Chapter 64: Stepmother and Empress Dowager
Shao then raised his hand to indicate that he was fine.
His subordinates looked at him worriedly. If the prince had not been drugged in the first place, he would not be in this state now.
Shao Sui sat on the stool all night, his eyes seemed to be bright and dark. He had never thought about fighting for himself, and he couldn't explain clearly what had happened in these years.
In the 22nd year of Chongyou, he was burning incense for his mother at Jinzhong Temple. When he came out of the main hall, he encountered several young ladies quarreling in the yard. He always avoided such things, so he stood behind the rockery and waited for them to leave.
"Gu Wan, aren't you just relying on your aunt being the Empress? But everyone knows that the Emperor only likes the Imperial Noble Consort."
"Yes, and since the Queen has no children, your Gu family has long been doomed."
The girls hit the nail on the head and pointed out the future situation of the Gu family. I don’t know if it was because they heard too much about it from their parents and elders at home.
Shao Sui knew that no one could avoid it while they were in the capital, and then he heard a crisp voice.
"You are here to talk nonsense about the Empress and the Imperial Concubine. Tomorrow I will go to the palace and report to the Emperor and his uncle. I will see if you will be confined when you return home. Then I will ask if your father and brothers were behind this. Humph."
There was no anger in the little girl's tone, and she even seemed a little complacent.
Shao Sui just chuckled. This was probably the niece of the Queen's sister-in-law. He waited until the rockery became quiet before walking towards the lake. It was already getting dark, and he heard a cry for help.
"Help, help, help."
"Miss, Miss..."
Without thinking too much, Shao Sui immediately jumped down and swam towards the person. After rescuing her, he saw the maid crying and calling for help.
When Shao Jingzhou came over, he saw this scene. He took advantage of the chaos to give Shao Sui a look and stayed where he was.
Shao Sui from Japan should not have appeared in the temple. He went there without telling anyone, so he should not have been able to save Gu Wan.
Later, he heard that the Gu family went to the Prince's Mansion to express their gratitude. He could probably guess that Shao Jingzhou was talking about the one who saved him.
In the following years, he also saw Gu Wan from afar. The little girl became more and more beautiful. He unconsciously paid attention to everything about her, and of course he could also find that she liked Shao Jingzhou.
Shao Sui was relieved from then on. As a mute, how could he get married? Wouldn't it be a waste of time for the girl? He led the troops to fight and had a close relationship with the Gu family father and son.
It was not until the emperor's sister-in-law passed away that he returned to Beijing from the frontier. He hadn't seen her for several years and met her at the funeral. However, she probably didn't even remember who she was.
Later, she received an imperial decree to enter the palace.
That day he went to the palace to ask his brother, but the emperor's decree had already been issued and everything was settled. After all, they were not destined to be together. Then that night, he stood behind the tree and heard her conversation with Shao Jingzhou.
She has changed.
From that naughty and clever little girl, she became even smarter. She wanted to arouse Shao Jingzhou's pity and save the century-old Gu family. He was very angry at that time. When he saw her coming, he stopped her. She fell into his arms. He listened to her questioning and his anger subsided, because in front of him, she was real and knew how to judge people. He didn't think it was a bad thing. The little girl should be smarter so that she could protect herself in the palace.
He didn't know how much of what he said tonight was true and how much was false, but the only thing he was sure of was that he didn't want her to be wronged, nor did he want to see her cry. The truth or falsehood was not that important to him, as long as she was well.
There was nothing he wanted to protect in this life. His mother died of depression after being poisoned when he was young. It was very clear that he wanted to protect Gu Wan.
"Recall Divine Doctor Xue."
The guard was a little bit in disbelief when he saw his master's handwriting. Two years ago, his master saved a doctor named Xue. At that time, the old man said that he could cure his master's muteness, but his master refused. Now his master is willing, and he is willing to fight for it. He will thank Miss Gu in the future, no, maybe Miss Gu in the future.
On the second day, the court officials petitioned the emperor to select a concubine to enrich his harem.
The mourning period for the late emperor has passed, and the emperor also wants to have children.
Shao Jingzhou glanced at Yu Huainan.
"I have already made a decision on this matter, but we can discuss it later. Yu Shengxue, the daughter of the Marquis of Zhennan, has made great contributions to flood control this time, so I have specially approved her to be in charge of the Ministry of Works."
Everyone started talking about it at once.
