Shi Zhenxiang saw her eldest sister-in-law was so worried about her and comforted her, saying, "It's fine. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Just treat it as an opportunity to see the world."
"If not for this chance, my children and I would have to stay in the palace for a lifetime. It's better to go out and take a walk."
Now, being able to take the children on a nationwide tour was actually a good thing.
Sister-in-law Shi thought about it and realized that was true.
"That's right. The farthest place you've ever been is the Summer Retreat. The harem has such limited scenery, nowhere near as wonderful as the outside world."
It really was good to be able to go out and see things.
So Sister-in-law Shi agreed, and at the same time, she stuffed a lot of personal savings into Shi Zhenxiang's hands.
"This is a joint gift from your sisters-in-law. Take it and use it on the road."
Shi Zhenxiang wanted to refuse, but Sister-in-law Shi wouldn't allow it.
"Take it. We can still earn more money, but it won't be easy for you to earn money on the road. Spend this first, and if it's not enough, we'll send you more."
Shi Zhenxiang was deeply moved. "Sister-in-law~"
Sister-in-law Shi patted her on the back. "Don't worry. I'll also have the escort agency keep an eye on you all along the way. If there's any news, they'll let you know."
Sister-in-law Shi was the eldest daughter of a family that ran escort agencies. Her family's escort agencies were spread across the country. Having their network as an intelligence source was indeed very useful. Shi Zhenxiang thanked her several more times.
Before leaving, Shi Zhenxiang's several sisters-in-law filled an entire carriage with things for her—everything that could be used for clothing, food, shelter, and travel.
This time, Shi Zhenxiang didn't refuse. She planned to repay her sisters-in-law after she returned.
Wanfu Temple.
When the Empress heard that the Emperor was leaving the palace and was only taking Shi Zhenxiang as his imperial concubine, she gritted her back teeth.
"Noble Consort Shi again."
"I really underestimated her."
Previously, she had seen Shi Zhenxiang as someone who didn't contend or snatch, looking obedient and sensible. She never expected that not long after she left the palace, that woman would be going out of the palace with the Emperor?
So all that aloofness from worldly affairs before was just an act?
The Empress was furious.
"No, I can't let her go."
If Shi Zhenxiang really got to be alone with the Emperor, what if feelings developed between them?
By then, if she gave birth to several more princes on the road, the Empress's position would be in jeopardy.
The Empress anxiously discussed with Nanny Huang, "What if I give her some medicine to make her sick? Then she won't be able to go."
"When the time comes, I'll propose going out of the palace with the Emperor. Maybe on the road, the Emperor will develop feelings for me."
Then if she gave birth to several more princes, her position as Empress would be secure.
Nanny Huang thought this was a good idea.
But the last time the poisoning was discovered, it would be harder to make a move this time.
The Empress's gaze was firm. "Last time I was careless. I was fooled by that vixen. I thought she was innocent, but I didn't expect her to be so calculating."
Maybe she was the one who poisoned the imperial concubines in the harem.
This time, she naturally wouldn't leave any evidence.
The Empress's eyes darted. "Isn't winter the season for eating persimmons? I remember that some people get stomachaches if they eat persimmons on an empty stomach."
At that time, I'll just give Shi Zhenxiang and the princesses some persimmons. Maybe they'll get diarrhea and won't be able to go.
Besides, there are many foods that clash with persimmons.
If I let them eat a lot of those, they'll definitely fall for it.
Nanny Huang thought it was feasible.
After all, the food itself is non-toxic, but if they eat clashing foods, no one can trace it back to them.
"Yes, this old servant will go and handle it."
The Empress also told this to the Old Prime Minister.
After hearing it, the Old Prime Minister neither approved nor opposed it.
After all, the Empress really did need a son. Letting her leave the palace was also acceptable.
Only if the Empress had a prince would it benefit the status of the Prime Minister's Estate, so he agreed.
As for harming Shi Zhenxiang, it wasn't convenient for him to act.
