The aristocratic family headed by the Duke of England suffered a severe blow, and a group of people who served as officials based on their real talents and knowledge quickly filled the vacant positions.
At this point, Ning Chen finally took control of the entire court.
Naturally, this matter was kept secret from the Empress Dowager for the time being, for fear that if it was told too hastily, the Empress Dowager's body would not be able to bear it.
The Duke of Ying's mansion was searched and countless treasures were found. Ning Chen was angry for a long time after seeing them.
In the end, taking into account the blood ties between the Chen family, only all the male members of the Chen family except Chen Xianyi were executed, and the female members were demoted to commoners and exiled to the north.
Although Chen Xianyi had done a great job in killing his own relatives for the sake of justice, Ning Chen could not possibly keep him in Kyoto.
He was sent to be an official in the local area and was allowed to take his mother, Aunt Su, with him.
Liang Chengsi also proposed divorce to Chen Suzhi at the right time.
At this time, Chen Xianyi also understood that he was a chess piece in the conspiracy between the emperor and Liang Chengsi. However, he also understood that if he did not follow the emperor's intention, he would lose his life like everyone else in the Duke of Ying's Mansion.
He was also clear about what his sister Chen Suzhi did in the Rongqing Marquis's mansion. At the moment, the Liang family was still giving them some dignity by only asking for a divorce. If they did not agree, they would probably report it to the emperor and ask him to divorce her.
So I had no choice but to agree and take my sister with me.
This marriage was granted by the imperial decree, but the divorce was only possible with Ning Chen's approval.
Ning Chen also found out that there was a good woman who had always been in love with Liang Chengsi, so he fulfilled Liang Chengsi's wish and gave him the honor of a marriage.
All this happened in just three days.
On the fourth day, the people in the harem finally knew about this.
Qian Shunyuan was not implicated by her mother's family, but she found out that the fertility medicine she had been taking, which was sent by her mother's family, had long been replaced by contraceptives by the emperor.
After eating it for so long, she will never be able to get pregnant again in her life.
It can't be said that he felt resentment, but only lamented that he had been reduced to a pawn in power struggles throughout his life, knowing nothing and being kept in the dark from beginning to end.
The Empress Dowager became so angry that she fainted in the Cining Palace.
But everything that the Duke of England has done over the years has not wronged him.
Even if the Queen Mother wanted to do something, she could do nothing because the evidence was right in front of her.
At this point, the Queen Mother finally faced the reality: the Chen family no longer had a future.
Thinking back to what she had done when Ning Chen had just ascended the throne, the Queen Mother finally came to her senses. Perhaps if she had been as sober as she is now, she would not have allowed her brother to harm the entire family, and her mother-son relationship with Ning Chen would not have become so indifferent.
Looking at the walls and courtyards of the palace, the Queen Mother suddenly realized that she had been confused all her life.
When she was young, she wanted to win favor, but she was not favored. If it were not for the protection of the late empress dowager, she would not have been able to give birth to Ning Chen. Later, she was only concerned with winning favor and neglected the child since childhood. She was not close to Ning Chen from the beginning. When Ning Chen ascended the throne, she only thought about the Chen family, and the relationship between her and Ning Chen became even more strained.
Now I have no power and no family affection, and I have become a lonely man.
Suddenly she remembered that she had a niece, and she felt guilty for letting her niece enter the palace and sacrificing her whole life.
"Go tell the emperor that I want to live in the Yanqing Temple palace to recuperate, and let Qian Shunyuan accompany me and serve me." The empress dowager instructed the person beside her.
Daimao raised his eyes to look at her, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.
"Go ahead, the emperor will agree. The palace is too crowded and not peaceful. I will feel more comfortable if I recuperate outside the palace." The empress dowager waved her hand.
Only then did玳瑁 get up and leave.
As for why Qian Shunyuan was taken away.
