Rebirth: Qingying comes back to reorganize the harem

156 Ruyi had no intention of blaming Li Yu, but she did have a vague impression of Jinzhong. At that time, he seemed to be an obedient person, but she did not expect that he would secretly try to take advantage of the benefits given to him by Li Yu to get to the top so quickly.

"Li Yu, people are born with ambition, but being too ambitious is not necessarily a good thing. You should deal with your disciple yourself. Follow Lian Xin to get some medicine. I will go to see the emperor."

"Yes, thank you very much, Queen, for your trust."

……

Ruyi walked lightly to the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. From a distance, she saw the two Empress Dowagers from the East and West Palaces standing in front of the door, as if they were about to enter the hall.

Her eyes swept across the gloomy face of the Empress Dowager Xigong, and Ruyi thought to herself: Judging from the situation, they are probably here for that Zhang.

While Ruyi was thinking secretly, Yixiu noticed Ruyi approaching from behind. She smiled slightly, cast a glance at Ruyi, and then gently waved her finger, motioning Ruyi to come over.

Then, Yixiu called out in a gentle tone: "Ruyi, come here quickly. Ruyi, you have suffered! I believe you already know about Zhang's matter. Although the emperor and the empress should be of one mind, there are some things that need to be reminded. Sister, let's go to the palace first. After all, the queen is still young and has not experienced too much. As the emperor's biological mother, you have a family relationship with him after all, which is naturally different from us."

Zhen Huan's face was as cold as ice, and her eyes were flashing with chilling coldness. After hearing this, she just glanced at the aunt and niece in front of her indifferently, then nodded slightly to indicate that she understood, and then stepped forward without hesitation, rushing to the front of the team.

At this moment, Zhen Huan no longer cared whether Yixiu and her niece were plotting against her, because she knew very well that the current emperor was becoming more and more reckless and licentious. Faced with such a situation, Zhen Huan knew that she had to remain calm and alert in order to deal with the next emperor.

The emperor sat quietly on the dragon throne, his eyes slightly narrowed, watching Zhen Huan, Yi Xiu and Ru Yi slowly approaching from outside the palace. His face was as calm as water, without a trace of ripples, but he had already made his own plans in his mind.

When the three of them walked to the front of the hall, the emperor slowly stood up, bowed to his two mothers, and greeted them, saying, "The Empress Dowager and Mother came to visit me today. I wonder if they are here because of Zhang's matter as well?"

The emperor's voice was low and steady, as if he was just asking casually.

There was not much affection between Yixiu and the emperor, and she came here just to do Zhen Huan a favor. She smiled faintly and said nothing more.

Zhen Huan, on the other hand, seemed particularly anxious. She stepped forward quickly, held the emperor's hand tightly, and said in a tone full of concern and sincerity:

"Your Majesty! I know that you have sympathy for Zhang, but it is not wise to keep Zhang in the palace! She is of low status and has a complicated background. If she is allowed to stir up trouble in the harem, it will probably cause many disputes and even endanger the stability of the court!" At the end, Zhen Huan's tone couldn't help but rise a few degrees, her eyes full of worry.

"Your Majesty, Zhang is just a woman from a brothel. How could she be pregnant with a dragon? Moreover, prostitutes are always scheming, cunning and changeable. Now she has traveled all the way from the far south of the Yangtze River to the capital, which is really suspicious. Your Majesty should immediately expel this woman from the palace to protect your majesty's supreme dignity! If it is confirmed in the future that the fetus in her belly is indeed of royal blood, then it is not a bad idea to adopt the strategy of 'getting rid of the mother and keeping the son'."

Zhen Huan stared at the emperor in front of her, whom she had personally helped to ascend to the throne. After all, she still had some mother-son affection in her heart, but she knew very well that the emperor at this time was no longer the young prince who obeyed her in the past. The emperor was now more mature and had his own plans and opinions. How could he be easily influenced by others?

After hearing what Zhen Huan said, the emperor paused for a moment, but in an instant he returned to normal, looked at Zhen Huan with a smile, and responded in an unusually calm tone:

"Mother, you worry too much. Although Zhang was born in a brothel, she is also a person with a tragic fate and is pitiable. When I saw that she was alone and helpless, I felt pity for her and rescued her from that place of prostitution. As for the child in her belly, I naturally know its origin. Now I let her stay in the palace, just to find a suitable status for her in the future. After all, my flesh and blood will definitely stay in the palace in the future. As for the matter of leaving the mother and keeping the child, I have already promised that I will take good care of Zhang and her mother and child in the future. Besides, I am the king of a country, but I have fallen in love with a woman. Please don't worry about this matter, mother."

The emperor had a resolute look on his face, as if he didn't take what Zhen Huan had just said to heart at all.

At this moment, Yixiu, who was standing aside, witnessed the tense atmosphere between Zhen Huan and the Emperor, and thought secretly in her heart.

Considering the friendship between her and Zhen Huan that they now rely on each other in this deep palace, Yixiu took the initiative to step forward, trying to ease the situation, and whispered to the emperor:

"Your Majesty, Zhang has come all the way here, and everyone has seen her along the way. I think the news has already spread throughout the palace. I have heard that the Imperial Hospital has a magical disguise pill. If Your Majesty wants to keep Zhang in the palace, it is not a bad idea. However, Zhang is of humble origin. If you want to take into account the dignity of the royal family, Your Majesty should place her deep in the harem and not let her show her face."

