Shanhe Festival 277. The Queen Mother's Change

"What's the matter, mother?" The queen asked with a frown as she watched the empress dowager force her way in with a group of people.

The Queen Mother stared at the Empress fiercely and asked in a sharp voice: "Where is the Tenth Prince?" The Empress looked at the Queen Mother calmly and asked indifferently: "The Tenth Prince? Why do you ask this?" The Queen Mother snorted coldly and said: "The Tenth Prince will ascend the throne soon. As his grandmother, who else can teach him if I don't?" The Queen Mother refused calmly: "The new emperor is taught by the Grand Tutor and the court officials, so you don't need to worry about it. What's more, the new emperor has not yet been enthroned, and you will be buried with your father. It is not appropriate for you to meet."

It was obvious that the Queen Mother had really pissed off the Empress these days, otherwise the Empress would never say such words given her personality.

The Queen Mother was so angry that her face turned pale and blue. She pointed at the Queen's hand and shook for a long time before she said, "How dare you! Hua, although you are the Queen, you have not left a single prince for the Emperor. I think it is you who should be buried alive with the Emperor!" The Queen Mother was very jealous of the leisurely and graceful Queen in front of her. Although the Queen had no children, and even her only daughter was missing, no one could touch her openly. Not only because she was the daughter of the Hua family, but also because she was the Emperor's original wife, the Queen of Great Chu, and the mother of all the princes and princesses. No matter which prince ascended the throne, he had to respect her as the Queen Mother.

The Queen Mother had to admit that even though she looked down on and hated Concubine Liu, she and Concubine Liu were actually the same. No matter how favored she was, no matter how many children she had, without the title of legitimate wife, they did not even have the right to refuse to be buried alive with the emperor.

The Queen lowered her eyes and said calmly, "It's a pity that the Emperor has no intention of letting me accompany him before his death. Mother, I think you should go back to the palace and rest early. There are many things that not only I can't make the decision, but even the new Emperor may not be able to make the decision for a while. If you have anything to say, it's better to go to Prince Li and talk to him."

The Queen Mother gnashed her teeth. Of course, she wanted to find Mo Jingli. But since the emperor passed away, Mo Jingli never came to the palace to pay her respects. Even if he occasionally came to the palace, it was to meet the empress to discuss the new emperor's ascension to the throne. By the time she got the news and rushed over, Mo Jingli had already left the palace. Now the Queen Mother's power has been completely stripped away, and it is very inconvenient for her to do anything. The Queen Mother knew that Mo Jingli was determined to ignore her.

"What are you talking about, Your Majesty? I just came to see the Tenth Prince." The Queen Mother gritted her teeth, holding back her anger.

The Empress Dowager wanted to see her grandson, so she had to let him see her. The Tenth Prince also woke up, so the Empress had to send someone to invite him out.

After the Queen gave in, the Queen Mother sat down with satisfaction and drank the tea brought by the palace maid. She also had time to see Ye Li sitting next to her. The Queen Mother had always had a bad impression of Ye Li. It was not that she had any opinion about Ye Li. But she had a different standpoint from the beginning. Now her life was in danger, while Ye Li became the only wife of Prince Ding. The title of Princess Ding was as famous as Prince Ding. How could the Queen Mother, who originally claimed to be a great woman, feel comfortable watching this?

"Princess Ding?" the Queen Mother frowned.

"That's right. I've met the Queen Mother." Ye Li put down her teacup and smiled faintly. She was sitting leisurely in a chair on the left side of the Queen in a blue dress. She didn't look like a famous heroine, but rather a picture of a quiet and elegant lady.

The Queen Mother knew that she had nothing to say to Ye Li, so she snorted and stopped talking.

After a while, the tenth prince came out after tidying up his clothes. Following behind him was naturally his biological mother. The tenth prince's biological mother's original surname was Li, and she was named Li Guiren after giving birth to the tenth prince. And now everyone in the palace calls her Empress Li. Perhaps it was because she had been humble since childhood, but suddenly she became the most noble woman in the world. Li's fear and anxiety were actually no less than the tenth prince's, so she often behaved inappropriately, trembling like a frightened bird. Such petty-mindedness naturally did not enter the eyes of the empress dowager. Looking at the trembling mother and son in front of her, the empress dowager snorted in displeasure.