"Your Majesty, this woman is an official? There is no such example in our dynasty."
"Yes, Your Majesty, please think twice."
…
Shao Jingzhou waited until they finished speaking and sneered.
"Then let me ask you, why didn't you have any useful methods for this dam breach? Instead, a woman was able to come up with such a solution. I feel ashamed for you."
The hall suddenly became quiet.
Shao Jingzhou raised his hand, adjusted his cuffs, and glanced at them. "I am not the emperor, nor am I a kind person. The court does not support idlers. If you can work for the court, I will promote you. If you can't, please ask for permission to go home as soon as possible."
After saying that, he stood up and left.
Yu Huainan returned to the mansion, and Zhao Jiukuang also arrived with the imperial edict.
The Yu family accepted the order.
Marquis Zhennan had never thought that a woman could be an official. After seeing Zhao Jiukuang off, he smiled and called Yu Shengxue and Yu Huainan into the study.
"You two will go to the ancestral hall to pay your respects later. Our Zhennan Marquis Mansion, a century-old foundation, can finally be revitalized."
Yu Huainan and Yu Shengxue answered yes in unison.
The Marquis of Zhennan looked at Yu Shengxue carefully again and said, "I have neglected you over the years. I am sorry. From now on, you and your brother will support each other. The emperor is still very young, and you are the same age, so you can spend more time with each other."
Yu Shengxue nodded in agreement.
The two men came out of the study and went straight to the ancestral hall.
Yu Shengxue felt very relieved when she saw that those legitimate sisters and illegitimate children who had bullied her did not dare to speak in front of her.
Yu Huainan lit the incense and knelt down to kowtow.
Yu Shengxue only felt it was ironic, "Brother, do you understand what father means?" She knelt beside him.
Yu Huainan stood up after bowing and inserted the incense. "Whether you understand or not, I'm not saying this to me, I'm saying this to you."
Yu Shengxue raised an eyebrow, then put on her own incense, "He will like me, but there can only be me in the harem."
Yu Huainan chuckled, "Oh, really? Is this also from your world?"
Yu Shengxue adjusted the hem of her skirt and said, "Yes, in our world, monogamy is the norm. There are no legitimate children or illegitimate children. If you like someone, you can be together. There is no class distinction."
Yu Huainan stepped over the threshold and said, "But he is the emperor, he will not marry only you." This is not your world either.
Yu Shengxue didn't think so. "Then we'll just have to wait and see, brother."
Zhaohua Palace.
Gu Wan is summoning Li Tingyu.
The original owner had two older brothers. The eldest brother was married and had a five-year-old son. The second brother was not married yet and was living in the frontier.
The eldest brother married Li Tingyu, the daughter of Li Daxueshi.
"Sister-in-law, is everything okay at home?"
Li Tingyu was an extremely gentle woman and nodded in agreement.
Zhuxiang took the young master out to play.
There were only the two of them in the hall.
Li Tingyu looked at Gu Wan, her face a little anxious. "A few days ago, my husband wrote to me, saying that he was going to march north, and then such a big thing happened in the side branch of our family. Is the emperor right?"
Gu Wan looked at her and poured her a cup of tea. "Don't worry, sister-in-law."
How could Li Tingyu not be anxious? If the emperor really wanted to take action against the Gu family, take back the military power, and force the Gu family to retire, this would be the best outcome. If it was worse, her life would be in danger. She herself would be fine, but the poor child was still young.
"Wanwan."
Gu Wan patted her hands and said, "Sister-in-law, try not to go out after you go back today. Don't go to anyone's house to talk. Take your nephew home and have a good rest. After a few days, the Gu family will still be the Gu family. Sister-in-law, believe me."
Li Tingyu treated Gu Wan very well at home, and she felt a little relieved when she heard her say this.
"Okay, sister-in-law will listen to you." After saying this, she seemed to be hesitant to speak, "Are the rumors a few days ago true? The emperor..."
Gu Wan knew she would ask.
"It's true, sister-in-law, as long as the Gu family can be protected, I don't care."
She answered calmly. She had completed so many missions before, this was not a big deal.
When Li Tingyu heard this, her head felt buzzing.
"How can this be? You are the Queen Mother, how can the Emperor do this?"
Zhuxiang came back with the child.
"My lady, the child is crying out for the lady."
