Before Mo Rongzhan could ask Song Qi to draft an edict, the Empress Dowager invited him to the Palace of Compassionate and Peaceful.
"If I didn't ask someone to invite you over, would it mean that you didn't plan to see me?" The Empress Dowager looked at her son angrily. He had been back for half a day, yet he didn't come to see her first and tell her what happened. He left the capital without even a word of explanation. She was in the palace and cooperated with the cabinet ministers to prevent trouble. Why didn't she notice her son's willful side before?
"Mother, it's a long story." Mo Rongzhan said in a low voice, "I brought Yao Yao back. She left the capital to find her biological father. Because of her identity … she didn't tell you and ran away without telling anyone."
The Empress Dowager said, "I thought she ran away because she didn't want to marry you."
"…" Mo Rongzhan silently glanced at the Empress Dowager. Is she still his biological mother?
"I heard that she is Ye Yiqing's daughter. Is this … true?" The Empress Dowager asked with a frown. If Yao Yao was Ye Yiqing's daughter, then she could understand why she looked so much like Ye Zhen.
Mo Rongzhan knew that this matter couldn't be concealed. Of course, he didn't intend to hide it from the Empress Dowager. "She is Ye Zhen's twin sister. She was stolen and separated when she was a child. She happened to be picked up by the Pei family and raised her as her own daughter. Before returning to the capital, she accidentally learned about her identity, but because the Ye family was destroyed, she didn't dare to say it. This time, she heard that Ye Yiqing was still alive, so she wanted to find her biological father."
The Empress Dowager sighed, "Ye Yiqing is a pure and innocent man. His two daughters are really beautiful. Your Majesty, then what about you, Yao Yao …"
Will you no longer make her empress just because she is Ye Yiqing's daughter?
Mo Rongzhan smiled faintly, "I have always treated her the same."
"What about Lu Lingzhi?" The Empress Dowager asked again.
"This matter … starts from Ye Zhen's time." At the mention of Ye Zhen's name, Mo Rongzhan's heart was still torn with pain. He told the empress dowager that Ye Zhen was the little girl he met when he was a teenager, and how Lu Lingzhi used her to frame her, and finally poisoned her to death. In the end, Mo Rongzhan's throat seemed to be blocked by something, and even his voice was hoarse. "… Mother, it was I who harmed Ye Zhen."
The empress dowager was speechless for a long time. She and Ye Zhen had met several times. At that time, although she was not favored in the palace and the Ye family was in power, Ye Zhen had always been respectful to her mother-in-law. Fearing that she would not live well in the palace, she secretly sent her a lot of things. When she learned of Ye Zhen's death, she was very sad.
No one had expected the truth to be like this.
Was this fate making a fool of him? The emperor could have been a loving couple with Ye Zhen, but in the end … In the end, the emperor really let Ye Zhen down.
"She saved you. How can you … forget her so thoroughly?" The empress dowager said helplessly, "Your Majesty, Ye Zhen died with a grievance."
Not only did she die with a grievance, but her soul was trapped with him for two years, watching how he doted on others and doted on the person who harmed her. Whenever Mo Rongzhan thought of this, he hated himself even more.
"I will issue a decree to confer her the title of the former empress." Mo Rongzhan said in a low voice, suppressing the pain and guilt in his heart. "And Ye Yiqing, I will also send people to find him."
The empress dowager had long felt that Ye Zhen should be conferred the title of the former empress. She wanted to say so to the emperor before, but at that time, the emperor hated the Ye family to the bone. She knew that even if she said it, it would not help.
"Since Ye Zhen is your savior, isn't Ye Yaoyao … manipulated by Lu Lingzhi behind the scenes?" The empress dowager thought of Ye Yaoyao, whom she had conferred the title of Concubine Yao, and frowned.
Mo Rongzhan said faintly, "Ye Yaoyao is not the person who saved me. I just used her as a chess piece. Now that she is useless, then …"
"Let her stay in the palace. Ai jia has conferred her the title of Concubine Yao. Even if she is sent out of the palace, it will not work." The empress dowager sighed, regretting that she had conferred Ye Yaoyao the title of Concubine Yao without consulting the emperor. "There is no shortage of concubines in the palace."
"I don't want Yao Yao to be unhappy." Mo Rongzhan did not forget that Ye Zhen was a vinegar jar. Although he was innocent, he could not stand the little girl's imagination.
The empress dowager gave him a funny look. "You are worried about making Yao Yao unhappy with just one concubine. Don't you plan to have other concubines in the future?"
Mo Rongzhan thought so in his heart. With Ye Zhen by his side, how could he have the mood to look at other women? Ye Yaoyao stood naked in front of him, but he still didn't have the slightest impulse. But beside Ye Zhen, her eyes made his heart ripple.
"Although Yao Yao is returning to the capital, Old Madam Lu has passed away. I am afraid she will not be able to enter the palace to pay her respects to you so soon." Mo Rongzhan did not want to talk too much about the concubines in the harem. Whether he could make Ye Zhen fall in love with him again was a difficult problem.
The empress dowager's eyes widened in surprise. She did not know the news of Old Madam Lu's death. "This … when did this happen?"
"I heard it was yesterday." Mo Rongzhan whispered, "Yao Yao is very sad."
"This … is it because Lu Lingzhi was exiled to the Wilderness and hurt his health?" The empress dowager was still very fond of Old Madam Lu. She was a rare understanding person. She did not expect her to die so soon.
Mo Rongzhan nodded gently. He was not willing to give the Lu family any more chances, but if Yao Yao continued to be in the Lu family, the Lu family could not be like this.
It would be good if Lu Shiming could separate from the family. At that time, he would only reward Lu Shiming's family, and it would have nothing to do with the other two branches of the Lu family. However, it was still too early to talk about this matter. It would be better to wait until Old Madam Lu's funeral was over.
"Mother, if there is nothing else, I will go to the imperial study. Song Qi 'an is still waiting for me." Mo Rongzhan said.
The empress dowager asked, "Are you going to issue a posthumous decree for Ye Zhen?"
Mo Rongzhan nodded gently. "I don't want to wait a moment."
"Ah, go. I hope Ye Zhen will be comforted in the afterlife." It was also a sad thing for a person to be innocent after death.
The concubines in the harem knew that the emperor had gone to the Palace of Compassionate Peace. They wanted to find an opportunity to come and pay their respects to the empress dowager. But before they could come out with heavy makeup, they heard that the emperor had returned to the imperial study.
"The emperor is back." Ye Yaoyao sat in front of the dressing table and looked outside. "That … did the princess return to the palace with him?"
"I haven't heard about the princess. Niang niang, you have to cheer up. The emperor may want you to sleep with him at any time." Dong Mei said in a low voice.
Ye Yaoyao's most trusted palace maid was no longer Chun Mei, but Dong Mei, who was later assigned to her by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. "Can I still sleep with him?"
(Nine-headed Bird Academy)
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