Although Zhu Ying usually liked to join in the fun, after the emperor had made such a clear statement, she immediately pulled Zhang Shou's sleeve without the lady's reminder. Zhang Shou also didn't want to stay in such a delicate place at such a delicate time, so he planned to leave immediately. But at this moment, the lady got ahead of them.
"Your Majesty, it's a rare opportunity to come to the palace. I plan to go to Qingning Palace to pay my respects to the Queen Mother and discuss how to celebrate the birthdays of Princess Yongping, Yingying, and Zhang Shou. I will take them both out first." The lady bowed her knees slightly and then said frankly, "I will report all the details to the Queen Mother."
The emperor was indeed worried that the empress dowager would come in person or order someone to summon him to Qingning Palace for questioning after learning about this matter - after all, he didn't want to endure it any longer. So why would he not be willing to take on the difficult task of informing the empress dowager of the whole story? So, while nodding his head in agreement, he added a few more words.
"Please tell my aunt that I am disheartened and have no choice but to depose the queen. However, as we have been married for many years, I should give her some respect, so I plan to depose her as Consort Gong and move her out of Kunning Palace. But from now on, I will not appoint another queen. As for the affairs of the harem, if my mother is unable to handle it, let Mingyue assist her."
When the Second Prince heard his father once again clearly express his intention to depose the Queen, his heart had sunk to the bottom. But when he heard that the Emperor was determined not to appoint another Queen, he seemed to see a glimmer of hope - because in that case, at least all the princes would be illegitimate sons, and the two young and ignorant children, the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince, would not be able to dominate him.
But when he heard that the emperor did not choose a concubine but asked Princess Yongping to take care of the palace affairs, he was shocked and angry, and at the same time, he felt deeply regretful. His elder brother, who was used to pretending, had a good relationship with Princess Yongping at least on the surface, but he did not like his sister who was always acting like a talented woman, so he and Princess Yongping had no friendship at all!
After he secretly "invited" the chef of the Yangzhou Guild Hall to his home as if by kidnapping, he tasted the food and thought it tasted good. He also heard that the Queen was on a hunger strike in the palace, so he finally decided to act like a filial son in order to earn back some reputation for himself. So he planned to send some delicious food into the palace, so that his mother would not starve without the imperial kitchen.
Who knew that something went wrong? He had just heard the Queen was vomiting and having diarrhea and shouting that someone was poisoning her. In order to protect himself, he suddenly had an idea and shouted that it was Zhang Shou who framed her. But he never thought that this would lead to such serious consequences!
The Madam Tai naturally didn't care about the Second Prince's anger and regret. Since the Emperor asked her to pass on a message to the Empress Dowager of Qingning Palace, she naturally agreed. However, the Emperor's instructions just now were really extraordinary. After she took Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying out of Qianqing Palace, she couldn't help but sigh at her granddaughter and future grandson-in-law who were supporting her on both sides.
"It takes time for the ice to freeze three feet thick."
Zhang Shou knew that she was lamenting that the upcoming event of deposing the empress was not sudden, but because the emperor's accumulated dissatisfaction with her reached its peak today, thus completely ruining the relationship between husband and wife. However, he did not want to comment on such palace affairs, so he simply remained silent.