Chapter 90 A Blessing in Disguise
With the ascension of the new emperor, Minister Chu suddenly became the emperor's brother-in-law.
If there is only one empress in the harem, the Chu family will become too powerful, which is definitely not a situation that the ministers want to see.
Emperor Zhaode sat in his chair and pondered for a long time.
The Wen family cannot be allowed to stay.
The position of Prime Minister Wen was temporarily filled by Yan Cang, but it was only temporary. After all, no one is made of iron and can hold so many positions.
Xu Baozhong bowed and said, "Your Majesty, it's getting late. Shouldn't you be resting?"
Emperor Zhaode snapped out of his reverie: "I'll go to the Consort's place tonight. I'll go quietly; I won't need to choose a consort."
"……yes."
The days spent in the Cold Palace were quite leisurely. Although they were a bit dull and boring, it was a good thing for Consort Gu. She didn't have to deal with the huge mess in the harem, and she could stay away from the conflicts and avoid being used as a target to deal with Yan Cang.
Most importantly, it triggered Chu Yunjin's guilt, made her change her mind, and prompted her relationship with Yan Cang to progress rapidly.
Overall, the effect is quite good.
As for the rest...
A series of footsteps approached, and the head palace maid respectfully announced, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has arrived."
Consort Gu frowned, quickly got up from the bed, and lifted the bed curtains to welcome the Emperor.
Emperor Zhaode had just stepped across the threshold when he raised his hand to dismiss those around him: "All of you, step back."
"yes."
"Why is Your Majesty here again?" Consort Gu frowned and stepped forward to help him undress. "I have already been banished to the Cold Palace. It's one thing for you to come every few days, but to come every day, aren't you worried about being discovered by others?"
"So what if someone finds out?" Emperor Zhaode didn't care. After undressing, he lay down on the edge of the bed. After thinking for a while, he still felt that he should tell you the truth about Jin Yue's poisoning. "I came over tonight and have two things to tell you."
Consort Gu knelt beside him, raising an eyebrow slightly: "Your Majesty, the harem must not interfere in politics."
Emperor Zhaode glanced at her sideways: "It's related to Yan Cang and Jin Yue."
Consort Gu froze: "What happened?"
"Jin Yue was poisoned in the palace tonight."
Consort Gu's expression changed: "How could she have been poisoned? How is she now? Who did it?"
"...It was the Empress Dowager." Emperor Zhaode's expression darkened. "Two days ago, Yan Yang took the Prime Minister's eldest son, Wen Heyun, to the imperial prison. I suspended Prime Minister Wen from his post on the grounds of failing to properly educate his son. The Empress Dowager was eager to defend the Wen family and was also worried that Prime Minister Wen would really be implicated. So these past few days, she sent Jin Yue to attend to the sick. Unexpectedly, she secretly poisoned Jin Yue, causing her to suffer from severe abdominal pain. Tonight, the palace servants invited Yan Cang and his wife into the palace. Yan Cang threatened the lives of the Wen family, forcing the Empress Dowager to produce the antidote."
He tried to explain the events in as much detail as possible: "Jin Yue is alright now, and the Princess Consort of Yan is with her."
Consort Gu lowered her head, her face was pale, and her emotions were unreadable.
But her hands, hanging limply at her sides, clenched tightly without her noticing.
“Yan Cang just came to see me, wanting Jin Yue to move out of the palace. I agreed and bestowed the former Rong Prince’s Mansion upon Jin Yue, and conferred upon her the title of Princess Zhaoyang.”
Consort Gu gently closed her eyes: "So, Jin Yue has actually benefited from this misfortune?"
Emperor Zhaode was silent for a moment: "The Empress Dowager is my mother, and I cannot punish her. Consort, I can only ask Jin Yue to suffer."
Consort Gu composed herself and slowly shook her head: "Why does the Empress Dowager protect the Wen family so much?"
