"Mother……"
"It's nothing. Consort De summoned Mother to the palace, probably to discuss the matter of Prince Huai taking Zhou Ying as a concubine."
Zhou Yuqing didn't quite understand his mother's thoughts. If she disliked Zhou Shuqing and Zhou Ying, she had plenty of ways to make them mediocre before, so why go through all this trouble?
Little did he know how badly these people had harmed him in his past life. He could have lived a peaceful and prosperous life, but instead, his life was taken away, and he was made a pawn in someone else's scheme.
What's the point of easily dealing with them? True revenge is to give them hope, only to gradually plunge them into despair.
"Princess Rongcheng, please."
With the support of the Marquis of Chengen's family and the care of her cousin, the Empress, in the palace, Consort De lived a very smooth life. Although she was nearly forty, she looked like she was in her early twenties.
Song Xia suddenly remembered the time when Consort De entered the palace. It's no wonder that the Empress had such thoughts. After all these years of forbearance and scheming, who wouldn't feel resentful if their son had just passed away and a young and beautiful cousin was sent to their home?
Judging from Consort De and Prince Huai's actions over the years, they probably firmly believed that the Empress would stand by them and did a lot of things behind the scenes. The Empress may not say it on the surface, but she must have a plan behind the scenes. Otherwise, after the imperial decree was read out in the previous life, how could those who had ostensibly sided with Prince Huai have turned against him so quickly?
"This humble woman greets Her Highness Consort De."
"Please rise, there's no need for such formalities between us." Consort De spoke affectionately, and Song Xia sat down accordingly.
They were about the same age and had played together when they were young, but their paths diverged and they became estranged.
“You don’t often attend palace banquets, so we haven’t seen each other for a long time.”
Consort De started chatting about everyday matters, and soon the topic turned to Prince Huai and Zhou Ying: "I called you into the palace today not for anything else, but because of my son's little scheme."
Song Xia pretended not to know: "Please speak plainly, Your Majesty."
"You have a concubine's daughter, don't you? I wonder if she's betrothed to someone?"
"Not yet. Does Your Highness wish to act as matchmaker for Ying'er?"
"I'm not afraid to tell you this, but the other day, Xiao Wu fell in love with your concubine's daughter at first sight at Guoan Temple. When he came back, he insisted that I stand up for him. Are you willing?"
Song Xia rose and bowed: "I never knew there was such a connection. It is all up to Your Majesty to decide."
Consort De's smile deepened: "It would be best if you didn't object, but it's a pity that your concubine's daughter can only be a concubine."
"It is Ying'er's good fortune to be able to enter the Prince Huai's mansion; she has already climbed too high to become a concubine."
The two chatted for a while longer. When Song Xia got up to take her leave, someone from the Empress's palace came and asked her to come again. Because it was said in front of Consort De, Consort De personally escorted Song Xia out of the palace.
"Your sister has always doted on Xiao Wu. She probably called you over to ask about this, so don't be nervous."
"This humble woman takes her leave."
Sure enough, she knew that Consort De had been deceived by the Empress's superficial care all these years. The Empress wasn't doing it for Prince Huai's sake; she was clearly just trying to determine whether Consort De would side with Prince Huai.
Few empresses in this dynasty have been able to hold their positions for an extended period. Apart from Empress Dugu, who helped Emperor Taizong conquer the country, there is only the current empress. The others were either deposed or died young.
As the Empress's primary wife, she has been able to hold absolute power in the harem for forty years since His Majesty ascended the throne, demonstrating her exceptional skill and influence.
However, this may be due to the early death of the eldest prince. If the eldest prince were still alive and was the eldest son of the legitimate wife, given His Majesty's current suspicious nature, even if the Empress were highly skilled, she might still be disliked by His Majesty.
"This humble woman greets Your Majesty the Empress."
"Please rise, Your Highness."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The Empress and Consort De looked very similar, but the Empress was much more dignified than Consort De. Although she was only a little over ten years older, she seemed to be a generation higher.
Facing the Empress, who never showed her emotions, Song Xia felt a little more nervous than when she had just met Consort De.
"I heard that Consort De summoned you to the palace because of the matter between Prince Huai and the concubine's daughter in your household."
"Your Majesty, the Empress is wise."
"You agree?"
Song Xia's expression remained unchanged: "The two are in love, and it was Consort De who personally inquired about it. I, as a woman, cannot interfere in their relationship."
"It sounds like you're not very happy about this? Is the dignified Prince Huai not worthy of a concubine's daughter?"
"How dare I think such a thing? It's just that the concubine's daughter in my household is very scheming, and I have a long-standing grudge against her aunt, so I rarely discipline her. I didn't even know when she got involved with Prince Huai."
The Empress dodged the question and continued to probe: "You are about to marry Prince Huai. Even as a concubine, you will be extraordinary in the future. Doesn't the County Princess intend to be recognized as the legitimate daughter?"
Song Xia looked up, her expression meaningful: "A concubine's daughter is a concubine's daughter. Even if she is registered under my name, she will not be of one mind with me."
After hearing this, the Empress suddenly smiled: "I had long heard that Princess Rongcheng was a free spirit, and seeing her today, I can confirm it. She truly is worthy of being the daughter of Prince Cheng."
"As my father's daughter, I am naturally the same as my father. I have yet to thank Your Majesty and His Highness Prince Ding for their great kindness."
"Oh? What makes you say that?"
"Didn't Prince Ding mention it to Your Majesty? My son, Yuqing, went to the northern frontier with his master some time ago. Unfortunately, they were ambushed by bandits. Fortunately, His Highness Prince Ding saved his life. When my son came back, he said that although Prince Ding is young, he is brave and heroic and will surely achieve great things in the future."
The Empress's smile deepened: "This is his grandfather's empire, so of course he has to protect it."
"Your Majesty is absolutely right."
The two women exchanged a smile, both having understood the meaning behind each other's words.
As soon as Song Xia left, the Empress burst into laughter: "It's so interesting to talk to smart people."
The lady-in-waiting asked cautiously, "Does Your Highness mean that Princess Rongcheng already knows your plans? But Your Highness and Prince Ding act so discreetly, how did Princess Rongcheng find out?"
"She doesn't know, but how could her father, Prince Cheng, not know?"
The Empress smiled and said, "Don't be fooled by the fact that Prince Cheng has no real power now. His words carry more weight with His Majesty than anyone else's. Our Emperor now only believes that Prince Cheng did not participate in the struggle for the throne."
"But if that's the case, no matter who succeeds to the throne in the future, Prince Cheng will be able to retain his glory, so why bother..."
“Prince Cheng is getting old. When his heir inherits the title, he will be demoted by one rank. Who wouldn’t want to stay a close advisor forever? Besides, I heard a few years ago that Princess Rongcheng severely punished her concubines, illegitimate sons, and illegitimate daughters. How can the grudges be completely forgotten now that it has only been a few years? She is watching her illegitimate daughter climb the social ladder and even surpass her in the future. Who can guarantee that she won’t turn around and retaliate after gaining power?”
As she finished speaking, the Empress's expression turned even colder: "Being separated by a layer of separation is never as good as having power in one's own hands. It's rare that she's a smart person who shares my thoughts."
"Then this servant congratulates Your Highness on gaining another ally."
"It's not entirely certain yet, let's see what kind of dowry she prepares for this illegitimate daughter."
When Song Xia returned home, she also thought of this. Marrying Prince Huai meant she had to bring a large dowry? Dream on. She was just a concubine's daughter. Did she think she could take away the Zhou family's wealth? It all belonged to Yu Qing.
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