“I accept this decree,” Zhao Bingyu voluntarily took on the task.
“Huo Ningyu, disregarding her own safety, bravely entered the water to rescue the imperial descendant with her delicate frame. This truly brings fortune to both the family and the nation, greatly pleasing Our heart. We specially award her with one hundred taels of gold, ten bolts of brocade, and one hu of pearls.
Wan Qingdai, showing no fear in the face of danger, assisted in rescuing the Imperial Grandson. Her merit deserves recognition, and We specially award her with fifty taels of gold and five bolts of brocade.”
Emperor Qiande immediately rewarded Huo Ningyu and Wan Qingdai according to their merits.
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s rewards!” The two bowed in gratitude.
“All present today must fully cooperate with Zhao He’s actions. Anyone who disobeys or resists shall be charged with conspiring to harm the Imperial Grandson and immediately thrown into the Heavenly Prison!” Emperor Qiande’s gaze was stern, his words decisive and powerful.
Everyone responded in unison.
Zhao Bingyu immediately took control of the several children present.
Separate interrogations were conducted.
The palace servants in attendance were also questioned.
Those connected to the eunuch who died five days ago were apprehended as well.
The Imperial Guards moved swiftly.
In a short time, all who needed to be arrested were taken into custody and confined in Ye Ting.
Crown Princess Gu Jiayi, holding the Third Imperial Grandson Zhao Lingzhe’s hand, approached Huo Ningyu and her mother.
“Greetings to Your Highness the Crown Princess, and to Your Highness the Imperial Grandson.” Mother and daughter bowed in unison.
“Madam Huo, Miss Huo, please rise. We are immensely grateful to Miss Huo for saving Zhe’er today.” The Crown Princess took Huo Ningyu’s hand to express her thanks.
“Your Highness is too kind. I merely happened to be there,” Huo Ningyu replied modestly.
“My maternal family has a younger sister who is lively in nature, much like you. We should arrange for you to play together another day.” The Crown Princess clearly intended to foster friendship.
As the mistress of the Eastern Palace, the Crown Princess exercised extreme caution in all matters, fearing that the slightest misstep might offend the Emperor and lead to accusations of forming cliques for personal gain.
She treated everyone equally, but today’s life-saving grace provided a legitimate reason for closeness that even the Emperor would not question.
“Are you referring to Miss Jiaqian? I am somewhat acquainted with her. She should have entered the palace today, right? I shall seek her out to play shortly.” Huo Ningyu readily accepted the olive branch extended by the Crown Princess.
“Miss Huo is truly a remarkable person,” the Crown Princess said with a gentle smile. “Madam Huo is fortunate to have such a bright and perceptive daughter.”
“Your Highness flatters us. My daughter previously suffered great injustice, and even today upon entering the palace, she endured many disdainful looks. As her mother, I am at a loss as to how to clear her name of the rumors spreading in the capital.” Rong Huazhi knew well how to seize an opportunity.
She clearly intended to use the Crown Princess’s influence to dispel the rumors about her daughter.
“Set your mind at ease. With His Majesty’s generous rewards today, the rumors will naturally vanish within a couple of days.” The Crown Princess understood Rong Huazhi’s implication and was naturally willing to offer this assistance.
“Thank you for your auspicious words, Your Highness.” Rong Huazhi smiled gratefully.
“Zhe’er, come and pay your respects to Madam Huo.” The Crown Princess gently pushed Zhao Lingzhe forward.
“Greetings, Madam Huo, Miss Huo. Thank you very much, Miss Huo, for saving my life today.” Zhao Lingzhe bowed deeply to Huo Ningyu.
“Your Highness, this is too much. I merely happened to be there at the right time.” Huo Ningyu dared not accept his bow and immediately supported him to prevent it.
“May I call you Sister Huo?” Zhao Lingzhe lifted his small face, asking very earnestly.
“Your Highness, I am not worthy of you calling me sister.” Huo Ningyu had not expected the child to suddenly seek such closeness.
“Mother, may I?” Zhao Lingzhe turned to seek permission with hopeful eyes.
“You may, ahem…” The Crown Prince approached and granted the child’s request.
“Sister Huo, from now on I’ll call you sister.” The Eastern Palace only had him as a single child, with no siblings.
He wanted to have an older sister who would treat him well—without schemes or selfish motives.
