Noble Son-in-Law - Chapter 56.1

Chapter 56.1

For three straight days, Li Zhi was absent from the palace.

The husband who had once vowed to grow old with her suddenly expressed a desire to join a talent show, and as time passed, the sadness that had settled in Shen Qingqing’s heart began to fade.

While Shen Qingqing felt anger towards Li Zhi, she also secretly wished he would make an effort to win her back like he used to, promising to skip the talent show for her. However, Li Zhi didn’t come to make amends, which left Shen Qingqing feeling disappointed at first, but eventually, she stopped holding onto hope. 

Maybe her feelings for Li Zhi weren’t as deep as she thought, since it only took her three days to find peace in sleep. 

‘Princess Channing is right: women may wither without affection, but being away from men can feel freedom.’

During this time, Princess Channing brought her two little girls to the palace daily. The two women, along with the three children, spent their days playing and enjoying the scenery.

One morning, as Shen Qingqing was getting ready in front of the mirror, the chief eunuch Wan Gonggong, who served Li Zhi, arrived with a smile. He announced that the emperor wanted to see the little princess. Knowing that Li Zhi would never harm his daughter, Shen Qingqing quickly sent Yu Chan to fetch her daughter and the wet nurse from the backyard.

While waiting, Eunuch Wan secretly glanced at the empress several times. The emperor had been free lately but hadn’t visited the palace. ‘Surely, the empress must be anxious, right?’ So Eunuch Wan decided to say that the emperor missed the empress if the empress inquired about the emperor.

However, Eunuch Wan continued to wait until the wet nurse arrived with the two-year-old princess. The lovely empress didn’t even glance his way, and he realised that the tension between the emperor and empress was likely to continue for quite a while.

“Mom, let’s see Dad!” Niuniu, dressed in her finest, joyfully ran over and grabbed her mother’s hand. She was eager to see her father.

Shen Qingqing lifted her daughter, planting a kiss on her cheek, and gently replied, “Niuniu, go ahead. Auntie will be here soon, so I need to wait for her.”

Niuniu blinked her big eyes but ultimately decided she missed her father more, so she didn’t insist on staying. 

“Your Majesty, may I take the princess to see the emperor?” Eunuch Wan asked with respect.

Shen Qingqing smiled gracefully, “Yes, please do. Thank you for your assistance, Eunuch Wan.”

Eunuch Wan bowed and departed with the wet nurse and the little princess. 

Niuniu rested her head on the wet nurse’s shoulder, turning back to flash a smile at her mother.

Shen Qingqing gazed at her daughter’s chubby little face, feeling incredibly grateful that she had a daughter last year. If she had given birth to a son, raising a prince while Li Zhi took the throne would have been quite a challenge.

In Qianyuan Palace, Li Zhi was relaxing on a couch by the window, sifting through some official documents. When he heard his daughter’s cheerful voice outside, he told the palace staff to tidy up the papers, leaving just a few soft pastries on the table that were perfect for a two-year-old. 

“Dad!” When Niuniu spotted her father by the window, she waved her hands eagerly.

Li Zhi smiled and lifted his daughter into his arms.

The little girl tilted her head and planted a kiss on Li Zhi’s cheek, looking up at him with her big, glistening almond-shaped eyes. 

As Li Zhi gazed into his daughter’s eyes, he saw his own reflection along with a touch of Shen Qingqing’s features on her little face. He then exchanged a knowing wink with Eunuch WanWan.

Eunuch Wan quickly sent palace servants out, leaving just the father and daughter alone in the inner hall.

Li Zhi began feeding Niuniu some cakes, and once she was full, he gently asked, “Where’s your mother?”

“Auntie!”

Hearing that response, Zhi felt a wave of frustration wash over him. His sister had been eager to visit the palace, and he welcomed her every time. However, lately, she seemed preoccupied with teaching Shen Qingqing how to be a noble and virtuous empress which was becoming quite a burden for him. Li Zhi understood his sister’s feelings for Emperor Qingde and certainly didn’t want Shen Qingqing to adopt that kind of mindset towards him.

Emperor Qingde had Empress Shen and several children. To ensure his son remained on the throne, he was willing to bury Li Zhi’s sister alive. Li Zhi never considered being with other concubines, much less fathering children with them. The kingdom he had taken, stained with eternal disgrace, would only belong to him and Shen Qingqing’s descendants. Thus, he felt he didn’t deserve the same treatment as Emperor Qingde.

