“Of course they’re different,” Empress Dowager Zheng said without hesitation, her voice filled with grievance.
“Since I returned to Jing Kingdom with the late Emperor, Yongshou Palace has made things difficult for me in countless ways. She has no children but insists on occupying the position of the late Emperor’s principal wife and refuses to leave.”
“My family background is not as good as hers, but my whole family went to the Jade Kingdom with the late Emperor and suffered. Even if we didn’t have any merit, we still had our share of hard work. She relies on her brother being an important minister in the court and has repeatedly said that my family background is not as good as hers and that I am not qualified to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the Empress.”
"Later, he even tried to take away my child. Your Majesty is my own son, but all these years he has not done a single filial thing that a son should do."
“Everything is the same as over there, no, it’s different,” Empress Dowager Zheng said resentfully, staring at her magnificent palace with disdain.
“That place is called Yongshou Palace, and this place is called Changshou Palace. Changshou can’t compare to Yongshou.”
Yue Jiang wasn't there to listen to Empress Zheng's grievances. She couldn't judge right and wrong based on someone's words alone, since she hadn't witnessed it firsthand.
"This is a grudge between you and Empress Dowager Cheng. What has His Highness the Crown Prince done to wrong you? Your treatment of His Highness the Crown Prince and Prince Li is worlds apart. You have not fulfilled your responsibilities as an imperial grandmother."
"If Empress Dowager Zheng is blamed by others, will His Highness the Crown Prince also criticize you harshly?"
Seeing that the other party couldn't answer, Yue Jiang answered for Empress Dowager Zheng: "Your Majesty is not close to Your Highness because Your Highness's mother is not your niece, Consort Zheng."
"Your Highness's mother was chosen by the late emperor to balance the rivalry between you and Empress Dowager Cheng. You feel that the late emperor has changed since his return, and you can't even choose a wife for your own son. You are resentful."
"In addition, when the Emperor took a concubine, Grandmother Cheng also gave him a niece, so you two both gained a grandson of the Emperor who is of the same bloodline as you."
“Jinglu and Jingshuo are another way for you to compete with Grandmother Cheng.”
"I..." Empress Dowager Zheng opened her mouth to refute, but the words failed her.
Yue Jiang touched Empress Dowager Zheng's heart, and everything else became secondary. She collected the grain and fodder certificates and letters from the table.
Finally, she kindly advised: "Grandmother Zheng may be stubborn, but if you cause the death of King Li, His Majesty's affection for you as a mother will be shattered. Grandmother Zheng, don't regret it."
After a long silence, Yue Jiang smiled firmly: "With my granddaughter-in-law here, Prince Li will never have a chance to replace Your Highness."
"Yue Jiang, you truly deserve to be called a princess sent for a political marriage. The Crown Prince actually managed to..." Empress Dowager Zheng was so excited that she wanted to tell Yue Jiang's background.
In a split second, she seemed to remember something and stopped herself from speaking.
Empress Dowager Zheng struggled with her decision. It was true that she had doted on Jinglu all these years, but she still couldn't understand why her obedient grandson would come back to rebel.
Something serious must have happened. There must be a reason. I can only make decisions for him once Jinglu returns safely.
Empress Dowager Zheng steeled her heart and reluctantly replied, "Anyway, Lu'er has an imperial edict of immunity from death, so I'm not afraid of anything. I just want to know if he was wronged and forced to do this."
"You can tell me what to do, but if you dare to harm my Lu'er, I will make sure you get away with it."
Seeing that Empress Dowager Zheng still harbored selfish motives, Yue Jiang realized that since she didn't fully trust her, it was difficult for Yue Jiang to place her complete trust in her either.
Yue Jiang was afraid that Empress Dowager Zheng would expose Jing Lu's deception, and that simply lying might not be enough to win him back. She considered things from Jing Lu's perspective, as he had no way to turn back.
If I were to abandon everything and return, I would surely eliminate all obstacles, and the only way to achieve this is by using myself as bait.
Yue Jiang pondered and said, "Grandmother Zheng, you care about Prince Li, and I also want to protect Zhang'er. Our purpose is the same: to protect the people we care about."
"Take this letter to Prime Minister Zhao for example. It was intercepted by Jing Shuo halfway through. If he hadn't returned to Jing Palace with the favor of His Highness the Crown Prince, I wouldn't have known that he was planning to turn the tables on me."
"If you want King Li to be safe, you must quickly find a way to leave the palace and go outside the city to stop King Li."
"Tell him that you have discovered that Prince Jing has recently been secretly setting up defenses in the city, and that he must not easily lead his troops into the city, or he will fall into Prince Jing's hands."
Jing Lu deliberately sent a letter to Jing Shuo. If Jing Lu didn't know anything about Jing Shuo's actions, he would surely guess that Jing Shuo hadn't fallen for the trick, which would make things even more troublesome.
Jing Lu needed to know that Jing Shuo was preparing to open the city gates wide to "welcome" him in his rebellion.
Everything and everyone in Yongshou Palace was on Empress Dowager Zheng's nerves, and she nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, we can't let Lu'er be fooled."
Yue Jiang continued, half-jokingly, "I don't know what kind of conflict he had with His Highness. His actions upon returning are baffling. I don't believe it's a rebellion."
"Unfortunately, the handwriting on this letter is from King Li. As a token of my sincerity in asking for help from my grandmother, Queen Zheng, I will destroy it later."
“I am His Highness’s wife. I’m afraid that I might frighten Prince Li if I’m in the Eastern Palace. You can just tell Prince Li that Zhang’er caught a cold during the winter and it hasn’t gotten better yet. I’m exhausted from taking care of him.”
"Upon hearing the news that the Prince of Li had returned but His Highness had not, I was so frightened by the rumors that the Prince of Li was going to rebel that I fell ill and have not left the East Palace for a long time. There is no need to fear me."
“King Li has always been a filial son. If you tell him that his sudden return has made his father so angry that he can’t eat or is in a bad mood, he will naturally be very worried and may come back with you.”
“If Father Emperor knew that Prince Li was worried about him, he would surely consider the bond between father and son. In that case, Prince Li would still have an imperial edict of pardon, so his escape from the military camp would not be a big deal.”
"Otherwise, the imperial edict can only save one life, but it cannot save one from the crime of rebellion a second time."
Empress Dowager Zheng wasn't worried that Jing Luzhu's mistakes were too serious; one imperial edict couldn't compensate for multiple crimes.
As long as he doesn't rebel, no matter what serious mistakes Jinglu makes in the military camp, she will plead for his life.
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