After the Tenth Prince's full-month ceremony, not only did Fujia often come to Chuxiu Palace, but the Empress Dowager also went to Chuxiu Palace every few days.

Her words and actions all hinted to Yihuan that she should send the Tenth Prince to the Cining Palace to be raised.

Yihuan didn't want to be separated from her own child, but she had no way to refuse the Queen Mother, so she had to play dumb and pretend that she didn't understand what the Queen Mother said.

A hundred days after Yihuan gave birth, she was old enough to serve the emperor in bed. That night, the emperor called for her.

The emperor had long learned of the empress dowager's plan from Yan Wan, and the emperor had also noticed the empress dowager's "love" for the tenth prince over the past few days.

Seeing Yihuan's gloomy face, the emperor asked tentatively: "Shu Fei, what's wrong with you? You have been gloomy these days. What happened?"

Yihuan remembered Yanwan's reminder and said to the emperor, "On the day of the Tenth Prince's full-month ceremony, the emperor agreed to sister Yanwan's proposal to allow the palace servants to receive an extra month's salary on the month of Empress Xiaoxian's death to pray for the Tenth Prince. I thank the emperor on behalf of the Tenth Prince."

"Now the health of the Tenth Prince has improved a little. It is known that the Emperor and Empress Xiaoxian have blessed the Tenth Prince. Seeing the Tenth Prince, I suddenly remembered that Empress Xiaoxian had fought against the Empress Dowager because of Princess Hejing's marriage to Mongolia."

"At that time, I didn't understand why the always filial Empress Xiaoxian suddenly became so tough. It was not until today, when I became your mother, that I realized that the child is the apple of your eye. How could you bear to have him not by your side?!"

With that said, the emperor understood.

At that time, the emperor was unwilling to let his own princess marry far away. If the empress dowager had not joined forces with the court officials to force him, and Ruyi had not come to persuade him, how could he be willing to let his daughter marry far away to the Khorchin tribe?

The emperor thought of Princess Hejing and the late Empress Xiaoxian, and sighed, "As parents, it is natural for them to want their children to be by their side. Don't think too much about it."

The Queen Mother didn't want to waste any more time. Since the Emperor and Concubine Shu were both pretending to be stupid, she would be the one to break the window paper!

The Empress Dowager asked Fujia to go to the Yangxin Palace to invite the Emperor to come to the Cining Palace to talk. The Emperor knew the Empress Dowager's purpose and went to the Cining Palace.

The Queen Mother made a few polite remarks first, "The Emperor is very busy with state affairs, and I shouldn't have asked him to come at this time."

The emperor also said politely: "Don't say that, Madam. It is only natural for your son to pay his respects to you. I wonder what important matter is that you have called your son here at this time?"

The Queen Mother said, "There has been no child born in the palace for a long time, and Concubine Shu's tenth prince is so handsome. I am very happy to see him, and I wish I could give all the good things to this little child."

The Emperor said: "It is a blessing for Concubine Shu and the Tenth Prince that the Empress Dowager likes the Tenth Prince."

The emperor said indifferently.

Fujia received the Queen Mother's signal and immediately said, "The Queen Mother likes the Tenth Prince and wishes she could see him every day, but it's not a good idea for the Queen Mother to go to Chuxiu Palace all the time. Winter is coming soon, and the roads are slippery. What if the Queen Mother falls?"

The Emperor said, "I know that the Empress Dowager likes the Tenth Prince. The Tenth Prince is weak and still in his infancy. He cannot leave Chuxiu Palace often when the weather is cold. When the spring comes and it gets warmer, it won't be too late for the Empress Dowager to visit him more often."

It seems that the Queen Mother can't wait for the Emperor to take the initiative to show filial piety. The Queen Mother said clearly: "The Tenth Prince is cute and lovely. I can't wait until the spring. There are precedents of Queen Mothers and Concubines raising children in the harem. How about the Emperor sending the Tenth Prince to the Cining Palace and letting me raise him?"

The emperor made an excuse and said, "How dare I trouble the Empress Dowager? I'm afraid Shu Fei is pregnant and she won't let go."

