After saying that, Yu Wenran picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea. He seemed to be determined not to leave until the empress dowager had finished reading it or asked the nanny to read it to him.
The Queen Mother was helpless, because she didn't know what was written in the blood letter about King Xiang, so she had to read it one by one. When she read to the end, her brows were furrowed.
Pointing at the blood letters, he said to Yuwen Ran, "Is this what you're yelling at me for? The contents of these blood letters are pure nonsense! I know Prince Xiang's character, so I asked Your Majesty to send him to Qianzhou to provide disaster relief. Your Majesty, do you distrust your own brother and instead trust these people who have no connection to Your Majesty?"
"Your Majesty, what you said is wrong! How can I trust the people who have nothing to do with me? Those people are my subjects, how can they have nothing to do with me? On the contrary, it is Prince Xiang who has received my orders, but is pretending to obey them in Qianzhou and endangering the people! Qianzhou has been suffering from severe drought and heavy snow, and this winter has been difficult enough. Now what Prince Xiang is doing is forcing all the people in Qianzhou to starve and freeze to death this winter!"
After hearing what the Queen Mother said, Yuwen Ran was filled with anger. He didn't expect that even if all the evidence was placed in front of the Queen Mother, she would still make excuses for Prince Xiang!
"Your Majesty, as the elder brother of Prince Xiang, is it possible that you don't understand Prince Xiang's temperament?"
The Queen Mother refused to give in and started arguing with Yuwen Ran over Prince Xiang.
"Let's not talk about whether the Qianzhou incident is true or not. Your Majesty sent Prince Xiang to Qianzhou with no real power. All authority regarding disaster relief rests with the Minister of Disaster Relief. Prince Xiang has no power, so how could he have done such a thing with the Qianzhou government? Could it be that Your Majesty was deceived by the people of Qianzhou?"
"Since your mother has mentioned the disaster relief minister to me, I will tell you why Prince Xiang has such abilities in Qianzhou."
Yuwen Ran said, "As soon as Prince Xiang arrived in Qianzhou, he tied up the minister I had sent with him to provide disaster relief that very night. Later, the minister escaped from the place where he was being held, fainted on the road, and was picked up by the people, who helped him survive."
"Then may I ask, Your Majesty, can you produce any evidence that Prince Xiang did these things? These blood letters alone won't prove anything, will they?"
The Queen Mother snorted coldly, "What if this was forged by the Minister of Disaster Relief to frame Prince Xiang? After all, anyone can write this blood letter. Just slightly alter the handwriting and it could be forged, right? How can Your Majesty prove to me that these were written by the people of Qianzhou, and not by the servants of the Minister of Disaster Relief's mansion?"
"I don't think your Majesty Mother knows who the minister I sent out to provide disaster relief is, right?"
The Queen Mother saw that Yuwen Ran did not mention the origin of those blood letters, but talked to her about the selection of the disaster relief minister. She thought that Yuwen Ran wanted to change the subject, so she felt that what she said made sense, and a smile appeared on her face again.
"Your Majesty, you know that the harem cannot interfere in government affairs. I am just a woman, not like the emperor's empress, who can stay in the harem and follow Your Majesty to the battlefield. I have been in this deep palace for a long time, so how could I know who Your Majesty sent to Qianzhou as the Minister of Disaster Relief?"
Yuwen Ran saw the change in the Queen Mother's expression and snorted inwardly. The Queen Mother's words concealed many mysteries. They both elevated herself and belittled Gu Yanyue.
"Your Majesty, you've cleared yourself of the harem's right to meddle in government affairs. Ask yourself, Your Majesty, have you interfered enough in government affairs since I ascended the throne?"
The Queen Mother immediately retorted, "Your Majesty, had just ascended the throne and was still young. As the Emperor's mother, it was natural for me to assist him in government affairs. How could the Emperor allow such confusion?"
Yu Wenran's eyes were filled with coldness. "Then should I thank my mother properly?"
"I can't really say I'm grateful. This is what I should do." The Queen Mother took a sip of tea from her sleeve and put down the cup. "If Your Majesty can trust your brother, Prince Xiang, that will be the greatest gratitude I can give you."
"Since my mother doesn't believe what Prince Xiang did, then I can't stay in Cixi Palace any longer and disturb her."
Yuwen Ran stood up and walked a few steps outside. As if suddenly remembering something, he turned to the Queen Mother and said, "In a few days it will be the anniversary of my father's death. This year, Prince Xiang is in Qianzhou and can't make it back. Only the Queen and I will accompany you to the temple. Please make sure you prepare well in advance, so that nothing gets left behind like last year."
The Queen Mother smiled faintly and said, "Of course. I have already prepared everything I need this year. The Emperor, please remember to remind the Empress that the anniversary of the late Emperor's death is coming in a few days. Don't let the Empress, who has been preoccupied with state affairs these past few months, forget such a trivial matter as the late Emperor's death."
"Of course, the Empress doesn't need to be reminded by her, Mother. I've been so busy with the Qianzhou incident these past few days. I remember it was the Empress who reminded me about the late Emperor's memorial day. Mother, please take care of yourself and remember what you said."
After saying that, Yuwen Ran shook his sleeves heavily and walked out of Cixi Palace without looking back.
The Queen Mother watched Yuwen Ran leave and swept away everything on the table. "Why did he treat me like that just now? No matter what, I am still the Queen appointed by the late Emperor, and the Queen Mother! Now that he has grown so powerful, he's actually being so arrogant towards me."
"Empress Dowager, please calm down!" Hearing the Empress Dowager's anger, the palace maids in Cixi Palace all knelt on the ground, not daring to even breathe.
Only Nanny Li, who served beside the Queen Mother, dared to step forward and persuade her at this time, "Queen Mother, please don't be angry. When Prince Xiang returns from Qianzhou, we will settle this account with His Majesty. Now that Prince Xiang is still far away in Qianzhou, the Queen Mother should take good care of herself and don't let Yuwen Ran anger her and collapse before Prince Xiang returns."
"What if the King of Xiang is alone in Qianzhou, working diligently for the people of Qianzhou? When he returns after making great contributions, someone flatters him and all his hard work is replaced by eating, drinking and having fun in Qianzhou. What will he do then?"
The Queen Mother calmed down after hearing Nanny Li mention Prince Xiang. She sat on the chair, rubbed her forehead, and sighed, "You heard what the Emperor said just now. He said that Prince Xiang not only raped women in Qianzhou, but also took the pigs and sheep of the people. In the eyes of the Emperor, Prince Xiang is simply a villain who does all kinds of evil."
Li Ma Ma advised: "That's right, that's why the Queen Mother should take better care of her health. Don't collapse before Prince Xiang returns. Otherwise, who will be able to protect Prince Xiang then?"
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