When rumors resurfaced in the capital, the memorials urging Yuwen Wuji to establish an empress were already piled up to half a person's height.

Yuwen Wuji was very impatient to see such a memorial. Wasn't this forcing him to establish an empress?

Although he killed Xie Wanqing himself, he had to admit that among the women in the harem now, he felt that no one could compare to Xie Wanqing, and no one was fit to be the empress.

"Your Majesty, Consort Shu has sent over some lotus-shaped pastries that she made herself."

Yuwen Wuji looked down at the plate of lotus-shaped pastries, but the image that came to mind was not that of Consort Shu, but that of Xie Wanqing.

Tang Shuang has always been imitating Xie Wanqing, imitating her tranquility and beauty, her generosity and virtue...

She was taught by Xie Wanqing, yet she always seemed unable to stand up for herself. She always appeared pitiful, placing herself in a vulnerable position to elicit sympathy and pity. She didn't need to say a word; others could solve all her problems for her.

With her personality, she might be fine as a favored concubine in the harem, but as an empress, she's a bit unbecoming.

As Yuwen Wuji thought this, he lost his appetite for the lotus-shaped pastries. Logically speaking, if Tang Shuang weren't Xie Wanqing's lady-in-waiting, he wouldn't even want her.

"Take it away, I have no appetite."

Li Wei then had it taken away and asked the Emperor, "Consort Zhen asked when you would be free to bring the young prince to see you."

Thinking of his youngest son, Yuwen Wuji felt much younger. He realized that he needed to be around younger people to feel energetic and vibrant.

"Summon her here. I've been exhausted for quite some time now, it's time for me to relax."

Song Wenyue brought the young prince to Qiankun Palace and even had lunch with Yuwen Wuji.

After Song Wenyue left, Li Wei smiled and helped Yuwen Wuji lie down, saying, "With the Sixth Prince here, you're so happy you can eat half a bowl more rice!"

Yuwen Wuji smiled with satisfaction as he thought of his son's adorable face. "Children are so energetic; just looking at them makes me feel much younger."

Yuwen Wuji fell asleep amidst this sense of relief. However, in the Yikun Palace, which was ignored by everyone, Imperial Noble Consort Lu Yinghong looked haggard and had lost a lot of weight.

Ever since he was stripped of his power, the servants in the palace have treated him poorly, neither eating nor living well.

Before I came to power, the ice in my palace, even if it wasn't over-quota, was in large chunks. Now, all that comes to me is broken ice, which melts very quickly.

Because of the canal construction during the previous dynasty, the palace had also reduced its expenses. The extra allowances they used to receive could be used to reward the servants, which made them more attentive to their work. Now, with the reductions, the entire Yikun Palace is living on a tight budget.

Without the financial incentives, the subordinates inevitably became complacent and even considered using connections to leave.

In addition, she was not a kind mistress, and beatings and scoldings were commonplace for her. A few days ago, a young eunuch recognized a foster father and tried to use his connections to work in Consort Shu's palace. When she found out, she immediately had his legs broken.

Hmph, dreaming of leaving her palace!

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Kitchen has sent over some watermelon. Please have some."

Lu Yinghong looked listless. "How could I possibly eat that!"

She couldn't understand why the Emperor couldn't be more tolerant of her. All she wanted was for Chengcheng to suffer a little, and the Emperor stripped her of her power.

She wanted to make soup and send it to the Qiankun Palace, but Li Wei told her that "the weather is hot and the Emperor is afraid that he is too weak to take the nourishment" and refused to accept the soup she sent.

She now understood that all her struggles and gains ultimately hinged on a single word from a man. Only by clinging to the Emperor could she secure a comfortable life.

But how can she regain the emperor's favor?

"Granny, why don't you put it on the ice to chill it? Maybe Auntie will have an appetite later," Lu Yujie said from the side.

Lu Yinghong's gaze followed her voice and fell on her, her eyes holding something that Lu Yujie couldn't understand.

"Yujie, come to your aunt."

Lu Yujie obediently stepped forward, and Lu Yinghong carefully examined her features; she was also a beautiful woman.

Looking at that young, somewhat naive face, Lu Yinghong felt a mix of emotions.

Lu Yujie's mother had already been exiled, and she was now her only support.

"Yujie, your aunt has something she'd like to ask for your help with."

Lu Yujie stared at her intently, a wave of unease washing over her.

"You should enter the palace as a lady-in-waiting. Your aunt wants you to serve the Emperor."

Lu Yujie's pupils contracted. She understood her aunt's meaning perfectly well. She had fallen out of favor and wanted her to enter the palace to serve the emperor and regain his favor!

Lu Yujie turned pale with fright and hurriedly said, "Aunt, Yujie is ill-fated and may not have the fortune to live up to this!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yinghong's face immediately turned cold. She grabbed her shoulders and demanded sharply, "Why are you unwilling! What gives you the right to be unwilling! You eat and drink well, live a life of luxury, but you have to pay a price for it!"

Lu Yujie's shoulders ached from Lu Yinghong's grip. It was summer, and her clothes were thin. Lu Yinghong's fingernails dug into her skin through the thin fabric, causing tears to well up in her eyes, but she dared not let them fall.

Seeing this, Granny Lu quickly stepped forward and pulled the two apart, but Lu Yinghong's fingernails still tore a piece of fabric off Lu Yujie's shoulder.

"Your Highness, please calm down! It's not like Miss Biao can turn the tide right now!"

Lu Yinghong then came to her senses and thought to herself, "That makes sense. If the Emperor could take a liking to Lu Yujie, then Yuwen Wuji has seen her many times in his own palace, but he has never asked her for anything, which means he has no intention of doing so."

Lu Yinghong hugged Lu Mama's shoulder and cried bitterly. Lu Mama gave a look to the little palace maid beside her, who immediately helped Lu Yujie away.

Lu Yujie wept silently, not daring to make a sound.

After comforting Lu Yinghong, Granny Lu went to comfort Lu Yujie: "Miss, don't be sad. Her Majesty is all alone in this palace. Not only does she have no one to care for her, but she also has to be wary of open and hidden attacks from all sides. In this situation, Her Majesty is afraid that all her efforts will be in vain."

Lu Yujie's eyes were red, but she had stopped crying. She sniffed and said, "I understand Auntie's feelings. Now that my mother has been exiled, I have nowhere to go. Besides you, Auntie, I have no other relatives... Auntie is only doing this for my own good, sob sob..."

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face again.

"Granny, please tell Aunt that Yu Jie understands Aunt's good intentions and is willing to do anything for Aunt."