If Yu Jin had only suspected the Empress Dowager before, now he was certain she was problematic.
“First Nanny Duo, then Maid Ping. With Cining Palace causing trouble time and again, the Empress Dowager wouldn’t be where she is today if she were truly as blind as she appears.”
Although the Empress Dowager had entered the royal family as the Crown Princess, how many in history had managed to progress from Crown Princess to Empress and then to Empress Dowager?
In the quagmire of the royal family, sometimes taking an early lead wasn’t advantageous but a death warrant.
Yet the Empress Dowager had steadily maintained her position until now. She feared nothing despite having no children of her own, adopting Emperor Jingming as her son and Princess Rongyang as her daughter for companionship. She had both a son and a daughter, enjoying a life of supreme honor.
Could such a woman truly be deaf and blind?
Yu Jin didn’t believe it for a second.
In his view, only his father, the Emperor, blinded by filial piety, could be so naive.
“The Empress Dowager is truly decisive. Seeing the investigation reach Maid Ping, she preemptively cut off her arm. This not only stalls further investigation but also positions herself as a victim, clearing her of suspicion and making Father Emperor feel guilty…”
Jiang Si nodded: “The Empress Dowager is certainly not simple. After this incident, it will be difficult for Father Emperor to suspect her shortly.”
At their level, evidence was often less important than whether those in power were willing to suspect or believe.
Yu Jin set down his teacup, his voice cold: “Haste makes waste. The Empress Dowager can’t be toppled in a day or two. Now that the fox’s tail is showing, she’s bound to make more mistakes. We have time on our side.”
Jiang Si thought for a moment and said: “I should visit the Marquis of Yining’s residence more often and try to get some clues from Grandmother.”
Many secrets were buried in the river of time, and seeking out those involved was undoubtedly the most convenient way to unearth them.
“Mm, let’s discuss this after a few days have passed.”
Yu Jin had just become the Empress’s son, so visiting relatives and friends too soon would be inappropriate.
The couple, tired from their eventful day, prepared for bed and retired.
The sun gradually moved from its zenith towards the west, and the day passed in the blink of an eye.
News of the Empress Dowager’s ill health spread from the palace to the outside. Prince Qi and others used the opportunity to visit the Empress Dowager as an excuse to naturally check on their respective birth mothers and gather information.
They were, of course, inquiring about Yu Jin becoming the Empress’s son.
Prince Lu patted his chest, feeling a bit scared: “Mother, fortunately, you only gave birth to one son. Otherwise, if I woke up to find my brother had become someone else’s son, what would we do?”
“What would we do?” Noble Consort Ning, born from a military family, smiled coldly. She was strikingly beautiful with her thick eyebrows and handsome eyes. She slammed her hand on the table, causing the teacup to jump and then fall to the ground, shattering into pieces.
Looking at the tragic end of the teacup, Prince Lu blinked, suddenly feeling his fear was unnecessary.
When his wife wielded a kitchen knife, he wouldn’t dare do anything even if he were embracing a celestial maiden. He imagined his father’s feelings were similar.
Thinking this way, Prince Lu had an idea and said with a grin: “Mother, I have a favor to ask you.”
“Speak,” Noble Consort Ning uttered a single word.
The Emperor’s sudden decision to register Prince Yan under the Empress’s name had little impact on her, but it still left her feeling somewhat unsettled.
The usually good-tempered Emperor’s action was too swift, leaving people feeling insecure.
This time it was registering Prince Yan under the Empress’s name; who knew what strange occurrence might happen next?
Thinking of these things, it was no wonder Noble Consort Ning was in a bad mood.
“Mother, you see, Ler is growing up, and your daughter-in-law might be pregnant with a granddaughter. Your son has been a mere prince for so long, it’s not right—”
Noble Consort Ning eyed her son, asking with a half-smile: “So?”
Prince Lu’s smile grew brighter: “So, could you put in a good word for me with Father Emperor, to elevate my title? I’m not asking for much, just to be a wang [prince of the first rank]…”
Noble Consort Ning pointed at the door: “Get out!”
“Mother—” Prince Lu stood up, looking pitiful.
This was his mother, after all. Not agreeing to help was one thing, but wasn’t this reaction a bit too heartless?
Noble Consort Ning didn’t care about her rascal son’s thoughts and pointed at the door again.
Glancing at the shattered teacup on the ground that hadn’t been cleaned up yet, Prince Lu left sheepishly.
The recently changed light blue brocade curtain with flower and grass patterns swayed slightly. Noble Consort Ning withdrew her gaze and sighed softly.
Everyone has ambitions. When she gave birth to a prince and was elevated to Noble Consort Ning, she had naturally hoped for further advancement. But as her son grew older, she decided to enjoy life as it was.
Letting a son with his temperament compete for that position would be sending him to his death.
She only had this one son, and she was counting on him to take her out to enjoy life in the future. How could she be so foolish?
Being a prince at this chaotic time was the best protection.
She only hoped her son would be safe and have many descendants.
As Noble Consort Ning thought about these things, her mood worsened. She kicked the remaining base of the teacup far away and turned to enter the inner chamber.
At Noble Consort Zhuang’s quarters, the scene was different.
Prince Shu had arrived earlier than Prince Lu and was now sitting opposite Noble Consort Zhuang, silently drinking tea.
“Still no movement from your wife?” Noble Consort Zhuang gently blew on her teacup and took a sip.
For the convenience of mother and son talking, Prince Shu had deliberately not brought his wife to the palace. Hearing this, his expression turned somewhat gloomy.
Seeing this, Noble Consort Zhuang advised: “You’re both still young, there’s no rush.”
“I may not be in a hurry, but I’m afraid others are,” Prince Shu replied.
Noble Consort Zhuang put her teacup down on the table and smiled: “You mean Prince Qi, or Prince Yan?”
Prince Shu was silent for a moment, then said: “I originally only considered Fourth Brother as a rival. I didn’t expect Seventh Brother to emerge suddenly. It caught me off guard.”
Noble Consort Zhuang smiled faintly and said calmly: “Since it was unexpected, then take a step back for now.”
“Mother, you mean—”
Noble Consort Zhuang raised her hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, a faint smile on her lips: “If not for the Empress Dowager’s ill health, I would have found an opportunity to talk to you about this. You and Prince Qi are at odds, but you’re neither the eldest nor born of the Empress. You were already at a disadvantage, relying only on the Emperor’s favor towards you and your maternal grandfather’s widespread influence. But these things are ultimately insignificant compared to proper rules and traditions—”
“Mother—”
Noble Consort Zhuang sighed: “Let mother finish.”
Historically, there have been cases of emperors choosing heirs based on love, but the hope for this with the current Emperor was slim.
Of course, as her son had grown and developed ambitions to compete, as his mother, she could only try her best to support him. But support was one thing; when things seemed unfeasible, it was necessary to take a step back.
“Now that Prince Yan has become the Empress’s son, although not born to her, he barely qualifies for the ‘legitimate’ status, which some officials might consider even more important than Prince Qi being the eldest. For now, you’d better take a step back and let the two of them compete.”
“But Mother, what if one of them emerges victorious? Where will my chance be then—”
Noble Consort Zhuang spoke calmly: “If you want to reap the benefits of others’ struggle, there’s always a risk of ending up empty-handed. But at worst, you’ll maintain your current status, which is still better than the fate of the former Crown Prince and Prince Jin. Sixth son, listen to your mother. First, observe the situation, then act according to the circumstances.”