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Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing weakly shook her head and said, "All right, I'm fine now, it’s time to go back. Your Majesty should not bring me into the palace so easily again, it is inappropriate. Since I have become a nun, I will spend the rest of my life in the nunnery and accompany the ancient Buddha under the lamp."
The Emperor responded, "Imperial concubine mother can worship the Buddha anywhere. Zhen will build a nunnery for you in the palace. In the future, imperial concubine mother can accompany the Buddha there. It will also be convenient for Zhen to take care of you that way."
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's face changed slightly. She grabbed the Emperor's hand and said seriously, "This cannot be done!"
The Emperor patted Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's hand and said, "Zhen has made up his mind. Before moving into the nunnery, you will stay at Huaqing Palace without any worries. Imperial concubine mother can rest assured that no one can harm you, not even the person from Renshou Palace."
"Hong'er!" Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing called him by his name in a worried tone.
This was actually a major taboo. In the palace, only Empress Dowager Zhuang had the privilege to call the Emperor by his name.
The Emperor naturally did not mind this, as he had a deep bond with Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing. In his heart, Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing was no different from his birth mother. Regardless of the rules, she was his mother, and she had every right to call him ‘Hong'er’.
He held Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's hand and said solemnly, "Zhen should have brought you back earlier. My repeated concessions only led to Renshou Palace becoming more ruthless. Now that you are not safe outside the palace, it's better to move back openly. Zhen will do his best to protect imperial concubine mother, even if it costs Zhen his life."
The next day at the court meeting, the Emperor announced two major events. One was the marriage of An Junwang, Zhuang Yuheng, and the daughter of Marquis Ding'an Estate, Gu Jinyu. The other was the return of Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing to the imperial palace and the construction of a nunnery for her.
Both of these events were shocking. Gu Jinyu was clearly not a suitable match for Zhuang Yuheng, and Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's return to the palace violated etiquette and rules. The court was instantly in an uproar.
Grand Preceptor Zhuang was extremely angry. He did not expect the Emperor to bestow a marriage between Zhuang Yuheng and Gu Jinyu. He could easily guess that it was Gu Chao who had gone to the Emperor to ask for a favor.
Gu Chao truly had a lot of nerve bringing this matter to the Emperor!
Grand Preceptor Zhuang felt flustered!
In the eyes of Old Marquis, Grand Preceptor Zhuang should really be ashamed. An Junwang was the one who did something wrong, not Gu Jinyu. Gu Jinyu was just a victim.
Old Marquis was stubborn and conservative in some respects, but he was more open-minded and insightful than ordinary people in this matter.
If it were anyone else, when their family’s daughter was dishonored, making her unable to marry again, they would have wished for the other party to take their daughter in, even as a concubine.
But not Old Marquis.
An upright figure wasn’t afraid of a crooked shadow. If you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear!
The victim should seek justice, and the perpetrator should pay the price!
Grand Preceptor Zhuang stepped forward, holding his ceremonial tablet and saying solemnly, "Your Majesty, this matter is absolutely inappropriate. Please retract your decree!"
The Emperor sat on the dragon chair and replied sternly, "What is inappropriate, Grand Preceptor Zhuang? Is it inappropriate to bestow a marriage to your grandson or is it inappropriate to build a nunnery for Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing in the palace?"
Grand Preceptor Zhuang glanced at Empress Dowager Zhuang, who was listening behind the curtain, and asked courageously, "Has Your Majesty consulted with the Empress Dowager beforehand?"
The Emperor smiled sarcastically, "You’re saying Zhen must report even the smallest matters such as a marriage bestowal and a nunnery construction to the Empress Dowager and get her approval first? ...Zhen wonders when the great dynasty of the State of Zhao has changed its surname to Zhuang?"
Grand Preceptor Zhuang's expression changed drastically and he knelt down with his ceremonial tablet in hands, "This official has no such intention. Your Majesty, please judge clearly!"
The court officials had different expressions.
Although the Emperor was right to question it, it was true that the State of Zhao's power was practically in the hands of Empress Dowager Zhuang. Everyone knew this, it was just that no one would really poke this window paper.
The Emperor was completely pulling down the last piece of fig leaf of the imperial family.
Just what did he want to do?
Completely turn against Empress Dowager Zhuang?
The civil and military officials stood in the solemn imperial audience hall, suddenly feeling a sign of an impending storm.
