The emperor was furious and made Princess Jiaoyang kneel at the door of the imperial study until late at night. The emperor himself smashed many things in the imperial study.
The Emperor and Princess Jiaoyang had never quarreled like this before. When the Empress passed away and the princess returned from the Great Zhou, she and the Emperor were just cold to each other. But this time, because of Concubine Xu, the relationship between father and daughter has been on the verge of collapse.
The emperor did not let Princess Jiaoyang stand up until the young prince, holding the late queen's relics, knelt with A'man at the door of the imperial study.
It is said that the prince said something that made many people cry. He said that he no longer had a mother and could not afford to lose his sister as a relative.
The prince's words moved the eunuchs and palace maids who served the emperor. They knelt on the ground and begged. Only then did the emperor allow Princess Jiaoyang to get up. However, the emperor did not see her again. He only asked her to return to her own Canyang Palace to reflect on her mistakes.
This matter quickly spread in the harem. The concubines in the harem who had not been able to guess the emperor's thoughts before now knew very well that the child in Concubine Xu's belly was probably much more important to the emperor than Princess Jiaoyang.
Because of Princess Jiaoyang's punishment of kneeling, the atmosphere in the palace changed drastically. Many more concubines went to visit Concubine Xu's palace, and fewer concubines came to report for duty in Canyang Palace every day.
The person who was most happy about this change was naturally Concubine Xu.
She didn't understand the emperor's thoughts before, and was still cautious when doing things, fearing that targeting Princess Jiaoyang would displease the emperor. But this time, the emperor stood clearly on her side, and she finally felt at ease.
She finally believed what her father said. The baby in her belly was the most important thing in the emperor's heart.
Having understood her position in the emperor's heart, Concubine Xu was no longer as anxious as before. When the emperor came to her bedroom again, she asked him to host the New Year's Eve dinner.
The New Year's Eve dinner had always been hosted by the Queen. Now that the Queen had passed away, it was natural for her, who had the highest status, to host the dinner.
But before, because Princess Jiaoyang was in charge of the harem affairs, everyone thought that Princess Jiaoyang should be the one to preside over the affairs.
Hearing this, Su Jing looked at Concubine Xu with a smile on his face but a cold look in his eyes.
Concubine Xu thought this was an easy task, so when she saw the emperor looking at her like this, she was shocked. She stroked her belly, which had not yet bulged, and said aggrievedly: "I just want to share the emperor's worries. The affairs of the harem were originally managed by Princess Jiaoyang, but Princess Jiaoyang is now confined to reflect on her mistakes, so I..."
Concubine Xu didn't dare to look into the emperor's eyes, for she was afraid of seeing disappointment in his eyes.
In fact, she didn't want to fight for power like this, but this was her father's instruction. She should take advantage of Princess Jiaoyang's disfavor to gradually seize power.
She had to do what her father said, because her father would not harm her. Her father also hoped that she and the emperor would be fine and that she could become the queen in the future. She also hoped that she could be the woman standing by the emperor's side.
"You have never been in charge of the affairs of the palace before, so let Ah Man take charge of the New Year's Eve dinner."
"Is the Emperor planning to release the princess in two days?"
"No?" Su Jing asked Concubine Xu with a smile. Concubine Xu's heart trembled. She looked up at the emperor and shook her head guiltily.
"The princess is the emperor's daughter. It is naturally up to the emperor to decide how to punish her and how long to punish her." Concubine Xu spoke softly, but she was unwilling in her heart.
She thought she could completely crush Princess Jiaoyang, but who would have thought that she would just stay indoors for a few days to reflect on her mistakes.
"It's not that I don't trust you, but you are pregnant, and the most important thing is to take good care of the baby. The child in your belly cannot afford any mistakes. Ah Man is going to get married, and these trivial matters in the palace will eventually be managed by the Queen."
Just when Concubine Xu was feeling extremely panicked, Su Jing whispered a few more words. The warmth in these words warmed Concubine Xu's cold heart.
She knew that the emperor cared about herself in his heart, and he let A'man out so that he could take good care of his pregnancy.
(End of this chapter)