"If the Empress Dowager insists on not letting Rong's mother's brother go, I can only ask the Emperor to register the three of us siblings under Rong's mother's name."
Inside Zhaoning Palace, Jiang Yu leaned against the bed, her face pale. She had truly been reborn.
She returned to the tenth year of her reign as empress, a time before she was branded a wicked empress and before the various misfortunes that followed occurred.
"My status as the legitimate daughter of the Empress is not something I can't give up in the slightest."
Gu Qingling spoke again, a hint of impatience in her eyes.
Jiang Yu then turned to look at the young man in front of her, who was wearing the crown prince's python robe. This was the eldest son she had risked her life to give birth to. On the night of her wedding, she became pregnant with all three of them on the first try. She almost lost her life during childbirth, which depleted her health, leaving her bedridden day and night.
Looking at Jiang Yu, who looked haggard and unrecognizable, Gu Qingling said with disgust, "Since Mother is unwell, she should rest and not meddle in court affairs. Why does she have to keep harping on Rong's brother? If we take a step back, everyone will be happy."
A glistening tear slid down the corner of Jiang Yu's eye, and her vision began to blur.
"The Crown Prince is well aware that Consort Rong's brother, Liu Feng, has committed the serious crime of embezzling military funds. According to the laws of Daqing, the punishment ranges from exile to death by a thousand cuts."
Gu Qingling's eyes narrowed sharply. "As the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Dingyuan's family, Mother, as long as you agree, with the prestige of the Marquis of Dingyuan's family in the army, no court official will dare to say anything."
Jiang Yu hastily wiped her face, struggled to get out of bed, and stood in front of Gu Qingling.
"Slap—" A loud sound rang out, and a bright red handprint instantly appeared on Gu Qingling's face.
Jiang Yu collapsed to the ground, exhausted, but then smiled strangely.
In her previous life, she faced the same coercion from Gu Qingling. Unable to accept that they were Consort Rong's children, she was bewitched and allowed Gu Qingling to use the Dingyuan Marquis's family's illustrious military achievements to protect Liu Feng. From then on, she was forced to completely break with the Dingyuan Marquis's family. Rumors spread throughout the court, and her reputation began to plummet.
Having tasted the sweetness of success, Gu Qingling and the others used the same excuse to blackmail her whenever they encountered difficulties, committing all sorts of heinous acts in her name. The end result was that the people of Daqing all knew that Jiang Yu was a wicked and treacherous empress who could not distinguish right from wrong.
Ironically, Gu Qingling ascended the throne by stepping on her, and then after ascending the throne, he honored Consort Rong as Empress Dowager and even bestowed upon her a three-foot-long white silk ribbon in the name of "purging the court of corrupt officials." On the day she died in the Cold Palace, Consort Rong, along with her three children, smiled and saw her off on her way.
"Why?" Jiang Yu asked, puzzled as to why her own flesh and blood wished her dead.
"You still have the nerve to ask why?" the second son, Gu Qingfeng, said mockingly. "You gave birth to us but didn't raise us. What face do you have to be the mother of us three siblings?"
Her pale lips trembled, and Jiang Yu couldn't utter a single word.
They went to great lengths to find out their preferences, worried about their daily lives, and racked their brains for their future, only to be told in the end that they gave birth to them but did not raise them!
“Ever since I became aware of things, I have wished I were Consort Rong’s biological child.” Gu Qingyao said, linking arms with Consort Rong. “But Consort Rong said that for the sake of the legitimate princess’s reputation, I should endure for a while. Now I can finally be free.”
"Your Majesty, it is my fault for not teaching the princes and princesses well. But now that Ling'er has ascended the throne, Your Majesty can rest assured and go on your way."
The scene before her eyes caused Jiang Yu to vomit blood. After marrying into the royal family and giving birth, Gu Heng never touched her because she had a serious illness. Later, because of the three children, she broke with the Dingyuan Marquis's mansion. In the end, she was all alone.
"After today, I will hold a special imperial examination, and the whole country of Daqing will be in an uproar because the wicked empress has been eliminated."
On her deathbed, she looked at the four people who were as close as blood relatives, their faces covered in blood, and she shed tears of blood.
Why has that bright peony, which bloomed before her marriage, withered to this state?
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
Hearing the commotion, the palace servants rushed in and helped Jiang Yu up from the ground.
Jiang Yu reached out and pulled off the jade pendant tied to her waist. It was carved by her father when she was born. The Marquis of Dingyuan's family had only had such a precious daughter for several generations, and they cherished her like the apple of their eye.
“My family has served in the military for generations, and our sons have shed their blood on the battlefield. As for Liu Feng, that scoundrel who embezzles military funds, my family will spare no effort to kill him.”
Jiang Yu swallowed the bloody taste in her mouth, but her back remained exceptionally straight. In this life, she would never repeat the same mistake.
"Granny, go and invite the Emperor and Prince Yu. Didn't the Crown Prince want to change the family genealogy? Let's do it today."
[Such a crown prince, unable to distinguish between loyalty and treachery, even if he has the blood of the Jiang family flowing in his veins, is not worthy to be a descendant of my Dingyuan Marquis's mansion.]
Gu Qingling, who was covering her face, trembled and looked at Jiang Yu with disbelief. That voice... this woman was saying that he, the Crown Prince of Daqing, was not worthy of being a descendant of the Marquis of Dingyuan.
Gu Qingling's face suddenly turned ashen, and as if she had lost her mind, she grabbed Jiang Yu by the neck.
"stop!"
"presumptuous!"
Two voices came, and Gu Qingling was jolted awake. Realizing the source of the voices, Gu Qingling trembled and released Jiang Yu, who instantly slid to the ground like a rag doll.
"Before I came, I thought the Empress was causing trouble for no reason. It turns out that His Highness the Crown Prince dared to commit matricide!" Prince Yu flicked his sleeves. As the head of the Gu family, how could he stand by and watch Gu Qingling act like this?
"Uncle, don't be anxious. Ling'er isn't that kind of person. Let me find out the situation, and I'll definitely give you an answer." No sooner had Gu Heng finished speaking than Jiang Yu's voice rang out:
"I have been married into the royal family for ten years, but now I have been forced into this situation. My own child is threatening me with adoption, forcing me to use the military merits of the Jiang family to protect Liu Feng."
Jiang Yu forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. “Uncle, the heavens are watching. Do you expect all the blood of my ancestors to have been shed in vain on the frontier? Do you expect me, Jiang Yu, to have no face to meet my ancestors after I die?”
"In that case, I grant the Crown Prince's request and ask the Imperial Uncle to adopt the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Princess under the name of Consort Rong."
The Zhaoning Palace was quiet, with the chirping of birds clearly audible outside the window.
Gu Heng seemed stunned by the sight of Jiang Yu in front of him. Why did Jiang Yu, who used to be so responsive to every request and only reported good news to the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion, seem like a completely different person today?
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince's fate is a matter of national importance..."
Prince Yu looked troubled. Even though Gu Qingling had many faults, there was no precedent in Daqing for the Empress's legitimate daughter to be adopted by a concubine. If that were to happen, wouldn't everything be in chaos?
Gu Heng also realized what was happening and reached out to help Jiang Yu, but Jiang Yu dodged him. Gu Heng looked embarrassed and said, "Don't worry, Empress. I will definitely reprimand the Crown Prince severely later. But the Crown Prince is, after all, the child you carried for ten months. Please don't hold a grudge against him."
Jiang Yu looked out the window and said softly, "Since we cannot give the three children to Consort Rong, then we will give one child from the imperial clan to me."
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