These are words that have been said countless times behind the scenes over the past few years, especially recently, they've practically been on everyone's lips.
Whether she was born a woman or a man was not her choice.
Sometimes, she even wished she hadn't been born into royalty.
If she had a choice, she would like to switch places with that girl from the Li family.
Perhaps they don't have immense wealth, but they have the love of their family and the most precious freedom.
Despite her title of princess, she actually had to inform her parents and obtain their permission before she could even see them or exchange a few words with them.
Leaving the palace is even more difficult!
Princess is just a nice-sounding name; in reality, she is just a caged bird.
Moreover, she was caught between her father and mother, enduring endless grievances and complaints.
She sighed inwardly and advised, "Mother, you are the Empress. No one, no matter how favored, can surpass you."
"Even if we take a step back and assume that whoever ascends the throne in the future, Father Emperor will still honor you as Empress Dowager. Why do you have to do this, ruining your health so that others can benefit from it?"
"No, you don't understand!" The Empress waved her hand, interrupting her daughter.
"I am the Empress, your father's legal wife, yet I have been discarded by your father like trash. I cannot swallow this insult."
"That vile woman from Ronghua Palace has always been able to easily outshine me, isn't it just because she gave birth to a prince?"
"As long as I also give birth to a prince, I will be the rightful crown prince of Tianwu. Only when the crown prince ascends the throne can I, the empress dowager, sit in peace."
"Otherwise, not only will I, but your maternal family, and even you, will not have a good end!"
The third princess wanted to speak, but the empress had already grown impatient and told her to leave.
"Go back now, learn the proper etiquette, and don't come here so often. If you have nothing else to do, keep an eye on those wretches in Ronghua Palace for me, and say a few good words for me to your father, so he doesn't forget about me..."
The Third Princess felt bitter inside, and all the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat.
She could only stand up, bow, and leave.
The early autumn night breeze carried a hint of coolness, and two palace maids following behind the Third Princess gently stepped forward to drape a thin cloak over their mistress.
One of the palace maids whispered, "Your Highness, the autumn night is cold. You should go back."
"Yes, let's go back." The Third Princess adjusted her cloak and looked towards the brightly lit Ronghua Palace.
The Imperial Concubine was always well-behaved and never competed for the Emperor's favor. Even after giving birth to the Second Prince, she never became arrogant or domineering.
What's wrong with her lately? She's been actively trying to get her father to visit Ronghua Palace time and time again, which has completely enraged her mother...
The next day was the grand court assembly. Perhaps the emperor had slept well the night before, for he sat on the dragon throne, looking at his ministers with a kind and gentle expression.
In the past two years, the weather has been favorable. Although Tianwu retreated to Jiangnan, the people have enough to eat and wear and are no longer as panicked and helpless as before.
Especially recently, the autumn harvest has begun.
Countless corn and potatoes covered the mountains and fields, enough to feed all the people of Tianwu, and even have enough to fill the national treasury, in preparation for the complete recapture of the lost lands north of the Yangtze River.
The ministers submitted memorials one after another, but they were all trivial matters.
Overall, the grand assembly was harmonious.
But some people just don't want this harmony to continue.
A fourth-rank imperial censor knelt down and loudly petitioned for the establishment of a crown prince!
Please appoint a crown prince?!
The quiet imperial court was like a pot of smoking oil that had been doused with a ladle of cold water, instantly causing it to explode.
The crackling and popping of the invisible oil made everyone want to jump up.
Not to mention that the Emperor is currently in good health, the only two princes in the harem are either weak or just over a year old, neither of them are good candidates.
Most importantly, neither of these princes were born to the empress.
What if a crown prince is chosen, and the empress gives birth to another child...?
Wouldn't that be sowing the seeds of disaster?
Tianwu might not even be able to reclaim Jiangbei before a civil war breaks out!
Immediately, an old minister spoke up in opposition, denouncing the censor for harboring malicious intentions.
However, some people echoed and agreed, saying that establishing a crown prince early would ensure the stability of the country.
The once quiet and harmonious court is now in complete chaos.
Li Lao Er, Imperial Censor Wen, and Liu Zhiheng exchanged glances, then lowered their heads in unison, pretending they hadn't heard anything.
They were staunch royalists, and they carried out whatever the emperor decided.
Now that the emperor has not mentioned establishing a crown prince, these people who are deliberately stirring up trouble will certainly not have a good ending.
As expected, the argument ended with the emperor's fury.
The censor who made the proposal was demoted to a small, outlying county as a magistrate.
The others shrank back and obediently retreated, as if the people who had just been arguing heatedly were just bystanders...
After the court session ended, everyone left the palace.
Soon, almost everyone in the new capital knew about the matter of requesting the establishment of a crown prince.
Some people disagreed, some watched the spectacle, and some discussed it heatedly.
But some people were deeply troubled by this, namely the Empress's family.
You must know that the honor and disgrace of their family depend on the Empress. If the Emperor were to establish a Crown Prince at this time, it would be of no benefit to the Empress, and even less so to the Marquis of Jiangning's family!
The Empress's mother, Madam Wu, immediately submitted her nameplate to the palace.
In Kunning Palace, they had just cleaned up the broken incense burner last night, and now they were cleaning up the porcelain shards scattered all over the floor.
The Empress was so angry she went mad, and she started crying whenever she saw her mother.
"Mother, these courtiers who are asking for the establishment of a crown prince are showing no respect for me!"
Madam Wu felt sorry for her daughter, but she cared more about her family's future.
She pulled her daughter aside and whispered, "At this point, the only solution is for you to get pregnant as soon as possible. If you give birth to a prince, the position of crown prince will be yours for sure!"
"Waaah, Mother, I want to give birth too! I dream about giving birth!" The Empress couldn't help but wipe away her tears and angrily pounded her stomach. "But I've drunk countless herbal medicines and tried all sorts of folk remedies, but there's still no progress."
"Now the Emperor is bewitched by that vile woman in Ronghua Palace, and he doesn't want to come over on the first and fifteenth of the month. Even when he does come, he just has a quick meal and leaves."
Madam Wu wanted to say that her daughter was useless, but because of her status, she dared not say it.
All she could say was, "You should think of a way to coax the Emperor back and try to get him to stay a few more days. The family will also help you find a solution. In short, we can't let the position of Crown Prince fall into the hands of someone else."
"Yes, Mother." The Empress was not a particularly clever person, and at this moment she was completely at a loss. With her mother making a decision for her, she felt much better and less anxious.
The mother and daughter exchanged a few more words before Doctor Wu left the palace.
Actually, what she said to comfort her daughter was right: that the family would help find a solution, but there was really nothing they could do.
It's been three years already. If the Empress could give birth to a prince, she would have done so long ago.
But for the sake of the family's lasting wealth, we still have to keep thinking of ways.
"Crack!" Just as Madam Wu was deep in thought, a crisp sound suddenly came from under the carriage.
The coachman quickly stopped the carriage, and a guard came forward to check. He soon went to the window and reported, "Madam, there's a problem with the carriage. Please wait a moment, it will be fixed and we can continue our journey."
Madam Wu frowned and replied, "Hurry up and fix it. Don't worry about anything later."
The guards and coachman breathed a sigh of relief and quickly began repairs.
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