De Fei Niangniang's position, however, was still much higher than that of Liu Guiren.
Liu Guiren felt she had suffered a disadvantage and lowered her head, not daring to say anything more.
De Fei Niangniang personally stood up and walked towards Song Chaoyu, helping her up from the ground. "You girl, don't kneel down at the slightest provocation! Although the Empress Dowager is a bit strict, she does care about you juniors. They are just two palace maids. If this causes disharmony, it's really not worth it, is it?"
While her words seemed to be directed at Song Chaoyu, they were actually for the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager naturally understood De Fei's deeper meaning, and Song Chaoyu was also grateful for De Fei's help that day.
In the end, Liu Guiren dared not speak further, and the Empress Dowager finally smiled at Song Chaoyu. "You girl, you're not as petty as people say. I have some things here saved for you; remember to take them when you leave. You must come to the palace more often in the future to accompany this old woman for meals. Seeing you live well makes me content!"
These words were essentially saying that the matter was concluded for the day, and Song Chaoyu had passed this "test."
The Empress Dowager did not particularly like Song Chaoyu, nor would she keep Song Chaoyu in the palace for a meal.
Therefore, after receiving the reprimand and the gifts, Song Chaoyu could directly go to Guifei Niangniang's Dengque Palace to have a meal with Guifei Niangniang and Mu Changxi.
---
When Song Chaoyu arrived at Dengque Palace, Mu Changxi was already seated in the main hall.
Upon seeing Song Chaoyu arrive, the corners of his mouth curved upwards unconsciously, as if he had been waiting for her for a long time.
Song Chaoyu stepped forward and knelt in the main hall. Now she could finally call Guifei Niangniang "Mother Consort."
She performed a grand courtesy to Guifei Niangniang. "Your humble daughter greets Mother Consort. May Mother Consort be well."
"Rise!"
Guifei Niangniang smiled and personally helped Song Chaoyu up. "I heard the Empress Dowager made things difficult for you this morning?"
The news in the palace indeed traveled incredibly fast!
Song Chaoyu paused for a moment before shaking her head. "How could the Empress Dowager bother with a junior like me?"
"It was that Liu Guiren, wasn't it?"
Guifei admired Song Chaoyu's attitude towards the matter, but she also generously said, "She and I have always been at odds. Now that you have entered the palace, she naturally wants to make things difficult for you. I didn't expect you to be so clever and sensible. Fortunately, De Fei helped you; otherwise, the Empress Dowager might not have understood Liu Guiren's intentions today!"
It seemed that De Fei Niangniang's relationship with Guifei was also very good.
Seeing Song Chaoyu's slight nervousness, Guifei Niangniang chuckled. "Ayu, may I call you that? Chang'er always called you that, didn't he?"
She dismissed the attendants, leaving only the three of them in the hall.
Then, she nodded to Song Chaoyu. "Before... Chang'er often mentioned you in his letters to me. So I have known you for a long time and have always been paying attention to you. I know that Chang'er has you in his heart. That day I made you kneel in Dengque Palace was just to see if you had Chang'er in your heart. Now that I know you two have mutual feelings, I am much more at ease."
So, it was like this!
Indeed, Prince Chang was Guifei Niangniang's own son, how could she not know?
But Song Chaoyu had never disliked Guifei Niangniang; in fact, she had always understood.
Guifei Niangniang had sent Mu Changxi away from a young age, making him endure the pain of separation. Her life over the years must not have been as comfortable as outsiders perceived, right?
"Alas—"
Guifei Niangniang sighed, as if feeling distressed herself. "Ayu, I called you here today to tell you exactly what all this is about! You will be staying by Chang'er's side from now on, so you must understand."
---
Actually, Prince Chang's affairs were not very complicated.
Years ago, the relationship between the Southern Kingdom and the Great Yue Dynasty had reached its lowest point, but for the sake of the people, the Emperor still decided not to go to war with the Southern Kingdom.
The Southern Kingdom demanded that the Great Yue Dynasty send a prince as a hostage to counterbalance the Great Yue Dynasty.
In fact, at the beginning, the person the Emperor wanted to send was not Mu Changxi, but Mu Hansu.
The Emperor had always doted on Guifei Niangniang and loved Mu Changxi dearly. How could he bear to send Mu Changxi into a "wolf's den"?
However, for some reason, the Southern Kingdom seemed to have discovered the Emperor's intentions.
They sent envoys and specifically requested Mu Changxi as the hostage for the Southern Kingdom, stating that only a child truly favored by the Emperor could truly serve as a counterbalance when sent to the Southern Kingdom.
The Emperor, with no other choice, had to reluctantly let Mu Changxi go.
Before that, Guifei had inquired about the situation in the Southern Kingdom and knew what Mu Changxi would face if he went!
The people of the Southern Kingdom disliked the people of Great Yue, and within the royal family of the Southern Kingdom, there were several factions vying for power. Mu Changxi would likely encounter danger after arriving!
Therefore, at that time, a plan arose in Guifei Niangniang's mind: she could not let Mu Changxi go to the Southern Kingdom; she had to find someone to switch with Mu Changxi!
Finding a child who looked similar to Mu Changxi was no easy task.
But perhaps heaven was helping the then Guifei Niangniang. Guifei Niangniang's maternal family had a concubine-born elder sister who married an unknown small merchant.
Their second son was about the same age as Mu Changxi and looked very similar!
Guifei Niangniang, without considering anything else, discussed the matter with her elder sister.
Coincidentally, Guifei Niangniang's concubine-born elder sister had encountered the misfortune of widowhood and had to raise three children alone, making it difficult for her to manage.
In the end, she agreed to give her second son to Guifei Niangniang. Guifei also promised her that she would do her best to protect the child's life and ensure their family would be well-off for life.
That day, that child left the capital in place of Mu Changxi and went to the Southern Kingdom.
As Guifei Niangniang could not bear to be too far from Mu Changxi, she had the wet nurse take Mu Changxi to a manor in the suburbs of the capital, where Mu Changxi was given the alias "Han Xi."
Although the child was nearby, to avoid anyone noticing, Guifei Niangniang only communicated with Mu Changxi through occasional letters over the years, never meeting him more than once.
She would regularly request portraits of the child from the Southern Kingdom, claiming it was to alleviate a mother's longing.
In reality, she also wanted to know the differences between the two children as they grew up, in preparation for the day Mu Changxi could return to the palace.
Fortunately, the appearances of the two children had always been very similar, with only minor differences, which could now be concealed through makeup for Mu Changxi.
This was one of the reasons why Song Chaoyu could not be entirely certain that he was Han Xi when she first saw Mu Changxi in the palace.