the royal court alongside Father for over a decade, so she must be crystal clear about his character. Father is incredibly stubborn; once he makes up his mind, a team of wild horses couldn’t drag him away from it. If he were the type to side with the Empress Dowager, he would have done so a long time ago. He wouldn’t have waited until now."

"So, is the Empress Dowager simply showing us some goodwill?"

"It’s possible. But how could currying favor with us be more effective than going straight to the Emperor? If the Empress Dowager truly wants a peaceful life in her later years, she should just go directly to the Emperor. She could shed a few tears and pour out her grievances. A mother and son don’t hold a grudge overnight. If the Emperor feels sentimental, he might just promise the Empress Dowager a great deal of power, and wouldn’t her life be much easier then?"

After tossing the ideas back and forth, they couldn’t come to any solid conclusions, so they simply dropped the subject.

Ultimately, the Empress Dowager was a profoundly unfathomable woman. In the future, it would be best for them to interact with her as little as possible.