As expected by everyone, she became the wife of the Marquis after being married off

Emperor Yingde's action was obviously to guard against everyone, including the empress and others. At the same time, court officials understood the status of the eldest princess.

The candidates for the crown prince are none other than the three princes: Prince Sheng, Prince Xian and Prince Chen.

Among them, Prince Sheng had the highest support rate, followed by Prince Sheng. It is worth mentioning that Prince Xian was particularly obedient at this time. The reason for establishing Prince Chen was very simple. First, he was the eldest son. Second, Prince Chen had made contributions on the frontier. He was the best choice in terms of merit and reason.

The two factions argued fiercely in the court, and neither of them could convince the other.

The princes, on the other hand, were very quiet. Apart from the first few days when they appeared in the court one after another, now only the Virtuous King was left.

…………

At the same time, in Kunning Palace

The queen felt like there was a string pulling on her head all the time, giving her a headache.

"Empress, now the Emperor..." Nanny was a little worried and hesitated to speak: "Why didn't you make plans earlier? Why did you still ask Duke Zheng to hold back?"

The queen put down her hand that was pressed on her forehead, her eyes turned cold, and after hesitating for a while, she said slowly in a low voice: "The emperor's illness is strange, and I am always worried. I am afraid it is not that simple."

"Although the emperor cannot move now, he can still speak. Why would he allow the various families in the court to argue endlessly? I'm afraid something might change."

"I want to find out the truth, but the princess is always here, which makes me even more suspicious."

When the nanny heard this, she was shocked: "Then Prince Chen..." Before she finished her words, a voice came from outside the door.

"Greetings to His Majesty the King."

The queen frowned and gave the nanny a look.

The nanny nodded, stepped out and saw Li Jing coming over.

"This old servant pays his respects to His Royal Highness the King."

Li Jing nodded and smiled faintly: "Is the Queen Mother all right?"

"Your Highness, the Queen has indeed looked much more haggard these days, but she will be happy when she sees Your Highness."

Li Jing raised his eyebrows and the smile on his face deepened.

"Your Highness, please."

Li Jing stepped into Kunning Palace. The queen was sitting upright on a chair, still looking the same as he remembered.

Li Jing once thought that his mother was the queen who ruled the world, and he grew up under her lap. When he was a child, no matter what he wanted, the queen would prepare it for him and would never blame him.

Even after he grew up and moved out of the palace to his own palace, the queen still remembered his preferences and had people send things and clothes to his palace.

Li Jing was dependent on the queen. Even though he knew that his biological mother was not the queen, he only recognized this mother in his heart. He would ask the queen about everything and he was always mindful of his filial piety.

But what did we get in the end?

How could Li Jing be willing to accept that all this was done by the Queen for the son she truly wanted to protect?

If she wanted Li Xuli to become emperor, she had to sacrifice herself to pave the way for him, and let him fight to the death with Li Wenxuan in the capital, resulting in both sides suffering losses.

Let Li Xuli take care of everything.

At that moment, all his attachment to the queen turned into hatred.

"Meet the Queen Mother."

When the queen faced him, the worry disappeared from her face. She looked at him with a smile and said, "Hurry up, Mammy, go and prepare the tea that the virtuous king likes to drink."

Mammy glanced at Li Jing and lowered her head: "Yes."

"How come the emperor has time to come and see his mother, but you are involved in the court?"

Li Jing's eyes darkened and disappeared in an instant.

"No, it's just that my father is ill, and I'm worried that my mother is overly worried, so I came to see you."

The queen raised her eyelids slightly, her expression complicated for a moment, and she put her fingers on the chair and smiled: "Mother is fine, as long as you are all well, I can really put my mind at ease."

Li Jing paused, looked at the queen with a hint of tentativeness and said, "Now the officials are divided into two factions. Who do you like more, mother?"

He said it calmly, as if it was just a casual remark.

The queen was slightly stunned, and when she looked at Li Jing, she seemed to see the subtle emotions in his eyes.

Just then, the nanny and the palace maids brought up tea and snacks.

The tea was Li Jing's favorite Longjing tea before the rain, and the snacks were also Li Jing's favorites.

Li Jing glanced over, his expression moved slightly, and then his eyebrows became silent.

The queen picked up the tea beside her as if nothing had happened, looked at the tea leaves floating in the cup, and said calmly: "No matter which of your children becomes the crown prince, I will still be the queen."

Li Jing suddenly raised his head and looked at her, smiling.

Of course he knew what the queen meant: she meant that no matter who became the crown prince, she would still be the queen, and even if he became the emperor in the future, she would still be the Holy Mother Empress Dowager.

But is this what she really thinks?

Li Jing knew that this was not the case. The virtuous concubine could not tolerate her, and neither could his father.

This is what the queen has been planning all along. Only Li Xu, with his compassionate and stubborn heart that the royal family should not have, can accommodate her.

If Emperor Yingde left, he would definitely take the empress with him.

Over the years, Emperor Yingde has always been wary of the Empress. If the throne is passed to Prince Sheng, Concubine Xian will naturally not allow the Empress who has suppressed her for more than 20 years to be above her.

Of course he is not worried about this, but does he like King Sheng?

Only the Queen and Emperor Yingde knew this.

Then the second option is that Emperor Yingde passes the throne to Li Jing. Then he will issue an imperial edict to the eldest princess and Li Jing before his death, requiring the removal of the queen before Li Jing can ascend the throne.

So will the seemingly filial and gentle King Li Jing do as Emperor Yingde orders?

Yes, the Queen understands this.

Hypocrisy, scheming and a competitive nature hidden in his bones.

The Queen had thought about it back then. Maybe it wouldn't be impossible to let Li Xuli go and let him live the life he wanted, as she still had a son.

But the truth is, it's impossible.

Li Jing is not Li Xuli. He cannot resist Emperor Yingde's standards. Even the dark nature in his bones will lead her and the Zheng family to destruction in the future.

A cold look appeared in the queen's eyes, her expression changed, and she looked at Li Jing with a stern look.

"Mother, you understand, right?" Li Jing frowned, his expression much darker than before.

He didn't mind the way the Queen looked at him at all. Instead, he laughed and felt relaxed when the Queen looked at him.

"Mother, I can do it too." Li Jing picked up the rain-previous Longjing tea on the table, took a few sips and said casually, "What you have been worried about is just father."

"Just because I didn't interfere with the argument between my second and third brothers in the court doesn't mean I don't have that intention, but I'm not a bad person, right?"

Li Jing's eyes were full of inquiry. He paused for a moment on the queen's face, raised his eyebrows slightly, and then retracted his gaze.

"Your son needs your mother's support. Don't worry, if your son ascends to that position, I guarantee that you will be the only queen mother."