It was only after learning about this matter that the Empress finally gave up hope. Her son was indeed useless, wicked, and unscrupulous in achieving his goals. Entrusting the country to him, the Empress felt that even if she died, she would have no words to face her father who had been dead for many years.

The Empress's grandfather was a renowned Confucian scholar in Daliang. Later, Empress Gu's father followed in his father's footsteps, taking over the family academy and teaching countless students. He was a patriotic and people-loving man.

The Empress was taught these principles by her father from a young age, and she understood them well. Moreover, the Empress was very clear-headed. After marrying Emperor Liang Cheng, she placed herself in a proper position. Even when Emperor Liang Cheng later took a fancy to her cousin and wanted to take her into the harem, the Empress still gave her cousin dignity after obtaining her cousin's consent.

Unfortunately, the harem is not a place where the Empress alone has the final say. In order to balance the court, the harem is a battlefield without visible smoke. It was better when the Empress Dowager was alive. After the Empress Dowager passed away, Consort Shu and Consort Wan, who had always been suppressed by the Empress Dowager, began to stir. Consort Wan, in particular, took advantage of having given birth to the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince, and the fact that the Third Prince was known as a wise prince, and made many underhanded moves.

The Empress's cousin, Consort Liu, was harmed by Consort Wan.

No one expected that Consort Liu was pregnant before entering the Cold Palace. After the Empress and the Emperor found out, they suppressed the news. Until the birth of the Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan, no one in the palace heard a word about it. Xiao Yuan lived in the Cold Palace with his mother for seven years.

Emperor Liang Cheng felt that his several princes who had come of age were not capable of doing anything. He felt that if the country built by his ancestors was not built because he had not chosen a good successor, he would be a sinner for all time. Therefore, he secretly investigated several princes who were not yet adults. In the end, he thought that the seventh prince, Xiao Yuan, was a promising talent, so he asked Chen Wufu to find a way to send Xiao Yuan out of the palace.

Emperor Liang Cheng had thought it through very clearly. If he wanted to be a good emperor who was diligent in governing and loved his people, he had to know what kind of life his subjects were living. After considering it for a long time, he decided to send Xiao Yuan to Xu Rao so that Xu Rao could help teach the prince.

Xu Rao felt he was not qualified to teach the prince, so he recommended Wu Muyue to Emperor Liang Cheng. By the time Emperor Liang Cheng ascended the throne, Wu Muyue had already resigned and gone into seclusion. There had always been legends about Wu Muyue, the third-ranked scholar, in the martial arts world. After careful consideration and consulting with several trusted old ministers, Emperor Liang Cheng sent a secret decree to Wu Muyue, and Wu Muyue became Xiao Yuan's teacher.

Emperor Liang sighed and said, "When the children were young, I always thought that they were all my sons, and that I would make sure they didn't have to go through so many hardships like I did when I was their age. But who knew that these children would grow up like this without my knowledge? Thinking about it carefully, it's all because I lacked discipline."

Emperor Liang Cheng was a kind-hearted man. When he was still a prince, he was an unknown prince with a weak presence. His brothers were all very powerful figures. In their struggle for the throne, they did many things that made Emperor Liang Cheng feel heartbroken. In the end, they all suffered heavy losses and none of them came out well. In the end, the throne fell to the little-known Emperor Liang Cheng.

Emperor Liang Cheng vowed then that he would not allow his sons to repeat the mistakes of himself and his brothers. However, things did not go as planned. After all, there is only one throne, and everyone wants it. So, let's fight for it, and whoever wins it will have it.

The Empress gently advised, "Your Majesty, please don't blame yourself."

Emperor Liang Cheng said, "Forget it, let's not talk about it anymore. Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. As their father, I have done more than enough for them. What kind of place they want to stay in the future is up to them. A-Lian, I just feel that I owe you something."

The Empress smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I don't feel like I'm losing money. I did this willingly."

Emperor Liang Cheng said, "A-Lian, you still need to keep a close eye on A-Qing and make sure no one takes advantage of the situation. Now that we have chosen Yuan'er, we must protect A-Qing's life. Otherwise, Yuan'er might blame us in the future."

The Empress quickly nodded in agreement.

After the Emperor and Empress finished their meal, Emperor Liang Cheng went to the Imperial Study. The Empress escorted him to the palace gate, and only after he had gone far away did she order the palace gate to be closed.

After the Empress went to her palace, an old nanny suddenly appeared from outside. Upon seeing the old nanny, the Empress quickly stood up.

The old nanny bowed to the Empress, who asked anxiously, "Nanny Huang, is A-Qing alright?"

Granny Huang replied, "Your Majesty, Consort Liu is out of danger. She will be fine after taking medicine for a few days."

The Empress said anxiously, "Then bring me the prescription, and I'll have someone get the medicine."

Granny Huang said, "Your Highness, please don't worry. I'm using the pills from the Third Mistress of the Yongning Marquis's Mansion. Those pills are very effective for colds and flu."

Upon hearing the title of the Third Mistress of the Yongning Marquis's Mansion, the Empress paused for a moment and asked Granny Huang, "Granny, what kind of person is this Third Mistress of the Yongning Marquis's Mansion?"

Granny Huang was an old woman who came to the palace from the Gu family with the Empress. She had watched the Empress and Consort Liu grow up, so she naturally knew everything about the Empress and Consort Liu.

After thinking for a moment, Granny Huang said, "I heard that the Chen family had a very good relationship with the late Empress Dowager back then."

The Empress Dowager was not Emperor Liang Cheng's biological mother. Emperor Liang Cheng's biological mother was born in the Empress Dowager's palace and was promoted in rank after giving birth to Emperor Liang Cheng. However, Emperor Liang Cheng and his biological mother gained the Empress Dowager's protection.

Upon hearing the name Chen, the Empress said, "Is this the Chen family, the ones who are so skilled in traditional Chinese medicine? I've heard my grandfather mention that he once met this famous doctor from the Chen family."