Empress Zhou felt a chill in her heart. She certainly didn't think that there would be any good outcome if she really went along with the emperor's wishes, and she didn't believe that the emperor would really let a bastard ascend the throne.
It's simply that the Crown Prince is now disobedient, and he has no choice but to abandon him and can't control the Crown Prince, so he came up with this idea.
But the emperor had never truly cared for her, his wife; she was nothing more than a pawn to be discarded at any moment. Just like her two children—no matter how obedient and filial her son was, he still couldn't become the crown prince. And Xuanci had almost been sent to the Northern Rong… Empress Zhou lowered her head, her eyes shifting with emotion, but when she looked up again, they suddenly returned to calm.
She no longer struggled to break free from the emperor's hand, feigning fear yet unable to refuse: "Your Majesty is my heaven. If Your Majesty insists on this, I am willing to pave the way for Your Majesty. However, I have been taught by Confucius and Mencius since childhood, and it is truly difficult for me to live by such behavior. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to leave with dignity."
At this point, Empress Zhou shed tears of genuine emotion: "Zhan'er is gone, and I only have Xuanci as my child. But she is depressed because of the marriage alliance, and I am really worried about her. I only ask that Your Majesty treat her well in the future and choose a good family for her."
Emperor Cheng'an did have some genuine affection for Empress Zhou. Although her beauty had faded and his love had waned, she had actively sought death and mentioned her two children. Even Emperor Cheng'an, with his heart of stone, was somewhat moved.
He patted Empress Zhou on the shoulder and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I only have one daughter, Xuanci, and I will cherish her."
Empress Zhou wiped away her tears and nodded.
Emperor Cheng'an paced back and forth in the hall, pondered for a moment, and said, "This matter should be handled sooner rather than later. I will select a suitable candidate as soon as possible. You shall move into my palace today."
The Empress nodded obediently and excused herself to pack her things and leave.
Once back in her palace, Empress Zhou's face twisted in anger. She gritted her teeth, smashed two vases, and said fiercely, "Xue Jia, you've gone too far!"
The absurd demands made by Emperor Cheng'an were not only an insult to her, but also a threat to her life.
Empress Zhou paced around the palace, summoned her trusted guards, and said, "Go and send a message to my brother, saying that I have something important to discuss with him."
Just as the guard was about to take his leave, she said, "Wait, this matter is not suitable for a face-to-face discussion. I will write a letter, and you can send it to her in a few days."
After she finished speaking, she ground ink, picked up a brush, wrote down her plans in a letter, and handed it to the guard.
Since the emperor is unrighteous, then don't blame her for being unjust.
Since Xue Zhan's death, she has secluded herself in the palace to avoid the limelight. Meanwhile, Emperor Cheng'an, in order to pave the way for the crown prince, has intentionally or unintentionally eliminated the Zhou family's influence, and the Zhou family is no longer as powerful as it once was.
Now that Emperor Cheng'an has made such an absurd demand, it is clear that he wants to take her and the Zhou family down with him!
Since that's the case, why don't they strike first, turn the charade into reality, support their younger brother to ascend the throne, and use the emperor to command the feudal lords?
*
After Empress Zhou left, Emperor Cheng'an instructed his confidants: "Today, keep an eye on the Empress's movements in the palace to see if she has any dealings with the Zhou family. Also, make a list of all the children under five years old in the imperial clan. I will select a few to bring to the palace for upbringing."
He impregnated the Empress with his illegitimate child, though provoked by the Crown Prince, it wasn't entirely unplanned. If the Empress obediently complied, he would treat the Zhou family well afterward, knowing the child was born. If the Empress refused, he had other methods.
The Crown Prince is so arrogant and recklessly defies him because he knows he can only pass the throne to him.
Emperor Cheng'an was seething with anger. Even if he had to pass the throne to a member of the imperial clan, he would never let Xue Shen succeed!
*
The changes in the palace were reported as a secret report and placed on Xue Shen's desk three days later.
When Emperor Cheng'an had his private conversation with Empress Zhou, he did not leave anyone to serve him. He did not know the specifics of their conversation, but after Emperor Cheng'an had his argument with the Crown Prince, he immediately summoned Empress Zhou. Afterward, Empress Zhou moved to the Emperor's palace to personally attend to him. Soon after, there were also unusual movements in the Zhou family, which gave some clues.
"Emperor Cheng'an and Empress Zhou reached some kind of agreement, but Empress Zhou doesn't seem to be willing."
Otherwise, the Zhou family, which had been quiet for so long, would not have made such frequent moves.
Then, considering that Empress Zhou had suddenly gone to attend to the sick, Xue Shen wondered what kind of matter required the Empress's presence.
A variety of possibilities flashed through his mind, and the most unlikely guess emerged: even Xue Shen couldn't be sure if Emperor Cheng'an would really be so absurd.
His expression was mocking. If this guess was true, then Emperor Cheng'an was probably already desperate and not far from going mad.
To destroy someone, first make them go mad.
Xue Shen tapped the table, pondered for a moment, and then instructed his spies: "Find a way to send more spies into the palace. Keep a close eye on the emperor's bedroom today and see if any new faces have appeared."
He paused, then added, "Pay special attention to young, strong-looking men."
After finishing his business, Xue Shen glanced at the time before getting up and heading to Tingmei Pavilion.
Shen Youying had already gotten up. Seeing him return, she smiled and said, "I've already asked the kitchen to prepare the meal. I was just about to send someone to call you."
Xue Shen naturally sat down beside her, and seeing the visiting card in her hand, casually asked, "Whose is this this time?"
Speaking of this, Shen Youying became somewhat puzzled and unfolded the invitation to show him the name on it: "It is the Prime Minister's wife."
"Wang Yuanguang is loyal to the emperor and has never had any dealings with the Wang family. Why did he suddenly send a visiting card?"
Xue Shen glanced at him, not particularly surprised: "Wang Yuanguang appears to be loyal to the emperor, but in reality, he is loyal to his own interests. In the past, when the emperor was powerful, he tried to understand the emperor's thoughts and acted as the emperor's henchman, which is why he was able to hold the position of prime minister for so many years. Otherwise, in terms of seniority, talent, and ability, the position of prime minister should have belonged to Xie Lianhong."
"Then how come he is also..."
Xue Shen casually tossed the visiting card aside and said, "He's just good at judging the situation. He's the emperor's confidant and knows the emperor's situation best. He's just looking for a new ship when he sees the big ship is about to sink."
Shen Youying understood. She frowned slightly and still asked, "He is, after all, the prime minister of the country and an asset in the court. Should I meet him tomorrow?"
Xue Shen said, "There's no need to meet him. Such a weathervane can turn against me today and betray me without hesitation tomorrow."
Seeing that he didn't seem to care, Shen Youying stopped dwelling on the matter and said, "It's fine to meet them alone; I really don't have the energy to deal with that. But the Dragon Boat Festival is approaching, and I've been sending out too many invitations lately, and I've already turned down quite a few. So why not take advantage of the Dragon Boat Festival to host a banquet and send out invitations to these people? That would be a way of showing my attitude."
Although Xue Shen didn't rely on these opportunists, Shen Youying felt that the political situation in the court was unpredictable, and it was always better to have one more friend than one more enemy.
Xue Shen thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "But don't overwork yourself. Leave the Dragon Boat Festival banquet to Wang Deshun."
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