Chapter 8 The Prince's Birth Mother? Empress Ji
The Empress Dowager said in surprise, "Ruying, why do you kneel down in front of me so often? Get up and answer me."
Qiao Ruying was a descendant of the Qiao family, a prominent family in the literary world. Almost half of the civil officials in the imperial court had served as their retainers.
The Empress Dowager cared about her reputation, and therefore always valued this sister-in-law highly.
Qiao refused to get up, her heartbroken gaze falling on her daughter kneeling beside her.
The Empress Dowager seemed to only then notice that Ji Qingwu was still kneeling, and raised her hand.
"Qingwu, get up quickly too."
The floor tiles were cold, and Ji Qingwu's hands and feet grew cold from kneeling.
My heart felt cold.
Forget grandmothers, aunts, and cousins; there's no one better than your mother.
Ji Qingwu's calves were numb. She sat on a cushioned chair and mentally narrowed down her circle of relatives, leaving only Qiuqiu, Qiao Shi, and her eldest brother.
The Empress Dowager asked, "Ruying, tell me, is there something important you need to ask for instructions?"
With a serious expression, Madam Qiao carefully spoke, "Your Majesty, Qingwu is still in mourning after the death of her husband. She should not come to the palace again, lest she offend Your Majesty and the noble ladies in the palace. I request that Qingwu be allowed to stay at home from now on and not go out until the mourning period is over."
Upon hearing Qiao's words, Ji Qingwu merely raised an eyebrow slightly, showing no objection to her mother's request.
Prince Yong's mouth moved as if he was about to say something.
The Empress Dowager, holding her forehead, spoke first, saying with a headache, "Since that's the case, then as Ruying requests, you may all leave. The old lady and I need to have a private conversation."
The Empress Dowager issued an order to leave, and everyone had no choice but to leave the main hall of Cining Palace.
Prince Yong was called to a stop by Aunt Fanghua, who was standing next to the Empress Dowager. The mother and daughter from the second branch of the Ji family went to the side hall first.
Ji Qingwu followed Qiao Shi like a little tail, never leaving her side.
Reaching the doorway, in a secluded spot, Mrs. Qiao gazed intently at her daughter.
"Little Wu, will you resent your mother for confining you to your quarters?"
Ji Qingwu immediately shook his head: "This is not a house arrest, it's clearly to give me more peace of mind."
Hearing her answer, Madam Qiao said with relief, "Little Fifth, the Empress Dowager and Prince Yong have both set their sights on you. However, those palaces and mansions full of nobles are actually dens of wolves and tigers. You've just come home, and your mother can't bear to let you go and suffer those hardships."
What the second wife fought tooth and nail for was, in Qiao's eyes, a den of wolves and tigers, a place of hardship.
Ji Qingwu nodded and took the initiative to reach out and support Qiao's wrist.
She said in a sweet, innocent tone, "I can't bear to part with my mother either."
Qiao had a son and a daughter, but whenever she heard Xiao Wu call her "Mother," her heart felt sweet, as if she had been soaked in a honey pot.
He stroked her dark hair, his eyes filled with doting affection.
"My goodness, just stay home and wait out this storm, then you can do whatever you want."
Ji Qingwu smiled, her eyes crinkling.
She is her mother's darling.
However, thinking about what had just happened in the palace, she asked, "Mother publicly pleaded for me to stay at home. Won't the Empress Dowager be unhappy?"
Qiao pointed to the sky and said meaningfully, "Whether the Empress Dowager is happy or not is not important. You just need to remember who owns this palace and who owns this world. How can the Ji family's schemes escape the eyes of that person?"
Ji Qingwu knew that Qiao was decisive, but he did not expect that Qiao was such a perceptive person.
Well, he has a great sense of the big picture.
Ji Qingwu silently thought to himself: In the palace, His Majesty the Emperor's mood is of utmost importance.
—————
Cining Palace.
The Empress Dowager walked up to Madam Ji, her composure gone.
She said in a somewhat urgent tone, "Mother, what do you think we should do this time?"
"Qingyuan is beautiful, but she is not clever. Just today, she directly revealed to you that Wuyatou has a child. She doesn't care about the Ji family and only cares about her own interests."
The old lady continued with clear eyes, "If Qingyuan were to enter the palace as a concubine one day, I'm afraid it would cause a lot of trouble for the Ji family, and in the end, it would implicate the Empress."
