Chapter 273 Return to the Palace

The journey from Jiangzhou back to the palace took about half a month. Along the way, Su Jingyao and Jun Zechen sat together in a spacious and luxurious carriage.

The several ministers who came to Jiangzhou with His Majesty this time all showed expressions of surprise when they learned that the Queen had "resurrected from the dead".

I always feel that there is something wrong with the fact that the Queen has been away from the palace for five years, but His Majesty has taken all the responsibility on himself, claiming that the Queen knew nothing and was just recuperating in Jiangzhou.

Several ministers looked at each other, and although they still had doubts in their hearts, they did not say anything more.

After all, whether the empress returns or not, Your Majesty has been determined not to appoint a new empress in the past five years, no matter how many court officials have advised you against it.

A country cannot be without a ruler for a day, and the throne naturally cannot be left vacant for a long time, otherwise it will be detrimental to the country's destiny.

But His Majesty insisted on his own way and turned a deaf ear to the advice of the ministers. The ministers had no other choice but to ask the Queen Mother to intervene before His Majesty could have a few new people in the harem.

Half a month passed in a flash.

On the day of returning to the palace, Su Jingyao dressed up carefully.

She put on the golden phoenix robe she had chosen. The gold threads on the robe sparkled brightly in the sunlight, making her look graceful and elegant, like a goddess from the sky.

And today, Jun Zechen also wore a golden dragon robe, showing his dignity and majesty.

Both of them were dressed very formally, solemn and dignified.

The carriage slowly entered the palace from the palace gate, the wheels rolling and making dull sounds, and then drove along the palace road all the way to the inner court.

The Queen Mother, several concubines and court officials had already been waiting outside the Taiji Palace.

When he returned to the palace this time, Jun Zechen sent a special message back, stating that this ceremony would be held in an unusually grand manner.

Lin Miaoyin therefore worries about this matter every day.

She was wearing a luxurious imperial concubine's dress today, which made her look even more majestic.

Lin Miaoyin was waiting for His Majesty almost side by side with the Queen Mother, with a deliberate sense of dignity. Behind her were the other concubines, all of whom looked reserved.

At noon, the sun shines scorchingly on the platform.

Lin Miaoyin, standing on the platform, stared into the distance and finally saw His Majesty's carriage slowly approaching.

The carriage stopped and Jun Zechen got out.

Lin Miaoyin was just about to go down to greet him, but she saw His Majesty stop beside the carriage and extend his hand. After a while, a woman in a phoenix robe came out with her waist bent.

She put her hand in His Majesty's and was led off the horse by His Majesty.

For a moment, Lin Miaoyin's eyes were filled with astonishment.

There was some distance between them, so neither the Queen Mother nor Lin Miaoyin recognized who the person was. However, they were both stunned by the gorgeous phoenix robe he was wearing.

Their brows were tightly furrowed, and their hearts were filled with doubts.

After Su Jingyao got off the carriage and walked up side by side with Jun Zechen, the Queen Mother, Lin Miaoyin and other elderly people in the East Palace were so shocked when they saw the faces of the newcomers clearly that they could not react at all.

Is this the former queen?!

Or a woman who looks exactly like the late queen?

Lin Miaoyin's face turned pale instantly.

She originally thought that it would be impossible for His Majesty to go through life without appointing a queen. As time went on, the court officials and the Queen Mother would urge His Majesty to appoint a queen.

In addition, since the Lin family had a concubine, they naturally had to support her vigorously, so they spent a lot of money to bribe officials in the capital, and let the officials in the capital secretly ask His Majesty to make the concubine the queen.

Lin Miaoyin also felt that the throne of queen would be hers sooner or later, but the scene before her shattered all her fantasies in an instant.

Looking at the emperor and empress walking hand in hand, their intimacy, it was as if I was back in the Eastern Palace, where I could only watch His Majesty favor the Empress while I was helpless and could do nothing.

Lin Miaoyin folded her hands in front of her body, her thumbs tightly pinching her palms. The slight pain allowed her to remain rational and smile.

