Since leaving Shou Kang Palace, Consort Hua's lips had never left her mouth.
Sitting on the palanquin, with his hands holding the armrests on both sides, he stood tall and proud, exuding an extraordinary aura.
Songzhi, walking beside her, would occasionally steal a glance at Consort Hua.
Fearing she wouldn't make it back to Yikun Palace, he couldn't help but burst into laughter right there on the palanquin.
Although those following me are all reliable people, we are still outside, and the palace road is bustling with people.
If word got out that the Empress laughed all the way back from Shou Kang Palace, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor would be completely exposed if they heard even a whisper of it!
Fortunately, Consort Hua remembered all of this. When they returned to Yikun Palace, she dismissed everyone else, leaving only Songzhi and Zhou Ninghai. Only then did she burst into unrestrained laughter.
"You didn't see how beautiful the Empress Dowager's face was. I almost couldn't hold back at that moment."
"I thought she was so amazing, but in the end she's just a coward who's afraid of death. She's lived to such an old age and still isn't satisfied. Does she really want to live to be a thousand years old?"
Songzhi heard the venom in Consort Hua's words and knew that Consort Hua had already decided to kill the Empress Dowager.
Consort Hua had many concubines who were dead or deposed under her control. As long as there was a reason that could be covered up, and the person wasn't important, the Emperor wouldn't care.
Even if she went a bit too far and the Emperor became suspicious, he would only frown and be cold to Consort Hua for a few days, without uttering a harsh word.
Especially now that the Empress has completely stopped interfering in affairs, with Consort Hua holding the reins of power, it's easier for her to do whatever she wants than ever before.
Even in Shou Kang Palace, if Consort Hua truly had any ideas, she might not be unable to intervene. But accomplishing something is easy; avoiding giving others leverage against you is difficult.
Songzhi said, "The Empress Dowager is over sixty years old this year. It is said that few people live to seventy. In my opinion, the Empress Dowager does not seem to be a person with that kind of good fortune."
"Even without Bai Shuang's affair, the Empress Dowager wouldn't have many years left to live. Your Highness can just vent your anger and scare her, and that's enough."
"I'm worried that if something really happens, it will implicate you."
Zhou Ninghai added, "Your Majesty, Songzhi is right. After all, the Empress Dowager is the Emperor's own mother. If something really happens, the Emperor will definitely order a thorough investigation."
"Many things are fine if no one suspects them, but once suspicion arises, they can't be kept secret in the end."
Consort Hua clearly listened to their advice. The bright smile on her face slowly faded.
Bai Shuang's affair reminded her that Consort Hua did indeed intend to sabotage the Empress Dowager, keeping her bedridden and unable to attend to matters concerning the inner palace.
If we could just send her to her death, that would be even better.
After all, it's easy to hide the schemes in the harem from the emperor, but difficult to hide them from the empress dowager. Keeping her around would probably be a hindrance.
But as Songzhi and Zhou Ninghai said, this matter is quite risky. Consort Hua thought and thought, and finally said helplessly,
“You are right. I cannot do it without absolute certainty. Especially now that this has happened in the Imperial Hospital, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor will only be more vigilant.”
"Even the imperial physician Lu, whom the emperor used this time when he was ill, had only been in the Imperial Hospital for a few months and had no connections there."
"As for the imperial physicians like Zhang Mi who added white frost to the calming soup, although they were not imprisoned, they were all confined to the palace, with someone following them wherever they went, and they were no longer allowed to examine the concubines' pulses."
"It seems that we still have no choice but to use the tactic of sowing discord."
The two exclaimed in unison, "Your Majesty is wise!"
Consort Hua heeded the advice, much to the delight of Songzhi and Zhou Ninghai. Although the Empress Dowager and the Emperor were mother and son, as long as the Fourteenth Prince, imprisoned in the imperial mausoleum, remained between them, a rift would always exist, and a truly intimate relationship was impossible.
Consort Hua has always been adept at sowing discord between the Empress Dowager and the empress dowager. Songzhi believes that their Consort will be able to do even better in the future.
*
Hall of Mental Cultivation
“Hongzhou keeps asking about his father every day. I had no choice but to bring him here so that Your Majesty can see him.”
"Hongzhou, go over there and let your father hug you. See if you're lighter or heavier than yesterday."
As soon as Sun Miaoqing finished speaking, Hongzhou rushed into the arms of the big fat orange cat like a little bull.
Every day like this, Big Fatty Orange feels a slight ache in his stomach. He needs to talk to Consort Cheng about this habit; it needs to be corrected. Otherwise, when Hongzhou gets older, his back won't be able to take it!
Picking up Hongzhou and weighing him in his hand, the chubby orange cat said, "About the same as yesterday."
Then, the chubby orange cat patiently coaxed Hongzhou into talking.
"Did Hongzhou take his medicine obediently today? Did he eat well?"
Hongzhou said in a childish voice, "Hongzhou was good and didn't cry."
"Does Father Emperor like Hongzhou?"
Sun Miaoqing said, "Of course your Emperor Father likes you."
Hongzhou stared at the big, fat orange cat, his large eyes unblinking, clearly waiting for him to speak.
The chubby orange cat said, "Of course I like Hongzhou. You've been well-behaved these past few days, and I'm very happy. Tell me what you want, whether it's food or toys, and I'll grant your wish."
Sun Miaoqing's face darkened...
No wonder the prince was raised like this; how can you give a child whatever they want? I finally managed to change Hongzhou's mind, and now this one sentence from that fat orange boy—how much more effort will I have to put in?
The fat orange cat didn't even bother to lift its eyelids. It was just some food and toys. Hongzhou was a prince after all, so of course he could have whatever he wanted.
Hongzhou smiled mischievously, "Mother won't let Hongzhou eat candy. Mother is naughty. Father Emperor, please let Mother give me candy every day, okay?"
Big Orange turned his head and said, "If Hongzhou wants some, just give it to him. It's just a few candies. Your candy shop is about to open, right? Do you really need a few more?"
How did Big Fat Orange find out about this? Has he been having someone keep an eye on me, trying to steal my assets?!
[Isn't it said that only the most pathetic men in the world would covet a woman's dowry?] (Familiar face, right, Red Wolf!)
But now that he's brought it up himself, I can't let this opportunity slip by. Whether this shop makes money, and how much money it makes, depends on him!
Big Fatty almost let go and dropped his son. The wariness, defensiveness, and suspicion in Sun Miaoqing's eyes made him want to vomit blood on the spot.
He was just asking casually, how did he get the idea to take her dowry?
Even though he was short of money, all he could think about these days was sending someone to relieve the Empress Dowager's burdens...
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