The Empress Dowager said anxiously, "Mother, I can't figure out what the Emperor is thinking anymore. Since he ascended the throne, all the women from the families of meritorious officials and nobles have been selected to serve in the palace, but the Ji family is the only one without anyone in the harem."
Madam Ji said with a worried expression, "I understand what you're saying. Over the past few years, you and I have put so much effort into training Qingyuan, but she has high aspirations but low vision."
Thinking of all these years of management, the Empress Dowager sighed, "Upon learning of Qingwu's return home, I also wanted to make plans as soon as possible. If she is capable, I will arrange for her to enter the palace. With the Ji family and me as her backer, we can preserve the glory and prosperity of the entire Ji family."
Therefore, when the Empress Dowager first met Ji Qingwu, she was pleased. She thought that the Emperor would be pleased with such a dignified, polite, and charming woman.
But to my surprise, she turned out to be a widow with a young child.
She entered the Ji residence carrying her child in front of the entire city, and even the Empress Dowager couldn't help her cover it up.
How can we send her back to the emperor?
The Empress Dowager was furious at her lack of self-respect; such a delicate young lady had been defiled by a rough, uncouth man from the mountains and had even borne a child.
Madam Ji calmly said, "Your Majesty, things have come to this point, we can only think of other ways."
The Empress Dowager composed herself and asked, "Does Mother have a clever solution?"
"Besides stuffing women into the emperor's bedchamber, there is another way."
"What road?"
Madam Ji gazed at the pomegranate vase displayed in the palace.
"The Emperor has only one son, whose birth mother is unknown. Moreover, there has been no news of any concubines becoming pregnant in the past three years. Perhaps the Emperor's foundation has been weakened by the indiscriminate killing on the battlefield. If Your Majesty can find an opportunity to raise the little prince to adulthood, why worry about your position being unstable?"
The Empress Dowager frowned and pondered for a long time.
That makes sense.
She raised the imperial grandson, and when he ascended the throne, she became the Grand Empress Dowager.
If he were to marry another empress from the Ji family.
Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager finally exhaled the pent-up anger in her chest.
"Shixi".
The palace maid standing at the door bowed her head and pushed the door open, respectfully replying, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, this servant is here."
"Go and ask him yourself where the little prince is now. I haven't seen him for quite some time. Have Consort Wei bring him to Cining Palace."
The emperor only had this one prince, who is four years old this year.
Strangely, no one in the palace knew who the prince's birth mother was, not even the Empress Dowager.
The young prince's face looks remarkably similar to the emperor's; the contours, eyes, and nose are practically identical.
Therefore, no one ever doubted the prince's lineage.
Currently, Prince Yuanheng is being raised in Consort Wei's Guanju Palace.
Consort Wei was the younger sister of Wei Ting, a subordinate who accompanied the emperor on his campaign. After entering the palace, she was promoted three ranks in a row, from Noble Lady to Consort, and was the most popular woman in the harem.
Rumors are circulating both inside and outside the palace that Consort Wei is the most likely candidate to ascend to the position of Empress.
However, the Empress Dowager was not close to this grandson of the emperor on ordinary days.
After all, the emperor wasn't his biological son, and this grandson couldn't really be considered a biological grandson, so they only met occasionally during holidays and festivals, and the empress dowager wouldn't pay much attention to him.
Puzzled, Shi Xi headed towards Guanju Palace.
The Ji family mother and daughter were not seen at the entrance.
Ji Qingwu and Qiao Shi went for a stroll in a nearby small garden.
Royal gardens are different from ordinary homes; they are planted with rare species, and even the weeds don't grow randomly.
Ji Qingwu's eyes lit up, and she squatted down, saying happily, "Mother, look at the leaves of this little grass."
This is a medicinal herb that can calm the nerves, regulate qi, and soothe the mind.
Although she didn't understand what was so good about these slender-leaved grasses, Qiao looked at her charming, upturned head and said with a smile, "If you like them, I'll have a gardener plant more in our yard."
Qiao didn't care what kind of grass it was, she only cared whether she liked it or not.
This favoritism warmed Ji Qingwu's heart, and she said with a sweet smile, "Thank you, Mother."
Separated by several rows of lush green trees.
Suddenly, cries for help rang out!
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