The emperor returned as soon as Chu Tan'er left.
He strode over to Gu Jiangli's side, and the first thing he said upon approaching was:
"Xiao Anzi said Chu Tan'er came by. Did she give you a hard time?"
Gu Jiangli readily denied it: "No, she has something to ask of me, so naturally she wouldn't make things difficult for me."
The emperor was much relieved and asked, "Well? What did she choose?"
"Just as we thought, compared to Fang Ziyao's life, the eldest princess still cares more about the Fang family's money."
Gu Jiangli told the emperor about her conversation with Chu Tan'er, except for the part where she asked her about the events of that year.
The emperor listened silently, his expression grave. "She truly would give up anything to make Fang Xun the emperor."
Gu Jiangli nodded in agreement.
Chu Tan'er was keeping the Fang family's money not only because she loved money, but also because she wanted to use it to bribe officials in the court so that Fang Xun could gain more support from the ministers.
To her, Fang Ziyao was nothing more than a tool for making money.
"Your Majesty, her decision to abandon Fang Ziyao proves she has no intention of stopping. What are Your Majesty's plans next?"
She could tell that the current emperor was not quite the same as before.
In the past, the emperor would not have intervened at all and would have let things develop on their own.
But now, he has taken the initiative and plotted behind the scenes, and he will never let Chu Tan'er continue like this.
The emperor, his brow furrowed with worry, spoke calmly:
"With Fang Ziyao dead, such a large fortune of the Fang family will fall into Chu Tan'er's hands, and she won't be able to keep it."
"She has always been extravagant and not good at managing money. In addition, she also needs to send money to other people's homes, so that money will be spent very quickly."
Gu Jiangli recalled the circumstances of his several encounters with Chu Tan'er. She was dressed extravagantly, no less so than the Empress Dowager residing in Cixi Palace, and indeed had a lavish personality.
Letting Chu Tan'er cut off her own escape route is not a bad idea.
To her surprise, the emperor actually did not intend to kill her.
Even though Chu Tan'er had made her intentions so obvious, the emperor still did not have the idea of killing her himself...
Gu Jiangli secretly guessed why he did this. Either he actually cared a lot about this younger sister, or he really didn't want to kill anyone.
After some consideration, the latter possibility seems more reasonable.
"Since Your Majesty has already made your decision, then let us proceed according to Your Majesty's wishes. However, what about the Prime Minister and the Empress Dowager..."
Before Gu Jiangli could finish speaking, the emperor interrupted her by holding her hand: "You are pregnant now, so don't worry about these things anymore. I will handle it."
The emperor's palm was warm, which warmed one's heart.
Gu Jiangli looked at his face. Although his eyes had become more lively recently, his face still looked much more haggard.
There are still too many things that worry him.
"Your Majesty, I will take good care of myself. If Your Majesty does not wish me to participate in these matters, I am free to do so. However, in my spare time, I would like to hear about the progress of these matters, is that alright?"
Gu Jiangli's eyes were full of anticipation.
The emperor told her not to think about these things, and that she could stop worrying about them.
But she hoped the emperor wouldn't bear these burdens alone, and that she could offer some advice.
This time, the emperor did not refuse.
"Alright, I will tell you everything."
Gu Jiangli nestled contentedly in his arms.
My mind was constantly working, never stopping for a moment.
Now, the eldest princess and that former prime minister are clearly enemies of the emperor.
There is also someone whose stance is not clear.
It seems the Empress Dowager is unaware of the Eldest Princess's thoughts, so it's impossible to determine which side the Empress Dowager will take.
If she were the emperor, what she would probably do now is to find out what the empress dowager thinks first.
————
Cixi Palace.
The Empress Dowager looked worried and seemed somewhat uneasy.
After learning about the Fang family's situation, Tan'er left the palace. This incident will surely deal a heavy blow to the Fang family.
This must have been a huge blow to Tan'er.
She was also thinking of ways to help Tan'er when the emperor came knocking on her door.
She was somewhat stunned when she saw the emperor.
She hadn't seen him for several days.
Upon seeing him this time, however, it was discovered that the emperor had undergone a significant change in both his demeanor and his gaze.
This emperor was quite different from the one she remembered.
When the emperor saw her, he did not bow, but instead sat down opposite her.
The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes and said, "The last time the Emperor came to Cixi Palace was because of Lan Huier and the Imperial Noble Consort, wasn't it? Unbeknownst to us, so much time has passed."
The emperor's eyes were icy cold. He ignored the empress dowager's words and instead spoke directly:
"Has Mother heard about Tan'er's matter?"
The Empress Dowager was taken aback, because she felt an unprecedented pressure from the Emperor.
She clenched her fist. "I've heard about it. Fang Ziyao is Tan'er's husband, after all. The Emperor should give him a break for that reason."
"Mother may not know that the Fang family's misfortune was arranged by me, so there is no such thing as making an exception for them."
The Empress Dowager was startled. "What? Why are you deliberately targeting the Fang family?"
She couldn't believe her ears.
The emperor has never taken the initiative to target anyone over the years.
She neither opposed the ministers of the previous dynasty nor did she pay any attention to the struggles within the inner palace.
But now he says that he is the one who caused Fang Ziyao's imprisonment and misfortune?
How is that possible?
The emperor, his expression calm, slowly began to speak:
"I did not intend to target Fang Ziyao, but rather Chu Tan'er."
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager became even less convinced.
"Your Majesty, you're targeting your sister? Why?"
"Your Majesty mentioned Consort Lan just now, so you must still remember the poisoning incident. She left behind a cryptic suicide note before she died, so I have been investigating the real culprit. Does Your Majesty know? It was Tan'er who brought that drug into the palace."
The Empress Dowager stood up from her chair in shock: "Impossible! Even if Tan'er has been a bit arrogant and domineering over the years, she has never done anything to harm you. Why would she want to hurt you?"
The emperor's indifferent face suddenly revealed a self-deprecating bitter smile, "Why did Tan'er want to harm me? Why not ask the Empress Dowager why she harmed my brothers back then? Tan'er is truly your own daughter, and her actions are just like yours."
"Emperor!" the Empress Dowager shouted, breathing heavily. She never imagined that Tan'er would do such a thing, once again venting her anger on the emperor in front of her.
“Your sister has no intention of harming you. I think you’ve been on the throne for too long and think everyone is trying to take your throne.”
"The emperor has grown bolder now, daring to question your mother!"
The emperor also stood up. "Your son is not questioning you, but telling you that your daughter is plotting to harm your son."
"If Mother Empress joins her side, after the matter is accomplished, you will become the Grand Empress Dowager."
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