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Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing smiled calmly and said, "As one ages, there will always be some small ailments, how can one be the same as when they were young? Your Majesty is the ruler of the country, handling many affairs every day. There is no need to make a fuss over such a small matter."
The Emperor snorted, "Who said that? Zhen saw the Empress Dowager looking very alive and healthy! She is even stronger than before!"
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing was slightly surprised, apparently not expecting the Emperor to suddenly mention the Empress Dowager.
She said with a smile, "It is a blessing for the State of Zhao that the Empress Dowager is in good health. Your Majesty has worked hard over the years, day and night, and Empress Dowager has shared a lot of your burden."
The Emperor sneered, "Imperial concubine mother, there's no need for you to speak for her."
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing responded, "I'm not speaking for her. We entered the palace together and have known each other for so many years. How could I not understand her temperament? She has a sharp tongue and a strong personality, but her heart is towards Your Majesty."
The Emperor said coldly, "If she’s really on Zhen’s side, she should just hand over the power of the imperial court to Zhen and live peacefully in Renshou Palace."
"I get it, I get it, I won't say any more. The medicine has gotten cold." Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing picked up the medicine bowl and started drinking the medicine.
The Emperor watched her quietly when his gaze suddenly fell on the wooden hairpin on Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's head. He furrowed his eyebrows and said, "Although imperial concubine mother observes vegetarianism and recites Buddhist scriptures, her daily life is just too austere. She doesn't even have a decent hairpin, unlike Empress Dowager who is adorned with pearls and jewels and living in extravagance!"
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing opened her mouth to speak but then stopped.
She continued to drink the medicine.
The Emperor glanced at the bare table and asked Grannie Cai who was serving on the side, "Are there no sweets in the room?"
Grannie Cai smiled awkwardly, "Imperial concubine dowager doesn't eat those."
The Emperor sneered, "Imperial concubine mother is too insistent on enduring hardship. In Renshou Palace, there are at least eight kinds of sweets, if not ten!"
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's eyelashes trembled. She drank the medicine in one breath, handed the empty bowl to Grannie Cai, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty has mentioned Empress Dowager several times today."
The Emperor choked up, "Zhen did?"
"En." Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing smiled and looked at him.
The Emperor harrumphed, "It's all because she has gone too far with her actions, she's giving Zhen a headache. Zhen only hopes to strip her of her power soon, so that Zhen can bring imperial concubine mother back to the palace with peace of mind."
"You ah." Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing shook her head helplessly.
"Your Majesty, Eunuch Wei is here." A young eunuch entered and reported.
"Why is he here?" asked the Emperor.
"Go and see what he is here for. It must be something important." Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing said.
The Emperor returned after two quarters of an hour, looking somewhat serious.
"Your Majesty, what happened?" Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing asked, sitting at the head of the bed.
The Emperor had always been open with Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing, saying everything he knew. He sighed and said, "Gu Chao came to ask for a decree to betroth his granddaughter to An Junwang."
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing was slightly stunned, "Old Marquis Ding'an? How could he marry her granddaughter into the Zhuang Family?"
The two families belonged to different factions, and while they did not necessarily oppose each other, they would not choose to be connected through marriage.
The Emperor said helplessly, "An Junwang has taken advantage of Second Young Miss Gu and refused to make her his legitimate wife. Instead, he offered her the status of a concubine. Gu Chao is not a man who seeks fame or fortune, nor does he seek power. However, he cannot swallow this insult and feels that the Zhuang Family has gone too far with their attitude of not making proper amends."
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing fell silent for a moment before saying, "I've also heard of An Junwang before, but I didn't expect him to do something like this."
"To be honest, Zhen was also shocked." The Emperor said.
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing looked at him and asked, "Your Majesty disagrees with this marriage?"
The Emperor nodded, "To be honest with imperial concubine mother, Zhen is somewhat hesitant."
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing said gently, "Is His Majesty worried that their marriage will work against you?"