The Queen Mother also understood at this time that Ning Chen's favor towards Qian Shunyuan over the past year was just an act.
Now that Qian Shunyuan has lost her favor and is the daughter of a guilty minister, her life in the harem will be difficult. It would be better to take her away and let her stay with the Queen Mother, where she can still live a life without worries about food and clothing.
Ning Chen indeed agreed to the Queen Mother's request.
He also understood that the Queen Mother had finally thought it through and wanted to leave this troubled place, so he would not stop her.
Even after leaving the palace, he would still take good care of the empress dowager.
When it comes to the love between mother and child, there isn't much left, but it does exist.
Before the Queen Mother left, Ning Chen went to the Cining Palace, where the mother and son had a good lunch for the first time in many years.
On the day of departure, Concubine Dowager De also came to see him off.
Looking at Concubine Dowager De's Zen-like demeanor, the Queen Mother actually had a hint of envy in her eyes.
"In the end, it is you who are the quietest one, and you live the most peaceful and happy life."
"Your Majesty, your world will be different once you leave the palace," Concubine Dowager De said calmly.
The Queen Mother said nothing more and got into the carriage.
I hope that will be the case.
Think about Concubine De. After Ning Chen ascended the throne, he never interfered in any affairs of the harem. Her two daughters are living very well now, and she often brings her grandson to the palace to visit her.
She could not enjoy such family happiness, and neither could Concubine Yao, who had passed away long ago.
After seeing off the Queen Mother, Ning Chen locked himself in the Jiuchen Palace and disappeared.
Ye Jun didn't try to persuade him either.
You have to get over this kind of knot yourself, no matter what others say, it's useless.
It was not until the end of October that news came from the Yikun Palace that Qi Xiurong had launched the rebellion.
It's less than nine months, so it's considered premature.
Ning Chen naturally had to come at this time.
When we arrived at the gate of Yikun Palace, Ye Jun was already there.
Ning Chen wanted to say something, but Ye Jun spoke first, "Even if the emperor has a knot in his heart, he also thinks of me and the heirs. The emperor is a son, but he is also a husband and a father. I know that the emperor understands, so I will not disturb the emperor's meditation."
Seeing that the woman in front of him had lost a lot of weight, he guessed that she was also worried about him during this period. Her clear and pure eyes were filled with trust and expectation, and the last bit of burden in Ning Chen's heart was lifted.
Just like in the past, he gently held Ye Jun's hand and squeezed it, "I know, you can rest assured, my dear."
Ye Jun said nothing, but just gently shook hands with her, her face showing even more tenderness.
"Your Majesty, please go in quickly. Qi Xiurong has already started giving birth. We will just wait outside."
Ning Chen nodded, and the two of them entered the Yikun Palace together.
Soon, all the concubines in the harem arrived.
However, the situation of Qi Xiurong, who is currently undergoing production, is not very optimistic.
The baby in Qi Xiurong's belly had absolutely no strength to come out on its own, so it all depended on Qi Xiurong's efforts, which made it very difficult for the adults.
And Qi Xiurong was having her first child, so the birth was already difficult, so she was extremely heartbroken for a while.
The onset of symptoms started at 7:00 in the morning and the baby was still not born after almost two hours. Qi Xiurong fainted several times and had to rely on taking ginseng tablets to regain her strength.
Finally, three hours later, the seventh prince of Nanqi was born.
But the seventh prince was as thin as a cat when he was born, and his cries were so soft that they could not be heard.
I don’t know if the purple color of the skin was caused by lack of oxygen after being trapped in the stomach for too long or for some other reason.
In short, the imperial physicians all shook their heads after examining the child, saying that the child might not survive.
The eldest prince was also born prematurely and was weak, but he was still stronger than the seventh prince.
Ning Chen ordered that Qi Xiurong be promoted to Xiuyi and take good care of the mother and son. As for the news that the Seventh Prince could not be supported, it must not reach Qi Xiurong's ears.