“Do you want to visit your sisters?” Li Zhi asked his daughter playfully.

Naturally, Niuniu wanted it.it.

Li Zhi instructed Eunuch Wan to monitor the movements of the empress and the eldest princess while he took three little girls to play.

Shen Qingqing and Princess Channing were in the peony garden, where the children were lively, searching for the prettiest flowers. Meanwhile, Shen Qingqing and Princess Channing relaxed in a pavilion, enjoying the shade. As Li Zhi approached with Niuniu, Princess Channing leaned in and whispered to Shen Qingqing, “Has he not visited the palace lately?”

Shen Qingqing nodded with an indifferent expression.

Princess Channing chuckled and said, “Exactly. Let me tell you, all men are the same. The more you disregard them, the more they’ll want to win you back.”

Shen Qingqing glanced at Li Zhi, who was coming nearer, and replied coolly, “I don’t mind; I just want to be at ease. He can think whatever he likes.”

Princess Channing gently patted her sister-in-law’s hand.

Even though Princess Channing had been teaching Shen Qingqing how to let go, she still believed her brother needed a bit more cold shoulder before he truly engaged in the selection process. 

Shen Qingqing wasn’t interested in wasting her energy on Li Zhi anymore. When he arrived, she simply stood up to greet him and then ignored him completely. Regardless of what the siblings discussed, she turned her attention to the three girls in the garden.

Li Zhi observed his young wife’s stubborn demeanour.

After the storm, the world was calm, and Li Zhi wanted to enjoy a peaceful life with Shen Qingqing.

Under the table, he playfully nudged the hem of Shen Qingqing’s dress with the tip of his boot.

Feeling that, Shen Qingqing frowned, instinctively wanting to turn towards Li Zhi but then decided to close her eyes instead.

The man was in a playful mood, but Shen Qingqing wasn’t in the mood to engage. 

“Sister, please keep the emperor company. I’m going to check on Niuniu,” Shen Qingqing said as she stood up and left the pavilion.

“Why did she call you sister?” Li Zhi asked his sister after watching his wife leave.

Princess Channing smiled and replied, “I’m older than her, and she’s never been able to call me sister before. She’s too polite, so I told her to call me sister when it’s just us.”

Li Zhi lightly scolded, “That’s silly.”

Now that Li Zhi was the emperor, everyone in the palace showed him respect and a bit of fear, but that definitely didn’t apply to Princess Channing. Spotting some figures hiding in the peony bushes, she casually remarked, “Brother, why the anger? Soon enough, you’ll be surrounded by beautiful women and won’t have much time for us anyway. What we say in private is none of your concern.”

Li Zhi pressed his lips together, realising that his sister and wife had teamed up against him. But he was too mature now to be bothered by such childish antics.

*****

As night fell, Li Zhi made his way to the palace. Shen Qingqing and Niuniu had just finished their meal and greeted the emperor.

Shen Qingqing took her daughter’s hand, lowered her gaze, and said to Li Zhi, “Dinner is ready, Your Majesty. Enjoy. I’ll go put Niuniu to bed.”

Surrounded by palace maids, Li Zhi looked seriously at Shen Qingqing. He had informed them ahead of time that he would be joining them for dinner, so why had Shen Qingqing chosen to eat with Niuniu first? If he wanted to dine alone, he could have stayed in Qianyuan Palace.

“Go ahead,” he said, knowing Shen Qingqing was intentionally trying to provoke him. He quickly forced a smile, thinking to himself that he’d show her how he would handle things tonight.

As soon as Li Zhi finished his dinner, Yu Chan approached him. “Your Majesty, the princess kept asking for a bedtime story, and then the princess asked the empress to sleep with her. So the empress asked this servant to inform Your Majesty about it,” she said with a shaky voice.

Li Zhi’s fists tightened in anger. ‘How could she do this?’

Without a word, he abruptly stood up and left the table, storming out of the palace with a dark expression.

Yu Chan followed him outside, anxious. Once he was gone, she wiped the sweat from her brow and rushed to the backyard to update her master. 

“Your Majesty, the emperor seems really upset,” Yu Chan whispered.

Shen Qingqing smirked slightly. ‘He has every right to be angry, but he can’t just do whatever he wants to me just because he’s the emperor.’

Have a nice day!