Seeing that the Grand Princess remained silent, Kang Le crawled to her side and pleaded, "Grand Aunt, Kang Le made a mistake in a moment of confusion, and will never dare to do it again."
"I was protected by you in the past, and I beg you to protect me once more."
She must not be exposed; she must not let the emperor discover even the slightest clue.
The old princess lifted her chin, "Kang Le, do you want to be empress?"
"Grandmother?"
Kang Le was shocked.
The old princess said calmly, "I admire Ye Jinghong very much. I remember what she said on the day she was conferred the title of general."
She said that what men can do, women can do too. Kang Le, I can cover this up for you, but do you have the guts?
Do you want to be happy?
I dream about it.
Otherwise, why would someone so young be so adept at winning people's hearts and planting spies everywhere?
She was also convinced that she could do it well. Even the Empress, who rose to power by relying on men, could now help the Emperor handle state affairs. She was born to be a phoenix, so why couldn't she rule the world?
But fearing it was a test from the Grand Princess, she hesitated and dared not utter a sound, only feigning panic.
The old princess saw through her trick and said calmly, "Go back, this old woman should rest. I'm too old to compare with you young people."
This means they want to take back what they just said.
At the same time, she told Kang Le that she was getting old and wouldn't be in power for long, so she could only support a younger person to take over.
Kang Le gritted his teeth, took a step back, braced himself with his hands on the ground, and kowtowed.
“I beg my great-aunt for help; I will never forget this kindness.”
The old princess chuckled, "Remember your promise today, or even after I'm buried, your past deeds will not be hidden."
Go back, Kang Le. Go back to being your brainless, love-obsessed princess. When the time is right, I will inform you.
Her reputation has been ruined, and the emperor is likely to take action against her, or even kill her. Only by supporting the monarch again can she regain her voice.
With such significant leverage over Kang Le, she was the perfect puppet.
She had seen through Kang Le's ambition when he started targeting the Crown Prince, but Kang Le's power was not yet sufficient and he needed her help.
Or perhaps, they were using each other.
After Kang Le left.
The confidant asked in bewilderment, "Why doesn't Your Highness press Fu Jiang about his background?"
The old princess glanced at the teacup, and her confidant, understanding her intention, quickly brought it to her lips. The old princess sipped it slowly, one mouthful at a time.
A moment later, a dark figure landed in the room. "Master, those two have been captured. Marquis Zhongyong and Lei Ce have also returned."
The room remained quiet for a few breaths.
The old princess smiled, but replied to her confidante, "Whether it is or not, we will soon know."
There would have been good news when the bandits were successfully suppressed, but before we heard any good news, the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery returned first.
He dared not disobey the imperial edict or abandon his post, so he could only keep the matter a secret from the outside world after the bandit suppression was completed.
It is clear that his true purpose in leaving the capital this time was to go to Qingzhou to investigate old matters, and the emperor knew everything.
"Help me change my clothes, it's time for me to go to the palace."
As she finished dressing and left, she casually tossed out a sentence, "I was ordered to keep an eye on the Marquis of Zhongyong in the Northwest. Have you taken care of it?"
If you don't even know the person you're supposed to be watching has left, why waste your food?
Inside the palace.
Yin Jiuniang stood before the Emperor and Empress and smiled, "Your Majesty, I used myself as bait to lure all the spies from Dongwu into a trap. Is there a reward?"
The emperor smiled and asked, "What reward do you desire?"
The presence of spies from various countries is indeed unsettling for the emperor. A few days ago, Xie Tingzhou entered the palace and said that Yin Jiuniang could help him eliminate the spies from Dongwu, but the Imperial Guards would be needed to assist him.
The emperor granted his request.
Unexpectedly, there were additional gains: in addition to the royal guards around the old princess, there were also more than a dozen assassins.
While the two princes and Xie Tingzhou were interrogating the survivors, Yin Jiuniang took the opportunity to ask for a reward.
Upon seeing the royal guards, the emperor guessed that today's assassination attempt was a trap set by the Marquis's mansion and Yin Jiu Niang for the Grand Princess.
The Emperor was curious about what reward Yin Jiuniang wanted, given that she dared to scheme against the Grand Princess.
Yin Jiuniang cupped her hands in greeting, "This humble woman wishes to use this merit to exchange for Your Majesty and Her Highness protecting Ye Zhen three times, is that alright?"
The Emperor and Empress exchanged a glance, and the Empress spoke up, "You previously used your merits to get her to be made a princess, and now you're doing it for her again. Your relationship as master and disciple is quite good."
Yin Jiuniang smiled, "She is the child that Ye Jinghong gave to Jiuniang. Jiuniang regards her as her own daughter and wants to give her more."
But this child has had a tragic fate, offending many people, whether intentionally or unintentionally. This humble woman has limited abilities; I can only beg Your Majesty and Her Highness to protect her.
The Empress's eyes darkened almost imperceptibly.
Yes, all mothers should plan for their children, but she failed in her duty as a mother.
The emperor sensed her thoughts and squeezed his hand.
He agreed to Yin Jiuniang's request, wanting to get rid of her as soon as possible to appease his beloved wife.
Yin Jiuniang, audacious as ever, pressed her advantage, saying, "Your Majesty, words are not enough; may I request a piece of your calligraphy?"
The emperor glared at her, "A ruler's word is law."
How dare they doubt his integrity? He is the emperor!
But Yin Jiuniang was not afraid.
She had seen those who were more imposing than the emperor before her.
She chuckled, acting as if she wouldn't leave until the emperor wrote the certificate, so the emperor had no choice but to write her a receipt.
The Empress saw that Yin Jiuniang was staring intently at the Emperor as he wrote, and was moved by her care for Ye Zhen. She tugged at the Emperor's sleeve.
"Your Majesty, many people died of smallpox in Wenzhou, but thanks to Ye Zhen's inoculation technique, many were spared from infection and death."
Smallpox inoculation has also been carried out in other prefectures, and it can be considered a success. Perhaps we should write the imperial edict bestowing the title of Princess at the same time.”
Yin Jiuniang hurriedly thanked the Empress, praising her to the skies, saying that the Empress was unparalleled in the world, which the Emperor liked to hear.
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