Seeing her son remain silent, the empress dowager knew she had guessed his thoughts and sighed, "My son, do you know that even though the Emperor Taizu's legitimate wife, Empress Mingde, did all sorts of bad things, the Emperor Taizu only confined her to her house and still kept her title?"
Zhao Yuancheng lowered his head and said nothing.
The Queen Mother twirled the Buddhist beads on her wrist and continued, "Our dynasty has been founded for one hundred and sixty-eight years. Including those who were deposed or abdicated in favor of virtuous men, there have been a total of eleven monarchs, yet none of them deposed their own empress. This is because deposing an empress is considered immoral for an emperor. The Su family is a prominent and aristocratic family, with three imperial tutors among their ancestors. The empress's father was prime minister, and his influence can be imagined. If the empress were to be deposed rashly, it would only cause unrest in the court and discontent among the ministers. Those who covet the empress's position would become even more unscrupulous. In this way, both the former dynasty and the harem would lose their original balance. Do you really want to see such a thing happen?"
Zhao Yuancheng gritted his teeth and said, "Mother, I understand what you said, but in my heart..."
"Mother understands."
The Queen Mother sighed softly, "There's not much affection between you and the Empress. As the Crown Prince, you only need a wife who matches you in both appearance and family background. But have you ever considered that Su was the legitimate wife bestowed upon you by the late Emperor? If you depose the Empress, and then publicize the Empress's crimes, how will the subjects view the late Emperor? They will only laugh at the late Emperor, saying he has no wisdom in judging people and no vision. Where will the dignity of our royal family be then?"
"Since not many people know about these things, why not make a big deal out of a small matter? Just say to the public that it was the Imperial Kitchen who accidentally mixed up the ingredients, which led to the Empress's miscarriage and wrongly blamed the Imperial Concubine. That would save everyone's face."
Zhao Yuancheng clenched his hands tightly on his knees and said coldly, "I am such a coward as an emperor."
The Queen Mother smiled, "A little impatience can ruin a great plan. The late Emperor ascended the throne at the age of fifteen, and was still constrained by court officials until he was forty. Year after year, he relied on patience. You are still young, and there will be a day when you will be fully grown and no longer have to rely on the ministers' opinions. Moreover, the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and the Da'an Kingdom has written a letter stating that they will bring their princess to our court to celebrate. If the person sitting next to you is not the Queen, it will be a joke if it gets out."
"Yes, I understand."
No one knows a son better than his mother. The Queen Mother understood that her son had taken her words to heart, so she said, "The Imperial Concubine has just given birth, and now she has suffered this misfortune. You should go see her. She is a very smart child and will understand your situation."
Zhao Yuancheng stood up, bowed and said, "Then I will take my leave."
"Go ahead."
After watching the emperor leave, Nanny Song brewed some more tea and whispered, "This servant has been too talkative. The Empress is really becoming more and more unreasonable. The Imperial Concubine is the Emperor's favorite. No wonder the Emperor wants to depose her."
The Queen Mother's eyes were heavy. "Cui Yu, was it wrong for me to let Fu enter the palace?"
Nanny Song was puzzled and frowned, "What does the Queen Mother mean?"
"When that girl first entered the palace, although she was arrogant and capricious, she was easy to control. I originally wanted her to restrain the Empress and Gao, but now you see the path she has taken step by step. The Fu family's status in the court has risen rapidly. If her child becomes the crown prince in the future, Fu Qianyin, although a concubine, will be pregnant with Prince Gong's eldest son. With the interference of foreign relatives in government, I am really afraid that she will become the second Empress Dowager Kangxian."
Empress Dowager Kangxian was the biological mother of Emperor Taizu. Taizu ascended the throne at a young age, and she ruled the country from behind the scenes for decades.
But even when Taizu came of age, Empress Dowager Kangxian still controlled the government and refused to return the imperial seal. Half of the ministers in the court were her relatives.
So much so that the Dajing Dynasty almost changed its surname to Lu.
Nanny Song smiled and comforted her, "You worry too much. The Imperial Concubine is gentle and virtuous, and Concubine Fu is also kind and kind-hearted. They are definitely not the kind of people who would do anything for power and status."
The Queen Mother took a deep breath and sighed, "I hope that the Imperial Concubine can see the situation clearly, otherwise, I will definitely not tolerate him."
Zhao Yuancheng came out of Ci'an Palace and headed towards Huayang Palace.
Seeing that Fu Qianyu was sleeping soundly, he just sat beside the bed for a while, then got up and returned to Zichen Palace.
Little Lianzi never came back.
The queen did not sleep all night.
It was as if a pair of invisible hands were pinching her throat, making it impossible for her to breathe.
Qiuju brought in hot water at the usual time. When she looked up, she saw the queen sitting quietly on the couch, her face extremely pale.
"My lady, have you not slept all night?"
The queen did not speak, but raised her hand to support her forehead, her eyes revealing deep fatigue.
Qiu Ju thought for a moment and whispered, "Your Majesty, last night Sister Xia He was ordered to deliver something to Concubine Wan, but she's still nowhere to be found after a night. I'm really worried."
"Mother Xia He is ill. I ordered her to leave the palace early this morning and she will not be back for a few days."
Qiuju frowned slightly. Although she felt puzzled, she did not dare to ask any more questions. She just said, "Let me help you wash up. The small kitchen has prepared it for today..."
"The Emperor has arrived!"
Hearing the communication outside, both people in the hall were startled.
Qiuju hurriedly put down what she was holding and went out to greet him. The queen couldn't help but shudder, and her heart seemed to jump out of her mouth.
When Zhao Yuancheng came in, there was a gentle smile on his face.
The Queen was about to kneel down to salute, but Zhao Yuancheng stopped her with his hand and said softly, "I was about to go to court and was worried about your health, so I came to see you. Why did you get out of bed?"
The Queen swallowed and said nervously, "Your Majesty, I have been lying down for a long time, so I wanted to sit up."
"I see."
As he spoke, Zhao Yuancheng grabbed a piece of clothing and draped it over the Empress's shoulders. A cold look gathered between his brows. "I've come here to tell you something. Last night, a eunuch named Xiao Youzi from the Imperial Food Bureau came to apologize. He said he had made a mistake with the ingredients, causing safflower to be mixed into your meal. Fearing punishment later, he simply put the blame on the Imperial Concubine. I have already ordered Xiao Youzi's execution. You can rest assured."
The queen's breathing stagnated and her hands trembled unconsciously. She stared at Zhao Yuancheng for a long time, as if trying to see something from his face.
But Zhao Yuancheng has been the crown prince for so many years that he has long since stopped showing his emotions. How could he let others easily know what he is thinking?
"That concubine's child..."
Zhao Yuancheng held the empress's hand and sighed, "We are still young, and we will have children in the future. The most important thing right now is your health. Da'an Kingdom and our dynasty have good relations. This Mid-Autumn Festival, their king will bring the princess to the capital. The etiquette of the reception cannot be neglected. Wanpin is pregnant now and can't bear the heavy workload. The imperial concubine has also returned from confinement. When she is better, let her help the imperial concubine Li with the management of the six palaces, and you can rest well."
"Your Majesty, I, your concubine..."
Zhao Yuancheng was about to get up and leave as he spoke, but when he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and said with a smile, "The people around you are too young and insignificant. I have already instructed Nanny Sun to take care of your daily life. The summer heat is very severe. The Queen should not leave Fengqi Palace unless necessary. It is important to take good care of your health."
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