The Humble Family's Daughter Has A Spatial Pocket!-Chapter 882 - 768: Reap What You Sow

July 17th marked the Empress Dowager’s birthday.

Apart from the Qianqing Palace, every corner of the Imperial Palace bustled with extraordinary activity.

The Emperor stood motionless for a long time, hands behind his back, in front of the joint portrait of the elderly Madam Gu and Gu Jian, and the Yan Matriarch, until Eunuch An braved to remind him that it was time for the officials to present their birthday felicitations to the Empress Dowager, causing the Emperor to finally avert his gaze.

"Let’s go!"

The Emperor concealed all emotions within his heart and walked towards the Cining Palace with a faint smile on his face.

As soon as the Emperor’s procession had left, Prince Yong arrived at the Qianqing Palace.

"Prince, the Emperor has gone to the Cining Palace."

Prince Yong said with a jovial tone, "It seems I have arrived just a step too late. I shall head to the Cining Palace now." Just as he was about to turn and leave, something caught his eye from the corner of his vision—the eunuchs were carefully packing away a painting.

Upon seeing the figures in the painting, Prince Yong’s pupils involuntarily shrank, and he stood frozen in place.

He must be seeing things, right?

Among the three people in the painting, could that man resemble the Emperor’s maternal uncle?

No, that’s not right.

The Emperor’s birth mother and maternal uncle died long ago in the catastrophic fire at Chengqian Palace, along with the Noble Consort. The man in the painting was clearly an old man past his sixties; he couldn’t possibly be the Emperor’s maternal uncle.

It must simply be a resemblance.

Indeed, Prince Yong was among the few who knew the true lineage of the Emperor, and the hereditary title of the Prince Residence was largely thanks to this reason.

Prince Yong left the Qianqing Palace with unease.

Although he forced himself to believe they were merely lookalikes, intuition and reason told him there was no way the Emperor would keep such a painting in his palace without cause.

Preoccupied and worried that his distress might show, Prince Yong didn’t dare go straight to the Cining Palace and instead chose to sit at a pavilion to compose his scattered thoughts.

He had not been seated long when he saw the women of the Yan Family approaching, accompanied by Princess Huijia.

As the Empress Dowager was celebrating her birthday, the Yan Matriarch, as a third-rank Madam, was also there to offer her felicitations.

Prince Yong’s eyes bulged in shock upon seeing the Yan Matriarch, who was supported by Madam Li and Han Xinran.

"Uncle Prince, why are you sitting alone in the pavilion?"

By the time Princess Huijia reached him, Prince Yong had just managed to regain his composure.

The women of the Yan Family respectfully greeted Prince Yong, accompanied by Princess Huijia, and then tactfully stepped aside.

Prince Yong exchanged only brief pleasantries with Princess Huijia before sending them on their way to the Cining Palace.

Before leaving, Daohua gave the venerable Prince a curious glance, slightly furrowing her brow. It felt as if the Prince had looked at her grandmother in an odd way.

Prince Yong noticed Daohua’s scrutiny. Watching her retreating back, a sudden epiphany struck him, recalling the two Royal Dark Guards who had accompanied the Countess of Shengping when he first encountered her on Tangyu Mountain.

It was said that the Countess had entered the capital with her master.

Prince Yong’s heart began to pound wildly; he felt as though he stumbled upon a significant secret.

Could it be that the Emperor’s birth mother and uncle had not died?

Thinking of how these two appeared in the portrait with the Yan Matriarch, Prince Yong quickly summoned his personal eunuch, whispering, "Go tell the Old Princess Consort to take extra care of the women of the Yan Family."

Leaving aside Prince Yong’s disquiet, the Old Princess Consort, after hearing the eunuch’s words, was also baffled to no end.

Regardless of her confusion, she obeyed her husband’s command, and when Madam Jiang the Second started to trouble the women of the Yan Family, she smoothed things over several times.

This surprised everyone immensely.

Before this event, whenever the Jiang Family troubled the Yan Family, the Old Princess Consort had always stayed out of it.

Madam Jiang the Second was secretly irritated, but she had to show respect to the Old Princess Consort, who was of the same generation as the Empress Dowager, so she reluctantly abandoned her plans to continue troubling the women of the Yan Family.

Princess Huijia observed the Old Princess Consort, having seen her Uncle Prince’s surprised look at the sight of the Yan Matriarch. The more she thought about it, the more intriguing the Yan Family seemed, to even have the protection of the Prince.

...

The Empress Dowager’s birthday was celebrated grandly, with songs, dances, and opera performances throughout the day, and a banquet in the evening.

Daohua, seeking a peaceful day, stayed respectfully by the Yan Matriarch and Madam Li’s side, avoiding contact with the Jiang Family as much as possible, and also kept away from the Empress Dowager to avoid drawing attention.

Thus, evening approached.