What does "Empress Dowager" mean in Chapter 444?

The people in the banquet hall were puzzled by the Empress Dowager's purpose in bringing up Jiang Yu's marriage, while Jiang Yu suspected that the Empress Dowager knew about her relationship with Prince Rui. After all, no one knows a son better than his mother. Although Prince Rui and the Empress Dowager were not biologically related, the Empress Dowager had raised Prince Rui and they had a deep bond.

She was slightly uneasy, unsure of the Empress Dowager's attitude towards the matter. Love affairs differed from court intrigues; while she could be ruthless and decisive in court matters, she had many considerations regarding matters of the heart.

The Empress Dowager and the Emperor were Prince Rui's closest relatives and had also done her a great service, so she couldn't ignore their attitude.

"Your grandfather was an enlightened man when he was alive. He shouldn't have said that you couldn't get married, right?" the Empress Dowager asked, staring into Jiang Yu's eyes.

Jiang Yu shook her head. "No."

The Empress Dowager smiled kindly, holding Jiang Yu's hand even tighter. "Although you bear the heavy responsibility of the Duke of Chu's mansion, you must also consider your own future. If there are men who admire you, you should also consider it carefully and not miss the opportunity. I hope that all the children around me can have a happy and fulfilling life."

Jiang Yu nodded with a smile. She was now certain that the Empress Dowager knew about her affair with Prince Rui, and it seemed that she had no intention of stopping it.

"The most important thing in a relationship between a man and a woman is mutual consent," the Empress Dowager's voice rang out again. A smile played on her wrinkled lips as she said, seemingly coaxing, "Although your status is different from that of ordinary women, you don't need to worry. I'm here for you."

Jiang Yu's eyes welled up with tears. She looked into the Empress Dowager's eyes and said earnestly, "Your Majesty, I understand."

The Empress Dowager chuckled, patted her hand, and said, "I'm getting old, and I just like to see young people in pairs. When I see young people who aren't married, I just want to say a few words."

"This is the Empress Dowager's care for the younger generation. I am grateful to the Empress Dowager," Jiang Yu said with a smile.

The Empress Dowager smiled and looked at her carefully, then, with a satisfied expression, patted her hand and said, "You're a good child, from now on..."

The Empress Dowager paused for a moment, then turned her head and said, "I haven't seen you for a few days and wanted to talk to you. Come to the palace more often and talk to me."

Jiang Yu immediately agreed, looked up and affectionately patted her head, then waved her hand and said, "You go ahead and do your work."

Jiang Yu rose and respectfully bowed to the Empress Dowager, then turned and strode away. After she left, the Empress Dowager looked exhausted. Seeing this, the Empress asked her in a low voice if she wanted to return to the palace to rest. When the Empress Dowager nodded, the Empress instructed the nanny to help the Empress Dowager leave.

Standing there watching the Empress Dowager's figure disappear, the Empress lowered her eyes and sat down, smoothing the embroidered sleeves of her robe. Since the Empress Dowager's stroke, although she wasn't as constantly by the Empress Dowager's side as Prince Rui, she still visited the Empress Dowager's palace every day to keep her company.

The Empress knew very well that the Empress Dowager's memory had returned, and that her mind seemed to be becoming increasingly clear recently. Therefore, the Empress Dowager had taken the initiative to attend the banquet today, where she met the Duke of Chu, who was originally among the male guests, and then publicly brought up the marriage proposal for the Duke of Chu.

What does that mean?

This couldn't help but make people think. The Empress raised her eyes, glancing at Lu Yifang, then picked up her teacup and quietly sipped her tea. The Empress Dowager's actions today showed no malice towards the Duke of Chu's mansion or the Duke of Chu himself, so it's possible that someone close to the Empress Dowager is in love with the Duke of Chu.

However, the Duke of Chu was no ordinary woman. She had inherited a title and was also a high-ranking official in the court. Whom she married would not only affect the Duke of Chu's household but could also potentially impact the imperial court. The Duke of Chu was an exceptionally intelligent man and would not easily fall in love.

The Empress Dowager's actions today seem to suggest she's trying to persuade the Duke of Chu to accept someone's affections. So, who could this person be?

Thinking of Prince Rui, who served the Empress Dowager every day, the Empress smiled slightly. Only he could make the Empress Dowager worry about his marriage even when she was ill.

However, since the Duke of Chu had no grudge against her, and she had no entanglement with Prince Rui, this matter had nothing to do with her, and she could simply remain an observer. But upon closer thought, if the Duke of Chu and Prince Rui were truly in love, the biggest obstacle between them would most likely be the Emperor.

The Empress Dowager's words, "Don't worry, I've got you covered," were clearly directed at the Emperor. The Empress's eyes held a hint of mockery. The Emperor was one way when he needed people, and another when he didn't. Now he was using the Duke of Chu's reforms to bring down the Prince of Lingnan. She wanted to see how the Emperor would react when the Prince of Lingnan fell and the affairs of the Duke of Chu and Prince Rui were laid bare before him.

Sitting below, Zhu Junning was also in a state of turmoil. Although she didn't know the Empress Dowager well, every word she said seemed to have a deeper meaning. So what did the Empress Dowager mean?

She believed the Empress Dowager wanted to arrange a marriage for the Duke of Chu, or at least let the ladies present know that the Duke of Chu was not incapable of marrying. However, she couldn't understand why the Empress Dowager would do this, as she didn't know her well.

However, perhaps the marriage arrangement with the Duke of Chu could be put to use.

Lu Yifang and Lady Anyuan both vaguely knew something about Jiang Yu and Prince Rui. After the Empress Dowager left, they exchanged a worried glance. Their thoughts were the same as the Empress's; they also felt that the biggest obstacle between Jiang Yu and Prince Rui was the Emperor.

The banquet that followed was peaceful and ended after half an hour. As Lu Yifang helped Lady Anyuan out of the palace gate, an imperial eunuch from the emperor's side trotted over and said to them, "His Majesty has asked the Duke of Chu to speak with you in the Imperial Study. The Duke of Chu asked me to inform the two ladies."

Lu Yifang had Granny Feng give a purse to the eunuch and helped Lady Anyuan into the carriage. Lady Anyuan whispered to her, "Yu'er has her own ideas about marriage, just listen to her."

“I understand, Mother.” Lu Yifang naturally knew that arranged marriages and parental consent wouldn’t work with Jiang Yu. Of course, she had no intention of arranging Jiang Yu’s marriage.

Lady Anyuan was relieved and left in her carriage. Lu Yifang, looking worried, also got into the carriage, concerned that the emperor might interfere with Jiang Yu and Prince Rui's relationship.

After leaving the palace and meeting up with Zhu Junning and the others, the Prince of Lingnan asked Zhu Junning if anything had happened at the banquet. Zhu Junning knew that she was worried about Pei Tinglan, so she shook her head and said no, then said, "Let's talk about other things when we get back to the manor."

The palace gates were not a place for conversation, so the Prince of Lingnan told them to get into the carriage and return to their residence. Pei Tinglan stood there without moving, her eyes scanning the crowd, looking for the Prime Minister.

The Prince of Lingnan frowned upon seeing this and said to her in a low voice, "Mother, let's go back to the manor first."

Pei Tinglan was somewhat unwilling that she hadn't spoken a single word to her brother during the trip, but seeing that the Prince of Lingnan looked rather unwell, she was still helped into the carriage by Zhu Junning.