And he sensed sincerity from Huo Ningyu.
He wanted to get close to her.
Huo Ningyu had no choice but to agree. Since the Crown Prince supported it, further refusal would seem ungrateful.
“Sister Huo, let’s go to Chonghua Hall together.” The little one warmly took Huo Ningyu’s hand and left Linshui Palace.
The falling incident hadn’t affected him much.
Wan Qingdai immediately followed.
The Crown Princess instructed two of her maids to accompany them and attend to their needs.
“Madam Huo, let’s proceed to Chonghua Hall as well. It’s about time.”
Huo Ningyu, being led by the Imperial Grandson, encountered various young ladies and gentlemen along the way. No one dared to give her disdainful looks anymore.
Meanwhile, the news that the cinnabar birthmark on her arm remained intact quickly spread among the young ladies and gentlemen.
Even those who had been unfriendly toward Huo Ningyu fell silent now.
Such as Chen Fangli and Huilan County Princess.
The Mid-Autumn palace banquet proceeded unaffected by the incident of the Imperial Grandson’s fall.
Huo Pengcheng and his two sons hadn’t gone to the Imperial Garden. By the time they received the news, the palace had already been secured by Imperial Guards, restricting free movement.
Only when the restrictions were lifted did they learn about Huo Ningyu’s great merit today.
“Little sister, do you realize how dangerous it was today? Lingzhe, the Heir, was clearly targeted. If there had been someone hiding in the water, what chance would you have had to survive?” Huo Mingxian whispered with both concern and reproach.
“Elder sister, you scared me to death.” Huo Mingchang didn’t scold her, but the worry in his eyes was nearly overflowing.
“Save such discussions for home.” Huo Pengcheng shot a warning glance at his two sons.
The palace wasn’t the place for these conversations.
His thoughts ran deeper.
The Emperor was aging rapidly.
The imperial princes had long been growing restless.
The Crown Prince’s weakened position further fueled the succession struggle.
The Huo Family remained neutral, loyal only to the Emperor.
During this critical period, the Huo Family couldn’t afford to make even half a misstep.
“His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, and His Highness the Crown Prince have arrived!” A loud announcement echoed as Emperor Qiande strode powerfully into Chonghua Hall.
After the Emperor delivered remarks about the joy shared between ruler and subjects, the banquet officially commenced.
The palace banquet continued as usual with singing and dancing.
One performance followed another.
Huo Ningyu scanned the room and noticed the Xie Family members, but Xie Zhengyang was absent. Only the second young master, Xie Zhengqi, accompanied the Loyal Earl and his wife.
Likely still recovering from the Emperor’s thirty heavy strikes, he hadn’t fully healed.
He probably felt too ashamed to appear at the palace.
In previous palace banquets, the Loyal Earl would proactively come to share drinks with her father, but today he remained firmly seated.
Even Xie Zhengqi didn’t move.
Clearly, the entire family were opportunists—once relations soured, they couldn’t even maintain superficial courtesy.
Her father had mentored Xie Zhengqi for two years now. As the saying goes, “a teacher for a day is a father for life,” yet he hadn’t learned basic manners.
Indeed, not being from a scholarly family, they simply didn’t understand such etiquette.
But Huo Ningyu didn’t mind, focusing on her meal instead.
She had no remarkable talents to showcase and saw no need to embarrass herself.
Since her rebirth, her mindset had shifted. She neither sought to outshine others nor allowed herself to be bullied.
Living comfortably was enough; her greatest wish was to protect her family from following the tragic path she witnessed while her spirit wandered.
Peace and safety were true blessings.
To that end, she had carefully contemplated her actions.
Saving the Third Imperial Grandson today was just the first step.
Suddenly, she thought of Zhao Bingyu again.
She hadn’t paid much attention to what ultimately became of him.
After Prince Chen ascended the throne, he seemed to have vanished without a trace.
While drifting as a spirit, she couldn’t appear during daytime and could only speculate about daytime events based on what little she saw at night.
Of course, fewer things happened at night compared to daytime.
After careful consideration, she recalled that he seemed to have gone to the border and hadn’t returned before her rebirth.
Could it be that his relationship with Prince Chen wasn’t good either?
Just as Huo Ningyu was eating while pondering, a collective gasp suddenly echoed through the hall, pulling her thoughts back to the present.