"I wrote the imperial edict..." Yinzhen had been thinking about how to punish Consort Qi and Hongshi all the way, but... Consort Qi was alright, but Hongshi was his eldest son, so he couldn't be too lenient or too harsh. No matter how he punished him, it would only hurt his own heart.
But they had no choice but to punish them.
Qian Shengyan didn't care about interfering in politics anymore; she wished she could write the imperial edict for him herself. Fortunately, Su Peisheng returned in time. He had no choice but to stay in Changchun Palace to personally supervise the Empress's kneeling punishment. As a result, before the Empress had even finished kneeling, he heard that the Emperor had fainted from anger caused by the Third Prince.
This terrified Su Peisheng so much that he almost lost his soul. He rushed back and, upon seeing Yinzhen, immediately knelt on the ground, his eyes reddening: "Your Majesty..."
"Hmm, go and have someone draft an imperial edict." Yinzhen slowly exhaled, "The mourning period for my late father is not yet three years, and every time I think of it, my heart aches unbearably..."
He issued several imperial edicts in one go. First, he decreed that all the New Year celebrations inside and outside Xiaoyu Palace should not be held in a big way this year, and that all important officials should just wait at home for the palace to bestow dishes upon them.
The second imperial edict stated that the Empress had failed in managing the inner palace and had repeatedly behaved improperly in front of the Emperor. Therefore, the Empress's seal was suspended, and she was ordered to reflect on her mistakes.
Then came the matter of Consort Qi—Li, who had just received her title, was stripped of it, demoted to the rank of concubine, confined to her quarters for six months, and required to copy the "Palace Rules" one hundred times.
When it came to the last decree, Yinzhen's eyes flickered slightly, and after a moment he gave up and said, "Forget it, tell Tulichen to surround the Third Prince's residence, and not allow anyone to enter or leave."
After a moment's deliberation, he issued another imperial edict: "Wang Maohong and Cai Shiyuan are appointed as compilers in the Hanlin Academy and are ordered to serve in the Third Prince's study."
Wang Maohong was a renowned Neo-Confucian scholar of this time, with a thorough understanding of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism. He emphasized detachment and lack of desire, and also had a deep appreciation for Wang Yangming's philosophy of mind. Emperor Yinzhen's appointment of Wang Maohong as Hongshi's teacher was a well-intentioned move, hoping that Hongshi would correct his wrongdoings and practice self-discipline.
Qian Shengyan understood his good intentions, grasped his hand and shook it. He sighed and said, "Let's leave it at that for now. Apart from the two teachers, no one else is allowed to enter or leave the Third Prince's residence."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Su Peisheng went to deliver the imperial decree, leaving only Yinzhen and Qian Shengyan in the room.
Neither of them spoke, they held hands, each lost in thought.
Qian Shengyan was thinking that Yinzhen's punishment of Ulanara and Li was too severe. As the empress, Ulanara's removal from the imperial seal meant that she could not do many things and could no longer manage many things. Reflecting on her mistakes was already a disguised form of confinement. It seemed that without the emperor's summons, Ulanara could not leave Changchun Palace.
As for Lady Li, her situation was even more tragic. Losing her title was more humiliating than being demoted, and as the mother of the emperor's eldest son, she was now the lowest-ranking concubine in the harem...
As for Hongshi's punishment, although there was no explicit decree, everyone was not stupid. Seeing that the Empress and Consort Qi were severely punished, and the Third Prince was confined to his quarters, the Emperor also appointed two tutors to give the Third Prince special lessons...
Obviously, everyone would guess that the Third Prince had done something wrong that implicated Consort Qi and the Empress, resulting in both of them being reprimanded.
Qian Shengyan sighed softly. She had been hoping to get revenge on Ulanara, but now that Yinzhen had dealt with her along with the others, how was she supposed to take her own revenge?
"What are you thinking about?" Yinzhen squeezed her hand, asking the question but seemingly not wanting to wait for her answer. "You've been wronged today."
"No..." Qian Shengyan leaned into his arms and sighed, "I acted rashly today and made the Third Prince kneel as punishment. I've been feeling uneasy ever since..."
"Don't think like that. You are his stepmother, and disciplining him is for his own good." Yinzhen snorted, then immediately retorted angrily, "No, I refuse to believe that he can't get rid of this bad habit!"
Qian Shengyan: ?
Then she watched helplessly as Yinzhen issued an imperial edict, isolating Hongshi from all his wives and concubines, allowing him to study only every day, and having only eunuchs to serve him.
Qian Shengyan: ...
She believed that Yinzhen could endure this kind of life, but Hongshi…
Don't suddenly come up with another big surprise, okay?
On the other side, Ulanara calmly accepted the imperial edict, then watched as Su Peisheng led people to take away the Phoenix Seal and closed the gates of Changchun Palace.
She chuckled softly, her laughter filled with sarcasm. She slowly stood up, and seeing Yanruo's worried gaze, she laughed first.
She said, "Yanruo, do me a favor. I... want to prove..."
What are you proving?
Ulanara's words were vague, and Yanruo didn't ask for details. However, after hearing Ulanara's instructions, Yanruo was shocked: "Master, this... this won't work."
"It's nothing, go ahead," Ulanara said with a cold laugh. "If I'm not mistaken, he wouldn't care about such a thing at all..."
Why did she get so angry with me today, making me kneel, scolding me, and suspending my imperial seal? Was it really because she got the date wrong?
No, it's not because of a simple date, it's just because it involves that person...
The Imperial Concubine is the most favored concubine in the palace and the most beloved person in the emperor's heart—this is true, but it seems that everyone has forgotten that under the spotlight of the Nian family and Imperial Concubine Hua, there is another Imperial Concubine who seems to be unknown, but has given birth to two sons and a daughter, and now holds power in the palace.
True love, feigned affection—Ulanara suddenly understood.
She also recalled a small incident from long ago when she was still in the Prince's mansion. That morning, she went to the front courtyard to look for the Emperor, who was still a prince at the time. However, although the Emperor had clearly returned to the front courtyard the day before, he did not stay there. Instead, he came out from the east courtyard with Qian Shengyan...
It was only then that Ulanara realized that the Emperor's return to the front courtyard was just a pretext; he would still go to see her.
That was deep love then, how can I betray it now?
Ulanara chuckled softly, and a heavy weight on her heart quietly disappeared.
During this time, she had been filled with fear. She was afraid that Lady Nian was truly favored and had a son, and that she had a brother like Nian Gengyao. She feared that the Emperor would take action against her, the Empress, because of Lady Nian. But now, she understood.
Lady Nian had sons and a good family background, but whether she received the emperor's favor remains questionable.
“No wonder everyone says the Aisin Gioro family is full of romantics, humph, hehe…” Ulanara laughed, but tears rolled down her cheeks.
Given Qian Shengyan's background, there's absolutely no way she could become empress; she can rest assured.
But the Emperor was, after all, her husband...
Ulanara sat in the empty hall, gazing at the high walls of the palace outside, its carved corridors and painted beams, its splendor and wealth. She was both laughing and weeping.
Within days, even Qian Shengyan, who disliked gossiping, heard about something: Prince Fu Hui's birth was questionable. According to Fu Hui's birth date, when Consort Hua was pregnant in the capital, the Emperor was in Rehe accompanying the late Emperor.
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