Dethroned the Crown Princess? Then she became your mother

"Queen, you are always like this. I have long anticipated your worries." The Queen Mother sighed and gently held the Queen's hand.

"Everyone knows your virtue, and the emperor knows it best," the empress dowager comforted.

The Queen remained silent, looking back at the Queen Mother, but she had other thoughts in her mind: "Although the Emperor favors others, I do not ask for more."

She was well aware of the struggles in the harem and the emperor's emotional entanglements, but she just endured it silently.

The Queen Mother looked at her slightly melancholy eyes and said softly, "It is precisely because of your generosity and virtue that everyone is confident in entrusting the affairs of the harem to you. This trust is no small matter, but you have also suffered a lot for it."

The Queen shook her head slightly: "Not at all, Your Majesty the Queen Mother."

"I have so much pain that I can't express it." The Queen Mother sighed.

The two fell into a brief silence, and the atmosphere was slightly sad.

The Queen knew in her heart that although she did not care about being favored, the Imperial Concubine's favor did make her feel a little pressured.

"However, this new favorite concubine looks very similar to someone." The queen decided to share her observations with the queen mother.

"Who does he look like?" the Queen Mother asked curiously.

The Queen hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to voice her observation: "She resembles... the former Crown Princess Zhang."

The Queen Mother was shocked when she heard this. She looked at the Queen in disbelief: "You mean... the former Crown Princess?"

The Queen nodded affirmatively: "Yes, Your Majesty. They look so much alike, how is this possible?"

"Then...what does the emperor say?" asked the empress dowager anxiously.

“The emperor said it wasn’t the same person,” the queen recalled, “but he knew it was unbelievable.”

The Queen Mother fell into deep thought, unable to understand the meaning behind this coincidence.

She looked at the queen, and a ripple appeared in her heart: "Did you always think that I didn't know this?"

The Queen shook her head: "No one dares to speak."

She immediately stood up and said apologetically, "It's my fault. I should have come to report it to you earlier."

The Queen Mother pressed the issue again: "Tell me again, where exactly is it like?"

The Queen confirmed again: "It is exactly like the former Crown Princess Zhang, whether it is the elder Zhang or the younger Zhang, the resemblance is unbelievable."

The Queen Mother was even more shocked after hearing this. She held the Queen's hand tightly and said, "What...what does this mean?" Her heart was filled with waves.

The Queen repeated her observation: "Indeed, it is very similar, Your Majesty."

Her words revealed an indescribable complex emotion.

The Queen Mother took a deep breath and tried to calm herself: "This... this is incredible." Her heart was full of doubts and confusion.

The two looked at each other for a long time, and the Queen Mother's eyes revealed a deep worry.

The queen stood there silently, but her heart was already surging.

This unexpected situation caused both of them to fall into deep thought...

Yes, she noticed it.

The queen remained silent, with her head lowered, as if in deep thought.

"I'm aware of this and will handle it appropriately. If that woman truly behaves in this way, I will not tolerate it, nor will I tolerate anyone slandering the Emperor's reputation."

She wanted to ask the emperor immediately, but she also longed to see the woman with her own eyes.

The two thoughts intertwined and conflicted in her mind, causing her to pat the queen lightly, signaling her to step back first.

"Don't say anything."

The queen nodded and answered softly, seeming a little uneasy.

After the Queen left, the Queen Mother fell into deep thought again.

She decided that if she wanted to see the woman, she only had to send a message and bring her over.

We'll decide after we meet.

She could hide some things from the emperor, but finally decided to inform him first.

She called the people around her: "Come, quickly go to the Yangxin Palace to inform the emperor——"

"Yes, Your Majesty the Queen Mother." The maids in the palace came in together. As soon as they came in, they heard the Queen Mother's instructions. They looked at each other and answered.

The Queen Mother looked slightly displeased.

She didn't bother asking these people if they had heard anything.

The people sent by the Empress Dowager to the Emperor acted quickly and returned quickly.

As soon as he arrived, he asked for an audience with the emperor and saw him, and also asked about the relevant situation.

"What happens next?" the Queen Mother asked anxiously.

The nanny understood the situation the moment she heard the Empress Dowager talk about it. She went to ask the Emperor, "The Emperor said that the woman just looked like her, and asked the Empress Dowager to believe him."

