Traveling through the Tang Dynasty: The Concubine Goes to War

Last time, Yunxi brought the prince to pay respects to the Queen Mother, and was deeply loved by the Queen Mother. However, there are always many variables in the harem...

On this day, in Yongshou Palace, the wife of Prince Rui came to the palace to ask for an audience with the Queen Mother, asking her to persuade the Emperor to show some leniency and release Prince Rui. The Queen Mother wanted to refute, but the wife of Prince Rui mentioned that Prince Rui had been strongly supported by the late Emperor, so that the current Emperor could stand out among the other princes and become the Emperor.

The Queen Mother's face changed slightly after hearing this, but she quickly regained her composure. She thought to herself, this Princess Rui is a powerful character, knowing how to use the late emperor to oppress me. However, this Prince Rui did have some merits, and now that he has committed a crime, if I don't help him, I'm afraid I will be criticized.

The Queen Mother was moved. She knew that Prince Rui had great power in the court. If she offended him, it would cause unnecessary trouble. So, the Queen Mother decided to put aside her personal prejudice for the time being and agreed to Princess Rui's request.

"Princess Rui, it is not appropriate for me to directly intervene in this matter. Why don't you go back first, and wait until the emperor has calmed down, then I will go and persuade him." said the Queen Mother.

After hearing this, Princess Rui knew that the Queen Mother was just trying to fool her, but she didn't dare to say anything more. She could only thank the Queen Mother and left Yongshou Palace in disappointment.

On the other hand, although Concubine Ye was banished to the cold palace, the emperor still missed her.

He ordered people to secretly investigate the matter, hoping to find evidence to clear Ye Cairen's name. However, after a few days, there was no progress in the investigation.

"Your Majesty, this matter may not be that simple." said General Li Junhao, the imperial guard.

"Oh? Why do you think so?" asked the emperor.

"As far as I know, Ms. Ye is usually gentle and kind to others. She was framed this time by someone who must have done it intentionally. Moreover, to be able to frame others so easily in the palace, this person must have an extraordinary background," General Li analyzed.

The emperor nodded and thought to himself: Could it be that Yunxi was really jealous of Ye Cairen and framed her?

Just as the emperor was thinking, a young eunuch hurried over and knelt down to report: "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother wants to see you."

The emperor frowned and thought: Why did the Queen Mother come to me at this time? Is it about Prince Rui's matter? Well, let's go and see.

The emperor arrived at the empress dowager's bedroom, only to see her sitting on the couch, resting with her eyes closed.

"Your son pays homage to your mother," the emperor saluted.

The Queen Mother slowly opened her eyes, glanced at the Emperor, and said, "The Emperor is here, please sit down."

After the emperor sat down, the queen mother said straight to the point: "Your Majesty, how do you plan to deal with Prince Rui's matter?"

The emperor's heart sank. He was indeed here for Prince Rui. He said, "Mother, this matter is of great importance. I need time to investigate it thoroughly."

"Hmph!" The Queen Mother snorted coldly, "I don't care about that. After all, Prince Rui is your uncle. You can't ignore family ties. Besides, he was kind to you in the past."

The emperor was somewhat dissatisfied after hearing this. He knew that the queen mother had always favored Prince Rui, but this time Prince Rui was guilty of a capital crime, so how could he let him go so easily?

"Mother, I understand what you mean. But the law of a country is like a mountain. If everyone breaks the law by relying on favors, then what is the use of the law? I will handle this matter fairly, please rest assured, mother." The emperor said firmly.

Seeing the emperor's firm attitude, the empress dowager knew that it was useless to say more, so she sighed and said no more.

The emperor was in an extremely heavy mood after leaving the Queen Mother's palace. He knew that it would be difficult to investigate the matter thoroughly, but he had to find out whether Prince Rui had any ulterior motives.

The emperor secretly made up his mind that if he found out that Prince Rui really had ill intentions, then Ye Cairen must not be allowed to stay; and if Prince Rui had no such intentions, then it would be relatively easier to deal with the problem of concubines competing for favor in the harem.

