Chapter 193 Saving Mother
Fengyi Palace.
A palace maid ran in hurriedly.
"My Lady, this is terrible! There's a fire in Jingsi Palace."
The queen, who had already fallen asleep, was woken up and frowned.
"What? What happened?"
The palace maid who was on night watch hurried to help the queen.
The palace maid who came to report the news spoke again with an anxious look on her face.
"There's a fire in Jingsi Palace."
The queen stood up suddenly.
"What? Jingsi Palace, the palace of Concubine Zhou."
"Quick, send someone to put out the fire."
"Change my clothes."
"Why would there be a fire in the palace?"
I just told the emperor that I recognized the fifth prince. If something happened to Concubine Zhou at this time, it would not be a good thing for me and the fifth prince.
Soon the palace maids hurriedly dressed the queen. Nanny Fang also woke up and followed the queen. With the support of the palace maids, the queen hurried towards Jingsi Palace again.
At the gate of Fengyi Palace, the queen seemed to remember something and stopped suddenly.
"Madam Fang, you don't have to follow me. Go to Yongchun Palace. No matter how chaotic the palace is tonight, I have secured Yongchun Palace. No one is allowed to leave Yongchun Palace, and no one is allowed to enter Yongchun Palace. Anyone who disobeys my order will be dragged down and beaten to death."
After collecting everything, he hurried forward. Upon hearing this, Nanny Fang walked towards Yongchun Palace.
Concubine Yao was already standing outside Jingsi Palace and spoke with a worried look on her face.
"Hey, how did the fire suddenly break out? Sister Zhou is still inside. Hurry up, put out the fire, move faster."
"Come here, quickly transfer all the palace staff from Yikun Palace to put out the fire."
The emperor was naturally woken up by the huge fire. On his way here, he happened to meet the empress, and the two of them came here together.
Concubine Yao looked at the two of them coming side by side, and a hint of jealousy flashed in her eyes, which was quickly replaced by worry.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects to the Emperor and the Empress..."
The queen glanced at Concubine Yao carelessly. Jingsi Palace was located in a remote area, and Yiku Palace was not close to it. How could she come so quickly?
"No need to be so polite, Concubine Yao. What's the situation inside?"
"Where's Sister Zhou?"
"Sister Zhou is out."
The emperor looked at the Jingsi Palace, which was engulfed in flames, with a gloomy expression.
"Su Ping, let the Imperial Guards come to put out the fire."
Concubine Yao sighed.
"Sister Zhou hasn't come out yet."
"I asked when I came here, and no one came out."
After hearing this, the Queen and the Emperor's expressions became even more gloomy. How could such a huge fiery man possibly survive?
Concubine Yao was wiping her eyes anxiously with a handkerchief.
"Sister Zhou, you've lived peacefully in Jingsi Palace for so many years. How could such a huge fire suddenly break out in her place?"
"Even if you accidentally knocked over a candle, it shouldn't have burned like this."
What Concubine Yao said was indeed correct, Emperor Xuanyuan spoke in a deep voice.
"What does Concubine Yao mean by this?"
Concubine Yao spoke upon hearing this.
"Your Majesty, I am simply confused. Such a large fire seems like someone deliberately set it in motion, intending to take Sister Zhou's life. However, Sister Zhou has never had any grudges against anyone. This is truly baffling to me."
Seeing this, the queen glanced at her.
"Now that the truth is unknown, it's not the time to make wild guesses. Let's wait and rescue Sister Zhou first."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Yao suddenly looked at the Queen with a meaningful look.
"Does Her Majesty the Queen really want Sister Zhou to be rescued?"
The queen frowned when she heard this.
"Empress Yao, what do you mean by this?"
"Sister Zhou and I have known each other for many years, so I naturally hope that she is safe and sound."
When Concubine Yao heard this, she looked incredulous.
"Yeah?"
"I heard that the Empress recently recognized the Fifth Prince as her son. This Fifth Prince was born to Sister Zhou. If Sister Zhou doesn't survive today, wouldn't you, Empress, be the Fifth Prince's only mother?"
"What a waste of a son..."
Everyone present heard what Imperial Concubine Yao said, and the concubines who had rushed over from other palaces all looked at the Queen with a certain scrutiny.
Could it be that this was really done by the Queen?
After all, what Concubine Yao said was not without reason.
Ever since the Crown Prince passed away, the Fifth Prince has been visiting Fengyi Palace very frequently.
Emperor Xuanyuan spoke in a cold voice.
"Noble Concubine Yao, please be careful with your words."
