The Empress originally thought that when she said such things, Jun Ning, being a child, would not hold grudges and would easily trust others. Her goodwill would somewhat make Jun Ning more approachable, treating her as the Empress Mother.
But unexpectedly, Jun Ning looked at her unaffectedly, silent for a long while.
She felt like she was talking to herself.
Unsure of what to do, she looked to Nanny Li for help.
Nanny Li said jovially, "The sun is bright outside, little princess, let’s hurry inside, shall we? Let’s go inside to see the good things the Empress has prepared for you."
"Yes, let’s quickly go inside!"
The Empress couldn’t believe her goodwill wouldn’t work, nor the things she prepared.
You must know, Jun Ning, having lived in the Cold Palace since birth, hasn’t eaten good things nor seen good things. The things she prepared would surely dazzle her, making her submit and be at her disposal.
Jun Ning was unaware of the Empress’s schemes; her thoughts were all on meeting the seventeenth Prince now.
She was curious to know how the seventeenth Prince would react to her current appearance as a young woman. Would he still treat her as the leader?
With such thoughts, Jun Ning was escorted by the crowd into Jiaofang Palace.
As soon as Jun Ning entered, she began searching for Jun Yu but didn’t see him.
The Empress said, "The seventeenth is sick today, resting; let’s not bother him for now."
"Sick?" Jun Ning was very worried, "Then can I go see him?"
"The Imperial Physician has just seen him, and he has already taken medicine and is sleeping. His sleep is rather restless, not suitable for disturbance," the Empress said, presenting a long-prepared excuse to prevent the two from meeting.
After hearing this, Jun Ning indeed had no intention of seeking Jun Yu, "Then I’ll wait for him to wake up before seeing him."
The Empress smiled, "Okay." She paused, then forcibly led Jun Ning towards the innermost part of Jiaofang Palace, "Come now, let’s see the good things Mother has prepared for you."
Jun Ning struggled a few times unsuccessfully to break free from the Empress’s grip and could only follow her along.
The innermost part of Jiaofang Palace had long been prepared with delicious foods and various silks, precious gold and silver, and jade items.
The Empress believed Jun Ning had never seen such things since birth, so she had them displayed intentionally to impress, to intimidate, and to dazzle Jun Ning’s eyes, making her completely at her disposal.
When Jun Ning first saw these things, she was indeed shocked.
But it wasn’t the things themselves that shocked her; these treasures, to her, were commonplace in her past life, so she did not find them novel. She was shocked by the Empress’s grand gesture.
What is the Empress trying to do by showing her so many treasures?
What medicine is she selling in her gourd?
"Do you like anything, pick one at will?" the Empress pointed to a nearby pile of treasures and said, "As long as you like it, you can take it away."
So, she deliberately laid out these things for her to choose from?
The principle of unsolicited kindness being either deceitful or thieving, Jun Ning certainly understood. But she didn’t understand the Empress’s purpose for doing all this. Thıs content belongs to 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡✶𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚✶𝙣𝙚𝙩
She waited, waiting for the Empress to show her purpose.
The Empress saw Jun Ning hadn’t moved forward to choose for a long time, thinking Jun Ning was shocked by the things she displayed, not daring to move.
She smiled contentedly, with some pride, "This palace, ah, lacks none of these external possessions, so Ah Ning, don’t be afraid of spending my wealth, like whatever you want, pick freely."
As long as she’s done choosing, help her say a few good words to the Emperor and have the Emperor lift her confinement and restore her power to manage the harem.