A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 1338: Chapter 1336

"First time coming here!"

"If I didn’t look carefully, I would have thought I was back again!"

Consort Zheng sighed.

Hong Yun also laughed and said.

"Isn’t it?"

"This archway, and this corridor, look so much like our Xihuai Palace!"

"This two-story pavilion looks almost like the Precious Stream Pavilion! Exquisite and beautiful!"

Consort Zheng nodded with a smile.

The master and servant walked along the winding corridor all the way to the main hall.

Consort Zheng had the status of a First-Rank Consort, and with no others accompanying her, living in the main hall was more than appropriate.

They entered through the main door.

The master and servant looked around and felt that the decorations here were almost the same as those in the palace.

The positioning of the bed, the color of the bed curtains, the carpet on the floor, and the felt on the couch.

Everything was just about the same treatment as in the palace.

Consort Zheng was very satisfied and smiled as she spoke to the Palace Maids and eunuchs serving in the temporary palace.

"You’ve been thoughtful, I really like it!"

The group of Palace Maids and eunuchs quickly kneeled and kowtowed.

"Your Highness overpraises us, it’s what we are supposed to do!"

Consort Zheng waved her hand.

"You may go now! I’m going to rest for a while!"

"Yes!"

The Palace Attendants retreated.

Hong Yun brought a cup of tea for Consort Zheng and said in passing.

"If we’d known it would be like this, why did we bother with disguises?"

"Wouldn’t it be more imposing to come out openly?"

Consort Zheng shook her head at these words.

"That’s not right!"

"This temporary palace isn’t far from the Tao Residence, if I didn’t come out in disguise, wouldn’t they have gotten the news?"

"If they got the news, they would surely have prepared in advance. Then we would be unable to catch any mistakes!"

Hong Yun quickly nodded.

"Your Highness is right!"

"It’s this maid who’s been short-sighted!"

Consort Zheng said no more and drank tea before resting for about half a Shi Chen.

After having lunch, she finally went out with Hong Yun in disguise.

...

Due to the upcoming Qingming Festival, the Tao Residence was grandly preparing for the ancestral rituals and tomb visitations.

Additionally, because the Tao Family was a scholarly family with a large lineage, the ancestral rituals were intricate and required a lot of preparation.

Thus, all the servants in the house were focusing on this event.

The guards at the main gate now consisted only of an elderly man past his fifties.

When Consort Zheng’s carriage stopped outside the Tao Residence, that old man didn’t even notice.

Hong Yun was a bit dissatisfied, but still patiently sent a Little Eunuch in plain clothes to go and announce them.

The Little Eunuch did as told and went.

Unfortunately, after a moment, he came back with a less-than-pleasant expression.

"Reporting to the master!"

"That servant said the house is busy and has no time to entertain you, asking you to return first!"

Hong Yun’s expression changed instantly.

"What did you just say?"

"Is that truly what they said?"

The Little Eunuch nodded.

"Truly!"

Hong Yun was quite upset, not knowing what to do.

Suddenly Consort Zheng spoke.

"I’ll go myself!"

"No, Your Highness, you cannot go!"

Hong Yun immediately refused.

"Let me go instead, I refuse to believe the Tao Family is this bold!"

As she spoke, she intended to alight from the carriage.

Consort Zheng stopped her.

"Calm down, we are in disguise, they know nothing!"

She then turned to the coachman and instructed.

"Go, take a detour to the back street, and enter directly through the back courtyard!"

"I want to see the Princess directly!"

Hong Yun hesitated but eventually nodded.

"Yes!"

...

The carriage quickly turned onto the back street.

The one guarding the back gate of the Tao Residence was an old woman who was hard of hearing.

Hong Yun gave her some silver, and they both entered smoothly.

Following the back garden and asking questions along the way, they soon arrived at The Eldest Princess’s courtyard.

The Eldest Princess was embroidering and heard Xiao Luo announce that someone wanted to see her.

Thinking it was another trick of Maternal Aunt Tao, she ignored it.

A moment later, Xiao Luo came to announce again.

"Princess, a strange Madam has come and insists on seeing you today!"

The Princess thought for a moment.

"A strange Madam?"

She couldn’t figure it out, so she said.

"Let them in then!"

"Perhaps there’s something important!"

"Alright!"

Xiao Luo went out to let the two enter.

The Eldest Princess looked up, took a careful look, and immediately rose, eyes wet as she knelt down.

"So it is..."

"So it is..."

Consort Zheng helped her up.

"The floor is cold, get up quickly!"

The Eldest Princess wiped her tears and helped Consort Zheng sit on the couch.

"How did you come? How did you manage to come?"

"Sister Hong Yun is here too?"

She was so happy she didn’t know what to say.

Consort Zheng smiled.

"Yes! We came out to see you!"

The Eldest Princess was so excited, tearfully speechless for a while.

Finally, it was Xiao Luo who was clever enough to order tea for them.

Consort Zheng glanced at Xiao Luo, who seemed hesitant to speak.

The Eldest Princess dismissed Xiao Luo, leaving just the three of them.

Consort Zheng rose to look around, then sat back down with a displeased face.

"Is this the main courtyard? It looks..." too simple, like an aunt’s courtyard.

"Also, didn’t you have four dowry maids when you got married?"

"And your personal Palace Maid, where are they all? Where did this Maid come from?"

The Eldest Princess hesitated for a moment and then honestly said.

"I had two daughters, and I was afraid they wouldn’t have reliable people around them, so I gave them my personal maids and Palace Maids!"

"This Xiao Luo is someone I chose when I got married!"

"She’s relatively loyal to me, and I have nothing more to ask for!"

Consort Zheng frowned deeply.

"How can this be?"

"You don’t even have someone trustworthy by your side. What if this Maid isn’t reliable, won’t you be done for?"

The Eldest Princess looked indifferent.

"I’m not important!"

"As long as my children are well, I’m content!"

Consort Zheng sighed at these words.

"You’re such a foolish child!"

"Why didn’t you think of seeking help from the palace?"

"Would I eat you?"

"Haven’t I treated you well?"

The Eldest Princess shook her head.

"Mother Consort is good, but..."

There’s a hurdle with the Empress.

If not for the Empress, her biological mother wouldn’t have died so miserably!

If there was no Empress, her mother might still be alive today!

She wouldn’t be in this situation.

An adoptive mother could never compare to a biological mother, they could never be the same!

She wasn’t smart.

She wasn’t as lively as her second sister, nor as beautiful as her third sister, nor did she have the determination of her fourth sister.

She was not outstanding, nor did she win the Emperor’s favor, even the Palace Maids in the palace didn’t care much for her.

That’s how it’s been since she was a child.

It was like this even before marriage.

Now that she’s married, who would sincerely care for her?

So why would she go to the palace?

Even if Consort Zheng was her adoptive mother, would she genuinely be good to her?

The Eldest Princess pondered secretly.

Consort Zheng sighed.

"I know you still remember your biological mother!"

"But the Empress hasn’t been unkind to you!"

"You need to understand! You need to appreciate!"

"If she wanted to make things hard for you, would you have what you have today?"

The Eldest Princess thought for a while before biting her lip and saying.

"I understand now!"

"Thank you, Mother Consort, for your guidance!"