Jun Zechen and Su Jingyao walked side by side to the Queen Mother, bowed slightly and saluted, "Your servants/your servants pay their respects to the Queen Mother."

Jun Zechen was calm and composed, while Su Jingyao looked dignified.

"Wake up, what is this?"

The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes slightly, and her sharp gaze fell directly on Su Jingyao with scrutiny.

Jun Zechen said slowly: "Mother, the Queen did not die five years ago, she was just in a coma. The imperial doctors in the palace were incompetent and could not treat the Queen, so I sent the Queen to Jiangzhou for treatment..."

His tone was calm, as if he was describing a very ordinary matter.

Jun Zechen told the empress dowager again the reason he had thought of long ago, and his voice was clearly heard by all the concubines and court officials in the palace.

When the imperial concubine heard this, she staggered and almost fell down.

The queen is not dead?

No wonder His Majesty has been unwilling to appoint a queen, it turns out the queen is not dead!

Now that the queen is back, can she still control the palace?

Is there still hope for her son?

Lin Miaoyin bit her lips tightly with her teeth. She felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on her heart, so heavy that she could hardly breathe.

If it were five years ago, Lin Miaoyin might not have had these thoughts, but in these five years, she had a prince, power, and was no different from the queen in the harem, so she also had deeper desires.

But now, is all this going to be shattered?

After hearing the emperor's explanation, the empress dowager did not believe it in her heart and her expression was somewhat solemn.

But now in public, she couldn't question the emperor, and just looked at Su Jingyao with an unfriendly look.

Su Jingyao didn't care and lowered her head slightly, pretending not to see it.

Su Hongyu, who was standing at the top among the court officials, felt his heart pounding the moment his daughter appeared, and he was so excited that he could hardly control himself.

His daughter is not dead!

When my wife heard the news, she would be so happy that she would not be able to sleep.

Jun Zechen announced in public that the empress had returned to the palace. Seeing that the empress dowager did not say anything, the court officials naturally did not dare to say anything.

They lowered their heads, with different expressions on their faces, but all remained silent.

After the ceremony was over, Jun Zechen gently took Su Jingyao's hand and sent her back to Kunning Palace, and then went to Cining Palace.

"What happened to the Queen?"

The Queen Mother had a serious look on her face, her brows furrowed, and she stared at Jun Zechen questioningly with a sharp gaze.

"That's what I said."

Jun Zechen remained calm and responded calmly.

"You are my son. The courtiers and concubines would believe your words, but how could I believe them? When the empress died and you were so sad that you couldn't sleep all night in the Qianqing Palace, could it be that you were acting?"

The Queen Mother's voice unconsciously rose and her hands gripped the armrests tightly.

"I have gone to the Qianqing Palace so many times to persuade you to let go of the Empress, but you remained indifferent. Are you just acting?"

The expression on the Queen Mother's face became increasingly solemn.

"Mother, no matter what happened five years ago, I no longer care. Now that the Queen has returned, everything has returned to normal. Mother, please do not delve into it."

Jun Zechen lowered his head slightly, and although his tone was still respectful, he did not allow anyone to refute him.

This was not the first time in the past five years that the emperor had been stubborn and opinionated. The empress dowager felt helpless when she saw him like this.

She let out a long sigh, a hint of fatigue in her eyes.

Although no prince was born during these five years, the emperor did a great job in handling state affairs and even created the most extensive territory since the founding emperor.

Although he had fewer princes than any previous emperor, having three princes and courtiers would not put him under too much pressure.

The Queen Mother could only let Jun Zechen do as he pleases.

She rubbed her temples, then rested her hands on the armrests and said helplessly, "Why did the emperor come here today?"

"The Queen has returned to the palace. I hope that your mother will hand over the Queen's seal to you and let you take charge of the six palaces."

The Queen Mother knew the Emperor's love for the Empress, so she was not surprised by any of the Emperor's requests.

