Chapter 72 The Empress Dowager Takes Action

Although the Empress was effectively confined to Jingren Palace, she was still the Empress, and the Emperor and Empress Dowager had not explicitly forbidden her from stepping out of the palace. Therefore, when the Empress fell ill, everyone in the harem naturally had to attend to her.

Night had already fallen, and upon hearing the commotion, all the palaces and courtyards lit up their lamps. He quickly combed his hair, put on his clothes, and came to Jingren Palace.

Since becoming pregnant this time, Lü Yingfeng has been particularly lethargic. Learning from her previous experiences, she did not ride in a palanquin this time, and when she arrived at Jingren Palace, she was almost the last one to arrive.

A group of people stood outside the courtyard. The gate inside was tightly closed, so no one could see what was going on. All that could be heard were suppressed, intermittent cries of pain. Lü Yingfeng looked on in confusion. When Consort Jing saw her, she came around from behind. "The incident happened so suddenly that even you were alarmed."

Lü Yingfeng looked around—"With such a commotion, who wouldn't come? What's going on here? Where's the imperial physician? And why hasn't the Emperor come?"

Seeing her string of questions, Consort Jing also leaned in and whispered, "The imperial physicians have all been summoned out of the palace by General Nian. There isn't a single one left in the palace. The Emperor chose Consort Hua today, and the Empress said no one is allowed to disturb the Emperor. No one dares to go and summon her."

Lu Yingfeng nodded knowingly. Was it really such a coincidence? The imperial physician had just left and the Empress Dowager was unwell. Since she couldn't see anyone right now, she could only wait at the door.

Now that it's summer, they're not afraid of the cold at night. Jianqiu brought out two soft stools for Lü Yingfeng and Zhen Huan, who are both pregnant, to sit on.

They waited in Jingren Palace until late into the night before the noises gradually subsided. Jianqiu came out and called out that Consort Fucha and Consort Rou should stay behind to attend to the sick, before dismissing everyone to return to their respective palaces.

The next morning, as soon as she woke up, she heard Su Peisheng reporting the events of the previous night to the Emperor with difficulty. Suddenly, she was wide awake.

The Emperor has only just calmed down and stripped her of her title. How could such a thing happen to my brother so soon? No matter how bad the Empress is, she is still the Empress. How could my brother really call away all the imperial physicians? What if the Emperor urgently needs the imperial physicians?

Ptooey!

She mentally berated herself for not daring to think such ominous words, and cautiously glanced at the Emperor's face beside her. She saw that the Emperor's face had been gloomy ever since he heard Su Peisheng speak, and his face was so dark that it looked like it could drip water.

“Your Majesty, my brother was just anxious…” She leaned forward and hurriedly tried to explain, but the Emperor patted her hand to interrupt her—“Alright, I know. I have to go to the morning court. You can sleep a little longer.”

Without pausing, he got up, put on his hat, and left Yikun Palace.

"Songzhi! Quickly go and send a message to your brother, asking him to bring all the imperial physicians back. Go now!" After walking a few steps, Yinzhen could still hear Consort Hua's anxious voice from inside the palace. He frowned, but continued walking quickly outside without stopping.

Nian Gengyao... is truly becoming more and more outrageous.

——

The Emperor and Empress Dowager sat facing each other in the Shou Kang Palace, both of them somewhat silent. When talking to a smart person, there's no need for riddles.

The Emperor and the Empress Dowager both knew what happened to Yixiu last night. This could be described as handing over Nian Gengyao's weakness to the Emperor in a blatant and obvious way.

The Empress Dowager, unwilling to see the Empress remain confined, also spoke up to advise, "The Nian family's wealth is truly beyond measure now. Their family has never been easy to deal with, both inside and outside the palace. The Emperor needs to find a way to check and balance them. Yixiu has always done a good job in this regard."

Indeed, Yinzhen could not refute this point. When it came to cracking down on Nian Shilan, Yixiu always acted swiftly and mercilessly.

But he didn't speak, only frowned deeply.

Seeing him like this, the Empress Dowager sighed softly, "I know what you're worried about, but Hongzhao is alright after all. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. These days she's been confined to her quarters and studying Buddhist scriptures. I think she should have repented by now."

Seeing that Yinzhen seemed to have made up his mind and refused to speak, the Empress Dowager had no choice but to try another approach: "The court and the harem are closely connected. There are ministers in the court who are constantly watching Nian Gengyao, and there must be someone in the harem who can suppress Nian Shilan. If the Empress is kept in Jingren Palace as a mere decoration, then only two people can shoulder this heavy responsibility."

At this point, Yinzhen finally reacted. He slowly raised his head to look at his mother, opened his mouth as if to speak, but ultimately could not say anything.

The Empress Dowager did not want to pressure the Emperor in this way, but she had no other choice. "The Emperor's favorite concubine recently is Consort Wan, whose father is also very capable. It would be feasible to raise her up to confront Consort Hua. However, Your Majesty, you know Consort Hua's temperament. If things really get out of hand, she will not care about anything."

She paused after speaking, then continued, “There is another one, Consort Xian. She is of the highest status, with two sons and a daughter, and is pregnant. I think Nian Shilan can take her words to heart to some extent, but if we are not careful, it may also affect Hongzhao’s child.”

The more the Empress Dowager spoke, the colder and more disappointed the Emperor's eyes became.

He had long understood that his mother, the Empress Dowager, did not love him, and he thought he had long since given up on hoping for the love that would never come to him. Yet today, he could still feel his heart, like a long-empty place, beginning to be filled with cold winds again.

He was no match for the fourteenth prince, who had always been by the Empress's side. Therefore, the Empress favored the fourteenth prince more. Now he found that he was even inferior to the Empress. In order to save the Empress from confinement, the Empress did not hesitate to involve the two women he loved most in the harem and his most beloved son.

The conversation ended unhappily. After the Emperor left, Zhu Xi brought a cup of medicine to the Empress Dowager. Having served the Empress Dowager for many years, she spoke more casually this time: "This servant feels that Your Majesty is a bit too hasty this time."

The Empress Dowager frowned deeply, took two sips, and then pushed the bottle away, refusing to drink any more. Her voice was also very tired. "How could I not know that the Emperor has a knot in his heart? I also want to be a loving mother and filial son, and to do everything according to the Emperor's wishes. Ulanara and Uya were of no use in the previous dynasty, and the next generation has no one to mention. We can only rely on the women in the harem to maintain the family."

"I only hope that things can be as they were before, and that Yixiu can continue to be the empress steadily. At that time, I will definitely not care about anything else."

...

Today happened to be a rare day off for Hongzhao. He was reading a book seriously and properly when he heard a noise outside. He looked up and saw his father, the Emperor, walking slowly in, clearly in a very bad mood.

Anyway, he rarely came out of Shou Kang Palace with a smile on his face.

Hongzhao stood up from the stool and bowed respectfully. Yinzhen listened to Jinling swaying slightly with Hongzhao's movements and let out a soft sigh, as if he wanted to exhale all the pent-up frustration that had been building up in his heart all day.

"What are you looking at?" He took two steps forward, bent down and picked up Hongzhao in his arms. He then walked to his desk and sat down comfortably. Hongzhao found a comfortable position in his father's arms and nestled peacefully in his embrace.

“My son is still reading Zuo Zhuan. The teacher hasn’t covered it yet, so I’m thinking of reviewing it in advance.”

"Where are you looking? Tell your father about it."

The father and son exchanged questions and answers, mostly casual conversation, but it was precisely Hongzhao's somewhat childish words that seemed to slowly soothe Yinzhen's emotions, which had almost reached their breaking point.