"Did you sleep well?"
Just as Qin Su was about to wake up, Yu Shuo gently patted her shoulder and looked up at Emperor Mingyang with displeasure, "Brother, don't scare her."
Emperor Mingyang raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself: If she could be so easily frightened, she wouldn't be Qin Su.
Yu Shuo picked her up and gently comforted her, "Sleep a little longer."
After Yu Shuo and Qin Su left, Xue Huai'an limped over and whispered to Emperor Mingyang, "After all, this is a sacred Buddhist site. It's probably not appropriate for Prince Chen and Princess Chen to act like this."
Emperor Mingyang shook his head, not mentioning Yu Shuo and the other two, but instead instructing Xue Huai'an to rest more, as it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, let alone his severely injured foot.
Xue Huai'an felt uncomfortable, but there was nothing he could do.
The emperor is so biased.
Because Yu Shuo questioned the hunting grounds, he actually sent people to investigate his savior, which made Xue Huai'an extremely resentful.
He gave his own life, so why didn't he receive the reward he deserved?
According to Xue Huai'an's plan, he would surely be promoted after he had done the emperor a favor by drinking and driving, but not only did Emperor Mingyang find out about the matter, the promotion was delayed for a long time.
The only thing that gave Xue Huai'an some comfort was that Emperor Mingyang was much more lenient towards him.
But... the number of wolves that day was unusual. Who arranged this beforehand? Was it to kill Emperor Mingyang? Or to kill me?
Xue Huai'an couldn't understand it, and he still hadn't found any clues.
Things beyond his control always made him feel uneasy and anxious.
However, apart from what happened that day, everything is moving in a positive direction.
...
Qin Su found living at Xishan Temple quite comfortable. There was no strife or intrigue like in the capital, and she felt very at ease.
She also heard Lian Tao say that the emperor had been running into Tao Rong from time to time lately. At first, their relationship was distant, but later they became more and more familiar with each other, as if they had become close friends who could talk about anything.
Qin Su knew that this was Tao Rong's brilliance.
If one only uses their appearance to seduce Emperor Mingyang, even if they succeed, it won't mean much.
The emperor's favor is never lasting.
However, if one can truly appreciate the emperor and enter his heart, then one's position becomes unshakeable.
Qin Su was not the only one who knew about this; the Empress Dowager and the Empress had also heard about it.
Qin Su went to see the Empress Dowager today and inquired about this matter.
Qin Su said she didn't know this person, only that she had seen him a few times, and her impression of him wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly good either.
The Empress Dowager only asked a few questions and had no intention of getting involved further.
The Empress Dowager was not the kind of mother who wanted to completely control her son. She was open-minded and could accept the woman as long as she wasn't a troublemaker or a scoundrel.
The eldest son is already like this, what else can be done? Now she just hopes that the second son won't have any concubines or maids, because frankly, the Empress Dowager doesn't like that.
Deep down, she still thinks monogamy is pretty good.
At noon, the Empress instructed her maid to find Tao Rong.
Just then, Qin Su returned from the Empress Dowager's place and witnessed the incident.
The palace servant bowed to Qin Su without offering any explanation.
Tao Rong was still wearing simple, coarse cloth clothes in light, pale colors, which was pleasing to the eye.
"Princess Consort Chen." She curtsied, her words conveying everything.
Qin Su nodded and left without lingering.
Tao Rong followed the palace maids, and Qin Su carried out the plan, sending someone to invite Emperor Mingyang, telling him what she had seen that day, and also asking him to go see the Empress.
This is a very fair statement. It tells you to go see the Empress, but it doesn't say what the Empress intends to do to Tao Rong.
But Emperor Mingyang understood the meaning behind it.
These words were conveyed by Deng Quan.
Emperor Mingyang said goodbye to the abbot and left the meditation room. He then said to Deng Quan beside him, "Was it Princess Consort Chen who came to say that?"
Deng Quan dared not hide anything and said frankly, "The person who came to deliver the message was a personal maidservant of the Princess Consort of Chen, whose name seems to be Lian Tao."
Emperor Mingyang did not want to think about the relationship between them, and decided to go and see the Empress first.
There are two sides to the story.
Tao Rong had already arrived at the Empress's palace, but she remained kneeling before the Empress and could not rise without an order from her superior.
However, Tao Rong was not one to back down easily. Judging that it was about time, she said, "If Your Majesty has nothing else to do, I will take my leave now."
These words were incredibly audacious; clearly, a commoner like her had no right to speak to the Empress in such a manner.
Even if the Empress were to order her to be dragged out and beaten to death right now, no one would dare to say anything, and there would be nothing wrong with it.
This is an offense against the Queen Mother.
"How dare you!"
The empress's maid pointed at Tao Rong and angrily said, "Who gave you permission to speak to Her Majesty the Empress like that?"
Tao Rong lowered her eyes and brought up Emperor Mingyang, "His Majesty once said that if I have any difficulties, I can go to him."
She and Emperor Mingyang don't have any romantic feelings for each other right now, but the emperor has indeed developed some affection for her.
This is also a major reason why the Empress felt a sense of crisis.
How dare a mere commoner climb over her head?!
"Even if His Majesty were to come, you could be beaten to death for offending the mother of the nation!" The Empress was extremely displeased. What displeased her was that this woman dared to directly invoke Emperor Mingyang to pressure her.
"Drag her out and give her thirty lashes first," the Empress ordered the people beside her.
The palace maid did not move. She whispered to the Empress, "Your Majesty, this is Xishan Temple after all. It is not appropriate to take action here."
The Empress glanced at her and said, "Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Why don't you drag the person out of Xishan Temple before dealing with them?"
“The imperial procession is here, yet you linger at Xishan Temple and refuse to leave. In my opinion, you are clearly harboring malicious intentions.”
Tao Rong said, "If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext. I have done nothing wrong."
The old women below pulled Tao Rong up and led her outside.
Tao Rong was judging the time. Even if Emperor Mingyang hadn't arrived yet, he wasn't far away. As long as she raised her voice, she would definitely attract attention.
Unexpectedly, the old woman took out a handkerchief, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into her mouth.
"Don't even think about shouting. You deserve to die if you offend Her Majesty the Empress," the old woman cursed Tao Rong viciously.
This plan was indeed unexpected for Tao Rong, but it wasn't entirely without ideas.
What's going on?
A deep, steady male voice came from the front, and the old woman immediately knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty, greetings to Your Majesty!"
Emperor Mingyang had Deng Quan help Tao Rong up, but after looking her up and down a few times, he asked in a deep voice, "I ask you, what happened?"
The old woman immediately kowtowed and said, "Yes, yes, this woman has offended Her Majesty the Empress. Her Majesty the Empress ordered me to drag her out and give her thirty lashes."
As a servant, she naturally confessed honestly; after all, if anyone is to blame, it shouldn't be her.
Emperor Mingyang stepped into the Empress's meditation room. Only then did the Empress realize that Emperor Mingyang had arrived. She bowed and greeted him, but in her heart she was filled with hatred.
Who exactly sent the message to His Majesty, and why did he arrive so quickly?
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