After Linglong left, the Empress's position became vacant. Zhou Jingzhi repeatedly assured Jian Hong before allowing Jian Yang to move back to the palace.
She no longer has to deal with palace affairs or face those chattering concubines; she's living a very carefree life.
On this day, Jian Yang sat on a swing, cracking sunflower seeds and happily reading a storybook.
Suddenly a figure ran over and knelt in front of her, hugging her clothes and wailing. Jian Yang looked closely and realized it was Xi Qiu.
After crying for a while, Xiqiu raised her head and looked at Jianyang, saying, "Your Majesty, you're finally back! I knew you would come back."
"Xiqiu, what brings you here? Get up quickly." Jian Yang looked pleasantly surprised.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor sent word that I will be transferred back in a few days, and then I will be able to continue serving you," Xiqiu said with a smile, wiping away her tears.
Jian Yang hadn't seen any familiar faces from the palace in a long time, and she held Xi Qiu's hand, chattering on and on.
Meanwhile, for some unknown reason, the Empress Dowager suddenly went to the Imperial Study alone.
Aside from the one time she met Zhou Jingzhi when he went to investigate spies, she made various excuses to avoid Zhou Jingzhi's visits to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager every time afterward, as if she didn't know when she would stop having a cold war with the Emperor.
When Eunuch Zhang saw the Empress Dowager coming alone, he was a little surprised. Before he could announce her arrival, the Empress Dowager pushed open the door and went in with a serious expression.
"Mother, I know why you have come, but I cannot agree to this." Zhou Jingzhi said before the Empress Dowager could speak.
The only reason the Empress Dowager would come looking for him at this time is that she has learned that Linglong has left the palace.
The Empress Dowager opened her mouth, but ultimately remained silent, looking at Zhou Jingzhi with a complex expression.
“Ayang is to me as water is to fish. She is as important as my life. Now that she is willing to stay by my side, how can I let her leave?” Zhou Jingzhi’s eyes were unusually firm.
Hearing the emperor say this, the empress dowager was somewhat moved.
Jian Yang used to be a bit spoiled, but she changed her ways and became very kind to both Zhou Jingzhi and her. She truly liked this lively and clever girl.
I had no choice but to let her go last time, which may have hurt her feelings. Should I not have taken it so seriously?
Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager sighed.
"Enough, my son, I understand. If you have already made your plans, then go ahead and do it."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jingzhi looked at the Empress Dowager with surprise, not expecting her to give in so easily.
The Empress Dowager then changed the subject, saying, "However, you must be careful not to give anyone a handle to use against you, especially the elders in the court. You must appease them properly."
After saying this, the Empress Dowager left.
Two days later, the ministers in the court received invitations from the palace, saying that a batch of rare and exotic herbs had arrived from the southwest, and that the ministers were invited to come and see them. The Empress would also be present.
The ministers didn't care about rare and exotic herbs; the mere mention that "Her Majesty the Empress will be there" piqued their interest.
In the days that followed, regardless of their motives—whether curiosity or ulterior motives—almost all the officials tried to find out the Empress's identity, but all their efforts ended in failure.
Unexpectedly, the emperor suddenly appeared at the banquet with his new empress.
Early that morning, Jian Yang was dragged out of her sleep.
"Why bother? We don't need to pay our respects now." Jian Yang turned over, wrapped herself in the blanket, and planned to continue sleeping.
"My Empress, you are going to a banquet with the Emperor today." Xiqiu showed no mercy to Jian Yang and pulled her out of the quilt.
Jian Yang was pulled to try on clothes, and looking at herself in the bronze mirror, she felt a little unfamiliar for a moment.
How long has it been since she wore this queen's dress?
In the afternoon, the ministers arrived at the palace one after another, and before the banquet even started, they were all there.
They huddled together, discussing and speculating about the Empress's true identity.
Finally, the banquet began. Zhou Jingzhi sat alone at the head of the table, exchanged some polite words with them, and then actually ordered someone to bring out several pots of flowers and plants that he had never seen before.
"I have acquired some rare and exotic herbs today. I invite all my ministers to come and appraise them," Zhou Jingzhi said.
The officials below were not really interested in the flowers and plants; after offering some flattering remarks, they all waited for the emperor to speak.
After a moment, Zhou Jingzhi smiled and said with a normal expression, "The Empress was unwell a few days ago and was unable to show her true face. Now she is much better and has come to the banquet today."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiqiu helped Jianyang out from behind.
Jian Yang felt a little uneasy. She hadn't expected that she would actually become Niu Hulu Huanhuan. She forced herself to remain calm and walked to Zhou Jingzhi's side.
The people below were stunned when they saw her face clearly, and for a moment they forgot to bow.
The so-called new empress in front of me looks exactly like the deceased Empress Wende. No, even the feeling she gives off is the same.
Who else could this be but Empress Wende?
"I was unwell a few days ago, please don't take offense," Jian Yang said, displaying the demeanor of an empress.
Only then did they realize what was happening, and they all bowed to the Empress, saying they dared not.
Suddenly, someone below exclaimed, "Isn't that Empress Wende?"
They recalled the rumors circulating recently that Empress Wende had faked her death and eloped with someone, and each of them had their own guesses.
"May I ask Your Majesty, what is the identity of the Empress? I see that the Empress looks very much like Empress Wende. I wonder if she is the daughter of Prime Minister Jian?" a minister asked.
The others gasped in astonishment. No wonder he was a veteran of three dynasties; he dared to ask such a question so directly.
Zhou Jingzhi didn't seem angry; he even smiled and said to Hu Zhengqing, "Lord Hu, the Empress is the posthumous daughter of the Duke of Ying. She was raised in Lord Liu's household. I only thought of her as an ordinary daughter of an official, but later I discovered this connection."
Hu Zhengqing stared at Jian Yang for a long time, and Jian Yang's face was almost frozen from smiling.
Someone else said, "How could there be two people in the world who look so alike? If Empress Wende were alive, she would probably be very surprised herself."
Zhou Jingzhi's eyes darkened, and he said in a deep voice, "I have already made myself very clear. The Empress is the eldest daughter of the Duke of Ying, and her name is Zhang Jian. If anyone still has any questions, feel free to come to me privately."
Seeing Zhou Jingzhi's reaction, everyone fell silent.
The empress's true identity is no longer important. As long as the emperor gives her a reasonable identity on the surface, what can his ministers say?
Many people cast probing glances at Prime Minister Jian, but seeing that he remained calm, they all gave up.
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