Emperor Jingming was also grappling with this issue.
Although he was the Emperor, he still needed to consider his elderly mother’s feelings.
In Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager had already awakened.
At one age, they can’t compare to the young. The Empress Dowager had called for the imperial physician last night due to hand pain. Although she had taken a calming medicinal soup and slept, she still appeared somewhat listless.
Emperor Jingming’s arrival made the Empress Dowager sense something unusual: “I remember at this time, Your Majesty should be holding court. Why have you come here?”
Emperor Jingming sat down beside the Empress Dowager, glancing at her complexion before asking, “Mother Empress, how did you sleep last night?”
“I slept well enough.” The Empress Dowager’s brow remained furrowed as she increased the speed at which she rotated her prayer beads.
Emperor Jingming was silent for a moment before saying, “I have punished Rongyang today.”
The Empress Dowager’s hand stopped rotating the prayer beads, and she asked calmly, “What happened with Rongyang?”
The Emperor had used the word “punished,” indicating that Rongyang’s offense was not minor.
The Empress Dowager understood clearly that the Emperor was a rare, benevolent ruler. For him to punish Rongyang, she must have done something excessive.
“Nanny Duo by Mother Empress’s side is from the Wu Miao tribe—”
The Empress Dowager’s eyes narrowed, suddenly realizing something: Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen Nanny Duo since she woke up.
Nanny Duo was a servant who could enter the Empress Dowager’s chambers, but she wasn’t by the Empress Dowager’s side at all times. Her brief absence wouldn’t draw attention. Last night, Nanny Duo had been ordered to visit the Fourteenth Princess and hadn’t returned all night. The people around the Empress Dowager knew this but hadn’t reported it to her yet.
No one wanted to trouble their mistress with such news right after she woke up.
Emperor Jingming, considering that some things couldn’t be hidden from the Empress Dowager, frankly said, “Actually, I’ve been secretly investigating since Chen Meiren poisoned Fifteenth because a mere consort couldn’t have obtained heartbreak grass on her own. There must have been someone behind her… Eventually, the investigation led to Nanny Duo. Just last night, when Nanny Duo went to visit Fourteenth, she finally revealed her true colors…”
The Empress Dowager listened quietly, then asked, “What does this have to do with Rongyang?”
As she said this, her brow furrowed slightly, as if remembering something, “I recall now, it was Rongyang who introduced Nanny Duo to the palace back then. Is Your Majesty blaming Rongyang for this?”
Emperor Jingming smiled bitterly, “If it were just introducing Nanny Duo to the palace, I would at most reprimand Rongyang a few times. How could that warrant punishment? Back then, Rongyang obtained poisonous insects from Nanny Duo and used them to kill the Yan Prince Consort’s mother. She has even been secretly keeping these insects until now. I gave her a chance, but she stubbornly refused to admit it…”
“How did Your Majesty punish Rongyang?”
Emperor Jingming paused.
He had said so much to prepare the Empress Dowager mentally so that she wouldn’t become estranged from him because of Rongyang.
“I have demoted Rongyang to a commoner.”
The Empress Dowager’s expression changed slightly.
Emperor Jingming’s heart was in his throat.
The Empress Dowager had been childless all her life and had adopted him and Rongyang, treating Rongyang like her own daughter. He was worried that the Empress Dowager couldn’t accept this fact.
The Empress Dowager sighed, “Rongyang has committed such a grave error, she indeed deserves punishment. Your Majesty has done no wrong.”
Emperor Jingming relaxed slightly, “As long as Mother Empress doesn’t blame me.”
The Empress Dowager glanced at Emperor Jingming, “I’m not senile yet. How could I blame you? But since Your Majesty could uncover that Rongyang harmed the Yan Prince Consort’s mother, I wonder what role the Yan Prince Consort played in this?”
Emperor Jingming replied, “Indeed, it was thanks to the Yan Prince Consort that we were able to uncover Nanny Duo’s treachery and reveal the truth about Lady Su’s death.”
The Empress Dowager gripped her prayer beads tightly and said calmly, “The Yan Prince Consort is indeed capable. She was also responsible for curing Fuqing back then. Your Majesty, don’t forget that.”
Emperor Jingming nodded with a smile, “I remember it all.”
“Your Majesty has missed the morning court because of Rongyang’s matter. This isn’t good; it shouldn’t happen again in the future.”
“I understand.”
The Empress Dowager’s eyelids moved slightly, “I’m tired. Your Majesty should go attend to your duties.”
Emperor Jingming stood up, “Mother Empress, please rest well.”
After Emperor Jingming left, the Empress Dowager threw her prayer beads to the ground.
The smooth sandalwood beads clattered against the floor, scattering everywhere with a crisp sound.
In Cining Palace, everyone was silent as the grave.
After a while, the Empress Dowager ordered her attendants to withdraw and asked her trusted elderly maid, “Nanny Duo went to visit the Fourteenth Princess and hasn’t returned?”
“No, she hasn’t.”
The Empress Dowager pursed her lips and asked again, “Did anything unusual happen last night?”
The trusted elderly maid hesitated for a moment.
“Are you going to keep things from me?”
The elderly maid quickly replied, “Your Highness, it was the Emperor who instructed us not to mention it to you…”
The Empress Dowager laughed coldly, “Do you all take me for dead? Or were you waiting for the Emperor to suddenly come and tell me?”
The elderly maid lowered her head and said, “Last night, when you had hand pain and summoned the imperial physician, it reached the Emperor’s ears. The Emperor and Empress came together after you had retired…”
The Empress Dowager raised her eyebrows, “The Emperor and Empress came together?”
“Yes…”
The Empress Dowager frowned, her expression changing several times before finally sighing, “I’m getting old.”
So the so-called imperial couple’s dispute was just a show put on for her benefit.
“Help me out for a walk. I need some fresh air.”
At the entrance of Princess Rongyang’s residence, several palace servants stopped and reminded her, “Please pack your belongings and move out quickly. The Emperor has only given one day. By this time tomorrow, the Princess’s residence will be sealed…”
Princess Rongyang glared at the servant who spoke and angrily shouted, “Get out!”
Seeing Princess Rongyang stumble into her residence in a daze, one of the servants spat on the ground, “Ptui! Does she think she’s still the high and mighty Princess? What a joke!”
The Yan Prince had done well. He decided to support the Yan Prince more in the future.
Princess Rongyang walked forward along the familiar path.
The people in the Princess’s residence had already received the news by now, all pale-faced, wanting to gather around but lacking the courage.
“Huizhen!” Princess Rongyang called out.
A middle-aged woman hurried out.
Princess Rongyang slapped her and demanded harshly, “Are you dead? How did the palace servants find the parasite?”
The middle-aged woman knelt, sobbing at Princess Rongyang’s feet, “This servant doesn’t know what happened either. As soon as you left, a team of palace servants arrived, saying they were ordered to search the Princess’s residence. One of them seemed to have divine sight, heading straight for this servant’s room and uncovering the parasite…”
“Impossible! There’s no such thing as someone with divine sight!” Princess Rongyang said, her face pale.
Back in her familiar home, she gradually calmed down but felt increasingly desperate.
The imperial edict had been issued, and she couldn’t seek help from the Empress Dowager. It seemed unlikely that she could turn the situation around…
“Your Highness, we should pack up quickly. Otherwise, all the items in the residence will be confiscated.”
Emperor Jingming had still left Princess Rongyang a way out. At least by taking the items from her residence, she would have enough to live comfortably for the rest of her life.
The people in the Princess’s residence hurriedly began packing. As the sun was setting in the west, a servant rushed in to report, “The General has arrived.”