in2ebook Chapter 277 There are no advantages to getting married
Chapter 277 There are no advantages to getting married
Chapter 277 There are no advantages to getting married
That night, the manor was quiet. The emperor slept alone in his bedroom, and neither the empress nor Su Nuannuan were summoned to serve him.
The next morning, as dawn broke, the Emperor and Empress had breakfast early and prepared to return to the palace. Crown Prince Canglan Jingyun also accompanied them on their journey home.
As the Emperor and his entourage gradually disappeared into the distance, Su Nuannuan felt a great sense of relief. She hurriedly returned to her room, burrowed into bed, and prepared to take a good nap to make up for her lack of sleep the night before.
Meanwhile, inside the phoenix carriage, the Empress was examining an item in her hand—a nine-tailed phoenix seashell handbag that Su Nuannuan had given her the night before.
"Your Majesty, Consort Zhuang is truly ingenious." Ying Qiu sat beside the Empress, looking at the handbag, and couldn't help but admire it.
The Queen smiled slightly, gently put down the handbag, and said, "Indeed, this handbag has an ingenious design and is very well made. Most importantly, it is more practical than a purse."
"Your Majesty, this servant has noticed that Consort Zhuang always manages to come up with some novel ideas," Yingchun interjected while making tea for the Empress.
"Yes, she is indeed quite extraordinary." The Empress picked up her teacup, took a sip, and continued, "Putting aside other things, every year on my birthday, Consort Zhuang would send me a kingfisher feather hairpin that she had made herself, and the design was different every year. She really put a lot of thought into it."
Ying Qiu nodded in agreement, "That's right. Consort Zhuang's kingfisher feather inlay skills are unparalleled. Those hairpins are not only exquisite, but each one is also unique and irresistible."
"This year, Her Majesty's birthday gift included an extra kingfisher feather necklace, and now this nine-tailed phoenix seashell handbag. Consort Zhuang truly cares about Her Majesty," Yingchun said with a smile.
"How much did Consort Zhuang give you that you're so protective of her?" the Empress teased, holding her teacup.
Upon hearing this, Yingchun immediately became displeased. She pouted and retorted, "What I said is the truth. I am not defending Consort Zhuang at all."
Seeing this, Yingqiu laughed and scolded, "You're only doing this because the Empress watched you grow up. Otherwise, if others heard you speaking up for Consort Zhuang like this, they would definitely think you're a traitor."
Yingchun scoffed dismissively and said, "How big of a lisp would a servant have to be to betray her master?"
Ying Qiu was amused by her words and shook her head, laughing, "Yes, yes, you won't betray your master, alright!"
The Empress watched the two of them bickering back and forth, simply smiling and not interrupting, letting them make a ruckus.
After a while, the Empress put down her teacup and said to the two who were making a ruckus, "Consort Zhuang said that a shop specializing in handbags will open in the capital in a few days. When that happens, you can go out of the palace to see if there are any handbags you like. The people around me can't be too stingy, so I will pay for the handbags myself."
"Your Majesty, we have silver," Yingqiu and Yingchun said in unison.
The Empress smiled slightly and said gently, "The money you have is yours, and the money I bestow upon you is naturally my reward. These two things should not be confused."
Upon hearing the Empress's words, Yingchun immediately stood up to prepare to bow and express her gratitude.
However, just as she stood up, due to the jolting of the carriage, her head suddenly made intimate contact with the roof, producing a muffled "bang".
"Ouch!" Yingchun cried out in pain, covering her forehead with both hands and wincing as she frowned.
Seeing this, Ying Qiu quickly said with concern, "Just calm down! How could you be so careless?"
Yingchun, however, didn't take it to heart. Instead, like a mischievous little girl, she stuck out her tongue at Yingqiu, made a face, and said, "Hehehe."
Ying Qiu shook her head helplessly, turned to look at the Empress, and called out coquettishly, "Your Majesty~"
Seeing this, the Empress smiled faintly and said softly, "Yingchun and Yingqiu, you are not young anymore. Do you have someone you like now?"
Upon hearing the Empress's question, Yingchun's expression changed slightly. She quickly put away her playful demeanor and adopted a serious expression, saying, "Your Majesty, didn't we agree that I would not marry and would stay by Your Majesty's side for the rest of my life?"
“Yes! Your Highness, it was all agreed that I would not marry.” Ying Qiu continued, her tone firm and without the slightest hesitation.
A hint of sadness appeared on Yingchun's face. She said softly, "Your Majesty, please don't ask this question again. Otherwise, I will think that Your Majesty doesn't want me anymore."
Yingqiu was tidying up the small tea table to the side, her movements gentle and practiced, as if the question hadn't affected her mood at all. She continued Yingchun's words, saying, "That's right, no matter how many times you ask, my mind will never change that I don't want to get married."
The Empress looked at the two head maids beside her, her heart filled with doubt. She asked in bewilderment, "Why do you both have the idea of not getting married? The palace is nice, but there is no freedom there."
Yingchun picked up the teapot and teacups, and then slowly said, “Your Majesty, you are wrong. What’s so good about getting married? After marriage, you have to be a good wife and mother, serve your parents-in-law, and even help your husband take concubines. Your Majesty knows that although I am heartless, I cannot accept my husband taking concubines, let alone raising illegitimate children.”
"Even if the husband is a good man and doesn't take a concubine, what if the parents-in-law, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law are not easy to get along with? Just thinking about it makes me feel exhausted," Ying Qiu said with a sigh as she wiped the small tea table.
Yingchun chimed in, "Yes, even if I'm lucky enough to marry into a family with good values and reasonable manners, who can guarantee that everything will stay the same? People change, so I don't want to gamble on that one in ten thousand chance."
The two women explained back and forth, their tone revealing their resistance to marriage. No matter what, they both believed that marriage wouldn't bring many benefits, and might instead bring a lot of trouble and pressure.
"Fine, fine, if they don't want to marry, they don't want to marry. I won't ask again." Seeing their strong resistance to marriage, the Empress had no choice but to give up.
"Your Highness, why did you suddenly ask me this question?" Yingqiu gestured for Yingchun to place the teapot and teacups on the small tea table and asked.
"It's nothing. Last night, when I was chatting with Consort Zhuang, we talked about the plans of her four head maids not to get married. So I thought I'd ask you all if you have any plans to get married, so I can make some arrangements for you."