Li was startled, her legs softened, and she knelt on the ground, "I... I have seen the Queen Mother." Li had only seen the Queen Mother a few times before, and she only kowtowed from a distance. The Queen Mother's noble status was naturally not something a low-ranking concubine like her could have contact with. At this moment, she suddenly heard the Queen Mother's cold snort, and her legs softened subconsciously and she knelt down.

The queen frowned in displeasure, but was also extremely helpless. It was not her fault that Li was so timid, but it was really a headache that the new emperor's biological mother was so unpresentable. The tenth prince was frightened when he saw his mother suddenly kneeling down, and wanted to kneel down as well.

A jade hand gently held his arm. Even if it was a woman's hand, the strength was not something a small seven-year-old child could resist. The tenth prince could not kneel down any longer, and could not help but look at the person who was holding him. Ye Li sat in the chair, smiling at the child with big eyes full of fear in front of her, and smiled slightly and said, "A man's knees are made of gold. As a man, you can't kneel down casually."

The child, who was about to cry, stared blankly at the woman with a gentle smile in front of him, and forgot to cry for a moment. He only felt that the woman in blue was very gentle and kind, making him feel more comfortable and at ease than staying with his mother. It seemed that his originally frightened heart gradually calmed down, and he could not help but quietly lean towards Ye Li.

The Queen finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Li and said, "Sister, what are you doing? You can't get up yet. Hurry up and help Empress Li up."

The maids around hurriedly helped Li stand up and sat her down on a chair. Li looked at the empress and the queen mother with some uneasiness, then looked at Ye Li who was smiling at her son, and fumbled with the corner of her gorgeous gold-embroidered dress.

At this time, the Queen Mother's face had already darkened. She slammed the table and said in a stern voice: "Princess Ding, what do you mean by this? I am the grandmother of the Tenth Prince. Could it be that I cannot accept this respect?"

Ye Li smiled and said nothing, lowering her head to comfort the frightened Tenth Prince. The Queen said calmly: "Heaven and Earth, Emperor, Parents and Teacher, Mother, are you sure you want to accept this bow?" Although the Tenth Prince has not officially ascended the throne, he has been the Emperor of Great Chu since the moment the edict was issued. As an emperor, he does not need to bow even to his own mother. Moreover, was that a salute just now? It was clearly that the Tenth Prince and Li were frightened to kneel down by the Queen Mother. If this kneeling was really real, it would be a huge laughing stock.

The Queen Mother suppressed her anger, forced a smile at the Tenth Prince and said, "Suyun, come here and let the Grandmother take a look."

The tenth prince had never seen a royal grandmother before, and he only felt that the old woman with a ferocious face in front of him was very scary, and he quickly hid behind Ye Li. The queen mother's eyes were slightly gloomy, but she was not angry. She took out a jade pendant and shook it, saying: "Here, let the royal grandmother see it. This is the gift from the royal grandmother to you."

The tenth prince looked at the jade pendant hesitantly, then turned to look at the empress, who was drinking tea with her head down. But when he looked at his mother, Li, she was still twisting her clothes helplessly, and had no time to care about him. Finally, he had to go to Ye Li. Ye Li smiled softly and said, "Do you like it? If you like it, take it. Remember to thank the Empress Dowager."

"Grandson, thank you...Grandmother." The Tenth Prince took the jade pendant, left a thank you and hid behind Ye Li again. The Queen Mother, who had just put on a friendly face and wanted to talk to him, caught nothing and her face twisted again. The Queen Mother saw it, and took the opportunity to say calmly while the Queen Mother was not angry: "The Tenth Prince was a little frightened yesterday. If you care about him, why not open it another day." The Queen Mother had no choice but to leave in anger.

After watching the Queen Mother leave, Ye Li raised her eyebrows and asked with a smile, "What's wrong with the Queen Mother? Are you so scared by the order to be buried alive that you even forgot to take your brain out?" Seeing the Queen Mother like this, Ye Li was really a little uncomfortable. In her eyes, even if the Queen Mother was not unfathomable, at least she still had some means. But breaking into the Queen Mother's palace like today and scaring the new emperor who has not yet ascended the throne is simply a low-level method.

