noffsinger Chapter 960: Palace Maids and Concubines 3
Chapter 960: Palace Maids and Concubines 3
Upon learning that the Empress Dowager wanted to see him, the Emperor went to the Empress Dowager's palace as soon as he finished his court session.
"The Emperor is here!" The Empress Dowager was sitting at the dinner table when the Emperor arrived. "Please sit down and have breakfast with me!"
"It is because your majesty loves me that you know I must have come to Ci'an Palace without having breakfast. You waited for me on an empty stomach to have breakfast together." The emperor smiled and sat down and said:
"You are my only son. If I don't love you, who else can I love?" the Queen Mother said with a smile. "Alright, let's eat!"
The Empress Dowager was well-educated and never spoke while eating or sleeping, so she naturally would not talk to the Emperor while eating.
Only after the mother and son finished their breakfast and accepted the tea served by the palace maid did the Queen Mother speak: "I released Jing Yingying to vent my anger on Concubine Min. I know that you have been sending people to take care of Jing Yingying in the cold palace all these years, and you are very concerned about her."
The Queen Mother took a sip of tea, then put the cup down before continuing, "I don't care how much you dote on Jing Ying, but no matter how Concubine Min tortures Jing Ying to vent her anger, you are not allowed to interfere."
The emperor said with an embarrassed expression: "What are you talking about, mother? Since Jing promised that you would release him to vent Concubine Min's anger, then I will naturally not interfere."
In front of the empress dowager, the emperor always acted like a child who never grew up. He dared not refute her words at all. This was the kind motherly love and filial piety taught by a strong mother.
The Queen Mother nodded in satisfaction. "I am very pleased that the Emperor has listened to my words. However, I still want to warn you. No matter how much you like Jing Da Ying, don't let Jing Da Ying fool you like before."
"How can the concubines in the harem have such pure love for the emperor? How could I not know what happened to the child that Concubine Xu aborted? The reason I don't want to clear Concubine Jing's name is simply because I am disgusted by Concubine Jing."
"It's okay for concubines in the harem to compete for favor, but if they use so-called true love to compete for favor, and even act like a spoiled brat after getting the advantage, and look down on others' efforts to win favor, that's truly disgusting."
"What's more, Jing promised that he had great ambitions. Otherwise, why would he have thought of using his own maid to win over the Imperial Household Manager? The fact that he could do such a thing is enough to prove that Jing promised that he had great ambitions."
"The Emperor has been ruling the country for several years now. I believe you should understand without me having to break it down to pieces. The hidden dangers and harm that a favored concubine's overly ambitious ambitions can bring to the country and its people. You should be able to clearly understand."
"Your Majesty, what you said is true." The Emperor did not take the Queen Mother's words lightly. After all, what the Queen Mother said was what the Emperor thought. "Don't worry, Your Majesty, although I have some different feelings for Jing, that's all. I won't go crazy just for a woman."
"I know clearly which is more important, this woman or the country."
The Queen Mother nodded in satisfaction: "If Your Majesty understands, then I am relieved."
"Alright, hurry back and take care of government affairs! As for Jing, don't favor her for the next few days. Let her suffer more at the hands of Concubine Min. It's better for such an ambitious woman to suffer more and be content."
"Yes, I will do as my mother says," the emperor said, and then he stood up. "Then I will go back to take care of government affairs."
"Go!" As the empress dowager finished speaking, the emperor stood up and walked outside.
"The Emperor has lived up to my teachings," the Empress Dowager said to Grandma Gao with a look of satisfaction after the Emperor left. "Originally, I was a little worried about releasing Consort Jing from the cold palace, but now it seems that my worries are a little unnecessary."
"The Emperor was personally taught by the Empress Dowager, so he's naturally a wise ruler. How could he lose his mind over a woman?" said Grandma Gao. "That's why Jing promised to be locked up in the cold palace for three years. If she hadn't been, the Emperor might have been tired of her long ago."
"After all, with the Emperor's wisdom, how could he not see Jing's tactics to win favor? The reason he favors Jing is simply because he feels it's a bit of a novelty. Once this novelty wears off, Jing will naturally no longer be special in the Emperor's eyes."
The emperor had just come out of the Empress Dowager's palace and was about to get on the sedan chair when Jiang Chunxi happened to come to the Empress Dowager's palace in the sedan chair.
"Your Majesty," Jiang Chunxi stepped down from the sedan chair and came before the Emperor, bowing coquettishly. "How come Your Majesty has time to come and pay his respects to the Empress Dowager today?"
"What are you talking about?" Although the emperor said this, he was not angry. "You are talking as if I am an unfilial son."
"Your Majesty," Jiang Chunxi said coquettishly, "I was just saying something, why are you trying to pick on my words? You are speaking harshly to me, and I can't help but think that you are venting your anger on someone else."
"Hmph! I think Your Majesty already knows how I've caused your beloved to suffer!" Jiang Chunxi pouted unhappily. "But no matter how dissatisfied Your Majesty is with me, I will not show mercy to Jing Ming. Just because Jing Ming dared to blatantly seduce Your Majesty in front of me last night, my hatred for her has deepened even more."
"Anyway, I'm going to say this straight up. Your Majesty, don't even think you can stop torturing Jing Ying. As long as Jing Ying stays in the Liuli Palace, I won't let her go. I won't let her go until she's half dead. The hatred in my heart won't go away."
"I really can't do anything about you," the emperor said helplessly, "I didn't say anything, but you blamed me first."
"Alright, stop overthinking and hurry in to pay your respects to the Empress Dowager!" The Emperor got into the sedan chair as he spoke. "But you'd better be gentle with your torture of Jing Mingxing. Don't go too far, okay? No matter how bad Jing Mingxing is, she's still a concubine in the harem after all. If you torture her too harshly, it will damage your reputation."
"Hmph!" Jiang Chunxi stamped her feet unhappily. "Your Majesty, why don't you just admit it? You said it was for my reputation, but you're looking at me and wondering if I don't know. Are you using roundabout methods to protect Jing's consent?"
"I'm truly defeated by you," the emperor said, feeling speechless. "Forget it, think whatever you want! Just think of my kindness as being taken for granted."
As soon as he finished speaking, the emperor ordered his men to take the sedan chair and leave, otherwise if he continued to talk to Concubine Min, he would probably be angered by her.
Jiang Chunxi watched the emperor's sedan chair go away before she walked into Ci'an Palace.
Today was no different from usual. Jiang Chunxi still made the empress dowager happy and accompanied her for lunch before leaving.