Not long after the emperor left, the empress dowager sent someone over to tell Shen Qingwan to make a trip to the ancestral hall.
Shen Qing Wan quickly tidied herself up and followed the Gui mama who came to deliver the message to the ancestral hall. She was filled with doubts. The empress dowager had clearly made her feel that she wasn't very satisfied with her before. Why was it that she'd been summoned so frequently recently? Other than the time when he was punishing her, the other times did not seem like he was making things difficult for her.
After thinking about it for a while, she still didn't understand. Shen Qingwan didn't want this question to bother her, so she just tossed it to the back of her mind and stopped thinking about it. In any case, in this palace, besides those related to each other and standing on the same side as the empress dowager, the relationship between the empress dowager and the concubine could only be further apart. And it was the Empress Dowager who left, and they watched her go.
"Empress, Empress?" Gui mama saw that Shen Qing Wan's thoughts were far away, and called her back to her senses.
Shen Qingwan lightly shook her head, looking at Gui mama who had stopped by the side, she asked: "How is it?"
"Empress, we have arrived. "The ancestral hall is an important place for the imperial priests. The rest of you are not allowed to enter until you have received a special summons. You'll have to let the Empress in." Gui mama said.
It was only then that Shen Qingwan realised that they had already reached their destination. After thanking the Gui mama, she walked straight into the ancestral hall. The tightly guarded ancestral hall did not have anyone stopping her from speaking, so she must have received an order in advance.
Entering the ancestral hall, Shen Qingwan saw the empress dowager kneeling in front of the buddhist hall with her eyes closed, devoutly chanting the scripture. She did not come forward to disturb him, but merely stood respectfully by the side.
Not long after, the empress dowager opened her eyes and made as if to get up from the ground. The empress dowager allowed her to support him as well, standing straight while Shen Qingwan helped the empress dowager stroke her clothes.
"You're here." Only then did the empress dowager speak at a leisurely pace.
"Chenqie has come late, Esteemed Empress Dowager, please punish me." Shen Qingwan lowered her head and said.
"Alright, This Dowager didn't say that you came late again. As for you people, no matter what happens when you open your mouth, you will just be asking for forgiveness. The empress dowager was displeased and stopped speaking, gesturing for Shen Qingwan to stop.
Shen Qingwan lowered her head. She didn't dare to accept such words, so it was better to stay silent.
The empress dowager didn't expect Shen Qingwan to give her any response, so she continued, "Since you've come, help This Dowager copy the Buddhist scriptures."
As he said that, he passed a thick scripture to Shen Qingwan.
Shen Qingwan received it with both hands and didn't ask the empress dowager how many copies she would like to make. She just followed the empress dowager's instructions and went to the desk in the inner room, quietly sitting down and copying every word.
Although she didn't know the Empress Dowager's purpose, she still did what she was asked to do. For the entire afternoon, one of them was reciting scriptures while the other was copying the scriptures. They were at peace and were getting along harmoniously.
When the sky outside darkened, the empress dowager walked in and took the scripture Shen Qingwan had copied.
"Even copying a scripture is so slow." The empress dowager tsked, seeming unsatisfied but not making things difficult for her. "Alright, it's night now. Let's go back with This Dowager."
Since the empress dowager didn't say anything more about her, she naturally wouldn't continue the topic of copying the scriptures. She could only obediently reply.
On the way back, she sat in the same palanquin as the empress dowager. Due to her previous experience riding in the same carriage, Shen Qingwan didn't feel too stifled. The Empress Dowager was just as she had been the previous time, closing her eyes and dozing off as soon as they set out.
The servant took her back to her courtyard as instructed by the empress. She got off the palanquin and thanked the empress. The empress dowager did not even open her eyes. She knew enough not to speak, and watched the sedan chair go far away before entering her own courtyard.
"Empress, you've finally returned. The emperor has come twice to ask. Esteemed Empress Dowager didn't make things difficult for you, right? " Lian Yun saw his own mistress coming back from outside and immediately went forward to support her.
"No. The Emperor came? Did he ever say what it was about? " Shen Qing Wan frowned, the Emperor has something to tell her?
As they were discussing, a bright yellow figure accompanied the eunuch's sharp voice, "The emperor has arrived!" He walked into the room.
Fu Yuheng raised his hand to stop the two people who were about to bow and say, "No need. I came over for a few words before leaving."
Lian Yun did not dare to skip the formalities and left after giving a gentle bow to the two of them, leaving the two of them with the space.
"I heard that the emperor has come to chenqie a few times already because he has something important to discuss?" Shen Qingwan asked.
"Not really. I had just remembered to tell you something about Her Majesty, and you were sent away by Her Majesty. It's not like Zhen can ask about news from time to time from the empress dowager's side, so we can only take a look once we pass by. " Fu Yuheng answered as if he did not care.
"I don't know what Your Majesty is referring to?" Shen Qingwan nodded, his heart was filled with suspicions.
"The empress dowager is Fu Huaiyu's mother. This Emperor doesn't know if you know or not. "It's not really a big deal, but recently, the empress dowager has always been interfering with my affairs, both openly and covertly, and has often come into contact with you. I feel that I should give you a reminder to be on guard against the empress dowager." He sighed and summarized the complicated situation.
After a moment of silence, she seemed to be digesting this news, but also seemed to be pondering on how to respond. She didn't stay silent for too long. "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. You've personally come to remind chenqie of this." This concubine understands and will keep an eye out for you. "
"Mm." Fu Yuheng nodded. "I have said what needs to be said. I will be going back now. I've come to your courtyard many times today, and tomorrow, someone will have to change his way of speaking. "
Shen Qingwan smiled bitterly in her heart, and could only respectfully send him off.
For several days in a row, no one came to disturb her in her courtyard. It was rare for her to have a few casual days. Fu Huaiyu did not appear in front of everyone for a few days as well.
He was severely injured that day, so he went back to find a hidden house to rest. After recovering from his injuries, he recalled that after Shen Qingwan had saved his life, she no longer had anything to do with him.
After thinking about it again and again, he still felt unwilling to give up on her. Thus, he chose a dark and windy night and once again sneaked into Shen Qingwan's room while wearing his night clothes.
Shen Qing Wan was already prepared to take off her clothes to sleep, but seeing that there was an extra black-clothed person in the room, she quickly redressed and asked with slight anger: "What is the meaning of this, your highness? I should have already explained it clearly last time, why did the Prince choose such a time to meet again? After all, there is a difference between men and women. If Your Highness has any matters to discuss with me, you can come and visit me in my courtyard in broad daylight. "
Fu Huaiyu was silent for a moment, and did not answer her, but asked her again: "You should know, that I have come, and just wanted to ask you one more time, are you willing to follow me? If you are truly unwilling to follow This King, then it's alright. As long as you join This King's camp, This King will not have to hurt you and will definitely not treat you unfairly. "