There was a gleam of sharpness in Murong Jie's eyes. The old lady's question seemed to be a casual remark, but in fact it was a request for his opinion.
Because, whoever is lifted up means that he or she is in power in the harem.
However, Murong Jie would never interfere in the affairs of the harem. He said, "The ladies in the harem are all very virtuous. Mother can use them with confidence. However, they must learn from the lessons of the empress. It is impossible to promote those who have become powerful relatives by marriage, otherwise they will become the second empress."
The Empress Dowager thought about it and decided that the only one who had no influence from foreign relatives and was above the rank of concubine was probably Concubine Mei.
Mei Fei's family was implicated in the affairs of the old lady of the Xia family and never recovered. If a person has experienced setbacks, at least he knows how to behave and do things.
The Empress Dowager knew what was going on and thought of another thing. "The Queen came to me today and said that you wanted to frame Concubine Yi and the Crown Prince for having an affair. What's going on?"
Murong Jie smiled, "Are you asking what happened between Concubine Yi and the Crown Prince, or are you asking if I am trying to frame you?"
The Queen Mother laughed and hit him, "When did I ever doubt you? But the Queen came to me in such a hurry, it must be you who spread the rumor."
Murong Jie cried out in injustice, "I really didn't spread any rumors. This matter is still sensible. This is damaging to the reputation of the royal family. I would never do this."
"What's going on? The Queen wouldn't make this up to fool me, would she? It's not good for her or the Crown Prince, and it even drags Concubine Yi into this..."
As she spoke, she suddenly stopped talking, unless, unless they were guilty.
Why do you feel guilty? Because this is the truth.
The Queen Mother's expression suddenly turned ugly. She looked at Murong Jie and said, "Tell me what you know. Did Zi'an really see it?"
Murong Jie put his arm around her shoulders and scolded her with a smile, "You old lady, you are very suspicious. Zi'an didn't see anything. If he had seen anything, wouldn't he have come to the palace to complain to you right away? Zi'an and Concubine Yi don't get along."
"Really? Don't treat me as a fool." The Queen Mother didn't believe him.
Murong Jie said: "Why should I coax an old lady like you? If I want to coax you, I will find a young and beautiful girl to coax you."
"Go away, don't try to change the subject. But since you mentioned this, I am a little worried. The queen was also a misbegotten woman before. She gave Zi'an a strong drug, so Zi'an cannot have children. You can't let your line of regent be cut off. Don't blame me for being nosy. Even if I don't mention it, your mother will have to mention it."
"Oh, are you thinking of asking me to find a concubine so soon? I can't make the decision on this. Go talk to Zi'an." Murong Jie said lazily.
The Queen Mother asked, "If you agree, then I will ask you."
"Ask." Murong Jie said seriously.
The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes, "Will she agree?"
"Dare you disagree? You told her in person, she has to agree even if she doesn't want to." Murong Jie said with a frown.
"Look at how majestic you pretend to be. I'm afraid you are henpecked. Come on, all the descendants of our Murong family are henpecked. Just look at the third brother. He acts like a grandson in front of A'man." The Queen Mother laughed, but her smile was very forced, and it was obvious that she was still unhappy in her heart.
How could Murong Jie not know that she was a strong and happy woman? He glanced at her and comforted her, "Alright, alright, be happy. Even if the sky falls, there are still men from the Murong family to hold it up, right? You should eat, sleep, and have fun."
The Queen Mother could no longer pretend and shed tears, "Don't try to comfort me. I know Xin'er is in bad condition, Zhuangzhuang is on the verge of death, and the blood antelope horn is missing. What should I do now? How could our Murong family have such a bastard like the Crown Prince? I am too ashamed to face my ancestors."
"What does it have to do with you? Don't take all the blame on yourself."
The Queen Mother held his hand and said, "The Emperor's condition has worsened. It looks like he may not survive this year. What should we do? The situation is too chaotic. If he dies, who knows how chaotic it will be."
"When the enemy comes, the generals will stop him, when the water comes, the earth will cover it. What can we do?" Murong Jie frowned. The emperor's condition was indeed serious, but what could he do? His illness could not be made public, and the queen mother would not agree to let Zi'an see a doctor. Besides, there was no cure for this disease. Even if Zi'an went to see a doctor, it might not be cured, but he would be charged with a crime.
The Empress Dowager kept thinking about that matter in her heart. After thinking for a while, she looked at Murong Jie solemnly, "If there is really something going on between Concubine Yi and the Crown Prince, you must suppress it and not allow anyone to make it public. While he is still alive, give him some face. I will investigate. If it is true, Concubine Yi cannot stay."
Murong Jie said sternly, "This is a fabricated story. Don't investigate it. Once you investigate, even if there is nothing wrong, it will make people suspicious. There are many rumors in the harem, don't you know?"
Concubine Yi is not an ordinary person. If she investigates rashly and the news leaks out, she will be in great danger if she makes up her mind.
The Empress Dowager was relieved after hearing his repeated assurances, "Okay then, I'll listen to you. I won't investigate."
In order to cheer her up, Murong Jie leaned close to her ear and said something, which startled her so much that she almost jumped up, "Are you serious?"
"How can I deceive you?" Murong Jie said.
The Queen Mother wiped her tears and murmured, "That's good, that's good. Thank Zi'an on my behalf. I never thought that I could still look forward to this day. He must be alive. He has hope in this life."
Over at Jingning Palace, the atmosphere was dead silent.
Ever since the imperial decree to depose the empress came down, the empress has been sitting on a chair in the main hall of Jingning Palace. She sits very straight, with an arrogant attitude, just like when she usually receives concubines.
The past flashed through her mind like a kaleidoscope. She was the Dragon's Concubine. When the Emperor was still the Crown Prince, she was already the Crown Princess. When the Emperor ascended the throne, she was immediately named Empress. Her life had been smooth sailing. She had never suffered any hardship, and no one could shake her position.
She thought that if there was any change in her life, it would be to become the empress dowager from the queen.
After sitting for a long time, I heard a sound outside the hall.
The palace maid walked in, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and the Grand Tutor are here."
The queen looked at the palace door and said indifferently: "Pass it on!"
She was no longer the queen, but only the Liang concubine, without even a title. With her maiden name before the concubine, did it mean that she was no longer a member of the royal family? But she was no longer a member of the Liang family. From the day she married the emperor, she was no longer a member of the Liang family.
After the Crown Prince and the Grand Tutor entered the palace, they closed the palace door and sent all the palace servants out.
As soon as the palace door closed, the prince knelt on the ground and cried bitterly, "Mother, I am an unfilial son and have caused trouble for you."
The queen did not move. She just looked down at him as he cried. There was not a single tear in his eyes.
Neither did she.
Seeing her expression, the Grand Tutor knew that she was resentful and said, "We had no choice but to do what we did today. We can't really let Murong Jie depose the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince is deposed, do you still have hope?"
The queen laughed strangely, "No hope? If the crown prince is deposed, who will be the next one? The prince of Liang, the prince of Liang is also my son, I still have hope."
The Grand Tutor said coldly, "Do you think the King of Liang can still survive? I just asked the imperial physician who treated him that day, and he said that his chances of survival are less than 20%."
(End of this chapter)