Gu Wan nodded and said, "Sister-in-law, my title of Queen Mother is just an empty title. It is just a bad idea that my aunt came up with to save the Gu family. Just remember what I said." After she said that, she looked at Zhuxiang.
"Send my sister-in-law out of the palace."
Li Tingyu tried hard to calm herself down. Gu Wan must be very sad, but for the sake of the Gu family, they all had to hold on.
"Wanwan, take care of yourself." Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger, especially since the new emperor has a perverse personality.
Gu Wan smiled and nodded to reassure her.
Yu Shengxue had already taken office and often talked with Shao Jingzhou in the imperial study until the evening.
For five consecutive days.
Zhuxiang quietly reported the news.
Gu Wan was embroidering a handkerchief. "I understand."
Zhuxiang knew that her master was confident, but this was not a good thing. Rumors were spreading in the palace that if she could enter the imperial study today, she could sleep on the dragon bed tomorrow.
Gu Wan looked at the embroidery in her hand again and again under the candlelight, and was very satisfied. Her skills in both calligraphy and embroidery had improved a lot, which would allow her to make good use of them in other worlds in the future.
"What time is it now?"
Zhuxiang thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, it's almost midnight."
Gu Wan raised her hand and handed the embroidery to Zhuxiang, then stood up and yawned, "The weather is getting colder, and autumn is almost here."
The leaves outside have fallen to the ground, and the wind is really cold.
"Weren't you complaining a few days ago that the food delivered to our palace wasn't fresh anymore? There's no shortage of people who flatter the powerful and bully the weak in the palace."
Zhuxiang immediately understood what Gu Wan meant.
"Then, Madam, shall I go today or tomorrow?"
Gu Wan waved her hands, "Why are you still so stupid? Why do you have to say it yourself?"
Zhuxiang grinned sheepishly, "I am definitely not as good as your Majesty."
Gu Wan slowly walked to the candlelight, picked up a pair of scissors, looked at the flickering flame, and cut the core short. The room became a little darker.
"Tomorrow is the fifteenth day of the lunar month. Zhao Jiukuang will go to the Imperial Kitchen and various parts of the Imperial Household Department as usual. You should go there at the right time and act pitiful so that he will find you."
Zhuxiang quickly agreed.
Gu Wan put down the scissors and said, "Think more before doing anything in the future. Sometimes what seems like retreat may actually be progress. Some things can be indulged."
Zhuxiang thought that if the late queen had half the scheming and planning of her master, she would not have ended up like this, without any children.
In the imperial study.
Shao Jingzhou was praising Yu Shengxue's new drawing.
"If you were a man, you would definitely be even better." He was not stingy with his praise.
Yu Shengxue just wanted to shine before and let them all get a glimpse of the ideas of the future, but after interacting with Shao Jingzhou these days, he found that he is really outstanding. He is a king with ideas and will be an excellent politician in the future.
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty. I am only doing my duty."
Shao Jingzhou put away the blueprints and said, "The reward should be given. Let me think about it carefully. We can't be hasty."
Yu Shengxue smiled brightly, "I lack nothing. Your Majesty, this is something you really need to think about carefully."
Shao Jingzhou was in a very good mood and seemed to think for a moment, "You have already reached the age of marriage. Do you have someone you like? I can grant you a marriage."
There was a blush on Yu Shengxue's cheeks, "I don't want to get married for the time being, and what I want is to be with one person for the rest of my life. I won't share my husband with others." When she said that, her eyes shone with infinite light, and she looked at Shao Jingzhou with burning eyes.
Shao Jingzhou was somewhat surprised to hear her words, but he also understood her feelings to some extent. "Your ideas are always so strange, but it's understandable. After all, you are different from other women."
Yu Shengxue certainly knew that she was different. She received the most modern education and had her own independent thoughts. Of course, she was different from the women in ancient times. They only knew how to quarrel and compete for favor every day and had no self-worth at all.
"So what does the Emperor think of the Empress Dowager?"
There was a hint of displeasure in her eyes when she looked at Shao Jingzhou, but she still wanted to ask boldly. Why hide it?
Shao Jingzhou looked at her calmly, "Don't talk about the Queen Mother."
The smile on Yu Shengxue's face disappeared in an instant. Tears welled up in her eyes, and all kinds of grievances surged in her heart. "It's late tonight, I'll take my leave." After saying that, she turned around and trotted out.
Zhao Jiukuang looked at the emperor and then at the person who ran away.
The palace gates have been keyed.
