Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Although the Ning and Rong mansions of the Jia family intentionally spread the news that Jia Zhen had died of illness.

However, it is clear that the effect was not good.

Within two days, the scandal involving Ningguo Mansion had become the talk of the town.

Every prominent family and clan had heard of it, and everyone regarded it as the biggest laughing stock and scandal in the capital since Emperor Ningkang's reign five years ago.

If we add to that the newly appointed Imperial Concubine Jia, and the "romantic tales" circulating in the streets a few days ago between the newly rich Jia family of Rongguo Mansion and the most favored princess of the imperial family, then without a doubt, the Jia family has become the most famous family in the capital.

Opinions are mixed, but its popularity is unparalleled.

The Forbidden City, East Route, Chonghua Palace.

A group of beautiful women slowly walked into the spacious and secluded inner hall.

These women would be considered exceptional beauties in the common world, but within the palace, where beauties abound, they are not so conspicuous.

But the person at the very front, even among a group of beauties, still stood out dazzlingly.

Even the most outstanding palace maids could not overshadow her graceful radiance.

Upon seeing her approach, even the most supreme being couldn't help but smile, nodding and smiling at her from afar.

The Empress Dowager left her maids behind and came to the Emperor Emeritus alone, performing a standard court etiquette.

"Your Majesty, I have seen you. You look even better than before, after several days apart."

The Emperor Emeritus smiled slightly, gestured for the Empress Dowager to sit down, then took a cup of tea from a servant and offered it to her, casually saying, "This is tea from the Western Regions that the King of Oirat just sent. I heard they call it something like 'tea shop' there. I didn't find the taste very good, so you should try it."

The Empress Dowager smiled upon hearing this, and without any hesitation, accepted the tea, covered her face with her sleeve, and took a small sip.

"I think the taste is acceptable. It's mellow and fragrant, but with a faint fishy smell, which must be due to the addition of milk or something similar."

As the Empress Dowager spoke, she made a gesture of pursing her lips, and finally smiled and said, "However, it is indeed not as good as the tea from our Central Plains. It must be something that the herdsmen in the cold border regions usually drink, which can both relieve the heat and fill their stomachs."

The retired emperor, having tasted the finest teas in the world, would naturally not deign to appreciate such crude things.

The Emperor Emeritus laughed. "Chang'er is right. Fresh goat milk is indeed added. The envoy praised it so highly that I thought it was some kind of delicacy. I even had someone specially learn how to cook it."

"Heh heh, so it seems the Emperor Emeritus is greatly disappointed?"

Indeed.

The Empress Dowager knew that the Emperor Emeritus would not simply invite her for tea and a brief sip of tea, so she tactfully took the initiative to inquire further.

The Emperor Emeritus straightened his posture slightly and asked, "I've heard that you intend to betroth Zhaoyang to the grandson of the Duke of Rong. Is that true?"

When the Empress Dowager saw that this was indeed the case, she became much more serious and replied, "It is true. Zhaoyang has already turned eighteen and is well past the age of marriage."

Unfortunately, she was very picky, and none of the several famous and talented men I selected for her in the capital could meet her standards.

Only Jia Lian of the Rongguo Mansion, with his handsome and refined appearance, left her speechless.

The Empress Dowager reasoned that since the Emperor Emeritus had inquired about this matter, he must have known about it. Therefore, she took the initiative to say, "It's just a pity that Jia Lian got married very early, and his wife is a daughter of the Wang family of Jinling."

The Emperor Emeritus nodded. "So, Jia Lian is unwilling to divorce his wife and remarry, even if it's a princess from my royal family?"

The Empress Dowager knew the retired emperor's character well; he was autocratic and made decisions unilaterally.

Now that he knows about this, whether it's out of respect for the imperial family or simply to comply with her and Zhaoyang's wishes, Jia Lian has no room to resist.

With just a decree from the retired emperor, or even without a special decree, a single sentence can set the tone.

Even if Jia Lian had a thousand reasons, none of them would work in front of the Emperor Emeritus. If Jia Lian continued to be stubborn, he might very well face execution.

But this is not what she wanted.

Although she pressured Jia Lian, her ultimate goal was to make him marry Zhao Yang willingly, and she didn't want to turn a good thing into a bad one.

"What the Emperor Emeritus said is true. Jia Lian is indeed a man of great loyalty and righteousness. Even when I personally threatened him, he did not give in. I admire that very much."

The Empress Dowager deliberately said some nice things to prevent the Emperor Emeritus from developing a dislike for Jia Lian.

