Yinzhen's empress was from the Ulanara clan, and her name was Yirou.
Under the candlelight, Nian Yuyao could clearly see her features.
Although not a great beauty, she is gentle and graceful, with soft, warm eyes and a charming and elegant demeanor, like a woman from Jiangnan.
A golden phoenix hairpin adorned her hair, and her purple cheongsam made her appear even taller and more slender. Her delicate willow-leaf eyebrows added to her scholarly air.
To avoid appearing too abrupt, Nian Yuyao knocked on the door first.
Yi Rou put down her teacup, glanced at the door, and said softly, "Come in!"
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects and wish you a long and healthy life."
Upon hearing Nian Yuyao's voice, Yi Rou was momentarily stunned before saying, "No need for formalities."
After gesturing for her to sit down, he asked, "What wind could have blown the noble Consort Nian to Kunning Palace today?"
Nian Yuyao replied with a smile, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. I just wanted to let Your Majesty see Fupei. Besides, no matter how noble I am, I can never be as high as you."
After saying that, he told Junsi to hold Fupei in front of Yirou.
Looking at the pink and tender baby, Yi Rou's eyes filled with affection, but she said coldly, "Now that I have seen him, does Consort Nian have anything else to say?"
Her gaze never left Fu Pei for a moment, as if she wanted to remember him, which showed that she really liked children.
At Nian Yuyao's prompting, Jun Si walked back to her side, and Yi Rou then looked away and returned to normal.
"Your Majesty is truly wise; you guessed right away that I had something to attend to." Nian Yuyao smiled faintly.
"I knew it!" Yi Rou replied calmly.
Nian Yuyao didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Does the Empress want to know who killed your two children?"
Upon hearing this, Yi Rou suddenly sneered, "Are you trying to confess your crimes?"
Nian Yuyao was taken aback. "You suspect me?"
"Isn't that right?" Yi Rou retorted.
“No,” Nian Yuyao said firmly.
"Do you think I would believe you?" Yi Rou sneered, her face full of disdain. "Since you've said your piece, please leave Kunning Palace."
She was telling him to leave, which shows how deeply she cared for Nian Yuyao.
But how could Nian Yuyao give up? Today was the most crucial moment for her to complete her mission. In order to make Yi Rou believe in her, she raised three fingers and swore to the heavens: "If I harm the princes in the slightest, may I die a violent death, and may the Nian family fall into ruin and become commoners."
Since she hadn't done it before, she wasn't afraid of making a vow.
Such a solemn vow sent a shiver down Yi Rou's spine. When she looked up, she felt as if the person in front of her had become a different person.
Seeing that Yi Rou was beginning to waver in her feelings, Nian Yuyao added fuel to the fire, saying, "If I really had such intentions, then why did I lose all three of my original children, and why did Fu Hui, who lived to the age of seven, still get murdered?"
At this point, she couldn't help but cry, knowing that the original owner was heartbroken.
"Don't..." Yi Rou wanted to comfort her, but sadness is contagious. She also thought of her two children and couldn't help but cry.
Everyone was moved by Jun Sidu's emotions, and tears fell one by one like kites with broken strings.
It took them a long time to recover from their sadness.
Nian Yuyao gently wiped away the tears on her face and said frankly, "Your Majesty, I once suspected that it was you who did it, but later I discovered something and realized that I had misunderstood you."
"What is it?" Yi Rou asked, perking up.
"Why is it that of the Emperor's children, only the Fourth Prince is healthy and strong, while the other princes either died young or had defects?"
These words immediately brought Yi Rou to her senses, "You mean..."
“That’s right, it’s her.” Nian Yuyao nodded emphatically. “Tonight she wants to harm Fupei. I came here today to ask Your Majesty the Empress to protect Fupei so that he will not fall into this woman’s clutches again.”
“But I…” Yi Rou didn’t mean to refuse, but she felt that she couldn’t even protect her own child, so how could she agree to protect Fu Pei?
But looking at the sleeping Fu Pei, who bore a striking resemblance to her second son (both inherited from Yinzhen), she felt for a moment that Fu Pei was indeed her second son, instantly stirring her maternal heart.
“Very well, I will do everything in my power to protect this child,” Yi Rou said firmly.
Nian Yuyao breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that Yi Rou had come to believe her and had agreed.
No sooner had he finished speaking than the system notified him that someone had arrived.
Nian Yuyao immediately straightened up and said softly, "Your Majesty, she has arrived."
Upon hearing this, Yi Rou quickly told them to hide behind the palace.
As soon as they stood still, they saw Consort Li and her entourage push open the door and enter.
Song Yin was among that group; she was carried in on a stretcher.
"What is it?" Seeing that they were impolite and pushed the door open to come in, Yi Rou was inexplicably annoyed.
As Consort Nian, Nian Yuyao had to knock on the door beforehand, while their highest rank was only Noble Lady, yet they dared to disregard Yi Rou.
At this moment, Consort Li was very excited and did not notice the anger on Yi Rou's face. After paying her respects, she said with a serious expression, "Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance. I dare not make a decision on my own and have come to ask for your instructions!"
"What's so serious?"
Consort Li glanced at Songyin, who was lying on the ground, and then at Yirou's face. She hesitated and said, "Let Songyin speak. I really can't bring myself to say it."
Yi Rou didn't speak, but instead focused her gaze on Song Yin.
Songyin raised her head and said, "This concubine wants to accuse Consort Nian of causing chaos in the harem and mixing up the royal bloodline."
Upon hearing this, Yi Rou was so shocked that she couldn't speak. She never expected that Consort Li and her group would be so insidious as to destroy a person so easily.
But she showed no indignation; instead, she remained calm and sneered, "Oh? Then tell me, how exactly are you causing trouble!"
Seeing Yi Rou's calm demeanor, Consort Li assumed that she was also delighted. After all, the Empress and Consort Nian had always been at odds, and Consort Li was convinced that Yi Rou would be involved in bringing down Nian Yuyao.
Songyin had already made ample preparations, directly stating that Nian Yuyao had been having an affair with Li Wei before marrying Yinzhen, and that Nian Yuyao was a greedy person who wanted both love and power.
She also uttered a lot of foul language, which made Jun Si, who was in the rear guard, so angry that he wanted to slap her to death.
"Do you have any evidence?" Yi Rou asked calmly. She clearly didn't believe it, but she had to pretend to be skeptical. Otherwise, how would she know what to do next?
She is now convinced that Consort Li is the wicked woman who killed her child, and she hates her so much that she wants to tear her apart, but she can't show it.
"Evidence?" Song Yin's lips curled up slightly. "Your Majesty the Empress will know once you go to Yikun Palace."
"What do you mean?" Yi Rou frowned.
“Li Wei…”
Consort Li didn't want to be too explicit, so she directly interrupted Song Yin, saying, "Seeing is believing. I hope Your Majesty the Empress can move to Yikun Palace."
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