She frowned slightly and asked, "What about the imperial concubine?"

"The royal concubine is still the royal concubine, but all the palace power in her hands has been taken back." Jun Zechen said without hesitation.

The Queen Mother was somewhat helpless, and said earnestly: "Your Highness has been managing the harem for the past five years. Even if she has no merit, she has worked hard. She also contributed by giving birth to the Third Prince. Isn't it disheartening for you to do this?"

"It was a blessing for her to be the imperial concubine after giving birth to the third prince. Now that the queen has returned, there is no reason for the imperial concubine to continue to be in power."

"The Concubine is not a competitive person, she probably won't have any objections."

Jun Zechen's attitude was firm and he was not moved at all.

"......"

The Empress Dowager and the Emperor argued with each other and neither gave in.

Seeing that his son could not be persuaded, he became so angry that his face turned blue.

After reluctantly taking out the Phoenix Seal and the Book of Treasures, he waved his hands and said impatiently, "Forget it, forget it. Take it away, leave quickly, and don't hang around in front of me. Out of sight, out of mind."

At her age, it seems that it is better for her to leave the palace and practice cultivation earlier, so as not to let this disobedient son make her sick.

The Queen Mother leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and looked tired.

Jun Zechen returned to Kunning Palace.

Su Jingyao had just finished bathing in the bathtub with the careful care of a dozen palace maids. She walked out of the bathtub, her long hair covered with moisture and hanging down on her slender back.

She was wearing a long skirt that dragged on the ground, and the hem of the skirt swayed gently with her steps.

In five years, her beauty has not diminished, but she has become more charming and passionate, and the charm between her eyebrows and eyes is so attractive that people can't take their eyes off her.

Miaoyun and Miaoxia followed behind her to serve her.

After Su Jingyao came back, the deep affection between master and servant was demonstrated once again, and the eyes of several personal palace maids all turned slightly red.

When she saw Jun Zechen and was about to salute, Jun Zechen quickly walked up to her, took her hand, and led her directly to the couch.

"Anshun, show it to the Queen." Jun Zechen raised his head slightly and motioned Anshun to come forward.

An Shun walked forward with a smile and gently opened the red cloth on the tray he had been holding. The noble phoenix seal and the queen's album suddenly appeared before everyone's eyes.

"Although the Imperial Concubine has been in charge of the harem for the past five years, after you return, both the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Six Palaces will naturally be in your charge."

"This is the Phoenix Seal and Book of Treasures that I just asked for from my mother."

Su Jingyao looked at the book and the phoenix seal, a hint of surprise and satisfaction flashed in her eyes, and said.

Seeing that she liked it, Jun Zechen continued, "However, during these five years, the Imperial Concubine should have a lot of people in the harem. You may encounter some resistance when taking over the palace power. If you need my help, please tell me."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. However, Your Majesty is usually very busy with government affairs. If Your Majesty is distracted from handling the affairs of the harem, it will be a waste of time and energy, and I will feel bad for you."

Su Jingyao lowered her head slightly, with just the right amount of shyness on her face.

Power naturally has to be in her own hands. How could she let Jun Zechen help her? She doesn't share the same mindset as Jun Zechen, so of course she has to train people who cannot be discovered by Jun Zechen.

Moreover, Lin Miaoyin eliminated her people one by one, and only then did she feel at ease.

Since entering the East Palace, Su Jingyao has shown no offensive power towards Jun Zechen in front of him, so Jun Zechen always likes to call her Jiaojiao when they are intimate, and recently he even directly used the word "Jiaojiao" as a nickname for her.

But only Su Jingyao herself knows that she is not the darling in Jun Zechen's palm, but a beautiful snake who will do anything to achieve her goals.

Jun Zechen chuckled and pinched her smooth face, which was pink after she had just finished bathing.

"Okay, make your own decision." Jun Zechen raised the corners of his mouth, his eyes full of doting.

He knew clearly that she didn't care about him at all, she just liked power.

It doesn't matter, he will give her whatever she likes.