"Let someone follow us and stay in the same palace we stayed in a few days ago."
Shao Jingzhou pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a little impatient.
Zhao Jiukuang answered yes, and sent someone to follow him to the door of the imperial study, and then came in and stood aside politely.
"Is the Emperor going to rest?"
Shao Jingzhou closed his eyes and asked, "What has the Queen Mother been doing these days?"
Zhao Jiukuang quickly replied, "The Empress Dowager hasn't left Zhaohua Palace in the past few days. I heard from the maids that she is afraid of the cold weather and doesn't want to go out."
Shao Jingzhou opened his eyes and snorted. She knew how to live her own life.
Zhao Jiukuang took another look and said, "Your Majesty has been staying up late these past few days. You should take care of yourself. Is it time to rest?"
Shao Jingzhou nodded.
Yu Shengxue sat alone on the threshold of the palace, chin in hand, gazing at the stars in the night sky. What on earth was she to Shao Jingzhou? Gu Wan couldn't even be mentioned. What her brother said was right.
The next day.
Because there is no queen or concubines in the harem, and the empress dowager doesn't care, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the imperial kitchen, etc. all need Zhao Jiukuang to confirm.
Zhuxiang was very angry when she saw the food delivered by the imperial kitchen early this morning. She was thinking that her master didn't say anything and the emperor didn't care, so she deliberately bullied him.
Gu Wan ate her meal leisurely.
Zhuxiang frowned and said, "My Lady, please don't eat this meal."
Gu Wan finished the porridge in her bowl and said, "We can't waste food. Go ahead."
Zhuxiang knelt and saluted, "Yes."
Zhuxiang suppressed the anger in her heart and calculated the time to arrive at the imperial kitchen before Zhao Jiukuang.
"You guys are really brave. You've been getting more and more perfunctory these days. That's the Empress Dowager."
Everyone in the imperial kitchen was whispering. One of the chefs came up and said, "Miss Zhuxiang is so angry. We are also following orders from above. The palace has to cut back on expenses, and we have no choice. I'm sure the Empress Dowager will understand." What he said seemed reasonable, but his tone was indeed sarcastic.
Zhuxiang had never been treated so rudely before. "Do you really think this imperial kitchen belongs to your family?"
Zhao Jiukuang heard the noise in the imperial kitchen from afar, frowning, and the young eunuch who followed him bent over and accompanied him carefully.
"It's really lively today."
The imperial kitchen suddenly became quiet.
"Meeting Manager Zhao."
Zhao Jiukuang saw Zhuxiang there and asked, "Why isn't Miss Zhuxiang serving beside the Queen Mother? If the Queen Mother feels that a dish is not good, she can just inform her in person."
He thought he was a smart man, and of course he knew the emperor's feelings for the empress dowager. Who knows, the empress dowager might become the queen one day. What's more, the most taboo thing in this palace is to flatter the powerful and bully the weak, because you never know when someone else will rise up again.
Zhuxiang bowed slightly, "I just happened to run into Chief Steward Zhao, so today is a good day for us to talk it out. Your Majesty is kindhearted and doesn't want to get involved, so you've never mentioned anything. The food sent by the Imperial Kitchen these past few days has been getting worse and worse. There are even leftover pastries that are too hard to chew. This morning's meal was even worse, but Your Majesty said we shouldn't waste food, so I ate it myself. I couldn't stand it, so I came here without telling Your Majesty to demand an explanation."
Zhao Jiukuang frowned, "Who is responsible for the Queen Mother's meals?"
The master chef who had just talked to Zhuxiang came forward. He looked completely different from his arrogant look just now and lowered his head.
"Yes, sir, it's the servant."
Zhao Jiukuang stood aside and kicked him.
"Wait for the Emperor's decision."
Zhuxiang thought that her goal for today had been achieved, and she bowed to Zhao Jiukuang with gratitude, "I thank you, Steward Zhao. Otherwise, how much longer would our queen have to suffer?"
Zhao Jiukuang hurriedly helped her up and said, "Miss Zhuxiang, you are too polite. The emperor has been quite busy these days."
Zhuxiang wiped her tears before leaving.
Zhao Jiukuang watched Zhuxiang's back before turning around and looking at the people in the imperial kitchen. "Everyone, be careful. If your head separates from your body one day, no one will be able to do anything about it." After saying that, he left leisurely.
Shao Jingzhou is a little free today.
