"Mom, I think I've fallen in love. I've found true love."
Consort Wen always doted on Yuwen Sinian. When they had nothing to do, the Eighth Prince would call her "Mother" like an ordinary person, but he would call her "Consort" when they were outside.
"ah?"
Consort Wen was somewhat taken aback.
"Mother, I've been dreaming about her for half a month now. Mother, I want to marry her and make her my imperial concubine."
Consort Wen was the kind of woman who listened to whatever her son said. Hearing this, the woman asked...
"Whose daughter is that?"
The man suddenly stood up, his face still bearing the slap mark, and said to his mother in a serious tone.
“If I reveal her background, you certainly won’t agree.”
"A prostitute?"
Consort Wen knew that she had been cursing those people at the brothel so harshly because her son had been beaten there before.
This is the worst possible outcome.
Yuwen Sinian shook his head and said
"No, she's a servant in the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion. Mother, you've always loved me, you'll help me, right?"
Consort Wen sighed and nodded.
"How do you suggest we help? Should Mother go and beg the Emperor to issue a decree for the marriage?"
The man stood up, his eight-foot frame completely blocking the sunlight from Wen Fei's eyes, and said righteously.
“A real man never uses imperial decrees to deceive people. I want her to do it willingly. Mother, I’m leaving now. I’ll come back to see you tonight.”
The woman watched the hurried figure rushing away and felt that her son might have been driven mad by a ghost. She wondered if she should go to the astrology hall to get a talisman.
"Greetings to the Empress Dowager, may Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
It was the day when all the concubines from the palace would come to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager in the early morning. The old lady, supported by her maids, sat in the head seat, her eyes slightly narrowed, and then slowly began to speak.
"Rise."
"Thank you, Mother Empress."
"I recently heard that there's a brothel in the capital that's very popular, and many ladies and young women frequent it. Is that true?"
The Empress Dowager's words were aimed at the Prince of Zhenbei. Xiao Lanhua cleared her throat, ready to retort at any moment.
"Your Majesty, that is indeed the case. The brothel is full of face creams that are good for a woman's appearance, unlike those brothels."
The Empress sat below the Empress Dowager, her head slightly lowered, and spoke to the Empress Dowager.
"It's still a brothel no matter what, it doesn't sound very nice."
"Consort Qing, what happened to your face?"
Of course, the Empress Dowager knew that He Qing's face was slapped when she returned to her parents' home. When she came back, the Empress Dowager scolded her for being useless. How could the Emperor's woman be bullied by outsiders in her own home?
Consort Qing immediately knelt on the ground, covered her face with a handkerchief, and said...
"Your Majesty, you must do justice for me! I... I don't mind suffering a little, but the Prince of Zhenbei is slapping the Emperor in the face."
The woman cried her heart out, but who among us isn't a shrewd and calculating person? What's the use of crying in front of us? Go cry to the Emperor! No matter how beautifully you cry here, we won't pity you.
"Consort Qing, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. What does your face have to do with the Prince of Zhenbei?"
Xiao Lanhua gently stroked the nail guards on her hands twice, then raised her head and asked.
“Your Highness, you may not know this, but that day I was granted permission by the Empress Dowager to return home to visit my family, and I happened to meet the mother of the Prince of Zhenbei… They were going to my home to move my aunt’s grave.”
"Tell me, throughout history, where has there ever been any reason to move a concubine's grave? I merely tried to stop them a little, and they... they..."
"Just what? I just hit you?"
The Empress Dowager remained silent, watching the group of women below the hall bicker and argue.
"Your Highness, you know this all too well... You're really hurting me."
Xiao Lanhua's eyebrows were practically twisted into a pretzel. For so many years, she had always been arrogant and domineering in the palace, and she couldn't stand this kind of pretentious behavior.
The woman raised her leg and kicked He Qing, who was kneeling, to the ground, then pointed at her and said...
"If you can speak, then speak properly. Why are you crying?"
"Your Highness, mind your manners."
If the Empress didn't speak at this moment, the Empress Dowager might punish Xiao Lanhua, so the woman spoke first.
"Now that this has happened, and everyone here is also one of the Emperor's people, what do you all think is the best course of action?" the First Empress Dowager said calmly.
“The Prince of Zhenbei is young, so his mother must have her reasons,” the Empress said with her signature smile.
"No matter how great your predicament, you cannot lay a hand on the emperor's woman," the Empress Dowager said coldly, looking at her.
The Empress gave a wry smile, clenched the silk handkerchief in her hand, and nodded.
There are still a few people in the Emperor's harem who belong to the Empress Dowager. It should be said that the Emperor can favor whomever the Empress Dowager tells him to, but no matter how much he favors them, he can't surpass the Empress and Consort Xiao.
One is the mistress of the six palaces, and the other is Xiao Lanyi's younger sister.
The emperor dared not move, nor did the empress dowager.
"How about this, let's investigate thoroughly to find out why Madam He would fight with Consort Qing. Why don't we report this matter to the Prefect of the Capital, find out the truth, and then take further action?"
Although Xiao Lanhua was seated in a lower position, the woman looked up at the Empress Dowager with eyes full of resentment, as if she were provoking her.
Either you kill me, or you suffer.
"Isn't it too much of a fuss over just one slap?" Consort Qing muttered on the ground.
She couldn't let anyone investigate. If they did, they would also find out that the Emperor originally wanted to summon He Yi to the palace.
The Empress Dowager, somewhat exasperated, glanced at Consort Qing, then placed her hand on the maid's arm, using it to stand up.
"Leave this matter to the Empress. I am tired and need to rest."
Consort Qing's move has backfired. From the moment she became timid and refused to allow any investigation, Fengyue Tower became untouchable.
For some reason, unusually, Consort Wen did not join others in speaking ill of Fengyue Tower today.
The Empress and the Imperial Concubine kept glancing at her, and then Xiao Lanhua asked...
"I wonder what insightful opinion Consort Wen has?"
The woman twisted her handkerchief and said with a haughty expression.
"What's the big deal? What do you mean a concubine can't move her grave? You yourself are a concubine, and everyone here except the Empress is a concubine. Who are you insulting?"
In any case, the Prince of Zhenbei absolutely cannot fall before his son marries the imperial concubine, absolutely not!
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