The retired emperor said, "Since he is unwilling, there is no need to force him."

After all, they are descendants of meritorious officials; if word gets out, it will be disgraceful to our royal family.

I also told Zhaoyang to stop being so willful. There are thousands of talented young men in the capital who are not yet married. I don't believe she really doesn't like any of them!

The Empress Dowager was slightly taken aback by the Emperor Emeritus's words, but then nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

The voices were rather soft.

In truth, after Jia Lian revealed his feelings, Zhao Yang herself betrayed him and instead advised her. Therefore, the Emperor Emeritus's words, "Don't be willful," sounded to her like a piece of advice.

The Emperor Emeritus seemed to sense the Empress Dowager's emotions. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I have heard that Consort Li has been disrespectful to you recently. I have punished her by making her copy over one hundred volumes of scriptures, including the Diamond Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, before the anniversary of the death of the Holy Empress Dowager."

The Empress Dowager was taken aback. After Emperor Ningkang ascended the throne, Li Lingrong increasingly disregarded her. He used his devotion to Buddhism as an excuse to rarely come and pay his respects to her.

There is certainly some disrespect involved.

However, there is no way to say that anything particularly disrespectful has happened to her recently.

Clearly, what the retired emperor said was not what it appeared to be.

Suddenly, I remembered the time I fell off my horse at the Crown Prince's villa.

Everyone else guessed that it was caused by the Crown Prince and the Third Prince framing each other, but she herself immediately thought that it was most likely Li Lingrong who did it.

The real reason why the Emperor Emeritus has suddenly turned against Li Lingrong should be this, and it is the only reasonable explanation!

The complete scriptures comprise over a hundred volumes, totaling at least a million words. Even if Li Lingrong were given a year, she might not be able to finish copying them all!

Moreover, the anniversary of Empress Dowager Shengci's death is only a few days away. It seems that in the coming days, every servant in Changchun Palace who can write will be extremely busy...

The punishment given by the retired emperor may seem light, but it was actually quite severe.

Five years after Emperor Ningkang ascended the throne, Li Lingrong held a position in the harem that, although she was not the Empress Dowager, everyone treated her with the same respect as if she were.

Being suddenly punished so harshly by the retired emperor must have been a huge blow to her.

It's just unknown what evidence the Emperor Emeritus found, or if, like her, it was merely speculation.

Regardless of the circumstances, the Emperor Emeritus's actions were all aimed at supporting and advocating for her.

She looked at the Emperor Emeritus with gratitude, but said, "I am young and have not borne any children for the Emperor Emeritus. I have not contributed to the royal family, so it is understandable that Consort Li is dissatisfied with me."

"Your Majesty, such punishment is perhaps inappropriate; after all, she is the Emperor's birth mother..."

The retired emperor shook his head and said seriously, "There's nothing wrong with it."

I know you have been wronged. The Li family's insubordination is a capital offense!

But you're right, she is, after all, the emperor's birth mother. If I were to kill her, I fear the emperor would harbor resentment.

You are still young and have a long future ahead of you. That Lady Li is only seven or eight years younger than me. I imagine she won't live for many more years after I'm gone.

At that time, even the emperor will only be able to honor you as his mother.

Do you understand what I'm saying?

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager was startled and quickly said, "What are you saying, Your Majesty? You are in good health and will surely live a long life. I only hope to stay by Your Majesty's side until death do us part..."

It is said that emperors are the most heartless people in the world, but the retired emperor truly showed her great favor.

She understood what the Emperor Emeritus meant. It wasn't that the Emperor Emeritus couldn't kill Consort Li for her mistake, but he felt that killing Consort Li would be detrimental to him.

With the retired emperor still alive, one's status will naturally remain unchanged.

However, once the retired emperor passes away, whether her position as empress dowager remains secure depends on whether the emperor shows her filial piety.

Therefore, she must not allow the emperor to harbor resentment towards her.

Consort Li was already seventy years old, and might not even outlive the Emperor Emeritus, so Consort Li posed no real threat to her, and there was no need to do anything unnecessary.

Faced with the Empress Dowager's grateful gaze, the Emperor Emeritus smiled, shook his head dismissively, interrupting her flattery, and said instead, "By the way, it's been a long time since I've seen Chang'er dance. I wonder if Chang'er would be interested in dancing for me today?"

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager blushed, glanced around, and finally nodded.

Upon seeing this, the head eunuch in the hall immediately took the lead and dismissed the extra people.

After Lady White Snake became Empress, her dance was reserved exclusively for the Emperor Emeritus; no one else was qualified to watch it.