Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 861: Chapter 21: Lady Liang Is No Pushover

Last night, snow fell over the capital, turning the entire Imperial Palace white.

Lady Liang got up early and, with Gui Xing and the others, started building snowmen. Previously, when Zhao Yao was in the palace, he would lead Tong Xi and others in building snowmen. He always said that it wouldn’t be right to let a snowy day pass without making snowmen. This year, he has gone to Lingnan, unable to build snowmen in Kunde Hall anymore, so Lady Liang had to build them herself.

Pandai Ren woke up to see several snowmen in the courtyard, first stunned, then her face lit up with surprise. She hastily ran outside, startling the palace maid beside her.

"Master, it’s cold outside, why are you going out?"

Seeing the familiar snowmen in the courtyard, Pandai Ren asked joyfully, "Is Yao Yao back? Where is Yao Yao now?"

"Master, His Highness has gone to Lingnan; how could he be back?"

"These snowmen were made by Yao Yao; he must have returned from Lingnan." Pandai Ren ran to find Lady Liang, "Sister, has Yao Yao returned?"

Seeing Pandai Ren without a fox fur coat and her nose reddened from the cold, Lady Liang hurriedly gave her the hand warmer.

"Why did you run out with so little on? What if you catch a cold?"

Pandai Ren paid no mind to whether she caught a cold or not; she reached out and tightly grabbed Lady Liang’s hand, asking excitedly and expectantly, "Sister, where is Yao Yao now? Did he go to see the Emperor?"

Seeing Pandai Ren’s joyful expression, Lady Liang couldn’t bear to disappoint her but had to speak the truth.

"Yao Yao is in Lingnan; he hasn’t returned."

"Impossible, I saw the snowmen outside." Pandai Ren retorted, "Every year it snows, Yao Yao builds snowmen." Every snowy day, Yao Yao would always say snowmen and snowy days go perfectly together.

"I made those." Lady Liang said, pulling Pandai Ren to the warm pavilion, sitting on the kang, and pouring her a cup of hot tea.

Pandai Ren sat for a while before she came to, then sighed quietly, "Ah, I thought Yao Yao had returned."

"In a year and a half, he will return." In a year and a half, Zhao Yao will return to the capital to get married.

Pandai Ren said with a face full of disappointment, "Another year and a half."

"He will come back early next year." Lady Liang comforted Pandai Ren, "At the beginning of next year, he should start his journey back to the capital from Lingnan." Yao Yao’s wedding date is set; he is to return from Lingnan six months early to prepare for the wedding.

"That still means waiting for a year." Ever since Zhao Yao went to Lingnan, Pandai Ren found Kunde Hall to have become very quiet. "I wonder if it snows in Lingnan, I wonder if Yao Yao is warm enough, if he is cold?"

"It doesn’t snow in Lingnan." Although Yao Yao wasn’t Pandai Ren’s biological child, she always treated him as her own, even more than Yao Yao’s birth mother in concern and affection. Ever since Yao Yao left the capital, Pandai Sibling seemed depleted of energy, languid every day. "Lingnan is warmer than the capital; one could say it’s like spring all year round. He won’t need to wear a cotton coat, and he won’t be cold."

"Ah, is Lingnan really so warm?" Pandai Ren was unfamiliar with Lingnan and was hearing this for the first time.

"Yes, very warm, so don’t worry about him." Lady Liang smiled slightly at Pandai Ren, "He is more worried about you. You forgot what he said before he left, that if he sees you unhappy when he returns next year, he would feel heartache for you."

Upon hearing Lady Liang speak so, a smile instantly appeared on Pandai Ren’s face.

"Thinking that Yao Yao can return in a year’s time gives me hope in my heart."

"If you feel bored, you can now start preparing clothes for him and his Princess." Lady Liang knew well that if women in the harem lost hope, they would slowly become listless. "And you can also start preparing clothes and shoes in advance for your grandchildren."

This suggestion brought back the light in Pandai Ren’s eyes and rejuvenated her instantly with energy.

"Sister is right; I’ll start right away."

"No rush, no rush, Yao Yao still has a year to return; you can take your time this year."

"I have no important skills, but my needlework is slightly better. I must make some things for Yao Yao and his children right now." Finding something to do, Pandai Ren became radiant.

At this moment, Gui Xing entered with a grim expression.

"Lady, Noble Princess Consort Rong sent this." Saying this, she handed a letter to Lady Liang.