Three days later, Leng Ruoli was summoned to the palace by the Empress Dowager early in the morning.
"Li'er, the massager you gave me seems to be out of battery again," the Empress Dowager said with a smile, looking at Leng Ruoli.
"It's okay, Imperial Grandmother. Just have the palace attendant bring the massager out, and I'll take it to charge for you," Leng Ruoli replied with a smile.
"Good!"
After speaking, the Empress Dowager beckoned to the palace attendant, who immediately understood her intention.
When the palace attendant handed the massager to Leng Ruoli, Leng Ruoli used the excuse of needing to relieve herself to secretly throw the massager into her spatial dimension to charge.
However, when she returned to the Empress Dowager's side, the Empress Dowager pulled her into her private storeroom, which made Leng Ruoli feel perplexed.
"Imperial Grandmother, why have you brought Li'er here?" Leng Ruoli asked, looking confused.
"Li'er, Imperial Grandmother wants to give you some treasures today. What do you like? You can take anything," the Empress Dowager said with a chuckle.
Hearing this, Leng Ruoli found it very strange. As the saying goes, one does not receive favors without a reason. But why would the Empress Dowager think of giving her gifts for no apparent reason today? What was going on? 138 Reading Network
"Imperial Grandmother, why are you giving Li'er a gift today?" Leng Ruoli asked curiously.
"Heh heh, you girl, does Imperial Grandmother need a reason to give you a gift?"
The Empress Dowager raised her hand and flicked Leng Ruoli's forehead lightly.
"Ouch, Imperial Grandmother, don't make Li'er foolish again."
Leng Ruoli cooperated by letting out a soft cry of pain, pretending to be hurt. In reality, the Empress Dowager hadn't used much force when flicking her.
Hearing her cry out in pain, the Empress Dowager immediately became anxious and reached out to rub Leng Ruoli's forehead.
"Girl, does it still hurt? It's all Imperial Grandmother's fault for being too forceful just now," the Empress Dowager said with a hint of self-reproach.
"Imperial Grandmother, Li'er is fine. I was just pretending to be hurt, hehe..."
After speaking, Leng Ruoli playfully stuck out her pink tongue and giggled.
"Hmph! You mischievous girl, you just love to tease your Imperial Grandmother, making me think I really hurt you!" the Empress Dowager said, feigning anger.
"Heh heh, Imperial Grandmother, don't be angry. Li'er knows she was wrong."
Leng Ruoli smiled sweetly.
"Alright then, you can continue choosing treasures. Take whatever you like?"
The Empress Dowager gestured towards the dazzling array of gold, silver, jewels, fabrics, calligraphy, paintings, and various other valuable treasures and medicinal ingredients in her small storeroom. Instantly, Leng Ruoli was overwhelmed by the sight.
She had never imagined that the Emperor and the Empress Dowager's private treasury was so wealthy.
Although she was a bit of a money-grubber, she felt uneasy taking anything today without understanding why the Empress Dowager was giving her gifts.
"Imperial Grandmother, Li'er still doesn't understand why you are giving me gifts?" Leng Ruoli asked again.
"Ai, you child, why are you so stubborn today? Does Imperial Grandmother need a reason to give you gifts?" the Empress Dowager said, feigning anger.
Hearing this, Leng Ruoli was helpless. She walked into the Empress Dowager's small storeroom and casually picked out a gold-inlaid jade dragonfly hairpin.
"Imperial Grandmother, your granddaughter chooses this hairpin," Leng Ruoli said, holding up the hairpin and shaking it at the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager glanced at the hairpin Leng Ruoli had chosen and shook her head helplessly. Didn't the rumors outside say that the Cold Royal Consort was greedy for money?
Yet, today she seemed not very interested in the treasures before her.
"Li'er, are there none of the things in Imperial Grandmother's storeroom that appeal to you?"
The Empress Dowager asked curiously.
"Imperial Grandmother, who doesn't like money? But Li'er dislikes money that comes from unclear sources," Leng Ruoli honestly told the Empress Dowager.
"Ai, you girl, how can the things Imperial Grandmother gives you be from unclear sources?" the Empress Dowager said, feigning anger again.
However, in her heart, she was extremely pleased with her granddaughter-in-law, Leng Ruoli.
Although this girl was a bit of a money-grubber, she wasn't someone who was blinded by money or insatiably greedy.
"Girl, if you don't dare to choose, then Imperial Grandmother will choose for you."
With that, the Empress Dowager casually picked up an empty small wooden box and placed it into Leng Ruoli's arms. She then went to a pile of hair accessories and selected several precious, simple, yet novel hairpins, tassels, and hair sticks, placing them into the small box in Leng Ruoli's arms. This was because the Empress Dowager knew from Leng Ruoli's usual attire that she didn't like overly ornate hair accessories and preferred simple, understated ones, as well as neat and clean, plainly colored dresses.
Next, the Empress Dowager also picked out several bracelets, necklaces, anklets, and toe rings of various styles. Some were inlaid with jade and pearls, some were gold and silver inlaid with gems, and some were pure white jade... all of them were exquisitely crafted and precious.
"Imperial Grandmother, these things are enough, more than enough. Please don't choose any more. Li'er doesn't usually use these things, and they would just be stored away collecting dust if I took them back."
Leng Ruoli tried to persuade her.
"Alright, then Imperial Grandmother will choose a few bolts of fine fabric for you to take back and have them made into dresses."
The Empress Dowager said, walking over to the fabric rack.
There were several types of fabrics displayed: Ruanyan Luo, Yun Jin, Ling Jin, San Hua Jin, Cai Yun Jin, Yu Si Jin, and more. These were all high-quality fabrics that were not easily available on the market. She gave Leng Ruoli a bolt of each style to take back to the royal mansion for making clothes.
Leng Ruoli wanted to refuse, but the Empress Dowager ignored her and immediately called for a palace attendant to carry the fabrics she had chosen for Leng Ruoli outside the small storeroom.
Then, the Empress Dowager selected two precious medicinal herbs for Leng Ruoli.
"Li'er, take these two, a thousand-year-old Jade Ganoderma and a thousand-year-old Polygonum multiflorum?"
At this moment, the Empress Dowager handed the two rare medicinal herbs to Leng Ruoli.
"Imperial Grandmother, these herbs are too precious. Li'er cannot accept them. Please keep them for yourself."
Leng Ruoli quickly refused when she saw the thousand-year-old Jade Ganoderma and thousand-year-old Polygonum multiflorum that the Empress Dowager was handing her.
"Ai, these two medicinal herbs are indeed precious to someone like you who understands medicine. But to Imperial Grandmother, who doesn't understand medicine, they are at most just two precious medicinal ingredients that would only gather dust in the storeroom. It would be better for you to take them and test their value as medicinal ingredients."
The Empress Dowager reasoned with Leng Ruoli to accept them.
"Alright, then Imperial Grandmother, please don't give Li'er anything else. These two medicinal herbs are enough for Li'er."
Leng Ruoli said with a helpless tone.
"Fine, but you must take the things Imperial Grandmother has chosen for you back to the royal mansion. Otherwise, you won't be allowed to enter the palace to see Imperial Grandmother again!"
The Empress Dowager threatened her.
Hearing this, a line of black sweat appeared on Leng Ruoli's forehead.
Later, after the Empress Dowager and Leng Ruoli came out of the small storeroom and returned to the Empress Dowager's palace, they had barely sat down when the Emperor, after finishing his morning court, also arrived at the Empress Dowager's Longevity Palace.
As soon as he stepped through the doorway, he said heartily, "Mother, your son heard that you summoned Li'er to the palace early this morning."