The Emperor laughed casually and looked up at Empress Dowager Zhuang, who was sitting slightly above him behind a beaded curtain. His gaze passed through the curtain and fell on the phoenix figure behind it, "So, if Zhen didn't discuss with imperial mother, Zhen wouldn't even have the right to decide on his own to bestow a marriage or build a nunnery? Does imperial mother think so as well?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang ignored him and just sat there calmly.
The Emperor chuckled and didn't insist on getting an answer from her. Instead, he turned to Grand Preceptor Zhuang, who was kneeling on the floor, and his smile gradually froze, "Grand Preceptor Zhuang should know the reason well why Zhen arranged a marriage between Zhuang Yuheng and Young Miss Gu. Or does Grand Preceptor Zhuang not mind if Zhen reveals the details of this marriage to everyone?"
Grand Preceptor Zhuang's heart skipped a beat!
To reveal it to everyone would be to expose Zhuang Yuheng's misconduct to the officials and the entire world. Then, Zhuang Yuheng's nearly two decades of good reputation would be destroyed in an instant.
Not everyone could stand at the pinnacle of power and be ill-famed at the same time. Marquis Xuanping was the only exception within the six states. Zhuang Yuheng still needed some face, or rather, the Zhuang Family still needed some face.
At this moment, the Emperor hadn't made it clear yet, but the officials had already started to whisper among themselves. Grand Preceptor Zhuang even felt that the way they looked at him had changed.
Grand Preceptor Zhuang didn't dare to object anymore. He kowtowed and said with deep sorrow and humiliation, "Your Majesty... Many thanks for your grace!"
After the court adjourned, Grand Preceptor Zhuang stopped Empress Dowager Zhuang's phoenix palanquin.
He walked around to the front of the palanquin and stared fiercely at Empress Dowager Zhuang behind the curtain, "Why didn't the Empress Dowager stop His Majesty? Is the Empress Dowager going to let Heng’er marry that scandalous woman Gu Jinyu?"
In comparison, whether Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing returned to the palace or not wasn’t within Grand Preceptor Zhuang's worries. She was just an unimportant imperial concubine dowager, and the overall situation had long been settled. She could no longer be enthroned as another Empress Dowager.
Empress Dowager Zhuang remained silent inside the palanquin.
Grand Preceptor Zhuang's expression was gloomy and uncertain.
Eunuch Qin made a slight bow to Grand Preceptor Zhuang before saying to the palanquin bearers, "Go—"
Empress Dowager Zhuang's phoenix palanquin left.
Back at the Renshou Palace, the palanquin steadily landed and Eunuch Qin extended his arm.
Empress Dowager Zhuang held his arm and stepped down from the phoenix palanquin.
Eunuch Qin supported Empress Dowager Zhuang as they walked to her bedchamber and said, "Is Your Majesty giving the Zhuang Family a warning? This servant remembers that Your Majesty once said to the Grand Preceptor that every inch of land in this country belongs to the Qin Family, and not to the Zhuang Family. Today's incident finally made Grand Preceptor Zhuang realize this."
"Humph." Empress Dowager Zhuang coldly snorted.
Eunuch Qin was taken aback. He knew Empress Dowager Zhuang's every tone of voice, and this was clearly her mocking him for being wrong. He widened his eyes and said, "Isn't it? Then why hasn’t Your Majesty said anything all this time?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang said seriously, "JiaoJiao has asked Aijia to speak less."
Eunuch Qin: "..."
That was it? That was it?!
Gu Jinyu's engagement with An Junwang quickly spread throughout the capital. In less than a day, everyone knew that she was going to marry An Junwang.
"Is she going to be a concubine or a side consort?"
"Neither! I heard she's going to be the main consort! They will go through the traditional match-making process and wedding ceremony, carrying the bride back to the Zhuang Family with a grand bridal procession of eight bearers!"
The students at the women's academy were stunned.
Of course, they were also jealous.
Gu Jinyu's reputation in the capital was not bad at first, but then she made mistake after mistake. First, her real background was exposed, then she was greedy for credit and tampered with the piston bellows, causing many craftsmen of the Ministry of Works to be injured. Moreover, some even said that the piston bellows wasn’t invented by her and that she had taken credit for someone else's work.
All in all, her reputation was completely ruined, and she hadn't been to the women's academy for several months now.
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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