The Queen laughed and said, "Your Majesty has been pushed to the point of losing your sense of proportion. After all, when it comes to matters of life and death, who wouldn't panic?"

Ye Li frowned and asked, "Where is Prince Li? Does Prince Li really not care about the Queen Mother?"

The Queen shook her head and said, "I don't understand their mother-son relationship either." For example, she never understood whether the Queen Mother loved her two sons, or which one she loved more. And the hatred that the brothers Prince Li and Mo Jingqi had for their biological mother was a little inhumane.

"Is this child called Mo Suyun?" Ye Li looked down at the timid Tenth Prince hiding beside her and asked, "It's a good name." In fact, the names of Mo Jingqi's sons have been somewhat inappropriate. The first generation of Ding Wang was named Mo Suyun. Although no one stipulated that the royal family should avoid the name of the prince, such a name always makes people feel a little uncomfortable.

The queen looked at the tenth prince with a trace of pity in her eyes, and said, "It was obtained by the Qin Tianjian people." Mo Jingqi never took this mother and son seriously, so naturally he couldn't expect him to name them himself.

Ye Li looked at the poor kid in front of her with a bit of amusement. This kid was too timid. Of course, it was also possible that he had been frightened these days. Don't look at Mo Xiaobao bullying Leng Junhan every day, calling him Leng Xiaodai. Leng Junhan was more than ten times smarter and braver than the kid in front of him. No wonder the queen was so worried.

As an emperor, someone as bold and conceited as Mo Ruiyun is certainly not acceptable, but someone like the Tenth Prince who might be scared to tears even if he sat on the throne is even worse. The former can barely hold up the scene, but the latter can't even hold up the scene.

Looking at the tenth prince, the queen sighed and said tiredly, "The Grand Princess and the courtiers handed him over to me, but I don't have the patience to change a child's temper. This child has been taught to be too cowardly and timid." Ye Li smiled and said, "Princess Changle has been taught by the queen to be smart and generous. With time, the tenth prince will always be better."

The queen smiled bitterly, "There is no time to waste now. We can't even cope with the present. If the tenth prince really insists on not going through the coronation ceremony, even if Prince Li and the Liu family propose to establish a new king, it will not be unreasonable. By then..." What the queen did not say was that by then, I am afraid that the child and Li would not be alive. No matter which side prevails in the end, they will never allow the most legitimate heir to the throne to live in the world.

"So, what does the Empress mean?" Ye Li looked at the Empress and asked softly. She didn't believe that the Empress didn't know that this was her best chance to escape. The chaos in the Chu Palace and the almost foreseeable chaos in the future were not problems that could be completely solved by supporting a new emperor.

The queen sighed and said, "Let's take it one step at a time."

Ye Li shook her head and sighed, "Why is the Queen doing this? Don't you really want to see Wuyou again one day?"

The queen looked gloomy, and was slightly absent-minded after listening to Ye Li's words.

The queen lowered her brows in deep thought, and Ye Li did not bother her. She smiled at the Tenth Prince in front of her and asked, "Little prince, how old are you?" The Tenth Prince blinked his eyes, looked at the gentle and kind sister in front of him, and said timidly, "Seven years old." The soft and tender childish voice made Ye Li sigh that her little baby spoke fluently and was very crisp from the beginning, and his words were neat and timid. It seemed that she had never heard such a soft childish voice. Such a lovely child was pushed to such a position in the palace. It was a pity.

"Are you afraid these days, little prince?"

The Tenth Prince's little body trembled, and a look of fear appeared on his face. He obviously remembered what happened in the past few days, and his eyes suddenly became tearful. He looked at Ye Li and nodded. Ye Li sighed and hugged his little body and said, "Don't be afraid, there are many people who will protect you. You will become the emperor of Da Chu in the future. Do you know what an emperor is?"

The tenth prince looked up at Ye Li and said, "I know. It's like that with my father."

