Chapter 221

At that time, Rong Rong was taking a nap in the Empress's arms.

Rong Rong opened her eyes instantly, her gaze still somewhat hazy.

Rongrong thought she was going to get up and follow her in bowing, but the Empress gave Yunxiang a look and ordered Yunxiang to take Rongrong to the side hall.

Rong Rong raised her eyes, and her clear, bright eyes, like those of a fawn, made the Empress's heart flutter. The Empress patted Rong Rong's shoulder again, then stood up and straightened her skirt.

Just as Rong Rong arrived at the side hall, the Emperor walked in. Rong Rong could even hear the sounds of everyone kneeling and bowing in the main hall.

"I heard the Empress and the Crown Prince had a fight? Because of a woman?"

The Emperor's voice, tinged with laughter, rang out, and one could sense the man's frailty just from his tone.

Rongrong sat quietly in the side hall, her ears perked up with curiosity. Yunxiang, on the other hand, who always loved gossip, paid no attention to what was being said outside and just focused on watching Rongrong, her little face full of happiness.

Heaven knows how happy she was when the Empress asked Rong Rong to stay.

From now on, I can see the beautiful woman every day!

"The Empress doesn't need to be so strict with the Crown Prince. Just give him what he likes." The Emperor coughed lightly and was helped to sit at the head of the table.

The Empress lowered her head slightly. "Your Majesty is right, but the Crown Prince has promised her the position of principal wife. I dare not allow him to act in this way."

"Absurd!" The Emperor slammed his fist on the table in anger, followed by a violent cough.

It took almost half a cup of tea for the Emperor to recover. He took a sip of the tea offered by Eunuch Cao and continued, "The Empress is indeed very thoughtful."

"My health is failing, and I am very grateful to the Empress for her help in the court, as well as the Crown Prince. I need the Empress to keep a close eye on things."

As the emperor spoke, he took the empress's hand and stroked it back and forth, his eyes filled with sincere gratitude.

He felt that the luckiest thing in his life was marrying the Empress, the most beautiful woman in Dafeng, who could also help him handle political affairs and allow him to recuperate in peace.

Over the years, the entire Dafeng Kingdom has become prosperous and powerful. When he passes away, he will have the face to face his ancestors in the afterlife, and his great achievements will be recorded in history books.

The Emperor was delighted, and his gaze toward the Empress grew increasingly satisfied. With such a wife, what more could a husband ask for?

Perhaps the worst off was their son, the crown prince, who was utterly useless.

If it weren't for the Empress's sake and his poor health, he would have replaced the Crown Prince long ago!

Thinking of this, the emperor became somewhat irritated. It seemed that for the sake of the entire Dafeng, he still could not completely let go of the crown prince.

"The Crown Prince is still young, and the Empress will have to be more tolerant of him in the future. My Dafeng relies on the Empress."

The Emperor grasped the Empress's hand earnestly and anxiously. The Empress smiled and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will."

Immediately afterwards, the Emperor and Empress exchanged a few more words before the Emperor hurriedly left.

Rongrong wondered why the Empress would expose the Crown Prince's weaknesses in front of the Emperor. The Empress smiled and took Rongrong's hand, "Soon I will be able to let you walk in the sunlight."

"With Your Majesty protecting me, I'm doing very well now." Rong Rong's eyes sparkled, thinking that the domineering Empress was incredibly cool.

The Empress was overjoyed by the gaze, but she maintained a composed demeanor, though the joy in her eyes was dazzling.

However, Rong Rong's smile quickly faded because the Empress wanted her to sleep with her. Rong Rong looked uneasy and felt uneasy, wondering if something bad would happen that night.

Rong Rong transformed into a pitiful kitten, which made the Empress feel even more sorry for her. In the end, Rong Rong couldn't resist the Empress's insistence, and the two still slept in the same bed.

Fortunately, it was just a matter of covering herself with a blanket and sleeping. Rong Rong turned over, breathed a sigh of relief, finally relaxed, and fell asleep.

She slept soundly through the night without any dreams. It had been a long time since Rongrong had felt so relaxed since the Crown Prince brought her to the villa.

However, Rongrong was woken up early in the morning. The emperor had suddenly fallen seriously ill and was bedridden. It was feared that he would not make it. The empress quickly packed her things and rushed to the emperor's palace.

Before leaving, he even had breakfast with Rongrong to reassure her not to worry.

How could Rong Rong not be worried? Just thinking about the Crown Prince's terrifying gaze sent chills down her spine.

The Emperor is probably really in bad shape. The Empress left and never came back. Even Rongrong can't hear any news about the Empress.

The unease in his heart grew stronger and stronger until five days later, the emperor passed away, and at the same time came the news that the empress had ascended the throne and the crown prince had been imprisoned.

The entire Dafeng region, from the imperial court to the common people, was severely shaken.

It was only then that people realized how powerful the Empress had become. She controlled most of the court, and it seemed that anyone around her was one of her people!

The bloody struggle for the throne in the past was completely predictable, and the throne passed to the empress in a very uneventful way.

The poor emperor was afraid that the crown prince would not listen to the empress after ascending the throne, so he specially left a will for the empress dowager to act as regent. Now that's all, what role does the crown prince play?

Besides the Crown Prince, the Third Prince and the Sixth Prince, who were the most vocal in their struggle for the throne, were also imprisoned. Their forces were eliminated one by one, and not long after, the two were beheaded for their rebellion.

There were people in the court who opposed the empress's ascension to the throne, but those who opposed her were either exterminated or exiled.

The Empress was decisive and ruthless, and her iron-fisted style quickly silenced everyone, who obediently knelt down and shouted "Long live the Empress!"

The first imperial edict issued by the Empress upon her ascension to the throne was to grant Rong Rong an official title.

An unprecedented official position, seemingly tailor-made for Rong Rong, granted her immense authority, allowing her to attend court and participate in political discussions—a rank exceeding that of a first-grade official.

The officials were in uproar.

Who is Rong Rong? People had never heard of her before, and why did the Empress treat her so specially?

People didn't understand, but they began frantically inquiring about Rong Rong.

With an empress already in place, the addition of a female official attending court is not so conspicuous, but people are still very curious about Rong Rong.

The Empress's new favorite—what kind of person is she? And what will she bring to the court?

The court officials were worried and discussed the matter extensively, especially the empress's supporters, who could not believe that the usually shrewd empress would do something so outrageous and absurd.

Moreover, they were even more dissatisfied that an unknown person who had not contributed anything to the Empress's ascension to the throne had become the Empress's most favored person.

How could these great contributors bear this?

In particular, after they discovered that Rong Rong was just a young lady from a secluded family, a fake heiress who had been switched at birth in the Marquis of Anding's mansion, and an orphan from the countryside, they became even more resentful and even angry.

The Empress has truly lost her mind, trusting such a person.

In the eyes of the court officials, Rong Rong was like a treacherous minister who bewitched the emperor, like Zhao Gao by Hu Hai's side, who would destroy the empress and the Great Feng.

Many court officials joined together and rushed to the imperial study, hoping to persuade the empress to rescind her decree.

Some people are adept at opportunism and want to curry favor with Rong Rong so that she can speak well of them to His Majesty.

Unfortunately, these people couldn't find an opportunity to get close to Rong Rong, so after thinking it over, they set their sights on the Marquis of Anding's residence.