"Because the father of Prime Minister Wen and Consort Wen was the man the Empress Dowager admired when she was young." Emperor Zhaode said this with a somewhat complicated tone. "She is my mother. I cannot accuse her of still thinking about her former love. After all, if my father hadn't forced her to enter the palace back then, she might have preferred to stay with the person she loved until old age, even if it wasn't so illustrious and noble. She would have been content."
These were words that Emperor Zhaode had kept in his heart for many years.
He had never told anyone about it, after all, it involved his mother and the dignity of the royal family, but the Imperial Concubine held a different place in his heart, and he was willing to confide in her.
"Because she likes him, she protects his descendants?" Consort Gu frowned. "Was the Empress Dowager's personal motive for marrying Prince Consort Wen to Princess Ning'an? She wanted Prime Minister Wen's career to go more smoothly, so she didn't hesitate to marry her daughter to Wen Yishu? Even the child was adopted from the Wen family."
Emperor Zhaode nodded: "Fortunately, Wen Yishu has been obedient to the Princess all these years, and the couple has a deep affection for each other, so it's not entirely a scheme."
Consort Gu, however, was not as optimistic as him.
Even if the Empress Dowager still misses Prime Minister Wen's father, she wouldn't poison her own granddaughter. Besides, Prime Minister Wen's father had passed away many years ago. It's understandable that she wanted the Wen family to live a better life and for the Wen descendants to bring honor to their ancestors.
But to show such favoritism, is this really something a normal woman would do?
Consort Gu thought of Princess Ning'an.
The eldest princess has not given birth to a child in all these years. Is this related to the Empress Dowager?
She couldn't help but feel a growing sense of doubt.
Regardless of the truth, she will not let the matter of the Empress Dowager poisoning Jin Yue tonight go unpunished.
"There's one more thing," Emperor Zhaode turned to look at Consort Gu, "I want to choose a concubine for Yan Cang. Do you have a suitable candidate?"
Consort Gu asked in surprise, "A concubine?"
"Hmm." Emperor Zhaode nodded. "Although he may not be willing, we cannot let him have his way. Since ancient times, emperors have been most wary of infatuation. He cannot favor one person exclusively, otherwise the entire court will be dissatisfied."
Consort Gu said calmly, "Yan Cang has been married for two years, and he has spent most of his time at the border. Now that he can finally stay in the capital, the couple has a chance to cultivate their relationship. Isn't the Emperor deliberately trying to destroy their marital relationship by bestowing a concubine upon him at this time?"
Emperor Zhaode thought about it and felt that what she said made sense.
However, it wouldn't be acceptable not to choose a concubine.
"We can choose a person first," he said thoughtfully, "and then bestow the marriage upon her when the time is right."
Consort Gu thought to herself that Yan Cang was probably unwilling.
Let the Emperor play the villain; she doesn't want to get involved.
As for whether the court officials would be dissatisfied, what is there to care about? Yan Cang holds a large army and fights on the battlefield. He is not like those weak emperors who can be easily manipulated by everyone. Why should he be afraid of their dissatisfaction?
But she couldn't say these things.
The emperor was a wise ruler, but also an emperor skilled in maintaining balance.
The women he is arranging for Yan Cang now are all those he deems suitable—two years ago, his preferred candidate for the Princess Consort of Yan was Wen Jingsheng, whom he believed was worthy of Yan Cang because he thought only the Prime Minister's legitimate daughter was worthy of him.
However, before the imperial decree was even issued regarding the marriage, Yan Cang proposed to marry Chu Yunjin, the daughter of Minister Chu, before the emperor.
Wen Jingsheng was soon proposed to and married by the Prince of Jin.
This matter left the emperor feeling somewhat uneasy.
Although he agreed to Yan Cang's request, Chu Yunjin had been arguing and quarreling for the past two years, and the emperor was certainly not without his dissatisfaction with Yan Cang.
He felt that Yan Cang had poor judgment in choosing a princess, which led to unrest in the harem and made him a laughing stock.
If Yan Cang hadn't been stationed at the border for so long, the Emperor would probably have already issued an edict to bestow a concubine upon him, instead of waiting until now.
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