They really are related by blood; they were all pretty much the same when they were young.

The late emperor's smile remained unchanged, and he nodded, echoing Consort Yun's words: "Indeed, I should bestow something more upon you, perhaps..."

"Why not promote my sister's rank? Consort Yu has given the royal family so many children, yet she only has the rank of a third-grade consort. It's really not appropriate. Even an empress would deserve that."

Upon hearing this, the banquet fell silent.

Consort Yu quickly spoke up: "Consort Yun's words are too much. When the late Empress passed away, His Majesty was so grief-stricken that he promised her that he would never appoint another Empress. Consort Yun, are you trying to make His Majesty a person who breaks his promise?"

Consort Yun snorted coldly, "Hmph, so Your Majesty still remembers the affection you had for the late Empress. Your Majesty is now deeply in love with Consort Yu, and I thought Your Majesty had forgotten the late Empress's contributions to you."

"The late Empress died in childbirth, yet Your Majesty still has the heart to have so many children with Consort Yu. I wonder if the sight of Consort Yu sweating profusely in pain during childbirth might remind Your Majesty of the late Empress who died on the birthing floor?"

Consort Yu's face turned pale, and her expression was particularly unpleasant.

Even Gu Jiangli, who was watching the show, frowned deeply.

Consort Yun's words were far too harsh.

Anyone who hears this will be furious.

"Consort Yun!" The late emperor was indeed furious. "You're becoming more and more outrageous!"

"Am I presumptuous? I still remember when Your Majesty, traveling incognito, encountered bandits in the mountains and was critically injured, on the verge of death. It was I who carried the elderly renowned physician across mountain paths and streams to your side to treat you. Do you remember what you said then? You said that you would remember my kindness and would never betray me in this life. But what about now?"

She raised her hand and pointed to Consort Yu's seat, "Your benefactor who pulled you back from the jaws of death is seated in the second seat, while the woman who chased away the bandits with a few swings of her sword has taken the main seat."

Gu Jiangli's mouth dropped open slightly upon hearing this.

It's truly impossible to reconcile the reckless Consort Yun before me with the shrewd and calculating Empress Dowager twenty years from now.

Over the years, not only has the emperor changed, but even the empress dowager has changed.

Looking at the late emperor's flushed face, Gu Jiangli could easily guess the punishment that Consort Yun was about to receive.

She quickly understood why the young emperor remembered this memory so clearly.

The late emperor ordered that Consort Yun be confined to her own palace and not allowed to leave without being summoned.

The young emperor hurriedly stepped forward to plead for his birth mother.

Gu Jiangli felt extremely bitter. Although his birth mother had not treated him well, he was still the first person to stand up for Yunfei when she was in trouble.

However, the young emperor's plea led the late emperor to make a decision that left everyone speechless.

“Ayao, your birth mother is so shrewish and rude, it’s really difficult to raise you. From now on, you will go to Consort Yu’s palace.”