An Qingran smiled: "Of course, my granddaughter-in-law has never thought of harming anyone, so I dared to say that just now."

"Well, I believe you." The Queen Mother said with a smile.

Concubine Shu certainly didn't have a good impression of An Qingran, so she lowered her mouth and said, "Child, you are too suspicious when I tell you about my dream. If that's the case, we should pay more attention to our conversations in the future..."

After one stick of incense.

An Qingran was walking on the long street of the palace. She felt a little depressed. It would be a good thing if she didn't have to go to the Empress Dowager for morning visit every day. This Imperial Concubine Shu was always mocking her and making sarcastic remarks. She had to be careful.

Just after turning a corner, someone called her from behind. When she turned around, she saw Princess Lan Xin chasing after her.

An Qingran stopped and asked: "What's the matter, Princess?"

Murong Lanxin smiled and said, "The Queen Mother asked me to tell you, don't mind it, the Imperial Concubine is such a person who doesn't mean what she says..."

"Why would I mind? Besides, the Queen didn't say anything today. She just told a dream. I'm just overthinking it." An Qingran thought to herself, the Queen Mother is really something. She specially sent someone out to tell her. Could it be that she has no prejudice against me?

Murong Lanxin nodded and said, "This is what a magnanimous Crown Princess is like. Sister, let me take you back."

An Qingran had no way to refuse, Murong Lanxin was too enthusiastic.

As they walked, they saw the prince coming towards them. Murong Lanxin saw the handsome Dongfang Jin and bowed slightly: "Greetings, His Royal Highness the Prince."

"My princess is polite..." Dongfang Jin said calmly, and then looked at An Qingran with unusual tenderness, "Are you cold? Why did you come out wearing so little?"

"Not cold." While An Qingran was talking, Dongfang Jin had already taken off his purple cloak with a pattern of gold and clouds and put it on An Qingran. She was short, so the cloak dragged on the ground. Dongfang Jin didn't care and just used his index finger to tie a knot. His expression and movements were very serious and selfless, as if there were only the two of them in this world, and no one else...

In the imperial study.

Emperor Yunqi was correcting a mountain of memorials. While he was reviewing, he put down his red brush and became dazed. Eunuch Cui, who was serving him, was puzzled, but hurriedly served him tea and then quietly retreated to the side, not daring to make any noise.

After a while, Emperor Yunqi stood up and paced back and forth in the room. In the past, when he felt tired of reviewing memorials, Empress Yun would stay by his side and massage his shoulders and back. But now that someone was doing the same thing, he would not feel as comfortable.

When Emperor Yunqi thought of the Queen’s unjust death, he felt a sharp pain in his heart, Concubine Shu!

This evil woman, who did such evil things, could still get away with it. It must be because I, as an emperor, am incompetent that I can't even protect the person I love. It was like this sixteen years ago, and it is still the same sixteen years later...

Emperor Yunqi felt like his heart was burning with anger when the Queen Mother arrived.

The Queen Mother sat down, looked at Emperor Yunqi and sighed, "Your Majesty has lost weight. I understand your sorrow, but the country and the emperor's health are the most important. I heard from the imperial physician that your illness has not been completely cured?"

"Mother, I am fine." Emperor Yunqi said respectfully.

"I'm glad you're alright." The Queen Mother nodded. "You've been ill, and I've been worried. I wanted to come and see you earlier, but I thought of the deep love between you and Queen Yun. If I don't let you vent your grief, it will only make things worse. So no matter what you do, I can only ask about it behind your back. You're the Emperor, and at your age, you know what to do about anything, but you haven't been to the harem for more than two months. The concubines in the harem are all suspicious and confused..."

"My son is not in good health now..."

"I don't have to ask you to do anything, I just want to check on them one by one, so that they can feel at ease. Don't you know that these women of yours are in front of me now, worrying about your health every day. Without your order, they dare not come to the front court to see you. So, I am here to check on them."

"Mother, you are worried about your son."

"There's nothing to worry about. As long as everything is fine with you, your mother will feel relieved..." the Queen Mother said kindly.

Emperor Yunqi forced a weak smile.

"Mother, do you have anything else to say?" Emperor Yunqi suddenly asked.

After he recovered, he went to pay his respects, but the Queen Mother told him not to go, so he hadn't been there in the past few days. So it couldn't be said how long it had been since she last saw him. Therefore, the Queen Mother must have had something else to do when she came today.

"Yes, I have something to discuss with you today..." The Queen Mother hesitated, "You can choose not to go to the harem, but there are countless things to do every day. Recently, I have been temporarily supporting it. The supervisor can ask me if there is anything. But I have also thought that this will not last forever. The former dynasty cannot be without a monarch for a day, and the harem cannot be without a master for a day. It has been so long, have you thought about who will be in charge of the affairs of the six palaces?"

Emperor Yunqi pondered for a moment after hearing this: "My son has not yet considered this matter."

