Chapter 307 All as Jiang Fenghua had expected
Jiang Fenghua knew that Empress Cheng would slink back to her Kunning Palace in disgrace after seeing the Emperor.
She was as arrogant as she was in front of him, but as pathetic as she was in front of the Emperor. She thought she was doing it for the sake of the imperial heir, but did she really think others couldn't see her selfish motives?
Empress Cheng is the kind of person who only bullies the weak and fears the strong. When Consort Su was around, she couldn't do anything about Consort Su. The dignified empress couldn't even defeat a consort, and she couldn't even use any means to win the emperor's heart. Instead, she used all her methods to deal with her son and daughter-in-law.
Jiang Fenghua now understood that Empress Cheng had committed a major taboo against men, which was why she was disliked by the emperor. She had another man in her heart, and she had caused Xie Shang to grow up without a father's love, while his mother's love was so suffocating.
She wondered if Empress Cheng had made an even bigger mistake.
Jiang Fenghua's mind raced, connecting all the events. She had visited the Cheng family once to see the dying Old Madam Cheng. Even at that time, Empress Cheng had not gone to see her biological mother. The old lady was filled with regret, clearly wanting to see her daughter, yet showing a determination to never see her again in this life in order to find peace.
The Emperor must have a deeper reason why the Cheng family is so disliked. Lin Feng hesitated, and Xie Shang probably knew that his mother had another man in her heart, so he didn't take the initiative to get close to the Cheng family.
Empress Cheng was the second empress, and it took her several years in the palace to give birth to Xie Shang. In order to consolidate her position, she and the Cheng family must be very anxious.
The women in the palace went to great lengths to have children. Could it be that Empress Cheng made the same mistake as Ye Susu, wanting to have a child with another man, or perhaps she simply wanted to have a child with the man she loved? It's not easy to have an affair in the palace unless the Cheng family helps you or you leave the palace to go to the Cheng family. That's why the Emperor hates the Cheng family so much.
No, Xie Shang is clearly the Emperor's child, otherwise the Emperor wouldn't have given him the position of Crown Prince.
Or perhaps Empress Cheng also thought she couldn't have children, and she wanted to have a child through a surrogate mother, then leave the child and abandon the mother. In his previous life, Xie Shang thought she had killed his biological mother, which is why he hated Empress Cheng so much.
No wonder Xie Shang would take a day off every year on March 28th, and would not favor his concubines. This was common knowledge in the harem. Perhaps he thought that day was the anniversary of his biological mother's death. He had Lianye test the waters by suggesting that he marry Su Tingwan on that day, but he was furious, as if he wanted to kill her. In the end, he got drunk and rushed into her room.
Previously, Xie Shang looked at the Empress as if she were a stranger, and he was tormented and in pain. Until that one time, she unintentionally enlightened him and encouraged him to take the initiative to build a good relationship with the Empress and the Emperor. It was at that moment that Xie Shang seemed to come alive instantly and became more concerned about Empress Cheng.
Jiang Fenghua's mind was in turmoil. Even though Xie Shang had made Empress Cheng the Empress Dowager in his previous life, he did not show the true filial piety that a son should have. Empress Cheng did not have much real power in the harem as the Empress Dowager. Instead, the Empress Dowager of the Western Palace took power. She had always thought that he doted on Su Tingwan so much that her aunt was also made the Empress Dowager of the West. It turned out that there was another reason.
Because of her rebirth, she took the initiative to change many things, even altering the mother-son relationship between Xie Shang and the Empress.
Empress Cheng also monitored and controlled Xie Shang's growth. This is something no biological mother would do unless she is not his biological mother. Jiang Fenghua felt that every mother loves her child and gives her love selflessly.
However, Empress Cheng felt that she could not control Xie Shang, so she wanted to control the imperial grandson, which is why she helped Ye Susu so much, all for the sake of the child in her womb.
Jiang Fenghua's head was overflowing with information: Was Xie Shang really Empress Cheng's biological son?
Empress Cheng was beautiful, and Xie Shang was also good-looking, having completely inherited the empress's beauty.
Furthermore, the Empress giving birth was such a big event. If it were a fake pregnancy, how could it not be discovered after ten months of pregnancy? At that time, the Emperor still loved Empress Cheng. How could he not know the truth when they slept in the same bed?
