The Empress Dowager was lost in thought for a while. It had only been a year since the late Emperor passed away, and the past intrigues and power struggles seemed like yesterday. Now that no one was competing with her, she felt somewhat dazed.
She glanced at Linghu Lan again, feeling only weariness. A new palace intrigue would unfold amidst these beautiful faces, but she would no longer be a part of it. She only needed to offer a few words of advice from the sidelines. Regardless of whether the East Wind prevailed over the West Wind or the West Wind prevailed over the East Wind in the palace, she only needed to ensure that the wind was gentle and mild when the deposed child arrived.
Empress is just a title.
Anything that cannot be used by me is a useless piece; anything that can be used in my hand, even a palace maid, is a good piece.
She said, "Step down! Whether your feelings for His Majesty are sincere or not, I will naturally see. As the saying goes, time will tell. I am waiting to see your true feelings."
Linghu Lan smiled and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I dare not disappoint you. I take my leave!"
The Empress Dowager extended her hand in response, and then remained silent.
Yun Nian calmly saw Linghu Lan out, her face revealing no emotion.
A moment later, Yun Nian returned and gently changed the Empress Dowager's tea with hot water.
The Empress Dowager closed her eyes and said coldly, "Tell me, is what she said true or false?"
"Your Majesty, I believe the Empress is not lying. The imperial physician once said that it is not good for men to have sex too early. However, it may not be appropriate to let His Majesty sleep on the bed."
"Hmm!" The Empress Dowager nodded almost imperceptibly, then fell silent.
Silence. A silence so deep you could hear a pin drop.
Yun Nian didn't feel any pressure. She simply stood quietly by the Empress Dowager's side, gently massaging her legs. She had accompanied the Empress Dowager through countless years in the palace in this way.
After a long pause, the Empress Dowager sighed, then suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze sharp and piercing. "Are all women carried in through the Great Ming Gate this confident?"
Daming Gate.
That was the door the Empress entered through.
No matter how many women were in the palace, they could only enter through Yanqing Gate in a sedan chair, and some even entered through a side gate. Only the empress, who was formally married, could be carried in through Daming Gate with dignity.
Yun Nian remained silent.
The Empress Dowager used to be a maidservant who served the late Emperor. What was a maidservant? She was a woman who taught the late Emperor about matters between men and women.
The late emperor became attached to the Empress Dowager and couldn't bear to part with her. Despite the fact that she was several years older than him, he defied ancestral rules and bestowed upon her the title of Lady, gradually elevating her rank until she became Empress Dowager.
When the Empress Dowager conferred the title of Lady, she merely bestowed some gifts upon her. Even after she was later conferred the title of Noble Consort, all that remained was the pain of palace intrigues. The joy of marriage was long gone, and the wedding ceremony was nothing but a joke.
However, she still remembered what the late Empress had said before: "I was carried in through the Great Ming Gate!"
The arrogance and pride the Empress spoke with pierced her heart. It was the pride of a noblewoman, an innate pride that was different from that of daughters from humble families. Even though they served the same man, they could not erase the barrier of social class.
Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager sneered. So what if they were carried in through the Great Qing Gate? They were still defeated opponents.
She stood up and said slowly, "Although His Majesty is young, he is still the ruler of the country. It is really lonely for him to have only one empress in the harem. Let the empress make preparations and choose a day to select more sisters to accompany His Majesty, so that he will know what it means to be deeply indebted to the emperor."
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