Cheng An really liked Yuan Yuan, and picked her up as soon as she saw her. Qin Su let her have her way, as she had come to see the Empress Dowager today on some business.
The Empress Dowager seemed rather tired lately, so Qin Su stepped forward and asked with concern, "Why don't you look well, Mother? Did you not get enough rest last night?"
The Empress Dowager put the prayer beads aside, hugged the quilt, and looked just like a little girl who hadn't grown up yet.
She said with a hint of resentment, "I haven't been resting well. I heard there have been some troubles in both the court and the inner court recently."
"Is Mother referring to the matter of the Duke of Cheng's mansion?"
The Empress Dowager nodded. "I've heard of that Xue Huai'an. He's your ex-boyfriend... no, your ex-husband."
She misspoke, but no one cared.
They just couldn't understand what the Empress Dowager occasionally said, but it didn't really matter.
"The emperor used to value him quite a bit, but then this happened. Instead of working hard to climb the ranks, this young man tried to take shortcuts. What is this if not a traitor? People like him deserve to be beaten to death!" She was very angry. "He should be thrown out into the street and let the people deal with him."
It's hard to believe that the Empress Dowager has such a strong sense of patriotism.
Qin Su poured the Empress Dowager a cup of flower tea and then grabbed a few oranges and placed them on the stove.
Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words, Cheng An said, "I had always felt that Xue Huai'an was very cunning, so it's not surprising that he could do something like this."
Her dislike for Xue Huai'an wasn't something that happened overnight, but she was actually quite surprised, given the sheer magnitude of the crimes Xue Huai'an had committed—crimes so serious that such a case might not occur even once in a century.
That's really impressive.
"What's happened in the harem again?" Qin Su asked casually.
The Empress Dowager remained silent for a moment, and Cheng'an teased Yuanyuan while saying, "Is that Consort Rong? She's been demoted to Zhaoyi now."
"They say she was demoted because she offended my brother, but I always felt that things weren't that simple. Others may not know, but my mother and I know very well that my brother dotes on this Consort Rong. Although I also think that Consort Rong is a clever woman."
"Given how much the Emperor dotes on Consort Rong, there shouldn't be such serious consequences. Consort Rong must have done something terrible."
Could it be something big?
Cheng An couldn't understand it.
After all, Tao Rong was born into a commoner family and had little interaction with the officials and nobles in the capital, so there was no possibility of any collusion between them.
"Could it be that she did something similar to what the deposed empress did?" Cheng An muttered to himself.
The Empress Dowager shook her head. "No."
Cheng An raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so sure, Mother? Don't you dislike her?"
The Empress Dowager disliked the concubines in the harem; she sided with the Empress.
In the Empress Dowager's eyes, the concubines were nothing more than mistresses, neither of them being respectable.
"Disliking someone doesn't give you the right to slander them. It's either true or it isn't. That Consort Rong has clear eyes; she doesn't seem like the kind of person who schemes."
This is what the Empress Dowager couldn't understand.
Consort Rong was formerly known as Consort Rong, whose rank was second only to the Empress and the Noble Consort. However, there were no Noble Consorts in the palace, and the Empress had been deposed, making her the highest-ranking consort. Just how resentful must she have been to do something to be demoted?
While turning over the oranges, Qin Su said, "Since Mother doesn't like her, why does she lose sleep over her?"
If she doesn't like someone, she doesn't care what that person is like.
Perhaps the Empress Dowager also liked Tao Rong?
Tao Rong was not as flamboyant or sharp as she had been in her previous life. She was usually gentle and mild-mannered, the kind of person the Empress Dowager liked.
As expected, the Empress Dowager coughed a few times and said, "How could I? She is, after all, a concubine. How could I not be careful when something like this happens? Now that there is no Empress in the harem, we need to be even more careful."
Cheng An squeezed the round little hand, "In my opinion, this Consort Rong will probably regain favor. I heard that although she was demoted, her food, clothing and daily necessities are still at the level of the fourth concubine."
She pouted, never imagining her brother would be such a devoted lover. It's true... she's never met a true soulmate.
Tao Rong has the ability to regain favor, so Qin Su isn't worried about that at all. Besides, she's spoken with the Empress Dowager and plans to see Tao Rong, since she was demoted to Zhaoyi because of them. Now that Xue Huai'an is dead, her mission is complete, and she can be herself from now on, needing nothing more.
"Mother, I have come today to talk to you about the affairs of the Yuehai Kingdom."
Upon hearing Qin Su mention this, Cheng An immediately lost interest and sat down in a more distant spot with Yuan Yuan in his arms.
She has never been interested in these things, and she certainly doesn't want to put her mind to them.
Even if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up, so what is she worried about?
The Empress Dowager hadn't expected Qin Su to bring this up with her. Her first reaction was, "I have no intention of interfering in politics."
The tragedy of empress dowagers abusing their power is not uncommon in history. Unless necessary, empress dowagers do not want to interfere in such matters.
If the emperor were not a good one, she would consider ruling from behind the curtain and deposing the current emperor to replace him. But since Emperor Mingyang was capable, she didn't want to worry about him.
Qin Su shook her head and said, "I know what Mother is thinking. I just asked Mother for her opinion in private. The third prince of Yuehai Kingdom is warlike and cannot ascend the throne. And our country cannot openly send people to Yuehai Kingdom. I was thinking if we could wait until the wounded... wait a while and then lead people to infiltrate, kill that third prince first, and then disrupt their political situation."
Qin Su felt that killing someone was perfectly acceptable, but it couldn't be done so hastily.
The Empress Dowager frowned. "Things aren't that simple. I think you should discuss this with the Emperor."
Finally, she realized that her words had sounded a bit harsh. After thinking for a moment, she said, "The method you suggested isn't impossible; it's quite simple. However, it depends on the situation at the time. Who knows, maybe a prince from Yuehai Kingdom will end up here? I was just saying."
After all, if the Little Prince of Quechua could come here, what else is impossible?
Qin Su shook his head. "That possibility is very low. Quegu and Yuehai are completely different. Quegu is on good terms with our country, and Tuoba Yan knows that our country will not harm him. The relationship between Yuehai and our country has always been very bad."
The Empress Dowager sighed and shifted her position, sitting cross-legged. "If you really insist on doing this, then let the Emperor investigate the situation in that country. Your own safety is the most important thing; everything else can be dealt with later."
She admired people like Qin Su, who knew that relations between the two countries were not good, and that if they were discovered while infiltrating, their lives would be in danger.
"Cheng'an, go and summon the Emperor." She sighed, but her eyes were clear and bright.
Qin Su was taken aback. Did they really need to find the emperor for this?
Cheng'an handed the child over to Granny Qin and then left with his men.
"Mother?"
The Empress Dowager explained, "How can I feel at ease letting you go like this? Make some weapons. I don't even know if I still remember the specific steps? It's been so many years."
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