She knew that a lie wouldn't fool anyone.
It seems that Empress Cheng and the Cheng family were not without ambition, but they were unlucky enough to be discovered by the emperor. Instead of deposing the Cheng family from their position as empress, the emperor only ordered the Cheng family to withdraw from the court.
It's possible that there really was a woman who conceived a child for the emperor. That woman and the child were probably killed by Empress Cheng, which is why the Kunning Palace was changed several times, and even secretly executed. Xie Shang thought he was that woman's child, and that the empress killed his biological mother, so he hated her.
If Empress Cheng provokes her again, regardless of whether she is Xie Shang's biological mother or not, once Xie Shang ascends the throne, she will make Xie Shang believe that Empress Cheng is not his mother at all. Then Xie Shang will completely abandon her, just like in the previous life. She will become a nominal empress dowager in the harem, return to her rightful place, and never expect Xie Shang to respect her for the rest of her life.
At this moment, Granny Wang brought a plate of pastries to Jiang Fenghua and said, "Your Highness, these are new pastries from the Imperial Kitchen. Please try them."
Jiang Fenghua came to her senses and realized that the book in her hand had fallen to the ground at some point. Granny Wang picked up the book and said, "Is the Crown Princess tired? The book fell to the ground."
Jiang Fenghua remained calm, picked up a piece of pastry and put it in her mouth, "It's delicious, thank you, Granny Wang."
Granny Wang had already dismissed the people outside and said softly, "This time, the Crown Princess should thank Granny Xi."
Since the Empress ordered that someone be sent to serve Ye Susu, Granny Xi, as the person in charge, naturally obeyed the Empress's decree and did her best to complete the Empress's orders. She even went out of her way to decorate the Cold Palace and send in all the good food and drinks.
They were just waiting for Empress Cheng to plead with Xie Shang, and then Xie Shang was instructed to go to the Cold Palace to see what was going on. Naturally, what he saw was not the scene of Ye Susu and Su Tingwan suffering.
Knowing that the Empress would support them, Su Tingwan was secretly delighted and acted without restraint, which naturally allowed Xie Shang to witness the scene in the Cold Palace.
The events were all interconnected, and all were within Jiang Fenghua's expectations.
Xie Shang was incredibly clever; even Granny Xi noticed something unusual about Consort Su, so he naturally could as well.
The Empress is too foolish. If she finds out, it will probably become public knowledge, and the Emperor will be embarrassed. Even if this makes the Emperor hate her, it will alert the Su family.
The Crown Prince had long wanted to deal with the Su family, but the Emperor had not given his consent, nor had he expressed any disagreement. When he saw that Consort Su had escaped, he would naturally inform the Emperor immediately.
Meanwhile, Empress Cheng knew that Xie Shang had gone back on his word and refused to let Ye Susu leave the Cold Palace. Without Xi Mama's advice, Ye Susu acted like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins, charging headlong into the Emperor's presence, which further aroused the Emperor's dislike.
Jiang Fenghua understood immediately and smiled, "I don't know how to thank Granny Xi. She has been a great help to me these past few times. Granny Wang, please think of a way."
Granny Wang said, "They harmed others and ended up harming themselves. If the Crown Princess needs Granny Xi in the future, she can be promoted when the opportunity arises. Granny Xi and I went through several transfers before we were able to serve in Kunning Palace. Granny Xi is skillful and serves her mistress with all her heart. However, when Consort Su was around, we servants suffered a lot of mistreatment from our mistress. Even though we are servants, we want to live with dignity."
Jiang Fenghua understood that Empress Cheng was not favored in the past. She was always humiliated by Consort Su, which made her furious. Naturally, the servants in her palace had a hard time. No matter how clever and intelligent the servants were, if their masters were not supportive, the servants would still suffer and be bullied.
Granny Xi probably suffered quite a bit at the hands of Consort Su, so when she suggested to the Empress that she force-feed Su Tingwan the contraceptive soup, she didn't hold back at all. In fact, the contraceptive soup was actually replaced with an infertility drug.
Jiang Fenghua already knew the truth, but unintentionally gave it a push.
She said, "Don't worry, Granny Wang. I will not let anyone who serves me in the palace bully her. Let her wait patiently!"
The journey will be long and arduous once Xie Shang ascends the throne.
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