The Emperor shook his head, "No, Gu Chao is not that kind of person, and besides, Gu Jinyu is not his biological granddaughter. She is just a child from a peasant family who was mistakenly raised as their own.” Old Marquis would not change his position for her. The Emperor was sure of this.
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing thought for a moment and said, "Then, is His Majesty worried that the Empress Dowager will not agree?"
At the mention of Empress Dowager, the Emperor's expression turned cold. "Empress Dowager doesn't know about this yet, and Zhen has no intention of asking for her opinion."
There would be no room for a change once he asked for her opinion. Either he wouldn't do it, or he would have to take the lead.
"Then, what is His Majesty worried about?" Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing asked.
The Emperor hesitated for a moment before saying, "This woman has caused trouble before and has a somewhat bad reputation." Most importantly, she took credit for the little miracle physician's work, which the Emperor couldn't stand, so he wasn't willing to promote Gu Jinyu’s status.
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing didn't ask specifically what kind of trouble Gu Jinyu had caused. She paused for a moment and asked with a smile, "Has she not reflected and changed?"
The Emperor answered, "Zhen heard that she has turned over a new leaf. She even went to the child care residence without telling her family, where she tirelessly took care of the children and even fainted from exhaustion."
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing said in a warm tone, "Your Majesty, to recognize one's mistake and make amends is a great virtue. Moreover, Old Marquis Ding'an has worked hard for Your Majesty, even dispersing the Gu Family's army and enduring public criticism. If Your Majesty can't even grant his small request, it would be too cold-hearted towards Old Marquis Ding'an."
The Emperor carefully thought about it. Old Marquis Ding'an had never asked for anything from him before, and now that he finally did, it would be a bit unfair if he refused him.
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing added, "Speaking of which, Old Marquis Ding'an saved my life back then."
"Is that true?" The Emperor looked at Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing in surprise.
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing lowered her head and smiled self-deprecatingly. "That was before I entered the harem. I went to the temple to light an incense and was attacked by bandits on the way back. If not for Old Marquis Ding'an drawing his sword and scaring off those bandits, I might have died in the wilderness."
The Emperor stared blankly and said, "Zhen has never heard imperial concubine mother mention it before."
Empress Dowager Jing smiled and looked at him, "At that time, I had already been selected to enter the harem and was not allowed to leave the palace without permission. I sneaked out secretly. It's also because I was young and mischievous."
The Emperor suddenly realized, "So that's it." He mused for a moment and said, "I will consider Old Marquis's request carefully."
"Alright." Empress Dowager Jing nodded with a smile.
After chatting with Empress Dowager Jing for a while, Eunuch He went inside to urge him, "Your Majesty, it's time to return to the palace."
Looking at the darkening sky, Empress Dowager Jing couldn't help but feel a bit reluctant. She patted the Emperor's hand and said, "Your Majesty, you should return to the palace."
The Emperor sighed and asked Eunuch He, "What about the talisman for peace that Zhen asked you to get?"
Eunuch He quickly took out a small brocade box from his sleeve, opened it, and handed it to the Emperor, "Here it is! It is especially blessed by the Abbot!"
Empress Dowager Jing looked at the talisman emitting an endless Buddhist aura and asked, "What is this for?"
"Oh." The Emperor said, "It's for Empress Dowager."
Empress Dowager Jing was slightly stunned.
Eunuch Wei smiled and said, "A few days ago, Empress Dowager got sick after taking care of His Majesty for one night without sleeping."
Empress Dowager Jing smiled and said, "It's rare for you pair of mother and son to set aside your differences."
The Emperor looked at Empress Dowager Jing and said, "My mother is still imperial concubine mother, while she is merely the Empress Dowager of a country to Zhen. This talisman for peace is something given by a ruler to the Empress Dowager, not a son to his mother. Besides, Zhen can't hide my whereabouts from her. Instead of letting her come and trouble you because of my visit, it's better for Zhen to say that I came to ask for a talisman for her and check on imperial concubine mother along the way."
Empress Dowager Jing smiled helplessly, "Empress Dowager won't do anything to me. Your Majesty is overthinking."
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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