Upon learning that Jiang Meiyu had given birth to a princess, Gu Xiangling was also in a bad mood. She knew that Qin Huaian could no longer be the heir to the throne, and the emperor was in very good health. If he appointed another crown prince, it would not be Qin Huaian's turn. Only by gaining the emperor's favor could she consolidate her position. But now the emperor ignored her, which made her very anxious.
She thought to herself, "Since Jiang Meiyu can give birth, then I can too. But the emperor never comes to Yongfu Palace, as if he has forgotten her existence. How can I get close to him? Why not go find the queen..."
Meanwhile, outside the palace, at the Duke's residence, Duke Deng received a letter from the Queen, stating that she had been unwell recently and hoped his father could visit her. Duke Deng immediately understood the underlying message: the Queen wanted to see him. So, he quickly sent a note to the palace, stating that the Queen had been unwell recently and that Duke Deng wished to visit his daughter.
After the emperor saw the post, he knew that the queen and her father must be plotting something, but he still approved the request and told Chen Feng, "Go and make arrangements. When Duke Deng arrives, have someone keep an eye on Kunning Palace to see what they are up to."
Morning Breeze replied respectfully, "As you command, Your Majesty."
In this way, an open and secret struggle surrounding the harem is about to unfold.
After entering the palace, Duke Deng didn't linger for long, but headed straight for Kunning Palace. He was secretly pondering how to approach the Empress, as this matter, after all, concerned the entire family's success or failure.
Meanwhile, Nanny Cui had already stood at the gate of Kunning Palace, anxiously awaiting Duke Deng's arrival. When he finally appeared, she immediately stepped forward, bowing respectfully and saying, "Duke, you've finally arrived. Please follow me into the inner hall. The Empress has been waiting for you for quite some time."
Duke Deng nodded slightly, indicating that he understood. Then he followed Nanny Cui into the inner hall of Kunning Palace.
As soon as he entered the inner hall, Duke Deng felt a sense of oppression. He looked up and saw the Empress sitting in a chair, her face gloomy, her eyes revealing a hint of sadness and helplessness.
Seeing Duke Deng coming in, the Empress forced a smile, but it was a particularly bitter one. She whispered, "Father, you're here..."
Duke Deng immediately knelt down and said, "Your humble servant pays respect to Her Majesty the Queen. May Her Majesty live a thousand years."
"Father, please get up!" The Queen waved her hands and everyone left.
Duke Deng couldn't help but feel a little distressed when he saw the Empress's expression. But he still hardened his heart and said coldly, "Humph! You're such a useless thing! You can't even have a child, and the Deng family is counting on you."
Upon hearing this, the Empress burst into tears. She cried aggrievedly, "Father, this is not your fault... I also want to have children for the Emperor, but..."
Duke Deng interrupted the Queen impatiently: "Enough! Stop making excuses. I tell you, if this continues, our Deng family will be finished. You must conceive a dragon seed as soon as possible, so that you can keep your position as Queen."
"Father, the emperor never comes to Kunning Palace. He is distant from me and doesn't like me. What do you want your daughter to do?" The queen said with a sad face, her voice a little tearful, her eyes full of grievance and helplessness.
"Yafu, Dad knows it's not easy for you in the palace, but there are some things you have to fight for yourself. How about this, since you are not favored, why not bring your half-sister into the palace to serve the emperor, maybe it can change the current situation?" Deng Guogong softened his tone and tried to comfort the queen, but he also knew in his heart that this suggestion would not be easy to accept.
"Father, it's not that I don't want to take my concubine sister into the palace, but the emperor only favors Jiang Meiyu. If my concubine sister enters the palace, it will just be one more person in a cage." The queen frowned and explained with a worried look.
"What do you think?" Deng Guogong asked after a moment of silence, with a hint of anxiety in his eyes.
"Father, I have found someone in the palace. If she can get pregnant, we can kill the mother and keep the child. This may provide a guarantee for our Deng family. But now the emperor only favors Jiang Meiyu, so it may be a bit difficult to make her pregnant." The queen pondered and had some plans in her mind.
Duke Deng carefully pulled a small paper package from his bosom and quickly and discreetly placed it in the Queen's hand. His movements were extremely stealthy, as if he feared being discovered. Leaning close to the Queen's ear, Duke Deng whispered, "This is from Wen Ji of Zhao. Rumor has it that she's quite knowledgeable about this kind of thing, and her remedies are always proven to be effective. It's said that Wen Ji was always a favorite concubine of the King of Zhao and deeply loved by him."
Hearing this, the Queen couldn't help but feel a little panicked. She knew that if the matter of giving the Emperor medicine was discovered, the consequences would be disastrous. It would be a capital crime! Thinking of this, the Queen was so nervous that sweat broke out on her forehead. Her voice trembled slightly as she said, "But if the Emperor is found out about giving the Emperor medicine, it would be a capital crime..."
Duke Deng smiled faintly, a sly glint in his eyes. He consoled her, "Don't worry. As long as you act cautiously and quietly, even if something goes wrong, it won't be traced back to you. Otherwise, I'll just have to go all out. Write to your brother and ask him to ask Prince Ding of Zhao for help... Well, the harem isn't a place I want to stay for long, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble." With that, Duke Deng turned and left, leaving the queen alone in her thoughts.
Then, a figure floated out from the darkness and headed straight towards the Yangxin Palace.
According to the rules, Jiang Meiyu should have moved to the Weiyang Palace, but since she had just given birth and needed to recuperate, it wasn't appropriate to move at this time. So, Jiang Meiyu planned to wait until she was out of confinement to move there. However, the emperor had already ordered his servants to prepare everything in the Weiyang Palace and was now waiting for Jiang Meiyu to recover and move into the new palace.
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