Inside Jingtsu Temple, Fang Yi brought a cup of tea over to the Empress. The thing in the cup of tea could be said to be medicine, but it was not medicine. To say that it was not medicine, it did indeed have the effect of treating illnesses. This was something that Feng Yu Heng had given her. When she left the capital, and Hundred Herb Hall was closed, the Empress could not bear to drink it. From time to time, she would have to drink some of the bitter medical soups from the head of the imperial physicians. Now, Feng Yu Heng had finally returned, and she had sent the medicine over a few days ago. Only then did the Empress let out a sigh of relief and began drinking the medicine on time.
Now, looking at the medicine that was like tea, the Empress did not know where this feeling came from, as she blankly said: "I just hope that I can drink the medicine that this servant gave me for a few more years."
Fang Yi wanted to advise her not to think about such nonsense; however, it was at this time that a eunuch from Jingtsu Temple walked in with a bow. Arriving before the Empress, he saluted and said: "Your Highness, Noble Lady Yuan requests an audience."
"Noble Lady Yuan?" Fang Yi furrowed her brow and felt a sense of rejection, "What did she come here for? Your Highness, you should be resting for now. Don't see her. Just send someone to send her away. "
Just as the Empress was about to nod, she heard Noble Lady Yuan's voice come from the door. Also, it was getting closer and closer. It was clear that she had barged in without waiting for her permission. "This concubine knew that Your Highness the Empress was going to rest, but you still have not gone to sleep! Thinking about it, chatting with this concubine for a bit should not be a problem. " As she spoke, she arrived before the Empress and respectfully kneeled, saying: "This concubine pays respects to Your Highness the Empress."
Behind her, palace maid Yue Xiu also kneeled; however, she was a little nervous. Last time, she had accompanied Noble Lady Yuan to Jingtsu Temple and had been beaten. Although she had not done anything wrong this time, her own master had entered without being invited. If the Empress was angered, the one that would be beaten and punished would be her.
Fortunately, the Empress did not get too angry this time. She just placed the cup of tea in her hand on the table and used a little more force, resulting in a "bang" sound. But when she spoke again, her tone was calm as she said, "Get up! Since you've come to pay your respects, then take a seat. "With that, he waved his hand and dismissed the young eunuch who had come to deliver the message.
Fang Yi fetched a stool for Noble Lady Yuan to sit down and felt that it was a little awkward. After all, it was clear that she had heard her say that she wanted to send Noble Lady Yuan back. Not saying a single word was not good. Thus, she said, "Her Highness the Empress is currently drinking medicine. The doctor said that after drinking medicine, she should rest. Noble Lady, please don't take offense."
Noble Lady Yuan smiled and said to Fang Yi: "It's fine. I am just a lowly noble lady. I can be sent away as I please. Take my palace maids for example. If they don't have proper etiquette, they will be beaten. How can they be compared to the Empress's people? They are all noble and cannot be punished no matter what. "
Once these words came out, Fang Yi was helpless. This Noble Lady Yuan was clearly unwilling to back down. Who knew if she had come with a bit of anger, and she had heard her speak like that. At this moment, she was putting on a show to help her palace maid regain some face from the previous time! Forget it, looking at this imposing manner, it would be best if it had something to do with the matter that had been brought up last time. The Empress would also be troubled. Thus she kneeled on the ground and took the initiative to say: "It was this servant who misspoke. Would Your Highness the Empress please punish me."
The Empress frowned: "What are you doing?"
Noble Lady Yuan covered her mouth and faintly laughed, "Look! Sure enough, Your Highness the Empress is still protective. This concubine's servant really is pitiful. Last time, she came to Jingtsu Temple and suffered a beating for no reason. "
"Noble Lady, there's no need to feel wronged." Fang Yi kowtowed to the Empress, "This servant acknowledges this servant's mistake and will go out to receive ten beatings." After saying this, she stood up and walked out. Glancing sideways, she saw Yue Xiu, who was standing behind Noble Lady Yuan, slightly raise the corners of her lips with a smug expression.
