Chapter 622: Ruined Reputation
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Perhaps because she could tell that she was really uneasy, her mother advised her to give birth to a son and a daughter for Yu Zongshen as soon as possible.
With children, a man would have half of his heart at home.
However, she felt bitter.
Yu Zongzheng did not touch her often. Even if she wanted to give birth, she could not.
She said vaguely that Yu Zongshen had a lot of work to do every day and was often busy late at night.
Her mother did not think too much about it. As soon as Yu Zongshen entered the royal court, he was placed in an important position. It would definitely be more difficult for him than others, so her mother secretly gave her a prescription.
If she took the medicine half a month after her period, it would be easier for her to get pregnant.
Her three children were all obtained through this method.
For some reason, when Madam Yao thought of Madam Xie, she suddenly thought of the past. Her heart turned cold, and she glanced at Yu Youyao, who was standing beside her.
She looked 50-60% like Madam Xie and she felt frustrated.
The carriage behind her gradually stopped. Madam Yao took a deep breath.
“You sisters will take a carriage. I’ll squeeze in with the maidservants at the back.”
It wasn’t until the Yu Residence’s carriage resumed its journey that Zhou Linghuai lowered the window curtain.
The carriage was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Zhou Linghuai rubbed the string of honey-yellow incense beads on his wrist.
This string of incense beads was made by Yu Youyao two years ago with Myrrh and Frankincense.
The effect was the opposite of the cooling beads.
One was for clearing heat, and the other was to prevent dryness.
Perhaps because they were played with often, the incense beads were shiny. The honey yellow color also looked solemn.
Zhou Linghuai chuckled. “No wonder I feel so frustrated today. It turns out that I forgot to change the cold-repelling incense bead to the cooling beads.”
Yin San knelt on one knee in the carriage and lowered his head, staring at the dust on the ground.
Just now, he had watched helplessly as Young Master crushed a black chess piece between his fingers into a handful of black ash.
“What despicable thing is this?” The person who had been laughing just now suddenly had a dark expression. His sinister voice made one’s heart skip a beat. ‘Go and send a message to that person in the palace. Concubine Lu has been in the cold for long enough. It’s time for her to come out.”
Yin San lowered his head in agreement.
Zhou Linghuai thought about it and felt that this was too easy on that dog. He pondered for a moment. “I heard that there are also many idle relatives in the imperial family who want to imitate the current emperor and refine medicinal pills? There are even people who are bold and rash enough to secretly refine the Hanshi powder recipe?” At this point, he changed the topic. “Think of a way to get Yin Huairui, that dog, involved.”
In the past dynasties, Hanshi powder had been banned repeatedly but enforcement was not strict. Even the medicinal pills that the current emperor had taken in the past two years had some Hanshi powder added.
One’s stamina would become stronger after taking this medicine, he was in high spirits. Even though most people knew that this medicine was harmful to their bodies, they still felt they would be lucky. As long as they controlled the dosage, they would be fine.
In the end, they became addicted to it and couldn’t extricate themselves. Yin San was shocked when he heard Young Master say, “Get someone to take care of Old Madam Yu in the palace. Don’t let anything happen to her.”
Zhou Linghuai thought about it again. The little girl had been standing by the roadside just now, and her eyes were red and swollen. It was obvious that not only had she suffered grievances in Rong Residence, but she had also been frightened.
When the Third Prince became addicted to Hanshi powder and made a fool of himself, it would be time for his reputation to be ruined.
He had always liked to cut his flesh with a blunt knife. Moreover, he was the kind of person who would give others a taste of their own medicine.
In the Yi Kun Palace, the Empress, who had been sick for a long time, was wearing a grayish-blue silk robe. Her head was combed into a bun and was simply fixed with a wooden stick. There were no more accessories on her body.
Perhaps because she had been sick for a long time, the Empress’s face was a little sallow and she did not look too good, but she was in good spirits. She carried a small wooden bucket and watered the flowers in the courtyard like an ordinary farmer’s wife.
There were many expensive peony flowers planted in the courtyard.
April and May were flowering seasons. All kinds of peonies were rushing to bloom, and they were beautiful.
At this moment, the head palace maid, Dan Hong, walked over. “Your Majesty, there’s news from outside the palace.”
The Empress patiently watered the vermillion peonies in front of her before throwing the ladle into the wooden bucket. “Oh? Ever since the Flower Festival in the Marquis of Changxings Residence three years ago, you haven’t taken the initiative to send a message to me for a long time.” At this point, she smiled meaningfully. “What news was spread this time?
Dan Hong took a step forward and whispered into the Empress’s ear.
After a while, the Empress smiled again. “Consort Xu’s move is very brilliant, but she’s a little anxious and her steps are too fast and big.” At this point, she sighed slightly. “She doesn’t lack schemes and brains. It’s just that she’s been suppressed by Concubine Lu for too long after so many years. Now that
Concubine Lu has entered the Cold Palace and she’s in charge of the phoenix seal, she became arrogant once she gained power. In the end, it’s difficult for her to achieve anything big like Concubine Lu.”
It was not that she was not smart, but that she was too smart. It was inevitable that she would be arrogant.
She had thought it through very well and her schemes were not bad. If it were anyone else, she would have succeeded. However, she had forgotten that Old Madam Yu was a widow and had guarded her family for half her life. How could she be someone who would let her family suffer?
Dan Hong lowered her head and said nothing.
The Empress took a pair of small gold scissors from the tray in the little palace maid’s hand and bent down to trim the branches. “There will always be many flower buds on a flower tree. If you want the flowers to bloom beautifully, leave a flower bud on each branch. You have to trim all the excess.” At this point, she picked out a pot of peony that had yet to bloom and trimmed the extra flower bud on it. “As the Empress of the Flowers, how can you have two masters at once?!”
Dan Hong took a look. The pot had the Empress’s favorite peonies The flowers were purple-red and in the shape of a lotus crown. The flowers were large and voluptuous. They were incomparably noble and beautiful. They were praised by the world as the Empress of Flowers!
The Empress continued to trim the excess leaves. “At night, go to the Qianji Palace and tell the emperor that my appetite hasn’t been good recently and I often miss the milk cake that Concubine Lu made in the secret residence. I looked for the imperial kitchen to make some. However, it doesn’t taste the same.”
Dan Hong lowered her head in agreement.
All these years, the Empress rarely asked for anything. If she wanted to eat a mouthful of milk cake, there was no reason for the emperor not to fulfill her wish.
Back then, the emperor had married Concubine Lu first, and only welcomed the Empress into the residence half a year later. When he mentioned the secret residence back then, the emperor couldn’t help but think of his relationship with Concubine Lu.
The Empress sighed slightly. “What a pity. There’s no difference to me who becomes the emperor except the Third Prince.”
The Xu Residence was powerful. If the Third Prince really took that position, would Imperial Consort Xu still be willing to continue living under someone else and hand over the position of Empress Dowager to someone else to be a concubine?
Ning Yuanbo’s residence was sealed. If the Second Prince wanted to ascend the throne, he would need the Empress’s help. In the future, when the Second
Prince ascended the throne, he would still need the legitimate Empress to stabilize the court for him.
There was even less of a need to talk about the Fourth Prince..
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