Emperor Ming: Your Majesty, you have caused me so much suffering.

Chang Le Palace (Note 1).

Consort Wu, who is over fifty years old, is sewing clothes with a needle. However, due to her age, her eyesight is not as good as before, and she sews each stitch very slowly.

My daughter-in-law, Wang Lingshu, gave birth to a daughter this year, so this dress was naturally made for my granddaughter as a token of my affection.

A moment later, the personal maid, Madam Xiang, hurried inside and stood by her side.

Consort Wu glanced up at Madam Xiang, her hands still busy with their work, and asked, "How is it?"

"His Highness Prince Cheng has been ordered to oversee the country. I heard that he had a dispute with the Empress Dowager in the Wenhua Hall. The specifics of what happened are not yet known, but it is said that His Highness Prince Cheng was helped out of the palace by eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial."

"What?" Consort Wu's hands trembled, almost stinging her fingers, and a flash of cold light appeared in her eyes.

Lady Xiang then took out a crumpled piece of paper from her sleeve and said, "Your Highness, when I returned, a palace maid secretly delivered this to me."

Consort Wu gestured for Lady Xiang to smooth out the crumpled paper, put down her needle and thread, and then took the paper to examine it closely. Seeing that the seal was intact, she nodded but did not rush to unfold it for further inspection.

"Do you know who sent this message?"

Madam Xiang shook her head and said, "This servant does not know. It was just a sudden collision that caused this item to fall into my hands. The palace is under martial law and there are many eyes and ears, so this servant dared not stop her to ask questions."

Consort Wu nodded slightly, signaling Madam Xiang to open the seal, take out the letter, and then turn around and paced to look at it.

Upon closer inspection, I was pleasantly surprised, but also a little angry.

She was certain that this was a message sent by Zhu Qiyu. If it were a palace servant acting on their own, she would at most remind herself to be careful and cautious, and would never come up with the idea of ​​crying and making a scene.

Consort Wu put away the letter and gestured to Lady Xiang to bring a basin of water. She placed the letter in the water, and Lady Xiang understood. The paper was torn to shreds in the water, turning into a basin of ink.

Consort Wu calmed down and looked out the window, murmuring: "Yu-ge'er has underestimated his mother!"

She entered the inner palace at the age of sixteen as a daughter of a good family (Note 2), accompanied Emperor Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji for more than ten years before giving birth to Zhu Qiyu. She has been in the inner palace for nearly forty years. She survived the funerary system and has remained safe and sound in the inner palace all these years. Even Empress Dowager Sun could not do anything to her. She is no ordinary person.

Without cunning and scheming, Zhu Qiyu would not have been born when Empress Dowager Sun held the most favor in the harem.

She was only worried about Zhu Qiyu, but she never expected her son to be so capable. She had truly underestimated him in the past.

Now that there is an inside agent in the palace who can transmit information without anyone noticing, this inside agent's status in the palace is probably not low.

Consort Wu pondered for a moment. Rather than waiting for Empress Dowager Sun to make trouble, it would be better to take the initiative. Moreover, Zhu Qiyu's method might actually work for now.

Unforgiving even when you're in the right!

"Heading to the Cining Palace!"

Madam Xiang accepted the order and said, "This servant will arrange it immediately."

In the Cining Palace, Empress Dowager Sun felt increasingly choked up as she recalled the events of the day.

Zhu Qiyu suddenly rose to power outside the palace, while his daughter-in-law, Empress Qian, only knew how to cry all day long. If she had given birth to a legitimate son earlier, things wouldn't have been so passive.

A short while later, a palace maid announced the news.

"Reporting to the Empress Dowager, Consort Wu requests an audience."

Empress Dowager Sun frowned. She hadn't even gone to cause trouble for her, yet the girl had come to her door on her own.

"Announce!"

When Consort Wu entered, there was no smile on her face, only a look of sorrow, as if she were saying, "I am bitter, I am worried!"

"This concubine greets the Empress Dowager!" Consort Wu bowed respectfully.

"We've known each other for decades, so there's no need for such formalities. Why do you have time to come to Cining Palace when you're not staying at Chang Le Palace?"

Empress Dowager Sun pretended to be familiar with her, but she immediately became wary, knowing that Consort Wu was no pushover either.

Over the years, she has defeated countless concubines in the harem, even Empress Hu, but she is helpless against the person in front of her.

Back then, Consort Wu took advantage of the fact that she was in her late pregnancy and her mind was focused on the child in her womb, leaving her unable to attend to matters in the palace. This allowed Zhu Zhanji to have sex with Consort Wu, and coincidentally, she gave birth to Prince Cheng, Zhu Qiyu, thus obtaining a pardon from death.

This matter caused Empress Dowager Sun to harbor deep resentment for a long time. Over the years, she kept a close watch on Consort Wu until the death of the Grand Empress Dowager and the enthronement of her son, Zhu Qizhen, which finally made her less wary.