The Empress' heart was filled with anger, which caused her to cough repeatedly; however, there was nobody at her side to take care of her. Noble Lady Yuan gestured for Yue Xiu to go forward and help; however, the Empress waved her hand and said: "There's no need for the trouble. This One cannot afford to use someone like you."
Yue Xiu had already taken a couple steps forward, but upon hearing this, she could not help but freeze in the middle. Noble Lady Yuan shrugged and said indifferently: "Then Yue Xiu, just come back. That's also true. Her Highness the Empress' thousand-year body must not be damaged by us." After saying this, the Empress picked up the cup of tea. She sniffed and found that it did not smell like medicine, thus she could not help but say: "Just now, you said that you would be drinking medicine. Why is it that it smells sweet? When has our palace's imperial physicians learned how to make medicine that tastes sweet? "
The Empress did not like listening to her speak, but now that she had already sat down, she could not ignore her. She could only say: "This was given by Royal Consort Yu. It did not come from the imperial physicians."
"Oh." Noble Lady Yuan nodded thoughtfully, "No wonder." She then looked at the Empress and pondered for a while before saying: "It seems that Your Highness' complexion is quite good. Thinking about it, you're quite carefree, right? Looking at your body, it seems that you've gained a bit of weight. The so-called carefree and fat should be referring to people like you. "
The Empress did not understand, "Which eye of yours saw this One gaining weight?" She had clearly lost quite a bit of weight over the past few days. Thinking a bit more, it was clear that Noble Lady Yuan had come to cause trouble, thus she could not be bothered to argue about this matter, only asking her: "You came to Jingtsu Temple. What exactly did you want to say?"
Noble Lady Yuan patted her chest and sighed, saying: "Your Highness the Empress has become more carefree, but this concubine's heart is feeling more and more suffocated. It's getting more and more suffocated with each passing day. Now, I no longer have my former grandeur, and there's nobody that wants to interact with a lowly noble lady like this concubine. It's such that there's nothing that I can say about the suffocation in my heart. Thinking about it, I can only thicken my skin and come to Your Highness the Empress to express my bitterness. "
"What bitterness do you have?" The Empress drank the medicinal tea while speaking with her, "Since you've already come, even if I don't want to hear it, I will need to say it. Just don't beat around the bush and speak!"
Noble Lady Yuan nodded, "Alright, then this concubine will speak. This concubine's heart is feeling suffocated mainly because of my maternal family's situation. This concubine has a younger sister born of a concubine, and she married a sixth rank official in Peng Zhou as a secondary wife. Originally, this concubine and second sister were both imperial concubines in the palace, and we could give that younger sister of a concubine some face and prevent her from being bullied in the manor. But ever since we sisters have been demoted, that younger sister of a concubine's days in Peng Zhou have become worse with each passing day. She's been bullied by her in-laws until she cries every day. A few days ago, my niece came into the palace to visit this concubine and brought up this matter. This concubine's heart has been troubled, and I have been unable to eat or sleep well for many days. This person has also become thinner with each passing day. "
The Empress could not understand. Was Noble Lady Yuan blind or was her heart blind? Could she really not tell if she was fat or thin? Seeing that this woman's face had become round and chubby, it could be seen just how comfortable her days were, yet she insisted on saying that she was thin. It really was … There was nothing that the Empress could do. She could not be bothered to argue, thus she followed along and said: "No matter what, she is still the concubine of a prince. How much courage does that in-laws have to mistreat her?"
"Hah!" Noble Lady Yuan sighed and said: "Imperial Concubine has lived in the palace for a long time, and very few people have spoken to you about the matters outside. You don't know this, but the large residences outside are not as harmonious as you imagine. There are plenty of shady dealings going on behind the scenes."
The Empress' heart felt stifled! There were even people that had spoken to her about the matters outside? Was this mocking her for not having a prince? But what could she possibly say? The reality was like this. It was precisely because she did not have a prince that she could sit in the position of Empress and peacefully sit there for so many years. As long as she had a son, Emperor Tianwu could not possibly allow her to be Empress.