Concubine Yao knelt down hurriedly.
"I beg your Majesty to forgive me. I was so anxious that I spoke without thinking."
"After all, I have known Sister Zhou for many years. Seeing her being robbed and her son now buried in the fire, I can't help but sigh in my heart."
"Sister Zhou has been in Jingsi Palace for so many years, and nothing has gone wrong. Why did the Jingsi Palace catch fire just when the Fifth Prince was about to be registered by the Empress?"
The queen's face turned ugly.
He turned around and bowed to Emperor Xuanyuan.
"Your Majesty, I swear to heaven that I love the Fifth Prince as my own child, but I will never harm Concubine Zhou. If this fire is related to me, I and the entire Chen family will not live a peaceful life."
Emperor Xuanyuan's expression softened slightly upon hearing this. The Empress had always been known for her dignity and virtue, and he would never have so easily doubted her unless there was solid evidence. He reached out and helped the Empress to her feet, speaking in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, there's no need to do this. I trust you. However, this matter is suspicious and must be thoroughly investigated."
At this time, although the fire had been brought under control to a certain extent, Jingsi Palace was still engulfed in flames and the situation was critical.
Seeing that the houses in Jingsi Palace began to collapse, Concubine Yao looked anxious.
"Faster!"
"The fifth prince born to Concubine Zhou has just gained a foothold in the court. Concubine Zhou should be enjoying his life. We cannot let her perish in the sea of fire."
The queen tightly grasped her handkerchief, hoping that nothing would happen to Concubine Zhou. If anything happened to Concubine Zhou, the registration of the fifth prince would be delayed.
Concubine Yao knelt down before the emperor again.
"Your Majesty, if Concubine Zhou had not returned today, the Empress would have been the biggest beneficiary. I know that Your Majesty and the Empress have been husband and wife for many years, but Concubine Zhou is already Your Majesty's concubine. I beg Your Majesty to uphold justice for Concubine Zhou."
Another concubine looked at Concubine Yao, then stepped forward and spoke.
"Your Majesty, originally I shouldn't have said anything about this matter, but anyone with a discerning eye can see that the Empress is the beneficiary. The Fifth Prince is registered under the Empress's name and will henceforth be the legitimate son of the Empress. His status is inestimable. If the Fifth Prince becomes the crown prince, there can't be two tigers in one mountain. How can there be two Empress Dowagers in the harem?"
This is dirty water, and it must be thrown on oneself, the queen said sternly.
"Shut up!"
"Noble Consort Yao, Concubine Qi, I will definitely investigate today's incident and give an explanation to the harem. But if the truth comes out, what crime will you be charged with for slandering the queen?"
Upon hearing this, Concubine Yao gritted her teeth and decided to use this incident to stop the Queen from recognizing the Fifth Prince.
"Whether I am slandering your majesty, you know it in your heart. I also heard that the Empress had visited Concubine Zhou before. I don't know if Concubine Zhou was unwilling to give up her son, which made the Empress resentful. After all, there is no mother in this world who would not give up her own son."
"Besides, the Empress is the Empress, and the princesses and princes in the harem are required to address her as Mother. Why does the Empress insist on recognizing the Fifth Prince?"
"Is it because I love the Fifth Prince, or is it because the Fifth Prince has grown up and can become a knife in the hands of the Queen, allowing the Queen to gain power and the Chen family to rise rapidly..."
The Queen looked at the fire in Jingsi Palace, her eyes filled with anger. What time was it? Concubine Yao was only focused on throwing dirty water on her, and the Queen gave a cold order.
"Come here, take Concubine Yao away and let her reflect on her mistakes."
"Noble Concubine Yao, as a noble concubine, you should be worried about the safety of Concubine Zhou instead of causing trouble here."
Two palace maids came to support Concubine Yao.
Concubine Yao spoke as she struggled to break free.
"Queen, are you feeling guilty?"
"Or maybe this was planned by you and the Fifth Prince."
Then he looked at the emperor.
"Your Majesty, I've heard rumors circulating in the Imperial City lately: 'Man is born evil, he wants to take things, he wants power, he abandons his biological mother, he recognizes a noble mother, he has a backer, he wants to seize power, he wants a good reputation, his biological mother is dead. Was this fire an accident, or was it a conspiracy between the Empress and the Fifth Prince for power?"
Suddenly a surprised voice sounded.
"Look, Concubine Zhou has been rescued..."
Everyone looked over hurriedly.
The fifth prince came out of the sea of fire holding Concubine Zhou...
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