In the spring of the ninth year of Emperor Yunwu's reign, the former Duke Wei Qingyan was framed by a traitor, but his injustice was redressed and his entire family was formally rehabilitated.
He was posthumously conferred the title of Shang Zhuguo, and his first wife was restored to the title of First Rank Consort.
The legitimate daughter of the Wei family suffered hardships for many years, but survived in the palace and was promoted to the second-rank concubine and given the title "Chen".
The successive imperial edicts still aroused Rong Fei's suspicion——
"I thought from the beginning that this little palace maid had extraordinary insights and must not come from a poor family! I never thought that she was actually the legitimate daughter of the Duke's Mansion?!"
"Your Majesty, after Madam Yuluan's death, you were the one most likely to ascend the throne! Now, the Emperor has restored order and restored many of the Wei family's titles. So, are you...our plans now in jeopardy?"
"Go and give this letter to father. Some things should be concluded!" She sat down in frustration. "Xie Yanci completely treats me as a tool. In the palace, I am just a decoration! I have been the Rong Concubine for so many years, and now, I want to live my life again as the legitimate daughter of the family!"
The maid looked at her in horror: "Could it be... Your Majesty wants to take the last step directly?"
"What else?! I can't even bear to see my former enemy ascend to the throne!"
A silent campaign to force the emperor to abdicate was quietly carried out behind the scenes. However, none of this could escape the eyes and ears of Wei Shuyi.
She has been promoted to the position of Concubine Chen. She has Nangong Heng as external support in the capital, and Yu Pei and Sang Yu as internal support in the palace. It can be said that she is invincible.
When she learned that Concubine Rong was going to rebel, she was more excited than anyone else.
"Originally, I was still wondering how I could bring her down... but now, she's actually taken the initiative to hand it over to me!"
Wen Yu immediately said, "Would you like me to inform the prince? It's a good thing to have served you well in protecting him!"
"No hurry, now is the time for you to make a decision."
"My lady, what do you mean?"
"I know that your kindness to me over the years was entirely at the prince's behest. However, I do not wish to treat you as someone else's confidant. If you are willing to surrender completely to me, you will have all the dignity and respect you need in the future, and you will not be controlled by others."
As smart as she is, she understands the seriousness of the situation.
"Although I have been nurtured by the prince, I have experienced much more with the young lady. I am grateful to the young lady for her unwavering loyalty and for saving me so many times!"
"Your words are enough."
On the day when General Shen Yuzhang of the Auxiliary State rebelled, his daughter Shen Ronglan acted as an accomplice, and the rebels attacked all the way to the gate of Changsheng Palace.
Nangong Heng led his troops to protect the emperor. One of the young men easily resolved the crisis outside the palace and chopped off Shen Yuzhang's head in full view of everyone!
When Xie Yanci and a dozen shadow guards walked out of the Changsheng Palace, they asked to see this young man.
Wei Shuyi was accompanying him. After seeing the man's appearance clearly, he almost screamed out loud and hurriedly used other actions to cover it up!
The young man had no intention of pretending, but instead introduced himself with grace and grace: "Your Majesty, I have another name, Wei Fengmian. The Empress Chen of the current dynasty happens to be my biological sister, born of the same mother."
Xie Yanci was stunned for a moment, then he understood: "So, Feng Mian... you are also an orphan of the Wei family, right?!"
"Yes, thanks to the young general for taking care of me these years, I am fortunate enough to be able to save the emperor today!"
"The late emperor misjudged the situation, causing the Duke of Wei and his family to die unjustly. I am deeply grateful that you have set aside past grudges and come personally to save my life!"
Wei Fengmian bowed and replied, "Loyalty to the emperor and serving the country is what my father has always told us to do. It's nothing to worry about. I came here today not to ask for a reward from the emperor. I just hope that the emperor can treat my sister well. She has been in fear every step of the way in the palace these years, and she has truly suffered!"
"I will reward your sister's kindness. Your contributions cannot be dismissed with just a few words! Pass on my decree to confer the title of Third Rank National Defense General on Wei Fengmian! Coincidentally, you and Nangong Heng are of similar age. It would be a great opportunity for you to keep each other company in the old general's mansion!"
"My lord, thank you Lord for your kindness!"
The next day, all members of the Shen family were executed, and the ministers who were originally implicated in the Wei family case were also supported and returned to the court to participate in politics.
Wei Fengmian is also a man of great ambition. After many battles with barbarian tribes, he has achieved immortal military exploits and even won praise from General Nangong. This is really rare!