While she was thinking to herself, Noble Lady Yuan spoke up once more: "This concubine has sat in the position of noble lady for so long and has always been obedient. His Highness the eighth prince had previously been stationed at the border and had made great contributions to Dashun. Now, he is wholeheartedly thinking of His Majesty and helping to share His Majesty's burdens. Imperial Concubine, there is no harm in asking around. Are all of the citizens in the capital praising His Highness the eighth prince for being wholeheartedly devoted to the people! This concubine was thinking that since His Highness the eighth prince is able to think of His Majesty so thoroughly, Your Highness the Empress, can you also think of this concubine? "
The Empress frowned upon hearing this: "What do you want this One to think of?"
"Imperial Concubine already knows the answer, yet you ask."
"If you are talking about being demoted to noble lady, forgive this One for being powerless." She put down the teacup in her hand and stared at Noble Lady Yuan, saying: "Back then, His Majesty gave the decree to demote you to noble lady. How much ability does this One have to disobey His Majesty's wishes?"
"I did not ask you to disobey." Noble Lady Yuan raised her head and said: "But you are the Empress. No matter what, His Majesty will listen to you. Unlike us sisters in the inner palace, it's difficult for us to even see His Majesty. Your Highness the Empress, it's been so many years. You have been in the middle palace, and you should speak up for the sisters in the inner palace. It's not to say that His Majesty should share the benefits equally, but at the very least, you can't just leave us in the cold. You don't think of us when it comes to good things, but when it comes to demoting us, it really is not ambiguous in the slightest. This concubine will say something that is presumptuous. As the Empress, you can't continue to be high and mighty when the sisters are suffering. Your status was already quite far from ours to begin with. You can't allow people to feel as if you are in the South and the North. " As she spoke, she emphasized the word 'North'. At this moment, the flogging outside began, and Fang Yi's loud cry could be heard.
The Empress felt irritated and coldly said: "Is there a hidden meaning in your words?"
"Yes." Noble Lady Yuan nodded very seriously, "There is indeed a hidden meaning in my words, but if the Empress does not care about that matter, then it's fine. But this concubine will remind you that you must not think that you can be worry-free just because you don't have a son. Think a little more for the Cheng family. The Cheng family is innocent. No matter how magnanimous the Empress' heart is, you can't disregard your maternal family in the slightest. "
"Enough!" The Empress suddenly slapped the table, "You actually dare to threaten this One. You really are bold!"
This slap caused Yue Xiu to tremble in fear; however, Noble Lady Yuan was not afraid in the slightest, as she continued to speak with full confidence: "If you say it's a threat, then it's a threat! Either way, it's not the first time. "
The Empress took a few deep breaths and thought about it a few times. There were a few times when she hated that she could not just get rid of Noble Lady Yuan, but there were a few times when she forcefully suppressed those thoughts. Getting rid of Noble Lady Yuan was easy, but she was the Eighth Prince's birth mother. Not to mention the fact that the Eighth Prince would continue to harass her because of his birth mother's death, but just the source of this information was enough to cause her heart to tremble. She let out a heavy sigh and spoke once more, very powerlessly saying: "This One really is unable to help you with this matter!"
Noble Lady Yuan, however, shook her head and said: "You can't speak so harshly. As long as Your Highness the Empress wants to help, you can definitely help. Right now, His Highness the Eighth Prince's reputation is quite good. His Majesty will be able to give you a bit of face. As long as you bring it up, I trust that His Majesty will not refuse your intentions. "
"Hmph!" The Empress snorted, "Back then, why didn't you think more about the future for yourself and your son?"
"How could this concubine not have thought about it?" Noble Lady Yuan smiled and said: "But there are many things that we cannot control on our own. At that time, our emotions had already reached that point, and the matter had already been done. There was no point in bringing it up later. Just like Your Highness, don't you also have many things that you cannot control? "
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