This morning, Su Yushan announced the change of rules, and not long after, the Empress Dowager sent someone to find her. Could it be that Lan Rong went to complain?
Su Yushan tried to subtly inquire with the father-in-law, but he remained tight-lipped and refused to reveal anything.
Whatever the reason, since the Empress Dowager had invited her, Su Yushan had to go; she had no reason to avoid it.
Having made up her mind, Su Yushan stood up, told Gao Xiuwen what she needed to say, and prepared to leave first. Unexpectedly, Gao Xiuwen also stood up and said with a gentle smile, "I also have something to discuss with the Empress Dowager. Why don't we go together?"
Su Yushan was slightly surprised, but she still nodded in agreement, and the two of them went to Cining Palace together.
Although Lan Rong disliked Su Yushan, she was still somewhat hesitant and unwilling to confront her directly. She tried to leave on an excuse, but the Empress Dowager stopped her.
"What are you panicking for? With me here, are you afraid of her?"
Lan Rong hadn't expected the Empress Dowager to act so impulsively, intending to question Su Yushan in front of her. Feeling uneasy, she awkwardly smiled and said:
"I am worried that if Consort Chun finds out that I told you this, she might hold a grudge against me and try to make things difficult for me in the future. What should I do?"
"When she arrives, I will deal with her myself! You have done a good job in reporting this, so I will protect you. She won't dare to cause you any trouble."
The Empress Dowager insisted that she stay, and Lan Rong could not refuse, so she had no choice but to continue staying.
About 15 minutes later, the eunuch announced that Consort Chun and Consort Rong had arrived.
Huh? Why is Consort Rong here too? Lan Rong was quite surprised. The Empress Dowager invited Su Yushan, so why is Gao Xiuwen also at Cining Palace? Is it a coincidence or is there another reason?
Gao Xiuwen was willing to travel with Su Yushan because she guessed that the Empress Dowager's visit to Su Yushan was probably not for anything good, and that it was probably related to Lan Rong, so she wanted to find out.
Upon entering the hall, as the two imperial concubines were paying their respects, they noticed that Lan Rong was also present. They exchanged bewildered glances, for both of them had guessed correctly.
After they had finished their greetings, the Empress Dowager looked at Gao Xiuwen and said, "Please sit down."
Seeing this, Su Yushan understood that the Empress Dowager intended to make her stand there and interrogate her! After realizing this, she didn't sit down and wisely continued to stand, lest the Empress Dowager scold her again.
Staring intently at Su Yushan, the Empress Dowager questioned bluntly, "I heard that you changed the rules for the concubines to hold meetings at Jingren Palace. Why didn't you discuss it with me beforehand? You changed it without my consent. Do you even respect me?"
Su Yushan lowered her eyes and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, I was thinking that this is a trivial matter and there is no need to trouble you. We can discuss it when I come to Cining Palace to pay my respects in a few days."
"Is this a trivial matter?" The Empress Dowager sneered. "In your eyes, there are no important matters in the harem! The Emperor asked you to assist in managing the harem, but you actually washed your hands of it and refused to get involved. If you don't have the skills, why take on this delicate task?"
Su Yushan thought to herself that she originally didn't want to get involved in these trivial matters, but it was all for the sake of the children and to avoid disappointing Hongli that she reluctantly took on this important responsibility. Now that the rules have been changed, she also has her own considerations.
"I am not neglecting my duties. There are two specific days each month for meetings. If they have other matters to attend to, they can come over at other times. Chuxiu Palace is not close to Jingren Palace. I just don't want them to have to travel too much."
To be honest, this wasn't a big deal, but what bothered the Empress Dowager was Su Yushan's attitude.
"If you have any ideas, you can discuss them with me beforehand. You acted first and then reported to me, and you even said that I can't interfere in the affairs of your Jingren Palace. You dare to say such arrogant words. You are simply lawless!"
These words were strange, and Su Yushan immediately denied them, saying, "Your Majesty, I have never said such a thing. Please be aware that I have said this."
"What? You dare to say it but not admit it?" Pointing to Lan Rong beside her, the Empress Dowager spoke bluntly, "Consort Xian was there at the time, she heard everything clearly, the witness is right here, and you still dare to deny it!"
Lan Rong, who had been named, showed no fear despite having the Empress Dowager's backing and continued to insist on her previous statement.
"Your Majesty, I can testify that those words did indeed come from Consort Chun. Your Majesty, Consort Chun is a two-faced person. She was so arrogant in Jingren Palace, but she was extremely respectful and stubborn in front of you!"
As expected, it was Lan Rong causing trouble again! Su Yushan glanced at Lan Rong, secretly resenting him for always stirring up trouble out of nothing!
Having a clear conscience, Su Yushan once again clarified things to the Empress Dowager.
"I swear that I never said that, not even a word that would be disrespectful to the Empress Dowager. If I am lying, may I be struck by lightning! Consort Xian is wronging me. Please do not believe her one-sided story."
Su Yushan and Lan Rong each gave their own version of events, so they needed to find more witnesses. The Empress Dowager glanced at Gao Xiuwen and already had a plan.
"Consort Rong was also present at that time. Tell me, did Su Yushan actually say that sentence?"
When the Empress Dowager suddenly asked about Gao Xiuwen, Lan Rong was secretly delighted. She guessed that Gao Xiuwen would definitely take the opportunity to testify against Su Yushan. As long as Su Yushan's crime of disrespecting the Empress Dowager was confirmed, then the Empress Dowager would have a reason to remove Su Yushan from her management position. In this way, the power to assist in managing the inner palace would fall into Gao Xiuwen's hands!
Lan Rong knew that this power was not for her to exercise for the time being, so giving it to Gao Xiuwen was fine, as long as it could teach Su Yushan a lesson and curb her arrogance.
When the Empress Dowager suddenly asked about Gao Xiuwen, Su Yushan felt uneasy. Recently, Gao Xiuwen had indeed not had any conflicts with her, and the two seemed to get along well on the surface. However, Su Yushan could sense that this was just a facade, and that she and Gao Xiuwen had never truly opened their hearts to each other.
Now that Lan Rong has framed her, she has no way to defend herself. If Gao Xiuwen agrees, even if it's false, the Empress Dowager will believe it to be true.
The Empress Dowager had originally intended for Gao Xiuwen to assist in managing the inner palace, but Hongli insisted on it repeatedly, which finally secured this power for Yushan. Now, a great opportunity is presented to Gao Xiuwen, and with just a word from her, she can reclaim the power.
It remains to be seen how Kao Hsiu-wen will respond—whether she will tell the truth, distort the facts, or kick someone when they're down.
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