Hongli sat in front of the imperial desk with a gloomy face. As he looked at the testimony handed over by Aunt Yuhu, his expression became even gloomier.

He clenched the testimony in his hands as if he wanted to crush it.

Aunt Yuhu stood aside, carefully observing Hongli's expression, feeling a little uneasy.

She knew that this matter was of great importance, and if not handled properly, it might cause an uproar in the harem.

Li Yu was standing nearby and also felt the tense atmosphere. He didn't dare to make any sound and even breathed carefully.

I could only stand there silently and wait for Hongli's instructions.

Hongli suddenly threw the jade beads in his hand to the ground, and the beads scattered all over the ground, making a crisp sound.

Yu Hu and Li Yu looked at each other, lowered their heads tacitly, and tried their best to reduce their presence.

The emperor's temper has become increasingly unpredictable in recent years.

He used to resort to violence when he got angry, but now he doesn't do that. But he's even scarier than before.

Hongli took a deep breath to calm himself down, then slowly said, "Li Yu, please go to the Cining Palace."

Li Yu quickly responded: "Yeah!"

Then he turned around and went out to arrange the sedan chair.

Aunt Yuhu quietly picked up the jade beads on the ground and carefully put them aside.

After a while, Hongli stood up and walked out of the Yangxin Palace, boarded the imperial sedan chair, and headed towards the Cining Palace.

Along the way, his face was solemn and his mind was full of thoughts.

This time when he goes to the Cining Palace, he will make sure to get to the bottom of the matter and will not let anyone disrupt the peace of the harem.

As for Ulanara, he thought he had done his best, but she was still not satisfied.

While the Queen Mother was writing, she heard a eunuch at the door shouting, "The Emperor has arrived."

Fujia helped the confused empress dowager to the main hall, and what came into view was Hongli's changeable face.

"My son, please pay your respects to the Queen Mother."

"Why should we, mother and son, be so polite? Please sit down first. I just don't know why the emperor came to the Cining Palace at this time?"

"The Queen Mother asked me about the rumors in the harem before. I have already found out about it, but there is no conclusive evidence to convict me."

The Queen Mother opened the box containing the evidence and confession that Li Yu had handed over to Fujia.

Her hands trembled slightly, as if she could feel the heavy pressure brought by the secret hidden in the box.

The papers were slowly unfolded, and the words on them were clearly visible.

The Queen Mother's eyes were fixed on every word, and the expression on her face gradually became solemn.

As the confessions decreased and more in-depth evidence emerged, the Queen Mother frowned more and more, and her lips unconsciously pursed into a line.

When the last piece of paper was read, the Empress Dowager's expression was not much better than Hongli's.

The reason why she didn't like Ulanara was probably known not only to the harem but also to the previous dynasty.

"The maidservant beside Concubine Hui had just asked for leave to go home for a few days, and Ulanara couldn't wait to change the medicine to the one Concubine Hui often took."

The Queen Mother murmured to herself, with a hint of disbelief in her voice. She raised her head and looked at Hongli with a complicated expression, "Emperor, we have underestimated the women of the Ulanara clan."

Hongli nodded, his eyes firm and resolute: "My son suddenly understands why the Emperor's father and the Empress were so opposed to my son marrying Qingying as his wife."

The Queen Mother sighed and said slowly, "I didn't want to do it at first. One reason was that the Queen of Jingren Palace almost plotted to destroy my family. The other reason was that I and the late emperor both felt that Qingying was too strong-willed and too willful to be a legitimate wife."

"With her looks, knowledge and behavior, being a favorite concubine is already her limit. She is not suitable to be the future empress of the Qing Dynasty. But now it seems that her scheming is even more worrying."

"Madam, these people may need you..."

"I understand. I haven't been involved in palace affairs for a long time. Now that the queen is about to get married, the imperial concubine is ill, and the concubine is pregnant, I don't mind pulling out the last of the Ulanara family's minions."

"Thank you, my son, Empress Dowager."

-----------------

"Fujia, do these names look familiar to you?"

After Hongli left, the empress dowager sat on a chair, picked up the paper on the table, looked at the name on it sharply, and then handed it to Fujia beside her.

"These are the people who came to pass on the message during the late emperor's mourning period, saying that the emperor intends to confer titles on Concubine Dowager Li and the Queen of Jingren Palace."

Fujia took the paper, looked at it carefully, and said in surprise: "Empress Dowager, how come you have this list?"

The Queen Mother sneered, with a gleam of ruthlessness in her eyes: "Ulanara Yixiu, I was wrong about your niece. How could she be so clean and spotless?"

Fujia frowned and asked doubtfully, "Queen Mother, what should we do next?"

The Queen Mother stood up and walked to the window. She looked at the scenery outside and said calmly, "Of course she has alerted the enemy. Doesn't she want to drive Concubine Hui crazy? Go and give this to Gao Bin. He only has one daughter, Concubine Ulanara, so he has to move someone from the previous dynasty."

After saying this, the Queen Mother turned around and instructed Fujia, "Go find someone to deliver these to Prince Guo and Prince Shen's residences, so that Prince Shen's wife can come to the palace when she has time."

"Yes." Fujia nodded and responded.

The Queen Mother added, "Also, tell the wife of Prince Shen that when I want to see her, don't bring anyone with you."

"I understand." Fujia nodded again, then turned and left the room.

"It seems that I have been a vegetarian for a long time, which has made some people who don't know how to live or die active again."

It was also the first time in recent years that the Queen Mother sent a letter to Su Peisheng and Jinxi, calling them back.

-----------------

"The Queen Mother sent a message to Su Peisheng and Cui Jinxi asking them to enter the palace?"

"Yes, the Queen Mother asked me to tell the Emperor that."

"That's fine. The Queen Mother and Aunt Jinxi haven't seen each other for nearly ten years. Let's listen to the Queen Mother."

Hongli recalled the days when he was not favored when he was kept in the Old Summer Palace.

As the chief steward of the emperor, Su Peisheng had never neglected him and had also helped him several times. He kept all of these in mind.

This time the Empress Dowager probably let them enter the palace because of the matter of the Ulanara family's secret agent.

Not long after, Su Peisheng and Cui Jinxi came to the palace, and after meeting Hongli, they went to the Empress Dowager.

The Queen Mother summoned them to the Cining Palace.

……

"The Empress Dowager."

"Jinxi, I haven't seen you for many years. You look younger now. It seems that Su Peisheng treats you very well."

"Your Majesty, we have adopted four orphans. The two sons and two daughters are in their naughty years now. How can they be young?"

The Queen Mother was completely relieved when she saw that Jinxi and Su Peisheng were indeed living well.

Asked some questions about the Ulanara family.

Su Peisheng thought carefully and said, "The Ulanara clan does have some influence in the palace, but I am not very clear about the specific situation."

The Queen Mother pondered for a moment and decided to let Su Peisheng and Cui Jinxi conduct a secret investigation to find out the whole story of the Ulanara family.

At the same time, Hongli was also stepping up his deployment. He couldn't afford to keep Qingying anymore, so he had to make arrangements in advance to avoid a dying counterattack from Ulanara's secret agents.

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