Zhen Huan hesitated to speak, and when she was about to continue persuading, Yi Xiu, who had been standing silently beside her, gently pulled her sleeve.

Zhen Huan turned to look at the emperor, only to see that he looked displeased and a bit impatient.

Zhen Huan's heart sank, and she swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

She knew very well that the emperor was no longer the fourth prince who needed her care and protection. When she first came, she still held a glimmer of hope, thinking that the emperor might listen to her advice, but the reality was like a loud slap in the face, ruthlessly slapping her.

Zhen Huan sighed secretly and told herself to calm down.

She understood that time passed, things changed, and the emperor before her had long since grown into an independent monarch with his own ideas and decisiveness.

As an old lady in the harem, although she was concerned, she also had to know when to act and when to retreat, and not interfere too much in state affairs. So, she bowed her head slightly, indicating that she would not say any more.

"Your Majesty, your mother is right. Since you are interested in Zhang, why not wait until Zhang gives birth before doing the blood test to confirm your relationship with her. This way, you can ensure the orthodoxy of your bloodline and avoid unnecessary disputes. It won't be too late for Your Majesty to make a decision then. I'll take my leave now. Queen, please discuss this matter with Your Majesty in detail."

After saying this, the Queen Mother turned and left.

"Your son will follow your mother's instructions."

Ruyi answered respectfully, but secretly thought in her heart: The emperor is now more suspicious and worried, and has long been intoxicated with the satisfaction of holding all the power. How can he really listen to the words of the two empress dowagers and the older generation? She didn't pay much attention to this matter. After all, the emperor's mind is unpredictable, and she also knows that serving the emperor is like serving a tiger.

At first, Zhen Huan still had hope for the emperor. She rushed to the Yangxin Palace early in the morning, hoping to persuade the emperor to change his mind. Unfortunately, things did not go as she wished. What she saw was that the emperor's coldness and ruthlessness far exceeded their previous expectations. Zhen Huan could not help but feel sad, and the disappointment in her heart became heavier.

After Zhen Huan and Yi Xiu left, Ruyi stepped forward and saluted the emperor calmly:

"Your Majesty, I have ordered Li Quan, the chief steward of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, to select a group of smart and intelligent palace maids and eunuchs to serve Zhang in her bedroom. In addition, Imperial Doctor Jiang is a leader in the Imperial Hospital, and his medical skills are second only to Imperial Doctor Qi. I am thinking that we might as well send Imperial Doctor Jiang to Zhang's place every day to take her pulse to ensure her health. I wonder if this proposal suits your majesty's wishes?"

"Empress..."

The emperor walked slowly, step by step, to Ruyi, his eyes as sharp as a sword, as if he wanted to see through her.

"Don't you have anything to advise me?"

His voice was low and authoritative, carrying an irresistible pressure.

Ruyi lowered her head, but her keen intuition told her that the emperor's eyes had never left her. She knew in her heart that the emperor might have some interest in Zhang, otherwise why would he refute Zhen Huan's proposal in public? And Zhang was just an orphan with no power or background, so how could she have any background to deal with her?

In her past life, Ruyi relied on her close relationship with the emperor and regarded the emperor's affairs as her own responsibility. Even when the emperor sometimes disagreed with or even disliked her actions, she still did things that benefited the emperor without hesitation. However, times have changed. Now Ruyi has experienced the cycle of life and death, and naturally she will no longer treat the emperor wholeheartedly as before.

People always learn something from past experiences. After this disaster, Ruyi understood many truths. The key to helping others is whether the other party is worthy. Judging from the current situation, the emperor is obviously not a good person and is not worthy of her help.

"If I had second thoughts, why would I have gone to visit Zhang this morning? Zhang is beautiful and intelligent, and she dared to come to the capital alone to look for Your Majesty. No wonder she won Your Majesty's favor. However, I think the matter of the disguise pill mentioned by the Queen Mother today is feasible. We might as well announce to the public in the future that Zhang dared to slander the royal family and has now been sentenced to death. When the time is right, we can find a new identity for her and send her to Your Majesty's harem. After all, she is just a woman, and Your Majesty does not need to worry too much about it."

The emperor listened to Ruyi's words, and his originally stern face softened a little. He took the initiative to reach out and help Ruyi up, saying in a gentle tone:

"I know that the Queen is very righteous. You have been wronged by Zhang's incident. After she gives birth to a child, you can make her a concubine."

Ruyi looked at the emperor who was looking at her affectionately at this moment, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

The emperor likes women who obey him. Otherwise, after Empress Xiaoxian died in his previous life, the emperor disliked her and kept saying that she was not as sensible as Empress Xiaoxian.

In this life, Ruyi's main focus is to understand the overall situation. Even if the emperor is alone with a dozen prostitutes in a brothel, Ruyi will not have any objection. It is best for him to get well soon to avoid being an eyesore.

The emperor was very satisfied with Ruyi's performance, and at one time he sent several boxes full of rewards to Changchun Palace.

Ruyi knew clearly that Zhang held a certain position in the emperor's heart and might become his favorite concubine for a period of time in the future. As for which family Zhang should start with to achieve her new identity, that was not something she should consider.

Naturally, there would be concubines who would be eager to help the emperor solve his problems.