The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat

Li Ji gave the carriage to Hua Manman, while he rode his horse to the Imperial Palace.

When she arrived at the Zhong’an Bo Mansion, the gatekeeper saw that the second young miss had returned and hurriedly opened the main gates, respectfully inviting her inside.

When Mrs. He learned her precious daughter was back, she was overjoyed.

She walked quickly into the main hall. The moment she saw her daughter, her eyes immediately reddened.

"Manman, my dear daughter!"

Hua Manman noticed that Mrs. He looked much more haggard than before, and she couldn’t help but feel a sting in her nose.

She stepped forward and called out, "Mother."

Mrs. He pulled her close and looked her over from head to toe, asking with heartache.

"How did you get so thin? Did you suffer hardships while you were away?"

Hua Manman smiled. "No, I’m doing just fine."

Mrs. He pulled her down to sit on the soft couch and sighed unhappily.

"Oh, my child.

I originally thought that after you married into the Prince Zhao Mansion and were so favored by Prince Zhao, your life would be easy.

But I never expected you’d have to follow Prince Zhao south to suffer and toil.

If I had known it would be like this, I would have arranged for you to be engaged to Zhiyuan sooner..."

Hua Manman said coaxingly, "Mother, why are you still bringing that up?"

Mrs. He sighed again.

"Let’s not talk about it. You’re already married, so there’s no point in saying these things now."

Hua Manman leaned against her, hugged her arm, and said with a wide smile.

"I think it was actually quite nice to follow Prince Zhao and see the world.

So many people never get the chance to travel and see things."

Mrs. He tapped her on the nose with a finger. "Look at you, already speaking up for your husband. Siding with an outsider now, are we?"

Hua Manman giggled. "But elbows are supposed to bend outward. Have you ever seen anyone whose elbows can bend inward?"

Mrs. He couldn’t win the argument, so she changed the subject.

"You’ve come back at just the right time. Later, you can come with me to see your grandmother. She’s been ill recently."

Hua Manman immediately sat up straight. "What illness? Is it serious?"

Mrs. He said, "It was a stroke. We’ve had a doctor treat her, but he said the chances of a full recovery are slim."

The old madam was already very old, and old age brings many ailments. Before, they were just minor issues, and as long as she was carefully looked after, they weren’t a major problem.

But after learning that Hua Qingqing had been named a Concubine, the old madam was so shocked that she fainted on the spot.

Although she woke up quickly, her body had become somewhat unresponsive.

The doctor said it was a precursor to a stroke.

Mrs. He sighed.

"At first, the old madam just had some trouble with her legs. Later, she gradually became unable to even get out of bed.

Now, she can only lie in bed. She needs someone to attend to her for eating, drinking, and everything else. She can’t be left alone for even a moment."

During this time, she and Hua Dingzong had to watch over the old madam every day. Even Hua Borong and Hua Bowen, who were originally studying at the Imperial College, were called back.

They took turns attending to the old madam every day to fulfill their filial duties.

Hua Manman tried hard to recall the plot of *Palace Intrigue*.

She remembered that the old madam’s serious illness was supposed to happen next year.

But now, because of Hua Qingqing’s sudden entry into the palace, the plot point of the old madam’s illness had unexpectedly been moved up.

Hua Manman asked, "Mother, has my older sister been told about Grandmother’s illness?"

Mrs. He replied, "When you all had just returned from Yuqing Mountain, Hua Qingqing received special permission from the Saint to come home once."

When she learned of the old madam’s illness, Hua Qingqing knelt before her bed and couldn’t stop crying.

She felt it was all her fault that her grandmother had fallen ill. She had failed her grandmother!

The old madam was crying too.

She was crying for her granddaughter’s future.

The grandmother and granddaughter held each other and wept for a long time.

It wasn’t until someone from the palace came to hurry her along that Hua Qingqing finally wiped away her tears, bid farewell to her parents, and left for the Imperial Palace.

They hadn’t seen Hua Qingqing since.

This was the tragedy of becoming a palace concubine.

Even if an elder in your family was gravely ill, you couldn’t just go home to visit.

Once you enter the palace gates, you’re as good as lost in a deep sea.

That saying was more than just words.

Hua Manman followed Mrs. He to Changsheng Residence.

Hua Dingzong and his two sons were also there.

Seeing Hua Manman arrive, Hua Dingzong immediately helped the old madam sit up and said with a smile.

"Mother, look who’s back!"

The old madam thought Hua Qingqing had returned and immediately looked toward the door, only to see that the person who entered was not Hua Qingqing, but Hua Manman.

A deep look of disappointment immediately filled her eyes.

Seeing this, Mrs. He was very displeased.

’They’re both her granddaughters, yet the old madam only cares about the elder one.’

But for the sake of the gravely ill old madam, Mrs. He did not let her dissatisfaction show.

Hua Manman walked to the bedside, gave the old madam a curtsy, and greeted, "Grandmother."

The old madam looked much thinner than before. Her cheeks and eye sockets were sunken, and her hair had turned gray.

She narrowed her cloudy eyes, stared intently at Hua Manman, and asked.

"I heard you went south with Prince Zhao for disaster relief. When did you get back?"

Because of the stroke, she spoke very slowly, and her pronunciation was a bit slurred.

Hua Manman had to listen carefully to understand what she was saying.

Hua Manman answered honestly.

"I just got back today. The Prince went to the Imperial Palace for an audience with the Saint. I had nothing else to do, so I came back to see you all."

The old madam let out a deep sigh.

"Your luck is better than Qingqing’s."

Although Prince Zhao’s reputation wasn’t great, he at least treated Hua Manman well and would even allow her to visit her maiden home.

Unlike Hua Qingqing, who had completely disappeared from contact after entering the Imperial Palace.

It was as if a person named Hua Qingqing no longer existed in this world.

Hua Manman said comfortingly, "My sister is so smart, she should be able to take care of herself. You shouldn’t worry too much."

The old madam was inconsolable. "How can I not worry? A place like the palace is never short of schemes and plots. What if someone harms her?"

Just then, Hua Dingzong spoke up.

"Mother, don’t say such things. If someone were to overhear, it would have a negative impact on us and on Qingqing."

The old madam immediately turned on him.

"Are you happy now?

First, you married Manman off to Prince Zhao, and then you had Qingqing enter the palace to become a Concubine.

You’ve benefited from both marriages. You must be secretly celebrating, aren’t you?!"

Hua Dingzong protested, "What are you talking about? Am I that kind of person?!"

The old madam sneered, "Aren’t you?"

Hua Dingzong rubbed his nose and said resentfully.

"The children are watching. Can you please not say these things?"

The old madam was annoyed just looking at him. She said irritably, "Get out."

Not wanting to stay and be scolded, Hua Dingzong scrambled out.

The old madam looked at Hua Manman again. After much hesitation, she finally spoke.

"If you have the chance, could you... could you help me find out how Qingqing is doing in the palace?"