Zhao Jiukuang was reporting the situation in various places within the Moon Palace.
"Just today, I ran into Miss Zhuxiang in the imperial kitchen. She was arguing with the cook, saying that the food sent to the Empress Dowager these days was not good, and even the pastries were hard to bite. Miss Zhuxiang was so angry that she went to reason with the cook without telling the Empress Dowager."
Shao Jingzhou threw down the memorial in his hand. He knew best what the people in the palace were like, so he spoke casually.
"The cook in charge will be given thirty lashes of the cane and banished from the palace."
Zhao Jiukuang answered yes.
Shao Jingzhou estimated the time again and said, "Let's go."
Zhao Jiukuang followed, he must be going to see the empress dowager.
Gu Wan saw that the weather was good today, sunny and not as cold as yesterday, so she made clothes for her nephew in the yard and waited for Shao Jingzhou.
Shao Jingzhou was not used to having others report to him, so he always went in directly on his own.
Zhuxiang saw Shao Jingzhou bowing.
Shao Jingzhou walked past her and sat down in front of Gu Wan. "Who are these clothes for?"
Gu Wan just looked up at him and said, "My nephew, he came to the palace to see me with his sister-in-law a few days ago."
Shao Jingzhou watched Gu Wan sew very seriously.
"Oh, I remember he is also five years old."
Gu Wan nodded and said, "Children grow up fast. Before I left the house, I was the one who took him out to play." The original owner liked children very much.
Shao Jingzhou felt like he had heard this somewhere before and frowned.
"Do you like children?"
Gu Wanpu caught the flash of surprise in his eyes and said, "Of course, Your Majesty doesn't like it?"
Shao Jingzhou felt more and more that this conversation had happened before, but he just couldn't remember where it had happened.
"like."
Gu Wan looked up at him and said, "Then the Emperor should choose a concubine as soon as possible, so that the palace will be more lively."
Shao Jingzhou felt a little uncomfortable when he heard her say this. Although he would not give her a child, hadn't she ever thought about having a child of their own?
"You want me to choose a concubine?"
Gu Wan lowered her head and stopped sewing, then gestured to Zhuxiang and the others to stand far away.
"Choosing a concubine is a matter of time, and it's not something I can resolve just by wanting to or not."
Shao Jingzhou knew she was right, "Yes, but I don't want to do that now."
Gu Wan continued to sew clothes and said, "If the emperor doesn't want to, then don't worry about it." She seemed a little angry.
Shao Jingzhou looked at her with her lips tightly pursed. The light shone through the leaves and fell on her eyelashes, which looked very beautiful.
"General Gu sent a letter saying that the battle is going smoothly and they have already recaptured a city. The soldiers are very confident."
Gu Wan hummed, "Father has always been like this."
Shao Jingzhou stretched out his hand and brushed her head. "Can you guarantee that they will hand over the military power after they return?"
Gu Wan looked him in the eye seriously, "Then Your Majesty, can you guarantee that after my father and brother hand over their military power, you won't kill them all?"
Shao Jingzhou looked into her clear eyes. For the first time, when she was sober, she said what they all knew tacitly. Everything now was just a whitewash.
"Gu Wan, I will protect you."
Gu Wan nodded, "I believe the emperor, but if anything happens to the Gu family, I will never live alone."
Shao Jingzhou sneered twice, then looked at her and shook his head, "So you've never thought about being with me?"
Gu Wan was silent for a long time, "Does the emperor hate my aunt?"
Shao Jingzhou didn't answer.
Gu Wan didn't seem to need his answer. "Miss Yu is a very good girl, with great literary talent. I heard she has great insights into flood control. If the emperor likes her, he shouldn't let her suffer any injustice. Just issue an order and marry her."
Shao Jingzhou held her hand and squeezed it gently, "Are you jealous?"
Gu Wan looked at him calmly, "I'm not jealous."
Shao Jingzhou didn't believe it at all, and thought about what happened today, "I have already dealt with the people in the imperial kitchen. Such things will not happen again in the future. Why didn't you say anything? You can come to me directly and don't put yourself in a difficult position."
Gu Wan glanced at Zhuxiang and said, "Zhuxiang confessed to me when she came back. It's not a big deal, so I don't care."
Shao Jingzhou thought that he hadn't had any rest in the past few days, and the weather was good today, so he simply took her hand and stood up, "Let's do it tomorrow. Stay with me today."
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