The Queen Mother didn't care. "The palace rules are the rules. Shu Fei can give up in the end, and she has to be willing to give up even if she can't. It all depends on whether the Emperor is willing!"

The emperor remained silent, and the queen mother continued, "I am old and feel quite bored in the palace. If the tenth prince can be raised in the Cining Palace, I can also enjoy the happiness of family life."

The Emperor naturally did not believe that the Empress Dowager raised the Tenth Prince just for the sake of family happiness, and was just about to tell the Empress Dowager about the prophecy of the Chief Envoy of the Imperial Observatory in order to discourage the Empress Dowager from raising him as a prince or princess.

The Queen Mother saw that the Emperor did not respond for a long time. Thinking that the Emperor might be reluctant to agree due to the astronomical phenomenon, she hurriedly said, "Your Majesty is a high-ranking official with broad knowledge. You should not easily believe in the astronomical phenomenon of the moon and stars being clashed. I am the Queen Mother and have great blessings, but I am not afraid. Is the Emperor worse than me?"

The emperor was startled, and after a moment's thought, he said, "As a junior, my son must naturally consider the health and safety of the Empress Dowager."

The Queen Mother said, "What about the celestial phenomena is all nonsense. I have met with the Tenth Prince so many times, and nothing happened, right?"

The emperor refused to agree and left first on the pretext of having something to do in the Yangxin Palace.

As soon as they reached the entrance of the Yangxin Palace, Yan Wan came to pay her respects to the emperor. The emperor asked Li Yu, "Li Yu, I clearly said that no one is allowed to spread the words of the Imperial Observatory. How did the empress dowager know about this? Go and check it out!"

Li Yu was about to leave when Yan Wan said, "Your Majesty, I remember that only the Emperor, the Empress, and I, Concubine Qing, were present that day. I dared not disobey your Majesty's order. But when I was leaving, I met Concubine Mei, who said she also wanted to see your Majesty."

The emperor looked at Yan Wan in confusion, "You said you met Meipin?"

Yan Wan nodded, and Jin Zhong said, "Your Majesty, I remember that day in the garden, after you summoned the Imperial Observatory, you talked with the Empress. I did not see Concubine Mei asking to see Your Majesty."

The emperor thought of something, his face suddenly turned cold, and he ordered: "Li Yu, go tell Meipin to come to the Yangxin Palace in the evening."

Li Yu immediately went to convey the imperial edict, Jinzhong served the emperor, and Yanwan achieved her goal and returned to her own palace.

Seeing how much the Queen Mother valued the Tenth Prince, and how Yihuan was on good terms with Yanwan, Ruyi took advantage of the rare quiet time in Chuxiu Palace to say to Yihuan, "Yihuan, don't be fooled by Concubine Ling!"

Yi Huan was stunned and asked in confusion: "What's wrong with Sister Yan Wan? Why did the Queen say that?"

Ruyi endured and endured, and finally said: "You treat Concubine Ling as a sister, but when Concubine Ling heard the rumors that were unfavorable to you and the Tenth Prince, she did not clarify them for you!"

"?" Yihuan looked puzzled.

Ruyi then told Yihuan what happened in the garden that day, and ended by saying, "At that time, Concubine Ling believed the rumors without even thinking about it, and she didn't care about our friendship in the past. After you gave birth to the tenth prince, she used the excuse of praying for the tenth prince to show her affection to the emperor!"

Seeing Yihuan's stunned expression, Ruyi thought that Yihuan couldn't bear the blow and said, "It's just a rumor. You don't have to take it to heart. Don't you think the Queen Mother likes the Tenth Prince very much?"

"Originally, the Emperor didn't allow us to tell you, fearing that you would overthink it. But I was really afraid that you would be deceived by Concubine Ling, so I told you the truth. You have to be more open-minded. It's not worth it to be sad for such a two-faced person!"

Yihuan knew that Ruyi was reminding her with good intentions, but how could she explain that this matter was planned by her and Yanwan herself?

After Yihuan sent Ruyi away, she felt that it was because of her that Yanwan was misunderstood by Ruyi. She was filled with guilt and felt more and more that Yanwan really treated her as a sister.

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