Over the years, his achievements continued to increase, and Wei Shuyi's status also rose.
From the initial concubine of Chen, she was promoted to the Royal Noble Consort of Chen, a position equal to that of the Vice Empress, which no one could reach.
Tonight, the emperor heard that Wei Fengmian had completely recovered the lost territory. He was so happy that he got drunk and went to the Changsheng Palace to rest first.
Wei Shuyi stayed busy in the front hall, while Sang Yu came out of the inner room carrying the medical box. "Your Majesty, did you know that the tonics that the Emperor takes daily are mixed with some other things?"
"If that's the case, why didn't you tell the emperor in time?"
"Everyone knows that the person who has a relationship with Sang Yu is the Imperial Concubine, not the Emperor. Without your permission, how could I dare to make such a decision?"
She nodded in satisfaction and responded, "Do you know who the biological father of the deceased Second Prince is?"
"It can't be that disgusting old man, right? But he's still imprisoned in the underground palace of Yiqing Terrace, and his hands can't reach that far. Besides, such a heartless person would not be able to think of a trick to avenge my child."
"Who in the palace does you think is proficient in medicine and can add drugs to the emperor's daily tonics?"
Sang Yu was stunned: "He is also an imperial physician?!"
"You don't need to know who it is, just let him do it."
"It seems that the Queen is also a cruel person? After all, you gave birth to children for him. Don't you think you have any feelings for him?"
Wei Shuyi lowered his eyes and stroked the lotus pattern on the table. "It was possible before, but not now. He was kind to me, and I always gave in to him in daily life. But after my daughter Zhaohua died, he actually sided with the murderer because of the so-called Phoenix Girl rumor! From that moment on, whether he was dead or alive was not as important as my child."
"Yes, I understand. Then I wish Your Majesty to get what you wish for soon!"
On Madam Yuluan's birthday, a doctor in the Imperial Hospital hanged himself.
Jing Ning was still as inquisitive as ever. After describing the situation vividly, he sighed, "I never thought it was Doctor Lu Xingzhou! He and Qu Jingyao were just master and servant, yet he's so loyal!"
"Maybe."
After this, Xie Yanci's health deteriorated and he finally became terminally ill.
Wei Shuyi held the medicine in his hand and sat beside the emperor, looking at him silently.
"Should I call you Yao'er or Miss Wei now?"
"Anything is fine. In the emperor's heart, I am just a code name. You can call me whatever you like."
"In your heart, you always blame me, right?"
She smiled in response: "Family, country, and the world, everything must be handled well. All the grievances of this concubine have eventually turned into understanding. However, once the affection fades, it is difficult to turn back."
The emperor gave a helpless smile. "Hearing your sincere words, I am relieved. You know where the mechanism in the underground palace of the Hall of Eternal Life is. There is the imperial edict I drafted long ago. Now, the Third Prince Xuan Jing is the legitimate son and the eldest son. The throne of the Great Zhou Dynasty will be handed over to him!"
"I accept your order."
There was no emotion on her face.
Compared to the girl he saw in the Imperial Garden that night, she was colder and harder than a stone bridge.
The emperor heard the melody of the bamboo leaf flute again in a trance. He stretched out his hand, wanting to hold her when they first met in their youth, but fell down halfway.
Throughout the entire process, she rarely shed a tear. Just like the night when the Duke's Mansion was burned, she was eerily silent.
"Your Majesty, rest assured. Our son will fulfill your last wish. You can rest assured!"
Wei Shuyi stood up and walked down the platform of the Changsheng Palace step by step.
She walked alone through the palace roads, passed by the laundry department, passed by the pharmacy, and finally stood in a trance at the open space full of herbs.
In the autumn of the twelfth year of the reign of Emperor Yunwu of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the emperor passed away. The third prince, Xuan Jing, succeeded to the throne and changed the reign title to Yuan Sheng, known in history as Emperor Jingwen. His biological mother, Wei, was honored as Empress Dowager Xiaoyi and moved into Shoukang Palace.
In the 21st year of Yuan Sheng, the emperor's eldest daughter learned calligraphy from the Taifu.
In her spare time, she would also come to play with Wei Shuyi, who was close to her.
"Grandmother! Last night, Mother told me that she was the legitimate daughter of the Imperial Household. What is the Imperial Household? And what does legitimate mean? And... what is your original status, Grandmother?"
This little princess always has endless questions.
Wei Shuyi didn't find it annoying, instead he answered her seriously, "So, the Imperial Grandmother was also born a legitimate daughter. As for her status, everyone else just called her a palace maid."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com