Chapter 661 Bullshit Opportunity
But now, the Empress herself has come to visit, and Consort Sun can't help but wonder if the Empress is looking for trouble.
"What, is the Imperial Concubine surprised by my arrival?"
The Empress was not angry at Consort Sun's words; instead, she looked at her with a smile.
It is said that one cannot hit a smiling face. Since the Empress has already lowered her stance so much, Consort Sun will naturally have to give her some face as well.
"I am naturally delighted that Your Majesty can come."
As Consort Sun spoke, she turned to look at the palace maid beside her and gestured for her to serve tea to the Empress.
As the year drew to a close, the Empress naturally exchanged a few polite words with Consort Sun.
Seeing that she had said almost everything she needed to say, and that the Empress still showed no sign of leaving, Consort Sun, with her keen intellect, knew perfectly well that the Empress wanted to speak to her privately.
"You may all leave. I have a few private words to say to Her Majesty the Empress."
"yes!"
Following Consort Sun's instructions, a group of palace maids quickly withdrew.
Only the Empress and Consort Sun remained in the room. Consort Sun looked up at the Empress and asked, "Does Your Majesty have anything to say to me?"
Upon hearing this, the Empress smiled and put down her teacup, then looked seriously at Consort Sun: "Sister, are you aware that His Majesty is searching for the second prince born to Consort Yun?"
The Empress originally received the information about this matter from Consort Sun. The reason she asked the question in this way now was to give Consort Sun the false impression that she had received the information from the Emperor.
Sure enough, Consort Sun looked surprised after hearing the Empress's words.
"The Second Prince? Wasn't the Second Prince buried in the imperial mausoleum with Consort Yun back then?"
Looking at the pretentious Consort Sun, the Empress sneered inwardly, but put on a distressed expression.
"This is a long story. The one buried in the imperial mausoleum back then was not the real second prince. The real second prince is now living among the common people, and His Majesty is sending people to search for him."
She would repeat the information she had received from the other party to them. The Empress, having spent many years in the inner palace, was extremely adept at understanding and controlling people's hearts.
After listening to the Empress's account, Consort Sun's expression was quite interesting.
Seeing Consort Sun's changing expression, the Empress continued, "His Majesty and I have been husband and wife for many years, and I know his character well. He has never wanted to find this son all these years, but now that the court officials are advocating for the establishment of an heir, I'm afraid he is not satisfied with the son beside him."
The Empress's words successfully caught Consort Sun's attention. Although she herself had some suspicions about this, it was easier to believe when the words came from someone else.
"What does Your Majesty mean by telling me all this?"
Consort Sun did not think the Empress was such a kind person. Back when the Crown Prince and the Fifth Prince were fighting to the death, she had not forgotten how the Empress had always found tea for him.
"It's obvious that my sister has misunderstood me."
The Empress still had a smile on her face. She reached out and took Consort Sun's hand. The Empress continued, "Back then, Tianhua and Yuanbin were on opposite sides. For the sake of our respective sons, it was natural for us to fight each other."
"Even though Tianhua has lost his status as a prince, I am still the Empress and Yuanbin's legal mother. For the sake of the stability of the Great Zhou Dynasty, how can I watch His Majesty be so confused?"
Although the Empress did not explicitly say that she would help Lu Yuanbin, Consort Sun could easily understand the meaning behind her words.
As the Empress said, even if her son became emperor, as the emperor's first wife and Lu Yuanbin's legal mother, she would still be the Empress Dowager of the Great Zhou.
Thinking of this, Consort Sun's eyes showed a newfound warmth when she looked at the Empress.
"Your Majesty's considerations are thorough. What should I do next?"
Having figured this out, Consort Sun felt that since the Empress had come to find her, she must already have some plan.
Seeing how cooperative Consort Sun was, the Empress's smile widened.
No one knows what the Empress and Consort Sun said in the room that day, but when the Empress came out, her face was clearly filled with anger.
After the Empress left, Consort Sun smashed quite a few things. She even cursed and complained that the Empress was abusing her power and didn't respect her, a mere Consort.
Upon hearing the news from the other side, Consort Liu was in a good mood and added a dish to her meal.
In the following days, the Fifth Prince changed his demeanor in court, becoming not only obedient to the Emperor but also polite to Lu Changqing.
Seeing the two of them getting along so well, the emperor enjoyed a few rare days of peace and quiet.
Just as the eve of the Lunar New Year was approaching and families were happily preparing for the celebration, the emperor suddenly issued an imperial edict—ordering all officials of the third rank and above, along with their families, to enter the palace to celebrate the New Year.
The emperor's decree was issued suddenly, and while the inner palace was in a flurry of activity, the court was also abuzz with discussion.
"What do you think the emperor means by this?"
Gu Jin looked at her son and son-in-law in front of her and asked.
"Is there any need to ask? That dog emperor must know that the eldest brother is his son. Just the other day, I overheard some officials talking privately about how the emperor has been searching for the second prince's whereabouts."
Gu Yingjie was the first to express his opinion, and his use of the emperor's title was extremely disrespectful.
In his view, the emperor throwing his son into the cold palace to fend for himself was an act of utter depravity. As a father himself, he simply couldn't imagine how heartless someone could be to treat their own flesh and blood in such a way.
Seeing Gu Yingjie's righteous indignation, the other three exchanged glances before Yun Yichen spoke first.
"Based on my understanding of the emperor, he might indeed have done this to spend the New Year with Renjie. But more likely, he wanted to put pressure on Lu Changqing and Lu Yuanbin."
"Ever since they came to the Marquis's residence for the wedding, the Marquis's residence has clearly become a thorn in the side of those two. Unfortunately, both of them want the Marquis's residence's support. This trip to the palace for the New Year can be seen as giving the two of them an opportunity, and also giving Renjie an opportunity."
Gu Jin agreed with Yun Yichen's words.
The emperor could not possibly support Gu Renjie without any scruples simply because he disliked his two sons.
Even if he truly favored this son, he still needed to put Gu Renjie to the test, and this trip to the palace for the New Year was a perfect opportunity.
"Who cares about his bullshit opportunity! I don't want to be emperor anyway, let whoever he wants be emperor."
When Gu Renjie was a subject, he might not have cared about the emperor's status and could have handled everything in an official capacity.
However, when it came to the fact that the emperor was his biological father, Gu Renjie still felt a strong aversion to it.
After all, no one could forgive him if they knew that his father had killed his mother and abandoned him in the cold palace.
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