Li Dequan, the eunuch serving before the Emperor, saw Old Marquis Gu bringing in two young children and was somewhat puzzled, though he showed no sign of it on his face. “Greetings to the Old Marquis.”
Li Dequan was a long-serving attendant of the Emperor, and naturally, no one in the palace dared to slight him.
“May I trouble you, Eunuch, to announce us? This humble official has an urgent matter and wishes to request an audience with His Majesty.”
“You are too polite, Old Marquis.”
Li Dequan then went inside to announce them.
After a while, Li Dequan came out and respectfully ushered Old Master Gu inside. “Old Marquis, His Majesty invites you in.”
“Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch,” Old Marquis Gu immediately expressed his gratitude.
“Tha—thank you for your trouble, Eunuch,” An’an beside him followed her grandfather’s lead and said the same.
Her sweet, childish voice was enough to melt anyone’s heart.
Li Dequan looked at this exquisitely carved little dumpling and couldn’t help but feel a surge of affection. “Oh, this must be Old Marquis Gu’s granddaughter, isn’t she adorable!”
“Hehehe, An’an isn’t that great~”
The little dumpling became silly again upon being praised.
“Oh, hahaha,” Li Dequan laughed, unable to resist reaching out to pinch the little dumpling’s cheek.
“Look at me, forgetting my manners for a moment. Old Marquis, please take the young miss inside quickly. We mustn’t keep His Majesty waiting.”
“Yes.”
Old Marquis Gu responded and, after bringing An’an and Jin Li inside, saw the Emperor seated at the head of the hall. He immediately bowed.
“This humble official pays respects to Your Majesty!”
Old Marquis Gu bowed respectfully.
An’an followed behind, imitating Old Marquis Gu’s posture by reaching out, tugging at her sleeves. Her clumsy manner caught the Emperor’s attention.
“My dear minister, who is this?”
Old Marquis Gu respectfully replied, “In response to Your Majesty, this is my granddaughter. She is still young and ignorant. I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness.”
“An’an, pay your respects to His Majesty,” Old Marquis Gu instructed from the side.
“An’an,” the little dumpling fumbled, “gre—greets Your Majesty.”
Old Marquis Gu wiped the sweat from his forehead. “An’an, you should say ‘this commoner.'”
“Oh, oh,” the little dumpling immediately prepared to start over. “This commoner, An’an—”
“Hahaha, enough, enough,” the Emperor looked at the little dumpling and found her adorable. With a wave of his hand, he said, “No need for formalities. The young boy behind must be with you as well. All of you, rise!”
Jin Li, who had never intended to bow in the first place: … This mortal emperor actually expects me to bow to him?
After Old Marquis Gu expressed his gratitude, he thought to himself: It seems His Majesty is in a good mood today. Perhaps there’s a chance that my request will be granted.
“Your Majesty, the reason I have come today is—”
“Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has arrived—”
Just as Old Marquis Gu was about to state his request, he heard the voice of a eunuch from outside the door.
He immediately turned and knelt.
An’an watched as an elderly lady dressed in luxurious clothing entered and let out a soft “ah.”
Wasn’t this the old lady she had met on the street earlier?
She wondered if the old lady had felt better after receiving her little medicine pouch.
Hearing An’an’s voice, Old Marquis Gu whispered, “An’an, do you know the Empress Dowager?”
An’an tilted her head and nodded.
Jin Li beside them explained the situation in a few words.
Old General Gu immediately said to An’an, “An’an, this is Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. Hurry and pay your respects.”
“An’an, ah, no, this commoner An’an, greets—”
The little one’s attempt to learn and apply on the spot was utterly amusing.
After the Empress Dowager took her seat, she naturally recognized An’an and immediately stopped her with a beaming smile. “No need for formalities.”
“An’an, come here to me,” the Empress Dowager said, looking at An’an with affectionate eyes.
An’an hurried forward and was promptly pulled close by the Empress Dowager. “Your Majesty, this granddaughter of the Gu family is truly a good child!”
Seeing how fond the Empress Dowager was of An’an, the Emperor asked, “Oh? How so?”
“If it weren’t for this little one, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be here to see you now, Your Majesty!”
The Empress Dowager recounted the incident that had happened on the street earlier to the Emperor.
After hearing the story, Emperor Qianheng’s expression turned as dark as still water.
“Summon the daughter of the Jiangning Textile Commissioner to the palace,” he ordered.
Li Dequan accepted the command and left. Soon, the daughter of the Jiangning Textile Commissioner was summoned to the palace.
“You little eunuch, how dare you act so carelessly! Do you think you can afford to offend me?”
Before even seeing the person, Li Dequan heard a sharp, acrimonious voice.
Following the sound, he saw a woman swaggering in without the slightest regard for decorum.
“Young lady, His Majesty is waiting for you inside,” Li Dequan approached and greeted her politely, as etiquette demanded.
“Hmph, you know your place. His Majesty is most likely going to reward our family. The fabrics we’ve recently sourced are all of the finest quality—His Majesty is sure to like them!”
The woman rolled her eyes and couldn’t resist adding a jab. “As for you eunuchs, I suppose you won’t have any use for them. It would be a waste of such fine fabric on you, reeking of foul odors. Ugh, stay away from me—I don’t want to catch your stench!”
Li Dequan inwardly sneered but maintained a polite facade. “As you say, young lady. Please, come inside.”
“Hmph,” the woman snorted coldly and went in to meet the Emperor.
“I, Cao Xiaoxiao, pay my respects to Your Majesty,” Cao Xiaoxiao performed a bow, causing both Emperor Qianheng and the Empress Dowager to frown simultaneously.
For someone her age, she couldn’t even perform a proper bow—truly lacking in manners.
“You are Cao Xiaoxiao?”
Before the Empress Dowager could speak, Emperor Qianheng, seated beside her, spoke first.
“Yes,” Cao Xiaoxiao replied respectfully.
Emperor Qianheng smiled ambiguously. “The fabrics your father recently presented are indeed of fine quality.”
It’s just that his daughter hasn’t been taught very well.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Cao Xiaoxiao thought to herself with pride.
See, I knew His Majesty summoned me to reward the Cao family. Once the Cao family becomes a royal merchant, won’t we be even more prestigious?
Her thoughts were reflected in her expression, revealing a hint of smugness that made the Emperor frown.
Before she could revel in her pride for long, a single sentence from the Empress Dowager above sent Cao Xiaoxiao into a cold sweat, her scalp tingling with fear.
“Miss Cao, do you still remember this old woman?” The Empress Dowager’s light words struck Cao Xiaoxiao like a blow to the head.
“I… I…” Cao Xiaoxiao cautiously looked up, her heart skipping a beat.
Wasn’t this the old woman from the street last time? How… how did she suddenly become the Empress Dowager?!
Recalling how she had cursed at her earlier, Cao Xiaoxiao trembled like a leaf.
“Hah, a startled horse charging at people, and you swaggered away after tossing a piece of gold, thinking that would settle it. Miss Cao, it seems your airs are even greater than mine as the Emperor!”
Emperor Qianheng sneered coldly.
The current Empress Dowager was Emperor Qianheng’s biological mother, and he was known for his filial piety. Upon learning that Cao Xiaoxiao had offended his mother, he naturally sought to hold her accountable.
“Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, please forgive my offense! I beg for your mercy!”
Cao Xiaoxiao kept kowtowing, crying with tears and snot streaming down her face.
“Guards, take her away and administer one hundred lashes,” the Emperor waved his hand, unwilling to say more.
Cao Xiaoxiao wailed as she was dragged away, but it was of no use.