"I heard that the Fifth Prince has recently taken a concubine, and he likes her very much. He has skipped his classes several times."
Geng Youran didn't believe it.
"Impossible, Hongzhou has never been a womanizer."
In order to ensure the continuation of the imperial family, the royal family would arrange tutors for the princes when they were teenagers, and then arrange for concubines.
The current emperor only has two sons, and naturally hopes they can have more grandsons.
But Geng Youran didn't think so, after all, he was only a teenager, still a student in modern times.
Especially for boys, who develop relatively later, the mother has never actively arranged for a woman to be with her son.
"Qianxue, have Xiao Anzi investigate this woman's background."
A cold glint flashed in Geng Youran's eyes; she would never allow anyone to lay a finger on her son.
About two days later, Qianxue got some information about this woman from Xiao Anzi.
“Your Majesty, this woman was sent by a minor official under the prince. This official met the prince back in Jiangnan. This girl was rescued by the prince during the flood. After the prince returned to the palace to report on his duties, he never went back. I never expected that she would come to our door now.”
"Ha, so what does this official intend to do by sending a concubine into his household?"
"They said they wanted to get an official position in the capital. As you know, there are plenty of scholars in the world, and it's inevitable that a few will try to take crooked paths."
"Hongzhou agreed?"
"No. Xiao Anzi heard from Wei Zhu that the prince later had someone beat up the official. That's probably why the censor had something on him and impeached him."
"I think he's asking for a beating again! Cough cough."
Because Geng Youran was poisoned, her health was severely compromised, and she has been experiencing fluctuating health lately. She has also caught a cold these past few days.
"Your Majesty, you should go to bed and rest. After all, the prince was only punished with confinement to his room to reflect on his mistakes; it's nothing serious."
"I don't think this is so simple. He skipped class for this concubine; who knows what bigger trouble he might cause in the future? He's been punished a lot since he was a child; this kind of 'reflection at home' tactic is completely useless."
Geng Youran felt that her illness had worsened.
"Go, send someone to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to see what the Emperor is doing. If he's not busy, have Gao Wuyong deliver a message for me, saying that he is unwell and would like my mother to come to the palace. Also, have someone quietly remove my green nameplate."
Qianxue was puzzled, as these two things were completely unrelated.
"Do as I say."
"Yes, this servant will go right away."
A few days later, Madam Geng entered the palace.
"Greetings to Consort Yu."
"Mother is here, come and cook."
Looking at her daughter's pale face, Madam Geng couldn't help but feel sorry for her and said:
"You always bear everything on your own. You didn't even tell your family about the poisoning, and look how thin you've become."
"Mother, I'm alright. The poison has been neutralized."
"That's still a serious problem. You used to rarely get sick."
"Sigh, my daughter's illness is mostly caused by your grandson's temper."
Madam Geng was puzzled; what did this have to do with Hongzhou?
Because of her doting on her daughter, Madam Geng has always been very fond of this grandson.
After all, he was a prince, so they rarely met, but occasionally if he got something good, he would have his son bring it to Hongzhou.
"He's recently become infatuated with a woman."
Upon hearing this, Madam Geng chuckled.
"I thought it was something serious, it's just a woman. It's normal for a boy to do this."
“Mother, if it were just a mere woman, would I be so angry? He dotes on this concubine too much, has been skipping classes, and even assaulted a court official. The censor impeached him in court, and now he has been punished by being confined to his room to reflect on his actions.”
"This..." Now, Madam Geng has no reason to speak up for her grandson.
"As the saying goes, 'A son is no longer under his mother's control once he grows up.' Hongzhou is already a teenager. You should loosen your grip a bit and not watch him so closely. Letting him suffer this time might not be a bad thing."
Upon hearing this, Geng Youran became anxious:
“Mother, don’t you know what kind of person your grandson is? If I don’t keep a close eye on him, who knows what trouble he’ll cause. Look at Hongli, what he does all day long. And look at Hongzhou.”
"Mother doesn't like to hear that. Didn't you say that as long as the child is healthy and safe, you're now comparing yourself to others?"
"I!"
Geng Youran was speechless for a moment because of her mother's words, and she turned her head away in anger, refusing to talk anymore.
Madam Geng smiled secretly. Her own daughter, now a mother, still loved to throw tantrums in front of her.
At this moment, Qianxue came in carrying the medicine.
"Madam, it's time for Her Highness to take her medicine."
"Oh, give it to me. You can go and rest now."
"yes."
Madam Geng took the bowl of medicine from Qianxue's hands and coaxed her daughter gently:
"Alright, Mother misspoke. Be good, let's take our medicine first."
Geng Youran wasn't really angry with her mother. She turned around, took the medicine, frowned, and drank it all in one gulp. Then she sighed and said:
“Mother, the reason I care so much is for Hongzhou’s own good. You see, Hongzhou has never been interested in women in the past, but now there’s this whole ‘hero saves the beauty’ and ‘offering himself in return’ drama. This isn’t a play. I think there’s something fishy going on.”
"That's why you brought your mother to the palace, isn't it?"
"Yes, my daughter wants you to pass on a message to Father, asking him to investigate the background of this concubine and that minor official who was beaten up."
Surprisingly, Geng Youran's intuition was quite accurate.
Within a few days, the matter was almost completely investigated.
"Hmph, I knew this wouldn't be so simple."
"Your Majesty, Consort Ning is too wicked; she's even plotting against our prince."
"Don't think I don't know. She's been wanting to be promoted to the rank of Consort so she can outdo me. I'd like to see what other tricks she has up her sleeve. Come, take some refreshments and come with me to the Empress's palace."
Qianxue was a little worried:
"Your Majesty, you are not fully recovered yet. How about I go and deliver the message?"
"How can that show my sincerity? Don't worry, I'm fine."
So the master and servant arrived at Yonghe Temple.
"This humble concubine kowtows to Your Majesty the Empress and pays her respects."
"Princess Yu, please rise. There's no need for such formalities."
Nowadays, apart from handling some daily palace affairs, the Empress usually practices calligraphy or copies Buddhist scriptures in her study. She no longer cares about the jealousy and rivalry in the harem.
"My sister has come today with such exquisite pastries; she must have something to tell me."
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