Chapter 212 The Fourth Prince's Attitude towards the Queen
The Queen was still very confident in Jianqiu. She believed that no matter what she had experienced in the Ministry of Punishment, she would not betray her. But what about others, especially Jiang Fuhai?
Apart from Jianqiu, Jiang Fuhai knew the most about what she had done. If she confessed, she would be completely ruined.
No, she sat in the chair and thought for a long time. She couldn't just sit there and wait for death. Now she was still the queen, the mother of the Fourth Prince. As long as the Fourth Prince could successfully sit on that position, she would still be the only empress dowager.
She quickly wrote a letter and had it secretly delivered to the Fourth Prince's room.
However, what she didn't know was that while she had never treated the Fourth Prince sincerely, the Fourth Prince had never truly regarded her as his own Empress Dowager.
"Master, are we really not going to Jingren Palace? What if the Empress blames us in the future?"
Xiao Linzi was the only person the Fourth Prince trusted. He told the Fourth Prince the news as soon as he received it from Jingren Palace. However, what he didn't expect was that the Fourth Prince didn't take the order conveyed by the Queen to heart.
"Don't worry about it. The Empress Dowager has ordered the Emperor to recuperate in Jingren Palace. This is known to everyone in the palace. Even after the Empress Dowager passed away, the Empress Dowager was allowed out only with the Emperor Dowager's permission. If I went to Jingren Palace without permission at this time, not to mention whether the Emperor Dowager would blame me, I wouldn't be able to explain it to Yikun Palace and Yongshou Palace."
The Fourth Prince never concealed the fact that he was close to Nian Shilan, Zhen Huan and others in front of Xiao Linzi. He even asked Xiao Linzi to help pass on many things in private.
After being in the palace for so long, the Fourth Prince saw clearly that this time, Concubine Hua and Concubine Xi were determined to overthrow the Queen. Since he had already decided to stand with them, he had to make his attitude clear at this time.
What's more, the empress had previously contacted court officials in private to put pressure on the emperor to make her the crown prince. All these things had already made the emperor unhappy. If he went to see the empress privately again at this time, wouldn't it be a blatant challenge to the emperor's authority?
"But……"
Seeing that Xiao Linzi still looked a little worried, the Fourth Prince directly arranged for him to do some other unimportant things, just to stop him from thinking too much.
After delivering the message, the Queen did not see the Fourth Prince for a long time, and she was so angry that she threw everything on the ground.
"Okay, you all think that I am no longer useful, so you treat me like this. When I leave, I will make you pay the price."
At this time, Yixiu had already decided in her heart that if she had the chance in the future, she would never support the Fourth Prince again.
There are so many princes in the palace. The third prince is uneducated, and there is still the sixth prince. At worst, there is still the seventh prince. So what if they are not her own children? So what if their biological mothers are Zhen Huan and An Lingrong? As long as they are gone, she can raise them under her name. When they ascend the throne, she will still be the empress dowager, and no one can take this away from her.
If Zhen Huan knew what Yi Xiu was thinking, she would definitely laugh out loud.
This queen really takes herself too seriously. Does she really think that anyone can be controlled by her?
While the Ministry of Punishment was strictly interrogating everyone in Jingren Palace, the emperor once again came to Yiku Palace.
"Your Majesty, why are you here? You haven't had a good rest these past few days. You should take care of yourself when you have time. Take care of your body."
After seeing the emperor, Nian Shilan rolled her eyes silently in her heart. Why does the emperor like to come to her palace all the time? Didn’t he like to have Zhaopin serve him a few days ago? What’s going on now?
"How is Shilan? I am very concerned about you and Concubine Xi. I came to visit you after finishing the things at hand."
The emperor knew that Zhen Huan had not left since the day she was brought to Yiku Palace and had been living here all these days, so he did not go to Yongshou Palace.
"Where's Huanhuan? Why can't I see her?"
"Sister Huan just said she felt a little bored after lying down for a while, so she asked Liu Zhu to take her for a walk in the courtyard. I will have someone invite her over right away."
Nian Shilan quickly ordered Songzhi to call Zhen Huan. Of course, the emperor would feel more comfortable if she accompanied him when facing such a boring matter.
The emperor came here today to discuss something with them, so while waiting for Zhen Huan to come, he chatted casually with Nian Shilan. After Zhen Huan arrived, he sent everyone in the room out before explaining his purpose.
"I haven't been feeling as healthy as before these days because of the Queen Mother's affairs, so I wanted to find someone to help me share some of the responsibilities."
After hearing what the emperor said, Nian Shilan and Zhen Huan looked at each other silently.
Handling things for the emperor is undoubtedly an important task entrusted by the emperor no matter who looks at it. I think the emperor himself is also very clear about this.
Over the years, under the deliberate manipulation of the Queen, the Emperor did not have many children. Now, only the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince have grown up. However, the Third Prince is mediocre in talent, and he himself is not interested in it, so the only one left is the Fourth Prince.
Thinking of this, Nian Shilan tentatively asked the emperor: "Your Majesty works hard day and night. It would be a good thing if someone could share your worries."
"Yes, I have noticed that the Emperor's complexion has been a little off these days. He must be overworked. It would be a good thing if someone could help him out."
After hearing what the two of them said, the emperor finally showed some relief on his face.
He didn't know if it was a psychological effect, but ever since the Empress Dowager said those words to him before her death, the Emperor often had nightmares at night. He often thought of what the Empress Dowager said to him, "I don't recognize my relatives, and I am separated from my flesh and blood."
"Shilan, Huanhuan, you two have always been my trusted companions. I came here to ask for your opinions. What do you think if I ask the Fourth Prince to help me oversee state affairs?"
Nian Shilan and Zhen Huan did not expect that the emperor would express his thoughts so directly. They thought that the emperor would test them further before telling them. However, this is actually a good thing, as it coincides with their original thoughts.
"The Fourth Prince is a good boy. He has been diligent and caring in the past few years since entering the palace. With his help, the Emperor will surely have a much easier time."
They did not feel that there was anything wrong with this arrangement. It also saved them from having to spend more time trying to get the emperor to focus on the Fourth Prince.
"However, the Fourth Prince is still under the Empress's care. Based on some of the findings from the Ministry of Punishment, I'm afraid the Empress can't handle the responsibility of raising the Fourth Prince. I'm thinking of letting him stay with you. What do you think?"
At this time, the emperor did not clearly state whether he wanted Nian Shilan or Zhen Huan to be the Fourth Prince's nominal adoptive mother, but when he said this, he was testing the two of them.
No matter how much trust he has in them, the most important thing for the emperor is the balance of imperial power. Zhen Huan's mother's family's power in the court is growing, and she herself has a prince by her side. The emperor doesn't believe that she has no thoughts about this position. On the contrary, Nian Shilan, now that the Nian family has handed over the military power, is no longer a big threat to the royal family.
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