"Did he really say that?" The Queen Mother was skeptical.

"Yes, Your Majesty, please believe the Emperor. I, this old servant, also believe the Emperor. Just as he said, there is nothing wrong with looking a little like him. The former Crown Princess has settled down in the temple. We can discuss the details when we meet." The nanny answered firmly.

The Queen Mother thought that the Emperor had never done anything wrong, and she gradually felt relieved. "That's right. I haven't heard the details about the rumors about that woman, so I choose to believe the Emperor."

Although the queen was overly worried, she couldn't help but feel emotional when she thought about the time the emperor had spent in the temple.

She shook her head again, trying to clear her thoughts.

"Then..." Mammy asked again.

"That's enough, no need to say more." The Queen Mother also chose to lie down and rest quietly.

"I've conveyed this to the Queen, so that she can put aside her doubts and worries. This is just as the Emperor has already made clear."

She sat up again, and Mammy lowered her head to answer.

"The Emperor didn't question why I knew all this, did he? I told him not to mention the Queen. I just heard about it."

"No," Mammy replied.

"Okay." She nodded.

Not long after, the Queen did not have to wait long before she saw the Queen Mother.

She originally thought that the Empress Dowager had some instructions or important matters for her to do, and might even want to see Zhang.

However, the Queen Mother just said calmly that she had asked the Emperor and she believed what he said.

And let the queen stop her unnecessary speculation.

But the Queen had other plans in mind - she had to let the Queen Mother see that Zhang with her own eyes.

Has that Zhang returned to Furong Palace?

Zhang Tianai did return to Furong Palace. After saying goodbye to Concubine Xian, the two agreed to visit each other when they were free.

Although they were not close enough to tour the palace together, they both looked forward to their next reunion.

Zhang Tianai once wondered whether she should go to the Empress Dowager's palace in person to express her gratitude today, but the Emperor said there was no need to go.

But the Queen Mother still had not appeared.

"Master, you have a very close relationship with the virtuous concubine." Chunmei said quietly observing her master's expression.

Nanny Li and the others knew that there was nothing serious going to the Queen's palace. The Queen still needed to notify the Clothing Bureau to prepare new clothes to wear at the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival banquet.

They are all busy with this.

Zhang Tianai sighed, "We hit it off right away. After learning a little about her and talking to her, I realized that Concubine Xian is truly a good person. You can see that we get along well. It's hard to have a conversation with someone you don't like. But with someone you like, you can tell at a glance."

"Yes, Master, it seems that the Concubine Xian is indeed quite good. Although you have heard a little about her before, you are not very familiar with her."

Along the way, she thought: The more you know, the more you will know; you can know a person at a glance.

This is her understanding of interpersonal relationships.

"You no longer blindly trust what the second young lady and the lady say as you did in the past," Chunmei said.

"Deep in the palace, your master, I always have half a worry hanging in my heart." Zhang Tianai responded to her.

"So, with this half of your heart hanging in the air, are you looking for someone to spend it with you?" Chunmei asked softly.

Zhang Tianai did not answer directly, but just nodded slightly.

Chunmei responded softly to show her understanding.

Zhang Tianai jokingly said, "Do you feel that you are showing some signs of aging? You are almost becoming an old woman in the palace."

Hearing this, Chunmei's expression changed slightly. She couldn't help but touch her face, wondering in her heart: When did I become so old?

Zhang Tianai laughed at this and teased, "Are you still touching it? Do you feel the wrinkles on your face? You're like an old woman if you do this all day long."

Her daily routine is filled with jokes and fun, and she feels better after having some fun.

Chunmei understood that her master was saying that her face often looked sad, like an old woman, so he said she looked old.

But deep down she doesn't think she's old, she feels she's still young.

"Don't always look so sad. Be careful or you will get older faster than me." Zhang Tianai gestured with her slender and soft fingers.

Chunmei responded calmly: "It doesn't matter if I'm old. Even if I really age faster than you, there's nothing wrong with that."

Although she doesn't want to grow old, it is not unacceptable to her if she really ages faster than her master.

Zhang Tianai shook her head upon seeing this: "That joke is a bit too much."