"I think that Concubine Shu's rank is second only to the Queen. She is also an old veteran in the palace and is familiar with everything. She is also smart and virtuous. How about giving the Golden Book and the Imperial Seal to her?" The Queen Mother expressed her opinion.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Emperor Yunqi's face changed drastically. He gritted his teeth and said, "Let me think about this matter for a while. Mother, you should go back and have a good rest. It's cold and frosty this time. You should take care of yourself. Don't go on such a long journey in the future. I will pay my respects to you every day. Also, as for the disputes in the harem, you are old and should enjoy a peaceful life. Don't bother with them anymore. No matter who gossips in front of you, just pretend you didn't hear them. If you don't want to listen, just scold them."

When the Queen Mother heard this, a trace of embarrassment flashed across her face.

She stood up and said, "Since you know what's going on, I won't worry about it anymore. I'll go back."

After the Queen Mother left, Emperor Yunqi's expression did not recover for a long time. What was her mother thinking? She actually intended to support Concubine Shu as the Queen. She didn't know that Concubine Shu killed Yun'er. If it wasn't for Yun'er's kindness and pleading for her, would she still be alive now? How could she let such a woman enter the six palaces?

She doesn't deserve it.

The more Emperor Yunqi thought about it, the angrier he became. He burst into a coughing fit and sat there for a long time before he caught his breath.

The empress dowager walked out of the imperial study, her face turning pale and red. She did not expect that the emperor would simply reject her idea. She was actually just using Concubine Shu as a cover. She knew that the emperor was currently holding a grudge against Concubine Shu, and her idea was to let the emperor hand over the power to her and let her take care of it temporarily. She had given up power for too long, and now the harem was so chaotic, she could only take the opportunity to control the overall situation.

Although she was the empress dowager in the harem, her words were only heard by others and she had authority, but she could not handle matters without the golden seal and golden book, so she could not accomplish anything big.

The empress dowager did not expect such an outcome. She returned to the palace angrily and told the palace that she was not feeling well and wanted to rest for two days and did not need anyone to visit her.

Murong Lanxin didn't know what had happened.

When the emperor heard the news from the empress dowager, he said nothing.

As for the Empress Dowager, whatever she said was the final word in the past, but this time, he had to make the decision himself regarding the selection of the Empress. He could choose anyone, but he absolutely could not choose Concubine Shu.

Besides, he had never been very close to her since childhood, and their relationship as mother and son was rather polite. He had not expected that she would be so impolite this time. He really did not understand and was not happy.

I don't know what happened between the Emperor and the Queen Mother.

General's Mansion.

An Ranyue was sulking in the room. No matter what, An Yanran had already entered Prince Kang's Mansion, and she also had a child. In every way, she had the upper hand. If she entered the palace again, what status would she have?

Mrs. Chu saw her depression and understood her daughter's worries, so she came to her room and said, "Daughter, you ate so little tonight. Mother will bring you some cakes..."

She put the food box on the table. An Ranyue pulled the corner of her mouth and forced a smile: "Mom, I'm not hungry."

"You have to eat something even if you're not hungry. Starving yourself will harm your body..." Chu smiled gently.

"Mother..." An Ranyue finally threw the things on the bed, "That An Yanran, she actually did something behind my back, she just entered the Prince Kang's mansion like this..."

Chu smiled and looked at her daughter: "Yes, isn't this a good thing?"

"That's a good thing for her..."

"No, I mean it's good for you, my daughter. If you have any questions, why don't you ask your mother?"

"Mom? I don't quite understand what you said."

"Silly child, listen to what mother said. Although An Yanran has entered the palace of Prince Kang, she was only carried in through the side door. If she is powerful, it will be good. If not, then she will not even be able to get the title of a concubine. She will only be a concubine. As soon as you enter the palace, your status will be higher than hers. Even though it's a little later, what does it matter?"

"But she has a child. If it's a boy, King Kang will be happy and will give her a princess."

"Even if she doesn't enter the palace first now, she may become the princess when she enters with you in the future. So, she didn't get the upper hand even though she entered first. Why are you angry? Just wait and see. She is calculating like this. Don't you know a saying? Calculating and calculating will always be in vain. My daughter is a blessed person and won't be anxious."

An Ranyue didn't listen to anything else, but when she was told that she would become a concubine without a name, her eyes lit up: "Mother, if you put it that way, how could someone as smart as An Yanran not think of this?"

"She only thinks about good things and can't wait to ascend the throne of the princess. How could she think of those things? Besides, she has a father but no mother. The general is angry and hates her. I'm afraid he has forgotten to say this. Even if the general can think of it and say it, she won't listen. In short, daughter, don't envy her or be jealous of her. This matter is here. I'm afraid she will have a hard time in the future. Even if she has a quarrel with you, you can use this to pressure her, and she can only suffer in silence..." Chu sneered.