She would do many things as long as Emperor Yuanhe gave her a slight instruction. Of course, she also had the arrogance of an empress when facing others.
"How do you know so much?" Su Wanyan asked curiously.
Yu Nanqing smiled and said, "It's because Yan'er taught her well."
"I didn't teach you any of that."
Yu Nanqing reached out and gently stroked the belt around her waist, playing with it between his fingertips: "Has Yan'er forgotten how she once studied Yu Nanyi and the Princess?"
In order to avoid being caught out by them, he thoroughly studied the laws of the Great Jin Dynasty, researched their personality traits, habits and hobbies, deduced their behavior and conduct, and looked for flaws in their judgments. He remembered all of these things.
Upon hearing this, Su Wanyan thought for a moment and said, "So you went to the Empress because you were sure she was indecisive and unstable, and wouldn't reveal the truth?"
"Yes, you could say that."
Furthermore, through General Xia's desire to form a marriage alliance with Marquis Yuanning, it became clear that the General's Mansion was not content with this at the moment.
With General Xia's permission, Xia Yunshang would not rashly reveal their affair.
The two sat inside the carriage, chatting idly.
Meanwhile, on the other side, in the imperial palace.
Xia Yunshang returned to the palace, her mind still a mess.
She kept replaying Su Wanyan's words in her mind.
Emperor Yuanhe secretly colluded with the East Sea, plotting to frame Yu Nanqing and besiege the Dragon Banner Army. Without eliminating internal troubles, it would be difficult to resist external enemies. Su Wanyan's intention was for her to restrain Emperor Yuanhe in the palace...
To put it nicely, it's a form of restraint; however, Su Wanyan has made her point so clearly that even the most oblivious person would know that this is tantamount to making an enemy of the Emperor.
Emperor Yuanhe was the ruler of a country; how dare they?
As the empress of a nation, she was expected to help others against the emperor. Xia Yunshang broke out in a cold sweat and dared not even think about it.
Everything she has now depends on Emperor Yuanhe. Although she is unhappy in the palace, she has never stopped enjoying wealth and honor. Moreover, she still has the title of Empress. No matter how favored Consort Xian is, she is still below her.
Just as she was lost in thought, a loud noise startled Xia Yunshang: "The Emperor has arrived!"
If it weren't for the cinnabar dot on her lips, no one would have been able to tell that her lips were already deathly pale.
Before that figure in bright yellow slowly entered, she hurriedly stepped forward to curtsy and greet him: "Your Majesty, I greet you."
"No need for such formalities."
Emperor Yuanhe had just finished the morning court session. He walked past the Empress with his hands behind his back and sat down on the Luohan bed.
The Empress followed behind him. After the palace maids served tea, Emperor Yuanhe finally spoke: "How is General Xia? Is he feeling well?"
Xia Yunshang steadied her breathing and forced a smile: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My father is fine."
"General Xia has always been in good health, but this time he has been bedridden for a long time, which must be due to his advanced age."
Xia Yunshang lowered her eyes and echoed, "What Your Majesty says is absolutely right."
Emperor Yuanhe looked at her: "I thought you would have lunch at the General's Mansion before returning."
He suddenly narrowed his eyes: "General Xia, did he say anything to you?"
Upon hearing this, Xia Yunshang's heart skipped a beat, sending a chill down her spine.
What does the Emperor mean by those words?
What was discovered?
Should she tell the Emperor about Su Wanyan's appearance at the General's Mansion?
No, that won't work.
Su Wanyan's appearance at the General's Mansion carries an undeniable responsibility on her father's part. If the Emperor investigates, the entire General's Mansion will be implicated.
Xia Yunshang's heart pounded, her fists clenched tightly in her sleeves, and she suppressed her panic as she said, "Winter is cold, and perhaps because my father is ill, he has repeatedly told me to wear more clothes, also because he is afraid that I will catch a cold in this season. People who are sick are always more sentimental."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuanhe nodded: "Yes, what your father said makes sense."
Just a few days ago, news spread that General Xia was bedridden, but Xia Yunshang returned less than half a day after going back. This inevitably aroused his suspicion. Moreover, the previous matter of the Xia family wanting to form a marriage alliance with Marquis Yuanning had planted some resentment in his heart.
That's why he deliberately wanted to give the Empress a warning.
Seeing that Xia Yunshang's expression remained unchanged, and recalling her usual temperament, which was not as unpredictable as her father's, he ultimately did not continue the topic.
Emperor Yuanhe and Xia Yunshang didn't have much to talk about. Emperor Yuanhe had many concubines in his harem, and Xia Yunshang played the role of Empress among them. She wasn't the best person for Emperor Yuanhe to confide in, so naturally, they didn't have much affection for each other.
Xia Yunshang had feelings for Emperor Yuanhe from the beginning, or perhaps she still does now; the question is how long her affection can last in the palace.
It has almost completely disappeared by now.
After a moment of silence, Xia Yunshang, feeling guilty, started a conversation, asking with concern, "Your Majesty doesn't look very tired, but has something bothering you?"
Emperor Yuanhe has been having a lot of worries lately.
He wanted to talk to someone to relieve his stress, but unfortunately, he couldn't find common ground with any of them.
Emperor Yuanhe didn't expect Xia Yunshang to offer him any advice, but the numerous affairs of the court were indeed overwhelming him. He casually remarked, "With the year-end approaching, thieves are rampant, and many ministers in the court have been murdered. We still haven't been able to catch the perpetrators."
Originally, it was only said that a minister had died from overwork at home, and the coroner found nothing suspicious after examining the body. However, gradually, many ministers in the court began to die suddenly, disappear, or be murdered. He sent people to investigate, but there has been no result to this day.
Fortunately, the matter only circulated among court officials and did not cause panic among the common people.
In fact, Emperor Yuanhe had some idea that the deaths and disappearances of these ministers were not simple coincidences. He vaguely felt that these things were related to Yu Nanqing's campaign in the East Sea, and that he was also secretly contacting the East Sea.
This matter is a power struggle between him and Yu Nanqing.
Fortunately, Yu Nanqing has been dispatched to the border, and he is too far away to intervene in the capital. Emperor Yuanhe has sent secret agents to keep an eye on the situation in the capital. Hopefully, nothing else will go wrong at this critical juncture.
Xia Yunshang had no idea that such a thing had happened in the court. However, in an instant, she began to suspect that Su Wanyan was responsible for the deaths of those ministers.
Xia Yunshang's face turned pale, and she lowered her eyes and pursed her lips, not daring to speak. She was afraid that if she spoke now, she would give away her secret and arouse Emperor Yuanhe's suspicion.
Emperor Yuanhe didn't expect Xia Yunshang to say anything, so he stood up and said, "You've just returned from the General's Mansion, so get some rest. I won't disturb you any longer."
Xia Yunshang hurriedly knelt down and said, "Respectfully seeing off Your Majesty."
Once Emperor Yuanhe's figure disappeared, Xia Yunshang could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground.
"It doesn't matter if Her Majesty the Empress disagrees. We'll go to Consort Lin. If Consort Lin disagrees, we'll go to Consort Xian. But in doing so, Her Majesty's immediate wealth and glory will come to an end."
Su Wanyan's words echoed in Xia Yunshang's mind, and no matter how she tried to stop them, they wouldn't go away.
She didn't understand why her father would agree to Su Wanyan's request. If he failed, wouldn't the Xia family be doomed?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
