It seemed that no answer would be appropriate. After hesitating for a while, Yu Shan said:
"In my opinion..."
Before she could finish speaking, she gagged and quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief. She tried to hold it in, but couldn't, and said in an embarrassed voice:
"Your Majesty, I have lost my composure. Please forgive me..."
Before she could finish speaking, she gagged again. Without time to explain, she hurriedly got up and went into the inner room.
Chang Yue immediately followed and served her master.
The Empress Dowager's expression froze. She thought to herself, "This Su woman doesn't experience morning sickness earlier or later, but why now of all times? Is it really such a coincidence? She's probably just pretending to avoid my question."
She had thought that Su Yushan, unable to save face, might feign kindness in front of the emperor and plead for Granny An.
Once she spoke up, things would be much easier to discuss. Hongli dotes on her so much that he would definitely listen to her. But unexpectedly, she ran away at the last minute!
Hongli was also worried that Yushan would soften her heart and plead for Granny An, which would put him in a difficult position.
Fortunately, Yu Shan made an excuse to leave, so he had no more reservations and coldly refused.
"There's no need to ask Yu Shan's opinion. I will decide matters in the harem! Your Majesty, Granny An has disregarded imperial authority and committed heinous acts. She is no longer fit to stay in the palace. Expelling her is already an act of mercy!"
“She has served me in the palace for decades. Even if she has not made any great contributions, she has certainly worked hard. The law is no different from human sentiment. Your Majesty, you should not be so cruel to her. You should punish her leniently and let her learn a lesson.”
The Empress Dowager pleaded repeatedly, and Hongli went along with it, pretending to leave some room for maneuver, saying, "Then give her twenty strokes of the cane. As long as she can endure it, let her stay."
Li Yu thought to himself: Even a young person would be half-dead after being flogged twenty times. At best, their buttocks would be bruised and battered; at worst, they would be paralyzed. If Granny An were to be flogged at her age, she would probably die.
The Empress Dowager also understood this principle. She was very reluctant to let Granny An leave, but Hongli's mind was made up and he refused to budge.
Su Yushan was reluctant to come out. She asked Chang Yue to go out and tell her that she was vomiting so badly that she looked haggard and unsightly, so she would stay in the inner room and rest for a while.
Knowing it was an excuse, she used her pregnancy as a pretext, and the Empress Dowager couldn't find fault with it, so she had no choice but to give up.
In comparison, it would be better to let Granny An leave the palace; at least she could save her life.
After much deliberation, the Empress Dowager finally gave up on the idea and stopped trying.
Now even the Empress Dowager is not helping her anymore. Granny An has completely lost hope and has no one left to turn to. In despair, she slumps to the ground.
Hongli found it annoying to even glance at her, and impatiently waved his hand. The guards understood and immediately dragged Granny An out of the palace.
Despairing, Granny An gave up struggling. She regretted her actions, but there was no turning back. She had no choice but to accept her fate.
Hongli, worried about Yushan's condition, did not want to delay any longer and directly said to the Empress Dowager:
"It is getting late. We respectfully request that Your Majesty return to the palace to rest."
The Empress Dowager refused to leave, and, seething with anger, she rebuked them:
"You always think that Granny An is wrong, but does Madam Su have no fault at all? I kindly invited a cook for her and specially made a pregnancy diet for her, but she doesn't appreciate it. She refuses to eat this and that. She is simply ungrateful!"
Hongli didn't argue with her, but slowly retorted:
“Your Majesty, eating fish is good for your health, so why don’t you want to eat it? You should know that everyone has their own preferences. It’s only natural that you don’t want to eat fish, and Yushan doesn’t want to eat radishes or walnuts. There’s no need to blame anyone.”
The Empress Dowager was speechless, but stubbornly argued, "It doesn't matter normally, but now that she's pregnant, she has to think about the child!"
"Whether walnuts can nourish the brain, I am not sure, but eating too many can cause internal heat. The imperial physician has advised that Yu Shan needs to clear her internal heat recently and should not eat walnuts."
The son's repeated rebuttals greatly angered the Empress Dowager.
"You always have excuses, you always side with her. Everything I do is wrong, even caring for her is superfluous. Everything she does is right, she's your family, and I'm your enemy!"
Looking intently at his mother, Hongli said solemnly:
"Your Majesty, I believe your intentions were good, but you have overlooked one thing."
True care for someone means considering their preferences and respecting their wishes, not forcing them to do things they don't want to do under the guise of concern. That only pleases yourself; for them, it's torture.
In the Empress Dowager's eyes, imperial power was paramount; once one held a position of authority, their word was law, and no one else had the right to object.
"She is merely one of your concubines. It is already an honor for her that I am willing to care for her. Why should she be so picky?"
"Because she is the woman I love deeply! I have always respected her, and I hope that Your Majesty will also respect her. It's not because the Empress Dowager has a sense of superiority over the concubines, but because it's heartfelt care between family members."
Respect? Her son is the emperor! The ruler of the land, what respect is he talking about?
The Empress Dowager found it laughable. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of ideas this vixen had instilled in Hongli. He was becoming increasingly strange, practically obeying her every command!
The Empress Dowager found it hard to understand, and Hongli didn't need anyone else to understand his relationship with Yushan. He once again respectfully invited the Empress Dowager to return to the palace.
Her son had already asked her to leave twice. Was he really that impatient with his mother? The Empress Dowager felt utterly humiliated and angrily turned and went back to Songhezhai.
After she left, Hongli turned back to his bedchamber and saw Yushan lying on the couch with a thin blanket draped over her.
Upon spotting him, Su Yushan sat up slightly. "The Empress Dowager has left?"
Hongli nodded, sat down beside her, and asked how she was feeling. "Are you still feeling unwell? Please have a royal physician come and take a look at you."
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