Upon hearing this, Yu Ying felt as if she had been struck by lightning!

I still remember when we were in the Prince's residence, Hongli had once taken away her power to manage the household affairs, but that was just her own home, so it didn't have much of an impact. Now that she is the Empress, the Emperor actually forbids her from managing the harem anymore. Wouldn't people laugh their heads off if word got out?

Such punishment was far too harsh, but Hongli had already given the order, and he had no intention of staying there any longer, so he turned and left immediately.

Witnessing his heartless departure, Yu Ying felt as if the sky had fallen and the earth had collapsed, filled with remorse!

She waited anxiously for half a month, and finally this day arrived, only to be met with this result.

It's all Dongling's fault for giving her such a bad idea. If she had dressed like before, why would the Emperor have suddenly gotten angry? Xiao Huaizi wouldn't have been exposed.

Yu Ying became increasingly angry, so she called Dong Ling in and punished her by making her kneel in the bedroom.

Even though Dongling was punished, Hongli still left. Yuying regretted her actions, but it was too late.

She is currently under house arrest and cannot even leave Changchun Palace. She can only place her hopes on the Empress Dowager, hoping that the Empress Dowager can plead on her behalf.

Upon learning of this, the Empress Dowager shook her head and sighed, lamenting that Yu Ying was truly an incapable ruler!

She was clearly a lady from a distinguished family, with excellent family background and appearance. She even went out of her way to help Yu Ying get the opportunity to be with Hongli. How could Yu Ying be so disappointing and not make good use of this opportunity, instead doing such a foolish thing!

Although the Empress Dowager also felt that Yu Ying was at fault, she still had to plead for her daughter-in-law.

When Hongli came to pay his respects again, the Empress Dowager acted as a peacemaker, saying, "I have heard about that matter. The Empress was indeed wrong, but she only wanted to win your favor, which is why she lost her sense of propriety. You should punish her leniently and confine her to her quarters for a few days. You really shouldn't have stripped her of her power."

Hongli believed he had been lenient enough towards Yuying, giving her many chances, but she never truly repented.

"No matter what she tries to do, my heart is not with her. The Empress, a dignified woman, is trying to imitate others by wearing a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). In my eyes, she is no different from Dong Shi imitating Xi Shi!"

"Didn't Consort Chun wear it too? You allow Consort Chun to wear a ruqun in her bedroom, but you forbid the Empress from wearing one. What kind of logic is that? You're clearly targeting the Empress. If anyone should be punished, they should be punished too. Consort Chun shouldn't be let off lightly either!"

Hongli thought to himself that his mother was really good at stirring up trouble, and for no reason she dragged Yushan into it again. “Empress Mother, don’t you understand? Just for the matter of clothing, I can just reprimand her. The reason I took away her power is because she arranged for spies in Jingren Palace to monitor Consort Chun.”

She appears harmless, generous, and kind, but secretly she's scheming and despicable! If she continues to manage the harem, it will surely descend into chaos and corruption!

"But she is your Empress! If you suddenly strip her of her power, the officials will surely gossip." The Empress Dowager wanted to avoid trouble, but Hongli believed that Yuying had done wrong and should bear the consequences.

"That's her own fault, she has no one to blame but herself."

"As the saying goes, family scandals should not be aired in public. Making this a public spectacle will only make you a laughing stock."

Hongli gave a self-deprecating bitter smile, "Having such a two-faced woman as my empress is a joke in itself, so why should I be afraid of being ridiculed?"

"Your Majesty..." The Empress Dowager wanted to say more, but Hongli resolutely interrupted her, "Your Majesty, your mind is made up. You don't need to persuade me anymore. I can never forgive the Empress, and I will never go to Changchun Palace again!"

He didn't want to go with Yu Ying in the first place, but the Empress Dowager forced him to go. After this incident, he had even more reason not to go!

However, Yu Ying was indeed in the wrong, and the Empress Dowager could not find an excuse to plead for her. Her son had already left, and the mother and son had a very unpleasant argument. The Empress Dowager felt a headache coming on and became more and more disappointed in Yu Ying.

In Jingren Palace, while Su Yushan was getting ready in the morning, Chang Yue told her that Xiao Huaizi had not returned home all night and seemed to have been imprisoned.

Yu Shan was increasingly surprised, wondering what serious mistake Xiao Huai Zi had made? Could it be that he stole something? But she hadn't heard of anything being missing from the palace!

It wasn't until Hongli arrived and he explained the whole story that Su Yushan suddenly realized, "He was actually a spy! Are there any other spies in Jingren Palace?"

In fact, Hongli was also pondering this issue. "If there are other informants after Xiao Huaizi's incident, they will be more discreet recently. I will send people to keep an eye on them secretly. Once someone does anything suspicious, I will transfer them away, regardless of whether it is true or not."

In the past, there weren't many people in Huatang Pavilion. Each one was carefully selected by Hongli. Apart from Suwen, who had betrayed him, the rest were quite loyal.

Later, all the servants followed them into the palace. However, Jingren Palace was too large, and those few people were not enough. So, Hongli asked Su Peisheng to point out a few reliable and honest eunuchs.

Who would have thought that this little Huaizi had a problem! Regardless of whether Su Peisheng knew about it or not, Hongli had to punish him!

After this incident, Su Yushan couldn't help but wonder, if the Empress could place spies in Jingren Palace, what about the Empress Dowager? Could she have also planted palace servants?

It seems it's time for a thorough investigation of the palace.

As she was pondering this, she suddenly heard Hongli say, "I have already seized the Empress's real power. The harem cannot be without a master for a single day. I intend to have you assist in managing the harem."

"Me?" Su Yushan was taken aback, even doubting that she had misheard. "How could I manage the harem? Don't be ridiculous."

Gazing at her, Hongli said seriously, "I'm not joking, I'm serious."

He had originally planned to do this, but he never had the opportunity. If he were to bring it up suddenly, it would be difficult to do without a proper reason. Coincidentally, the Empress had committed such a crime. After thinking it over, Hongli decided to take the opportunity to let Yushan assist in managing the harem.

However, Su Yushan was self-aware: "But I am a Han Chinese woman, and my status and family background are not qualified. If I were to manage the harem, they would not be convinced, and the Empress Dowager would not agree."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!