tallest building

Chapter 277 The Storm Calms Down

Upon hearing this, the Empress opened her eyes wide: "Meritorious service? What kind of merit do you want him to achieve?"

“Even if he doesn’t achieve anything right now, we’ll probably need him in the future,” Wen Mingqian said vaguely. “I’ve heard that Physician Su is an expert in pediatrics. When the second young master of the Chu Prince’s Mansion enters the palace in a few days, we might as well let him take care of him.”

How could the Empress not understand after hearing this? The King of Chu's youngest son entering the palace was a compromise made out of necessity.

But how could the Empress and the Dong family possibly make him the Crown Prince? They would naturally get rid of him sooner or later.

There are always some underhanded tricks in the imperial harem. The important thing is to think about an escape route before doing anything, especially to find someone to take the blame.

"But I wonder if Su Qingyun will agree?" the Empress hesitated. "If he were sensible, he shouldn't have said it in the first place."

Su Qingyun was one of the youngest among the imperial physicians. He was not usually the one to take the Empress's pulse, so the Empress was not familiar with him.

“He’s filled with remorse now, and he’s asking around for help, but who dares to plead for him?” Wen Mingqian said. “It would be easy to exile him. Even if he were punished more severely, what difference would it make?”

However, such an excessive punishment would inevitably attract gossip. For one thing, Zhu Hui and his faction from the previous dynasty would certainly seize upon this matter. Even if he were exiled, there would still be much discussion. It wasn't that the Empress originally intended to downplay the matter.

"It would be better to keep him under our noses. If he proves useful, it's better than leaving him outside the palace. If anything goes wrong, we can have him explain himself; wouldn't that be more convenient?"

The Empress reached up to hold her forehead; it felt as if someone was constantly hammering her head. "You're right. We should try to prevent this from escalating further. I'll have Yu Lu ask him about it later. If he's truly repentant, then let him go!"

After lunch, the Empress summoned Consort Yun.

Consort Yun was tall and slender, walking as if she were a willow branch swaying in the wind. However, her face was too pale, and she looked sickly.

The moment the Empress saw her, she couldn't help but think of Shen Fu, and her heart churned, making her very uncomfortable.

She and Shen Fu were almost inseparable back then, and had the best relationship among the concubines.

The Empress did not initially regard Shen Fu as a thorn in her side, because she was gentle, polite, and very humble and obedient to her.

But gradually the Empress sensed the crisis. Everyone praised Shen Fu, and the Emperor's heart was clearly leaning towards her.

What truly inflamed the Empress's murderous intent was that a sorcerer had predicted that Shen Fu would become the Empress.

The Empress was domineering and could not tolerate such words. Moreover, Shen Fu was already pregnant at the time, which fueled the rumors even more.

That autumn, Shen Fu escaped from the palace and died in the Western Frontier not long after.

Consort Yun then feigned illness and lived like a living dead person in the palace.

"Greetings to Your Majesty the Empress. May I ask what Your Majesty has commanded me?" Consort Yun stepped forward to pay her respects.

"Get up, sit down quickly." The Empress was unusually kind to her.

Consort Yun sat down carefully, but she was tense all over, as if she didn't dare to even breathe.

A palace maid brought in tea and then quietly withdrew.

"How have you been lately? You seem to be doing better than you were a few days ago," the Empress asked slowly, fiddling with the gold and jade buttons on her cuffs.

"Thank you for inquiring, Your Majesty. I have indeed been feeling much better these days," Consort Yun hurriedly replied.

"What does Linglong do every day? She'll be twelve after the New Year, time flies! She'll be a young lady soon, and in a few more years she'll be of marriageable age." The Empress brought up the Ninth Princess again. Consort Yun's expression immediately became flustered, knowing that the marriages of the previous princesses had all been arranged by the Empress.

Those she liked were arranged well, and those she didn't like were either sent to a political marriage or to a distant place, neither of which were good endings.

"This child is a bit too gentle. I'm really afraid she'll be bullied if she marries far away. Besides, I'm often sick, so I only hope she can marry someone in the capital so I can see her often." Consort Yun mustered up her courage and voiced her thoughts.

"I understand how you feel. I also think Linglong shouldn't marry far away; it would be better if she stayed by my side," the Empress smiled.

Consort Yun was both surprised and delighted upon hearing this, and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."

The Empress looked at her and said slowly, "If you truly want to thank me, why not do me a favor?"

Consort Yun was not surprised by the Empress's actions. She knew that the Empress would not give her benefits for no reason unless she asked her to do something for her.

So he asked, "Does Your Majesty have any instructions for me?"

The Empress said, "You must know a bit about what's happening in the palace. Princess Duanmin is often with you, so you must have heard that the Prince of Fenye originally came to the capital to arrange a marriage for his daughter, Zhuolahan. Unfortunately, Tong'er and Bai'er had this falling out. Yingbai has injured his eye, so naturally he cannot be chosen."

Although Tong'er caused trouble, it was unintentional. Even though he's being moved out of the palace, he's still the Crown Prince of Zhao. A temporary setback isn't a big deal; he shouldn't let it cost him a good marriage.

Upon hearing this, Consort Yun said, "Does Your Majesty mean for me to go and sound out Princess Duanmin's opinion?"

“Indeed, I know you’re not stupid. Besides sounding out the situation, I will do my best to make this happen.” The Empress nodded. “If this matter can be accomplished, all the previous issues will be wiped clean, and I will definitely treat you and the Ninth Princess well.”

"Your Majesty, I can only do my best; I dare not guarantee anything else," Consort Yun replied.

A few days later, the dust settled.

Ying Tong and Ying Bai both left the palace, planning to welcome the youngest son of the King of Chu, Ying Shan, into the palace after the New Year.

King Zhao will also leave the capital with his family after the New Year to garrison the northern frontier.

Traveling with the King of the Fields not only escorted the King of the Fields and others away from the capital, but also fulfilled his duties.

The King of Chu was also leaving the capital for Longxi, and the place where he was stationed was very close to Yunmen, where the King of Changliu was stationed.

Both the King of Chu and the King of Zhao gained something and lost something, but the matter was finally settled.

The most unfortunate family was the Liu family, the Prince of Shoushan. All the previous issues were investigated and dealt with at the same time. The Prince of Shoushan was stripped of his post and title, and his entire family was exiled.

Those who knew the situation understood that since the Dong family had no way to deal with the King of Chu, they took action against his accomplice, the Prince of Shoushan.

But the King of Chu did not want to lose more than he gained, so when the Liu family was in trouble, he refused to help them at all.

As the year draws to a close and the Emperor's birthday approaches, the palace is once again bustling with a festive atmosphere.

The Empress's headache had eased considerably, and she entrusted the task of preparing the Emperor's birthday banquet to Consort Hui and Consort Jing.

Su Qingyun was also released and was allowed to move around normally in the Imperial Hospital.

The empress not only did not punish him, but even promoted him.

This was obviously for ulterior motives, and Su Qingyun knew it, as did the Empress.