Lu Jinshu said, "Fu Yijing loves His Majesty terribly. Even though she's become the Queen, she's still not satisfied and only wants to monopolize His Majesty's favor. Over the past year, in order to please His Majesty, she's restrained her temper, pretending to be dignified and virtuous on the surface, but in reality, she can't change her jealous nature."
Shangguan Xu pondered, "You mean, out of jealousy, what will Empress Fu do to these newcomers? Then, we can find evidence of him tampering with the selection process and completely remove him from his position as empress?"
Lu Jinshu smiled and shook his head. "After going through so much, Fu Yijing has become smarter. He won't try to murder the young men participating in the selection. That would only make His Majesty hate him, and all his efforts to please His Majesty would be wasted."
Shangguan Xu asked curiously, "Then why did you want him to host the talent show?"
Lu Jinshu's smile grew. "Like I said earlier, Fu Yijing loves Your Majesty terribly, and his whole heart is devoted to Your Majesty. Just imagine, as he's been organizing the selection these days, seeing so many young and beautiful young men about to come to Your Majesty's side, how much pain and distress must he be feeling?"
Shangguan Xu couldn't help but burst out laughing. He had originally thought that Lu Jinshu had come up with some conspiracy, but the truth was so simple.
The two people were chatting casually.
Ling Xihe approached from the entrance. Though only six years old, she wore a dark, narrow, carved robe. She possessed none of the childish airiness of a child, appearing remarkably composed. "Your son pays respects to the Empress and to Shangguan Ci."
Ever since Ling Xi was maliciously pushed into the water by He Huaichen, she has been kept by Ling Shumo and taught personally. In less than two years, her original innocence and playfulness have almost completely disappeared, and in its place, she has become more mature than her age.
Lu Jinshu watched his daughter's daily transformation with a mixture of joy and heartache. However, he wouldn't stop Ling Shumo from strictly disciplining Ling Xihe, because compared to ordinary children, royal children must mature earlier to survive the cruelty of palace life. He and Ling Shumo would do their utmost to protect Ling Xihe, but Lu Jinshu's greatest hope was that his daughter would soon be able to protect herself.
Shangguan Xu asked curiously, "Shouldn't you be attending the teacher's lecture at this time? Why are you suddenly here at Changsheng Palace?"
Ling Xihe replied, "The Third Imperial Sister has finally been brought back to the palace from the farm outside. The Queen Mother has given us sisters and brothers a holiday, saying that we can go and see the Third Imperial Sister. Furthermore, under the persuasion of Mei Cifu (Jiang He), the Queen Mother has granted Xihe and Xue Cifu (Xue Wu) grace, conferring him the title of Consort of the Fourth Rank and allowing him to personally raise the Third Imperial Sister. This son has come here to tell you that Xue Cifu has taken the Third Imperial Sister to Fengyi Palace to pay a visit to Empress Fu. As soon as they leave Fengyi Palace, they will come to see you, your father."
Shangguan Xu sighed, "To be honest, Mei Guiyi (Jiang He) really does care about everyone's affairs. He's a rare kindhearted person in the harem. With such character, he's been favored and even gave birth to Your Majesty's fourth daughter. I'm impressed."
Last month, Jiang He gave birth to the eighth princess, Ling Xixuan, and his rank was elevated from Rongze to the third rank of Guiyi. His Majesty told him to ask for any special reward he desired. He didn't ask for any favors for himself or his two children, nor did he mention his family. He only took advantage of His Majesty's good mood to bring up the disabled third princess, saying that the child was of royal blood and should finally recognize her ancestral roots.
Ling Xihe said, "It was the Third Princess who said she wanted her biological father to raise her, and that's when the Queen Mother finally remembered Xue Cifu, who seemed to have been sent to the cold palace. This time, Xue Cifu was canonized as a beauty, and his hard times are finally over."
As she spoke of this, a trace of worry crossed her small face. "I have heard that the reason Xue Cifu was rejected by the Empress Mother and demoted to a regular attendant was because of the Empress Father's instigation. Now, Xue Cifu has regained a place in the Empress Mother's heart. Will he bear a grudge against the Empress Father for what happened back then and make things difficult for you?"
Although Ling Xihe deeply loved the well-behaved Third Princess, if Xue Wu dared to provoke her father and empress, she would no longer consider her a relative, but a mortal enemy. In the royal family, weighing the pros and cons always came before family ties.
Seeing Ling Xihe's serious expression, Lu Jinshu stopped treating him like a child and said seriously, "You don't know the full story of what happened back then. The culprit who caused the Third Princess to become a disabled child was Empress Fu of Fengyi Palace. Even if Xue Wu wanted to hate someone, she would resent Empress Fu first, and not the Empress Fu herself. You don't need to worry so much."
Shangguan Xu handed Ling Xihe a small bowl of peach blossom soup and continued with Lu Jinshu's words, "You know how wise your father is. Even if Xue Wu used a thousand vicious schemes to frame you, he would never let them get away with it. You can rest assured. You're so busy at such a young age, I think you're almost showing the look of an old man."
Ling Xihe subconsciously touched his face and was about to say something when he heard the servant outside the door announce, "Lady Xue and Her Highness the Third Princess have arrived..."
Lu Jinshu looked up, but was stunned.
The reason was simple: Xue Wu, once the most beautiful woman in Zhongdu, now looked extremely haggard. Her face, once as white as jade, now took on a sickly, sallow hue.
Lu Jinshu still remembered the first time he met Xue Wu. Her beautiful eyes were like spring water, full of affection. Just one look at you could capture your soul. But now, years of being imprisoned in the palace had clearly taken a toll on this delicate flower.
Xue Wu released the hand holding the Third Princess and bowed to the two people in front of him, saying, "Your servant pays respects to Queen Lu and Madam Shangguan."
The little Third Princess beside him was equally well-mannered. Since it was her first time meeting Lu Jinshu, she was required to kowtow. She didn't need anyone's guidance, and obediently knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Lu Jinshu, "Your son pays homage to the Queen, may the Queen live a thousand years."
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