But fate is unpredictable, and now she has to pay attention to this mother and son. The Prince of Cheng's performance today has really alarmed her, and she can't help but scrutinize Consort Wu.

Wow!

Consort Wu wept first as a sign of respect!

"Your Majesty, I have heard that the Emperor is in exile and the country is in peril. You have appointed Yu-ge'er to oversee the country. You know that Yu-ge'er is timid and fearful. If you rashly appoint him to oversee the country, he will surely be trembling with fear and walking on thin ice. If he does not do well, Your Majesty, please be lenient and do not beat or scold him. I have not been able to bear beating or scolding him even once in more than twenty years. Hearing about what he has suffered today, my heart is breaking."

"I heard that Yu-ge'er could only barely leave the palace with the help of eunuchs. You are also Yu-ge'er's legal mother. How can you bear it? The late emperor only had two sons, one of whom is still in the hands of the enemy. If something were to happen to Yu-ge'er, how would we answer to the late emperor and our ancestors?"

After speaking, Consort Wu was already in tears, the tears falling like they were free.

Fortunately, Zhu Qiyu was not present, otherwise he would have taken notes on the spot.

Empress Dowager Sun was already in a bad mood, and when Consort Wu interrupted her like that, she turned pale with anger.

Your son is timid and fearful, always on edge, and yet he still can't do things well?

You're probably saying the opposite of what you mean!

My son still doesn't know if he can come back. Who should be heartbroken?

The more Empress Dowager Sun listened, the more uncomfortable she felt.

Wait, when did I ever scold or beat Zhu Qiyu? Why am I being blamed for this?

Empress Dowager Sun said with a grim face, "When did I ever beat or scold Yu'er? Don't talk nonsense!"

"But Yu-ge'er can't possibly harm himself like that. I know Yu-ge'er well; he's very well-behaved. Why would he harm himself for no reason?" Consort Wu cried even more bitterly, as if someone were cutting off her own flesh.

And you know what? Consort Wu was absolutely right!

Empress Dowager Sun then said, "It was precisely because Yu-ge'er kowtowed on his own that he was injured, and I was unable to stop him in time."

"Why is Yu-ge'er kowtowing so vigorously for no reason?" Consort Wu stopped crying, her eyes full of suspicion, staring intently at Empress Dowager Sun with a look that said, "Don't lie to me," demanding an explanation from her.

Empress Dowager Sun was getting a little impatient under Consort Wu's gaze, and her breathing became labored. She said, "This is a matter of state, and it's not something you should be asking about. Go back to your Chang Le Palace. You're already in your fifties, and you still look like this. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"

"Yu-ge'er is my son, how can I not inquire about him? He is my only son. If anything happens to Yu-ge'er, I will not live either." Consort Wu sobbed again, and after crying for a while, she paused, "If it is because of court affairs, the Empress Dowager cannot punish Yu-ge'er. If I cannot inquire about him, then the Empress Dowager probably should not inquire about him either."

"Since Your Majesty wishes to concern yourself with state affairs, why not hold court and govern from behind the curtain? Why have Yu-ge'er oversee the country? As a prince, Yu-ge'er will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of his life. I am also happy to be in the palace and do not need to worry about this. If Your Majesty is not satisfied with Yu-ge'er, then remove him from the position of overseeing the country and do not make things difficult for me and my son."

Even the most composed Empress Dowager Sun could not hold back at this moment, and shouted, "Shut up!"

Consort Wu's words were incisive, clearly implying that the empress dowager should not interfere in politics. If such words were to spread, she would surely be condemned by the civil officials.

She now wants to remove Zhu Qiyu from his position as regent; if she could, she wouldn't need Consort Wu to ask.

"I only feel sorry for Yu-ge'er. Why don't you let Yu-ge'er's fifth uncle (Prince Xiang) come to the capital to oversee the country?"

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Sun was completely enraged, as this was exactly what she had in mind.

However, this message must not be leaked. If the court officials find out, King Xiang will have no chance of returning to the capital.

Consort Wu's tearful lament suggests that her plans may be doomed before they even begin.

Damn it, when did this mother and son become so powerful and difficult to deal with!

Empress Dowager Sun calmed herself down, suppressing her anger, fearing that Consort Wu might say something else.

"Guards, escort Consort Xian back to the palace."

After she finished speaking, a palace servant came and helped Consort Wu out. At this moment, the palace servants of Cining Palace were also very careful and did not dare to offend Consort Wu to death.

Who knows if the times will change? In the palace, life and death are decided by a single word from those above.

Assessing the situation and being able to read the flow of events is a fundamental skill for survival in the palace.

Consort Wu knew when to stop and left Cining Palace without hesitation. She decided to go all the way and returned to Changle Palace in tears.