The news that Consort Rou had successfully given birth to a prince spread at lightning speed. The princes outside the palace were extremely disappointed, as their children had lost an opportunity to rise to prominence. Most of them, however, breathed a long sigh of relief, as the empire would finally have an heir.
Given Fu Shun's actions, most people believe he was bribed by a prince to commit such a heinous act. Frankly, he was just a eunuch; no one cared about his life.
Everything that followed fell into place. A month later, the little prince, on whom so much hope was placed from birth, was named Situ Xi, the "Xi" in "jade seal," carrying the hopes of the entire Great Jin Dynasty and representing his mission.
Upon receiving the news, Wuyou simply chuckled softly while holding the child. The child in her arms gradually opened, revealing a chubby, delicate figure that bore a striking resemblance to Wuyou. When the child smiled, it looked like a lucky baby.
"To be born with such a great mission, I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse for this child." Madam Bai looked at her daughter and grandson with great joy, but still couldn't help but sigh.
“Mother, since this child has entered my womb, it means this is the child’s destined fate. Why bother with unnecessary worries?” Wuyou was quite open-minded.
"That's true." Madam Bai thought about it carefully and laughed, amused by her own needless worry.
The mother and daughter chatted about parenting tips, and then Madam Bai got up to take her leave. After all, she was just a lady-in-waiting, and it wasn't appropriate for her to stay in the palace all the time.
"Lianqiao, call the wet nurse over and take good care of the child." Wuyou coaxed the child to sleep and placed him in the bed, surrounding him with cotton quilts, before leading the people to Fengyi Palace.
Wuyou arrived at just the right time. Before she even entered the palace gates, she heard sounds of things being smashed and broken coming from inside. It seemed that Consort Mu was venting her anger by using a dog!
"Consort Rou has arrived—" The eunuch's shrill, hoarse voice rang out, causing Mu Yanran inside to instantly stop what she was doing, her brow furrowing as she threw away the riding whip in her hand.
Having figured out the obstacles, Mu Yanran was no longer afraid. She reverted to her previous arrogant and domineering demeanor, and with the help of the palace servants, she sat down in a chair, picked up her teacup, and gently sipped her tea, her expression concealing her emotions.
"Greetings, Your Highness—" Wuyou's postpartum recovery was going well, and her figure hadn't changed much. In fact, her cheeks had become a little fuller, adding to her voluptuous beauty. She smiled gently and bowed gracefully.
"Consort Rou, please rise quickly, lest any mishaps occur and I become the one to blame." Mu Yanran's words were still sarcastic, but she dared not make things difficult for the other party.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Wuyou pretended not to hear what she said after that, and her silent demeanor made Mu Yanran feel even more powerless, as if she had punched a cotton ball.
"I have come to see Your Highness today because I have important matters to discuss. Although His Majesty is young, his status cannot be confused. We are the concubines of the late Emperor, and we must determine our rank and move to the Palace of the Dowager Consorts." Wuyou explained her purpose.
"As the Emperor's birth mother, Consort Rou is the rightful Empress Dowager. We will naturally follow Consort Rou's arrangements." Mu Yanran had come to terms with it. She couldn't compete with Wuyou anyway, and since the person she loved most was gone, there was no point in competing anymore. She couldn't win anyway.
"Then I'll accept it, sister. Lianqiao, present the titles I've prepared to the Noble Consort." Wuyou nodded with a smile, but her next words infuriated Mu Yanran. Why ask her what she was doing when everything was already prepared?
Holding the list of ranks written by Wuyou, Mu Yanran had to admit that the other woman was indeed more gentle and virtuous than herself, and her plum blossom calligraphy was truly stunning. However, the more she read, the uglier Mu Yanran's expression became, and her slender hands gripping the paper tightened, leaving countless wrinkles on the paper as it trembled incessantly.
"Snap—" As if something had broken, Mu Yanran stood up abruptly, threw the list in her hand to the ground, glared angrily at Wuyou, pointed her finger at Wuyou's nose and said in a trembling voice, "Roufei, you have gone too far."
Dozens of concubines, even the lowest-ranking ones, were promoted to Grand Concubine. She, a Noble Consort, should have been at least a Grand Consort, yet she wasn't even on the list. Consort Rou's actions were clearly an insult to her.
"That's not true. What I did was perfectly reasonable. The Imperial Noble Consort plotted against the new Emperor and is morally flawed. Naturally, she is not worthy of being promoted to Dowager Consort." Wuyou picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, and said casually.
"You...you're clearly framing me! Where's the evidence? Without evidence, what right do you have to strip me of my rank? My General's Mansion isn't something to be trifled with." Mu Yanran's eyes darted around, then she began to speak with righteous indignation again. No one knew about her affair with Fu Shun, and the palace maid had already been killed, leaving no way to corroborate her story. If he stubbornly denied it, what could the other party do to her?
“I carefully sent people to search the palace maid’s residence and found these things.” As Wuyou spoke, Lianqiao took out a cloth bag containing a thick stack of silver notes. “Silver notes all have serial numbers, so they are easy to check. We found them right away.”
Faced with Wuyou's cold gaze, Mu Yanran's legs went weak and she knelt on the ground.
"I have wronged you many times, but I have never held it against you." Wuyou smoothed out the wrinkles in her sleeves. Hearing this, Mu Yanran straightened her back slightly, her eyes sparkling with hope. Although she knew that Wuyou despised her, she was already lucky to have survived.
“But even a centipede with a hundred legs doesn’t die easily. I can’t let a venomous snake like you stay by my side.” Wuyou bent down slightly and pinched Mu Yanran’s chin, forcing her to look at him. The coldness in his eyes was like solid ice, making Mu Yanran shiver.
"I...I will leave the palace and will never appear in front of you again. I swear to heaven that if I break this oath, may I be struck down by the heavens!" Mu Yanran reacted quickly, which was rare for her.
Wuyou didn't speak upon hearing this, but simply nodded silently. Two burly old women stepped forward and blocked Mu Yanran's bright and pretty face.
How long is a dog's life? Probably only a dozen or so years! He himself was considered long-lived for a dog, finally meeting his end at the age of twenty. When death came, Situ Yuan felt a sense of relief.
In the cold winter, with heavy snow falling, a small black dog lay on the ground in a dilapidated courtyard, surrounded by the loud sound of firecrackers and a woman's hoarse, vulgar curses.
In a daze, Situ Yuan saw a pair of exquisite embroidered shoes, as if he were seeing that bright and gentle woman again. Twenty years had passed, and the woman's face was etched with the marks of time, but her noble elegance was even greater. She came against the light, like a goddess or fairy.
With the assistance of veteran ministers such as Prime Minister Bai, the new Emperor Situ Xi worked diligently to govern the country, and the people lived in peace and prosperity, with praise for the Emperor and Empress Dowager heard everywhere.
This woman, born into a scholarly family, displayed remarkable political talent and unhesitatingly returned power to the court after her son came of age. Only then did Situ Yuan finally realize that the person he had feared had never coveted power; it was all just wishful thinking on his part.
"Your Majesty, I have come to see you off." In a daze, Situ Yuan heard these words. He stared wide-eyed in surprise, but he couldn't utter the last sound in the world. When he died, his heart was filled with doubt, shock, regret, and fear.
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