Chapter 178 The Queen Mother is Sad
The Queen Mother choked up and nodded gently: "Your Majesty is absolutely right..."
Emperor Yuan Yong stood up and said, "Mother, please rest assured. I will leave first."
"Your Majesty, rest assured. I am fine. Your Majesty, please go and get busy!"
"I'll take my leave and visit you another day."
"good......"
Emperor Yuan Yong was in a heavy mood and bowed as he left the Cining Palace.
As soon as Emperor Yuan Yong left, the empress dowager closed her eyes, tears rolled down her cheeks, and she covered her face with a handkerchief, crying uncontrollably.
She lowered her head, her shoulders trembled, and her suppressed crying sounded even more sad and desperate.
Fu...Xuezhi, she really loves that child! She's spent most of her life in this palace, embroiled in intrigue and deception. What kind of scheming and hypocrisy hasn't she seen? She's long been tired of it.
This child alone, with a heart so pure and innocent, so sincere and genuine, was like a bowl of clear water in a porcelain bowl, so clear that you could see the bottom. There was no need to be roundabout in talking to her, and there was no need to be wary or guesswork when calling her over.
She thought she was the most special among the concubines in the palace. She thought the emperor, used to seeing those hypocritical faces, would be attracted by such innocence, purity, and simplicity. Even if he couldn't say she was the most favored in the palace, at least... he wouldn't hate her, right?
As long as the Emperor showed even a modicum of interest in Xuezhi, along with herself and the Fu family, Xuezhi would have an eighty percent position in the palace. If she had another child or two, her future would be limitless...
But she never expected that she fell in love with the emperor!
Once he fell in love, he became jealous and would not tolerate others sharing his favor. But with the emperor's temper, how could he be willing to be controlled by a woman in the harem?
So much so that... even with the Queen Mother around, there was no way to reconcile the relationship between the two of them. She could only watch helplessly...
But she never expected that things would come to this!
It was even worse than the worst outcome she had expected!
"It's my fault, it's all my fault! I knew my eldest brother and his wife wouldn't teach their daughter well. They said things like, 'I'll be trained to be the queen,' 'I'll be in the palace to share my worries,' 'It's so I'll have a companion,' 'It's for the future of the Fu family...' I felt it wasn't appropriate from the beginning. I shouldn't have had such wishful thinking. I should have firmly refused!"
"I wouldn't, I wouldn't let the Fu family fall to such a state! And I wouldn't let Xuezhi, at such a young age... this child, this child! How could she be so desperate and foolish?!"
The Queen Mother cried so hard that she was out of breath and almost fainted from grief.
The palace maids and eunuchs who were serving had already been sent away by Nanny Chang. At this moment, only Nanny Chang was left with the Empress Dowager. She couldn't help but burst into tears when she heard what she said.
She gently patted the Empress Dowager's back to soothe her, choking with sobs as she said, "Empress Dowager! Empress Dowager! Please take care of yourself! Now...now the Fu family is counting on you! Even for the sake of the Fu family, you have to be well!"
The Queen Mother was even more grief-stricken upon hearing this: "I am already in my twilight years. Even if I wanted to, how long could I protect them? You are right. I must take care of myself, take care of myself..."
Nanny Chang couldn't help but feel a little angry: "If it weren't for the emperor——"
"Shut up!" The Queen Mother interrupted her before she could finish, saying in a low voice, "There's nothing wrong with what the Emperor did. Don't embarrass him."
"Yes, I admit my guilt!" Nanny Chang said as she knelt down.
"What are you doing? Get up!" Seeing this, the Queen Mother quickly bent down to help her up, sighing, "I can't stand this anymore. Trouble comes from the mouth. I don't want to see the day when even you leave me. If that day really comes, I, I..."
The Empress Dowager was so grief-stricken that she could not speak. Nanny Chang was even more heartbroken. She cried and apologized repeatedly: "It is my fault, it is my fault! Don't worry, Empress Dowager, I will accompany you and will never leave you... I will never speak nonsense again! Never again..."
The Queen Mother nodded gently with tears in her eyes, "From now on, the two of us will live together in this deep palace!"
"Empress Dowager!" Nanny Chang almost fell to the ground crying.
The Empress Dowager is really sad because of the Emperor!
She was deeply hurt by the Emperor, which is why she said such words. Your Majesty, you have truly gone too far...
Xuezhi was such a good person originally. If the emperor hadn't treated her like that, how could she have become like this? If the emperor had any filial piety towards his mother, he wouldn't have treated Xuezhi like that. If he had any affection for Xuezhi, Xuezhi wouldn't have been like this...
But he is the emperor, who can say he is wrong?
The only ones who are wrong are others!
After all, she was the one who harmed the Fu family!
The Empress Dowager wept bitterly for a long time before her sorrow finally subsided. She wiped away her tears, but gritted her teeth and tearfully ordered Nanny Chang, "Go and find the set of ruby and sapphire and kingfisher flower ornaments that I have hidden away in the bottom of my box, and send them to the Concubine Chen."
"Her Majesty the Queen Mother!"
Nanny Chang changed color and exclaimed.
She knew what the empress dowager was talking about. The entire set of rubies, sapphires, and kingfisher feathers was priceless and exquisite. The magnificent phoenix-peony ornaments, framed by auspicious clouds and grass, and complemented by the matching headpieces, centerpieces, topknots, and eight-treasure headpieces, totaling twenty-eight pieces, were inlaid with three hundred rubies and sapphires. The two largest gems, set on the phoenixes, were nearly the size of eggs. Their eyes were set with finger-sized black pearls, tributes from Southeast Asia. Just these two large gems and two black pearls were truly rare.
More importantly, this set of jewelry was personally bestowed upon the Empress Dowager by the late Emperor when she was crowned as Queen.
As a daughter of the Fu family, the Empress Dowager naturally favored the Fu family. She had originally intended to give this set of jewelry to the young lady one day. However, as the relationship between the young lady and the Emperor grew increasingly strained and hopeless, the Empress Dowager pleaded with her repeatedly to no avail. No matter how she tried, she could not change the young lady's mind. Growing increasingly disappointed with her, she gave up the idea of giving the jewelry to the young lady, intending to keep it for her own burial.
Unexpectedly, today he suddenly wanted to give it to Concubine Chen.
Nanny Chang felt heartbroken just thinking about the huge ruby on it!
"Empress Dowager, please think twice! That, that was given to you by the late emperor when you were crowned empress. This, this - how could Concubine Chen have such a blessing? I'm afraid she is too poor to handle it! If you really want to reward her, just find some ordinary jewels..."
Even if the Concubine Chen is favored, even if she is pregnant with the emperor's heir, so what?
That doesn't change the fact that she is just a palace maid of low birth!
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