The emperor walked and thought, frowning, as if he had endless worries in his heart. At this moment, he not only shoulders the heavy responsibility of maintaining the stability of the court, but also needs to find the truth in the complex interpersonal relationships and power struggles. Every decision may affect the future of the country and the reputation of the royal family, which makes him feel pressured.

However, as the ruler of a country, he has no choice. In order to ensure the peace of his country, he must bravely face the challenges ahead and use wisdom and determination to solve this mystery. No matter how difficult the road ahead is, the emperor firmly believes that he can find the answer and restore peace to the court.

In order to find out more, the emperor summoned Yunxi to the palace for questioning. In the palace, the candlelight flickered and the atmosphere seemed a little solemn.

"Yunxi, do you really think Ye Ling'er is colluding with foreign officials and plotting something bad?" The emperor sat on the dragon throne, staring at the woman in front of him with sharp eyes, his voice carrying a hint of majesty.

Yunxi straightened up, met the emperor's gaze without flinching, and said firmly: "Your Majesty, the evidence is already there, doesn't Your Majesty know Prince Rui?" Yunxi asked back, meeting the emperor's eyes.

The emperor frowned, thought for a moment and then said, "But according to the reports from the spies I sent out, there is no news of any unusual behavior from Prince Rui. Are you pursuing Concubine Ye because I favor her?"

Yunxi felt a sharp pain in her heart when she heard this, but she held back her tears and replied with great sorrow: "Your Majesty, do you think I am such a narrow-minded person? Your Majesty and I have been husband and wife for many years, so how could I be jealous of a little talent like Ye? Everything I have done is for your country!"

The emperor looked at Yunxi's excited expression and his heart was moved. He knew that Yunxi had always been kind-hearted and was definitely not a narrow-minded person.

Perhaps there is really something else going on? Thinking of this, the emperor decided to give Yunxi another chance and let her continue investigating the matter.

"Okay, Yunxi, since you insist so much, I will give you some more time to investigate. I hope you can find conclusive evidence to prove Ye Ling'er's innocence or guilt.

But if you are just making up stories and accusing good people, I will never let you off easily." The emperor stood up and said in a serious tone.

Yunxi was filled with gratitude and quickly knelt down to express her gratitude: "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty! I will do my best to live up to your trust!" After saying that, she turned and left, determined to find out the truth and clear her name.

After leaving the palace, Yunxi immediately started to re-investigate the case of Ye Cairen. She was like a keen hound, shuttling through every corner of the palace, not missing any clues.

She patiently questioned every palace maid and eunuch, listened carefully to their stories, and tried to dig out the hidden truth.

In a seemingly ordinary conversation, Yunxi unexpectedly heard a shocking secret from an elderly nanny - Ye Cairen actually frequently invited Princess Rui to the palace for reunions!

This sudden news was like a thunderclap, exploding in Yunxi's heart. She couldn't help but take a breath of cold air, thinking to herself: Was the previous investigation too hasty? Could there be more unknown inside stories hidden in this?

Yunxi decided to visit Princess Rui in person, hoping to get some key clues from her. When she stepped into the gate of the Rui Palace, Yunxi felt an invisible pressure coming towards her. However, she did not retreat and walked towards the inner hall firmly.

In the hall of Prince Rui's mansion, Yunxi and Princess Rui stood opposite each other. The atmosphere was so tense that they seemed to be able to hear each other's heartbeats.

Princess Rui initially denied having any connection with Ye Cairen, but how could Yunxi believe it so easily? She pressed on, her words sharp, not giving the other party any chance to breathe.

Faced with Yunxi's questioning, Princess Rui's defenses gradually loosened, and she finally had to admit that she had indeed met Ye Cairen.

But Princess Rui only said that it was because Concubine Ye came to the palace from Prince Rui's mansion to visit her. As for Prince Rui's visit to Ye Ling'er, it was nothing more than wanting to make his position in the palace more stable and have an extra layer of protection, but he definitely had no ill intentions.