There is no one in the palace.
These four words felt like a thorn in the empress dowager's heart.
Over the years, the empress dowager has also noticed that Ning Chen does not like the daughter of the Chen family, and it can be seen from the word "humble" in the title he gave her.
Concubine Qian was unfavored and had no children, so it was impossible for her to ascend to the throne of empress.
Even if there is a talent show next year, the Chen family does not have a girl of the right age right now. Besides, Ning Chen’s intention is very clear, he will not accept another girl from the Chen family.
Therefore, there is no one in the central palace, and even if there is someone, it cannot be a member of the Chen family.
The emperor dotes on Ye now. Ye's mother's family is powerful and has given birth to a prince. If Ye is pushed to be the queen, the throne will definitely be established.
But if that day really comes, the Chen family’s glory will be over.
"Well, I am now raising the eldest prince, so at least I can see the emperor a few times, so I am not considered out of favor. Otherwise, with my infertile body, I would be bullied and dare not even utter a word."
Wan Xiuyi watched the empress dowager's expression change, knowing that she was probably considering the interests involved, so she sighed at the right time.
This made the Queen Mother look at her carefully.
Yes, Wan is beautiful, intelligent, and has a good family background. From the time she entered the palace until now, although she is not very favored, she has always been in the emperor's favor. She also has a close relationship with the eldest prince, but she cannot have children.
Such a woman is destined to have no chance of becoming a queen, so it is safe to promote her.
If a suitable person can't be found to be the queen for the time being, then support one to share Ye's favor and prevent her from becoming the queen first.
After thinking about this, a slight smile appeared on the queen mother's face.
"You are such a pitiful child, but you are still young, you have good looks and a good family background. Whether you can give birth or not, you already have a child, so what are you afraid of?"
"I see, the emperor has you in his heart, otherwise why would he stay overnight? Look at Concubine Shu, Concubine De and the others, they are different."
Wan Xiuyi's face turned red, her eyes showing a mixture of shyness and sadness, and she lowered her head slightly.
"The Queen Mother really respects me. This is just because the Emperor feels sorry for me. After all, the Queen Mother is the elder. I dare not ask for the Emperor's favor, but only ask the Queen Mother to pity me a little."
The steps were paved naturally, and the Queen Mother also had the intention, so they just went down naturally.
She pretended to be kind and said, "You are well-behaved and sensible. I naturally love you. Bring the eldest prince to the Cining Palace often in the future. I can also say a few words in front of the emperor."
"Yes." Wan Xiuyi stood up and bowed respectfully.
She was smart and had made up her mind to please the empress dowager. In just one afternoon, she had made the empress dowager smile happily.
Finally, he kept her and the eldest prince to have dinner before leaving.
Two days later, someone went to Jiuchen Palace to invite Ning Chen to have lunch with the Queen Mother.
There have been a lot of things going on in the palace in the past two years. The empress dowager is old and not as healthy as before. The mother and son don't see each other very often, but their relationship has eased a little.
Ning Chen had nothing to do, so he naturally agreed.
After reviewing the memorials, there was still time, so he asked someone to prepare some supplements and went to the Cining Palace.
When I arrived, the Queen Mother was basking in the sun in the yard.
The weather is nice today, so I put a lounge chair in the yard and took a nap under the fox fur blanket.
When people get older, they become afraid of the cold and especially like to bask in the sun.
Ning Chen looked at it quietly for a few seconds.
He rarely saw the empress dowager so quiet. After all, they were related by blood, and he actually felt a little warmth rising from the bottom of his heart.
Even want to get closer.
However, due to the years of distance between mother and son, nothing happened in the end.
"Son pays his respects to the Queen Mother." Ning Chen bowed in a solemn voice.
The Queen Mother then opened her eyes and sat up with the help of the servant.
"The emperor is here. How come he came so early? I haven't asked anyone to prepare dinner yet."
"There are not many memorials today, so I came here right after I reviewed them. I also brought some supplements for my mother." Ning Chen said.
The Queen Mother smiled, nodded, and stood up.
The mother and son went into the house.
It was not yet time for dinner, but the servants had already served tea and snacks.
Ning Chen took a sip of tea, "This is chrysanthemum tea, right? Doesn't mother usually like to drink Pu'er tea?"
The palace maid who was making tea nearby suddenly changed her expression and knelt down quickly.
"Because the imperial physician said that the Empress Dowager has been suffering from internal heat recently, she made chrysanthemum tea for her to drink. I was careless and forgot to prepare tea for Your Majesty. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
"It's okay. It's been dry lately, so it's good to drink this. You can go down." Ning Chen waved his hand.
Naturally, they wouldn't make a fuss about such a small matter, especially since it happened in the Empress Dowager's palace.
But I also felt that the palace maid's reaction was too big. It was just a small matter and she could have just explained it clearly. Why was she so panicked
Could it be that I look too serious and scary
In fact, the palace maid was afraid, but what she was afraid of was not Ning Chen, but the Queen Mother.
As the Queen Mother got older, her temper worsened and she was always unhappy. If you accidentally displeased her, she would beat you with a stick.
This was not a glorious thing after all, and Nanny Fu had issued a strict order not to spread it out, so Ning Chen didn't know about it.
The Queen Mother took a sip of the teacup and then slowly said, "I see that the Emperor's mouth corners are a little chapped. He should be more careful. The concubines who serve him should also be more attentive. Ming Zhaoyuan has been serving him the most recently."
"Thank you for your concern, mother. All the concubines in the harem are fine. It's just that my daily life is mostly taken care of by the servants. I don't like chrysanthemum tea, so they dare not serve it to me. I will pay attention to it when I return." Ning Chen said.
He also heard some clues in the Queen Mother's words, which were nothing more than hinting that Ye Jun was not careful and attentive in his service.
Ning Chen didn't like to hear this, but it was not easy to confront the Queen Mother, so he spoke vaguely, dragged all the concubines in the harem into it, and attributed the problem to himself.
But in the eyes of the Queen Mother, all this seemed to be Ning Chen's protection of Ye Jun to the extreme.
This is not what she wanted to see.
Her slightly cloudy eyes darkened, she put down the teacup, and prepared to test Ning Chen's feelings.
"Although the concubines and servants serve well, it is still not good without a leader in the harem. A family cannot be complete without a wife. We are the royal family, so we need to have everything complete."
As she said this, the Queen Mother looked at Ning Chen's expression calmly.
But it is no longer the time for Ning Chen to show his joy. After all these years of experience, he can be considered a qualified king.
At this moment, his expression was indifferent, and no emotion could be seen at all.
Of course, it’s also because he doesn’t want anyone to see it now.
"I understand what my mother means, but I don't plan to appoint a queen right now. Mrs. Xie is vicious, and I can't afford to have another queen like her to bring disaster to the harem. Nanqi has precedents of not appointing a queen."
Ning Chen's great-grandfather never appointed another queen after his wife passed away, and Ning Chen's father was also a illegitimate prince.
Since the ancestors and elders were brought up at once, the empress dowager naturally couldn't say much.
He just said awkwardly, "Your Majesty, just think it over. This is a major matter for the country, and it really can't be decided lightly."
It doesn't matter if he is not enthroned. We are all the same, all illegitimate sons, and no one is more noble than anyone else.