"Well... your father is not worthy of imitation. But... you also saw that your father is very majestic, right? Everyone is afraid of him."

The tenth prince nodded, and Ye Li continued to smile and said, "So, little prince, you will become the new emperor of Da Chu. Everyone will be afraid of you in the future, so you don't have to be afraid of them. They dare not hurt you." The tenth prince cried in his voice, "But...but...Yesterday, Su Yun was afraid..."

Ye Li patted the Tenth Prince and coaxed him softly. Actually, she was not good at coaxing children. Mo Xiaobao did not need to be coaxed. Leng Junhan, who was temporarily living in Prince Ding's Mansion, was also a good child. "Don't be afraid... Little Prince, be brave. Brave children don't have to be afraid of anything. Only then others dare not bully them, you know?"

Maybe Ye Li's comfort was useful, or maybe it was just Ye Li's voice that made the child feel at ease. The Tenth Prince gradually stopped crying, looked at Ye Li eagerly and said, "Sister... Sister, will you accompany Su Yun?" Ye Li smiled helplessly. She couldn't accompany him. On the contrary, if this child really became an independent and outstanding prince in the future, maybe they would become enemies. But looking at such a soft and pitiful seven-year-old child in front of him, who can really harden their heart and ignore it?

"I didn't expect you to be good at coaxing children." The Queen had already come to her senses. She just found the conversation between Ye Li and the Tenth Prince very interesting and watched from the side. Looking at Ye Li, the Queen smiled and said, "Speaking of which, this child is timid. This is the first time that he trusts someone he has just met once. Even though I have met him so many times, I usually just go through the formalities." Ye Li smiled and said, "Maybe it's because I have been taking care of children since I moved in, so I am more lucky with children."

The queen thought she was talking about Mo Xiaobao and smiled, "If this child has the courage and intelligence of the young master, I won't have to worry."

Ye Li lowered her head and touched the head of the child who looked a little frustrated. The seven-year-old child was not really unable to understand anything. He could still understand the disappointment and worry in the adults' tone. Ye Li said softly, "This child is not stupid. If you put more effort into it, he may get better. But..."

Ye Li frowned as she looked at Li who was sitting in a daze. It was not that she was cruel and disregarded the relationship between mother and son. Li was not suitable for educating children. Because she herself had many things she did not understand and was powerless, naturally she could not teach her children anything. All she could give her children was blind doting. If she was born in an ordinary family, it might not be a bad thing. At most, she would give birth to a mediocre dude, or let her husband raise him. But the tenth prince was born in the royal family and was at the center of such a storm. A mother like Li could not give her children a proper education.

The Queen understood what she meant and nodded, saying, "I understand. I will discuss this with the Grand Princess. Perhaps, it would be a good idea to ask the Grand Princess to come to the palace and teach the Tenth Prince in person. After all, the Grand Princess assisted two generations of the previous Emperor and was known as the Iron-fisted Princess."

If it were any other woman, she would naturally take this opportunity to raise the tenth prince in her own presence. After all, although she is the empress, she is not the biological mother of the new emperor. When the new emperor takes power, his deep feelings for his stepmother and biological mother will determine his future life and honor. However, the empress did not want to deprive Li and the tenth prince of the mother-son relationship. She has no son, so what? That does not mean that she will snatch other people's sons. Just like her daughter, her Changle will always be her precious daughter.

"The Queen is right." Ye Li smiled. Ye Li was relieved that the Queen would not raise the Tenth Prince. Although the Queen was unwilling to go with Feng Zhiyao now, who could be sure that she would not come to her senses in the future. If by then she had developed a mother-son relationship with the Tenth Prince, it would be difficult to deal with. Ye Li would not be able to explain to Feng Zhiyao when she returned.

"Your Majesty..." Li said somewhat uneasily. Although she was stupid, she still understood that the Queen was dissatisfied with her. Her only support in this palace was her son. No matter what, she did not want to be separated from her son.

The Queen said calmly, "Don't worry, I am only asking the Grand Princess to come to the palace to teach the Tenth Prince. I will not separate you and your son."

"Thank you...Thank you, Your Majesty." Upon hearing this, Li finally breathed a sigh of relief and said happily.