Chapter 148 An Lingrong 89
"Your Majesty..." Lingrong was awakened by the sound of a bird's wings, and a look of sleep still hung on her face. Her autumn-water eyes shimmered with light as she gazed up at the emperor in front of her, somewhat bewildered.
Yinzhen reached out and subconsciously rubbed the other person's red eyes. He felt that she looked even more pitiful when she looked at him like that.
Lingrong hurriedly stood up to salute, but was held back by Yinzhen. The man sat on the edge of the couch and gently tugged at the drooping blanket. "You are pregnant, so these formalities are excused. I just came to see you."
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty." Ling Rong said, but there was some worry in her eyes. "Your Majesty, please take care of your health. I see that Your Majesty seems to have lost a lot of weight."
"It's just that there have been so many things going on in the court recently that I'm inevitably a little tired. It's okay." The emperor gently stroked her belly, a hint of tenderness in his eyes. "It's almost four months, right?"
"Yes, it will be four months in a few days." Ling Rong's face showed a happy expression. "When the fetus is stable, I can go out for some fresh air."
"Just in case, if nothing else, it's safer to stay in Chengqian Palace." The emperor disagreed. "I've already discussed this with the empress. To protect you and the child, you're exempt from paying respects. Just like when you were pregnant with Hua'er, you can stay in the palace peacefully."
Ling Rong felt a little depressed after hearing this, but she still nodded: "I will obey the emperor."
"When I'm done with this busy period, I'll take you to the Old Summer Palace to escape the summer heat, okay?" The emperor ruffled her silky hair, and seeing her nod obediently, he couldn't help but feel much better.
After leaving Chengqian Palace, the emperor was about to return to Yangxin Palace, but he heard Su Peisheng say that the empress dowager asked him to go to Shoukang Palace.
"My son pays his respects to the Empress Dowager."
When Yinzhen stood up, he saw the empress dowager sitting there weakly. When she saw him coming, she hurriedly asked him to sit down, and her words were full of concern.
"My son is fine, but the Empress Dowager doesn't look well. Didn't you ask the imperial physician to take a good look?"
"I am old. The imperial physician can cure illnesses, but not cure deaths." The Queen Mother sighed with a smile. Seeing that the atmosphere was good, she spoke carefully, "Besides, I have been hearing all these rumors in the palace these days, and it is inevitable that I have a headache."
The emperor's gentle expression paused. Although he remained silent, his inner guard was on high alert, and his aura naturally changed.
"Those rumors have even reached the Empress Dowager. Or has someone disturbed the Empress Dowager's quiet meditation?"
"These rumors are getting more and more intense. Why should anyone else say anything?" The Empress Dowager shook her head. "Although most of these words are lies, it is ultimately because Noble Concubine Yi failed to persuade the Emperor to treat all six concubines equally, which led to discord among the palaces. If the Emperor truly has her best interests at heart, he should not favor her so much."
The emperor fiddled with the eighteen pieces in his hand, his eyes becoming increasingly deep. "Is that all the Empress Dowager wanted to say?"
"I am the Queen Mother, so naturally I am talking about matters related to the harem."
"Now, this matter is no longer just a petty matter of jealousy among the concubines in the harem." The emperor spoke calmly, but his words carried a thunderous force. "In the past dynasty, countless people used these evil tricks to cause trouble, and even more selfish individuals sought to profit from them."
"The Empress Dowager believes this incident was caused by Imperial Concubine Yi, but she doesn't realize it was caused by me. The turmoil in the former dynasty continues. Fortunately, she has always been obedient in the palace, and the people around her are still useful, so she has never been polluted by these absurd rumors in the harem."
The Queen Mother looked at her son and suddenly smiled: "When the Emperor said that, I felt that I had wronged her."
"That's not what my son meant." The emperor didn't look at her, only lowering his eyes slightly, his words devoid of emotion. "But speaking of this, the Empress is also to blame. Managing the harem, she's allowed to let such remarks run rampant. As Empress, you can't even do your job properly. I'm truly disappointed."
"The Queen certainly failed to handle this matter properly. It's just that she's in poor health and inevitably not in good spirits..."
"The Queen Mother is right. If this incident hadn't suddenly occurred, I would have been dealing with those remaining people in the court who were clinging to my favor."
The emperor said, looking up at his biological mother: "Now we have to postpone this matter for the time being, to give those people a chance to catch their breath."
"...In that case, Your Majesty could take this opportunity to deal with those people." The Empress Dowager glanced at the Emperor, then subconsciously looked away. "A few days ago, Longkodo sent some tonics, and I just remembered that he is already old. The Emperor is in need of someone now. It would be better to let him retire and live out his days in peace."
Upon hearing this, the emperor was too lazy to continue and simply said, "The Empress Dowager is thinking about Longkodo, but he may not agree. I have some memorials to submit in the Yangxin Palace, so I will take my leave now."
"Alright, tell the people below to be careful on the way back."
After the emperor left, the empress dowager relaxed slightly, her eyes filled with worry: "Zhuxi, do you think the emperor has murderous intentions towards Longkodo?"
"Don't overthink it, Queen Mother. Lord Longkodo isn't as domineering as Nian Gengyao."
"But he is bolder than Nian Gengyao." Although the Queen Mother said that she only cared about the harem, she was actually well aware of the situation in the previous dynasty.
It was precisely because she understood that these things had touched the emperor's sore spot that she lost her composure when the emperor vaguely hinted that Longkodo was involved in this matter.
Thinking of the look the emperor gave her before he left, she felt her heart sink with pain.
………
"You said that the emperor went to Chengqian Palace and looked normal when he came out?" The queen took off the hairpin on her head, and her already surprised mood became even worse.
Before, the emperor came to her Jingren Palace to question her and told her that her abilities were limited, which was humiliating enough for her. She didn't expect that these rumors, coupled with the establishment of a crown prince, could not shake the emperor's favor for An Lingrong, which made Yixiu even more jealous and angry.
Jianqiu untied her hair and gently combed it for the Empress. "Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. Not only did the Emperor look normal when he came out, but after returning from the Empress Dowager's Palace, he also rewarded Chengqian Palace with many treasures, which were personally delivered by Su Peisheng."
"I never thought I underestimated her in the past." The Queen fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist, looked at her white hair in the mirror, and sighed, "It's a pity that she is just like Zhen Huan back then, imprisoned in the deep palace by the Emperor, and has no idea of her family's current situation."
"Your Majesty is right. I heard her father was already ill, and now he's too sick to get up after hearing about this. And her brother, naturally, doesn't dare to go to court either. He's currently staying at home."
"How pitiful! Unfortunately, since the Emperor has issued an order, I must strictly investigate the rumors in the palace and cannot tell her about this matter anymore."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