"Handle this through someone else. Don't let the Emperor trace it back to you, or else he'll blame the Prime Minister's Estate again. Make sure no one leaves any traces."
The Empress nodded. "This time, daughter will be careful."
Last time, she was convicted by the Emperor, causing her maternal family to pay so much money. The family had already been complaining about her, so this time she naturally had to be cautious.
Thinking about that money, the Prime Minister was also pained.
He never expected the Emperor to be so shameless as to even ask him for travel expenses.
Fortunately, his private treasury was large. Let the Dog Emperor go out and suffer a bit. He just hoped he wouldn't come back.
The Old Prime Minister looked like he was ready to enjoy the show.
This time, the Empress was indeed a bit more cautious.
She kept waiting for the right moment.
She waited until the day before Sheng Jinyan and Shi Zhenxiang were to leave the palace before sending over frozen persimmon sorbet and eggs—things that clash with persimmons.
Because in the past few days, the persimmons in the palace had ripened, golden and fragrant, and every imperial concubine received some.
So Shi Zhenxiang didn't suspect anything and accepted them.
To make Shi Zhenxiang eat more, the Empress specially ordered a famous chef to make the persimmon sorbet delicious, and Shi Zhenxiang really did eat a large plateful.
When the Empress heard that she had eaten it, she was very excited.
She waited anxiously in the palace, hoping that Shi Zhenxiang would eat a lot of persimmons and clashing foods, so she would vomit and have diarrhea.
But after waiting all night, no news came from Zhenxiang Pavilion.
She wondered if they were hiding something.
After all, vomiting and diarrhea would damage an imperial concubine's reputation.
Maybe they really were keeping it secret.
The Empress desperately wanted to know whether Shi Zhenxiang had diarrhea, but she dared not inquire at that moment for fear of being discovered.
She could only grit her teeth and wait for news the next day.
She barely slept all night.
The next day, with dark circles under her eyes, she came to Shi Zhenxiang's bedchamber to see if she had collapsed from diarrhea.
But instead, she saw Shi Zhenxiang coming out in good health.
She had changed into a common woman's cotton-padded clothes, with no other ornaments in her hair except a silver hairpin.
Her complexion looked very rosy, without any sign of weakness from dehydration due to diarrhea.
And when she looked at the five princesses, they were all exquisitely carved, even in their coarse cloth linen cotton-padded clothes, they still gave off a lovely and festive feeling.
The Empress was stunned.
She looked at Nanny Huang in utter confusion.
Nanny Huang was also very puzzled.
Yesterday, the persimmons had been deliberately tampered with, and their spy had personally seen Noble Consort Shi eat them all. How could she be completely fine?
Shi Zhenxiang also noticed the strange expressions on the two of them and immediately understood what was going on.
She smiled but said nothing. She wouldn't tell them the truth.
The fact was, her digestive system was excellent. Even eating large amounts of cold food didn't cause any discomfort.
Even eating persimmon sorbet on an empty stomach produced no symptoms. She had a naturally strong stomach.
But she wouldn't tell the Empress that. Let her guess.
Nanny also noticed the constipation-like expressions on the Empress and her servant and figured it out.
She whispered, "I was wondering why the Imperial Kitchen gave so many persimmons yesterday."
Almost every dish was made with persimmons.
On the surface, they said it was for 'everything going smoothly' (a pun on persimmons), so they made a persimmon full banquet.
"So they wanted you to have diarrhea."
Shi Zhenxiang suppressed a smile, also thinking that the Empress was adorably foolish.
But for other imperial concubines with weaker stomachs, they might indeed have had diarrhea.
Sure enough, very few concubines came to see them off today, because after eating too many frozen persimmons yesterday, most of them had diarrhea.
Fortunately, Sheng Jinyan also had a strong stomach and was perfectly fine.
As for the princesses, they preferred meat, so they didn't eat many persimmons. Naturally, they were all lively and jumping around.
At this moment, their belongings were loaded onto the horses. A group of ten people and two carriages was a bit cramped.
Fortunately, the nannies knew how to drive the carriage, so they managed to travel light.
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