The Marquise: I Earn My Own Worship

The Holy Queen Mother sat alone by the window, wrapped in a long cloak in the cool autumn air. As the autumn wind blew, she couldn't help but tighten the belt around her neck.

"Holy Queen Mother, it's autumn now and the weather is getting colder. Let's go back and rest early."

The nanny on the side, who looked to be in her forties, stepped forward to remind them.

The Holy Queen Mother looked at the moon hanging above the palace wall and shook her head.

She said nothing, couldn't say anything.

She has been all alone in this world since she was little, and now there is no one around her to talk to.

"Ugh."

She sighed and thought of the Sixth Prince again.

If the second and thirteenth brothers were still alive, would they also have many children?

"Ju Liao, time flies so fast. Twenty years have already passed in the blink of an eye."

During these twenty years, the moon has risen and set several times.

The boys who made mistakes in front of her in the past now have grandchildren.

Or lived too long.

The Holy Queen Mother laughed at herself as she watched the people around her leave one by one, until she was the only one left.

So lonely, so lonely.

"Let's go back."

The Holy Empress Dowager turned around and Ju Liao stepped forward to support her.

She walked back slowly, leaning on her phoenix-head cane, like a candle that had burned out.

The Emperor of Chu was afraid that the Holy Queen Mother would be lonely, so he changed Chu Qinling's school schedule from starting on the sixth day and having one day off to starting on the second day and having one day off.

Even the prince changed his study schedule, so Kang Ge'er couldn't escape it either.

The two brothers would meet every two days and basically stay in the Empress Dowager's palace all day.

When the Holy Queen Mother was in good spirits, she would let them accompany her, but usually she would rest alone in the room and let the two of them play outside.

The entire area was inhabited by concubines, so Kang Ge'er took Chu Qinling everywhere.

These concubines are all old, the younger ones are in their fifties or sixties, so there is nothing to be shy about.

The place he visited most often was the Queen Mother's palace. After all, she was the Chu Emperor's biological mother and Chu Qinling's grandmother. The Queen Mother was gentle and liked these young men, and she often had delicious snacks prepared for them.

However, the Queen Mother often preferred to stay in the Saint Queen Mother's Palace. Only when the Saint Queen Mother was tired would she return to her own palace.

Now the place where the concubines were staying was extremely lively. The surviving concubines all looked at Kang Ge'er and the Sixth Prince with surprise.

As for the Sixth Prince, they knew that he was the Emperor of Chu's favorite youngest son, so they were less close to him and more respectful and fearful of him.

Kang Ge'er was a pleasant-looking man with a sweet tongue, who could tell interesting stories and gossip. The concubines were much closer to him, sometimes paying for the imperial kitchen to prepare some delicious snacks, and waiting for him to come out of the Empress Dowager's palace to tell them about the interesting things happening outside.

These childless concubines had little money and had to live by the wishes of others.

Although the Emperor of Chu would not deduct money from these concubines, his servants would inevitably take some money from them in order to fill their own pockets.

Chu Qinling looked at Kang Ge'er who was easily able to mingle among the toffees, and secretly sighed that he was really good at speaking.

He can talk non-stop throughout the day.

Chu Qinling silently added some tea to the cup next to him. Kang Ge'er was talking excitedly and picked up the cup and drank it all in one gulp.

"Brother Kang, you must be hungry. Eat some lotus stew to fill your stomach."

Kang Ge'er couldn't refuse their kindness, so he ate two more snacks before continuing with what he had just said.

The sunlight came in through the gaps in the pavilion and shone on them, making Chu Qinling feel a little drowsy.

Yawning, he propped up his head and looked at Kang Ge'er.

The ginkgo leaves began to turn yellow, and the surroundings were filled with a warm yellow color, with the afternoon sunshine and a group of young and old people in the distance.

Behind him, there were two elderly people watching this scene.

There was harmony in the palace, but outside the palace, people were murmuring privately because the Sixth Prince had changed his schedule.

"This Sixth Prince really has no chance of competing. At the command of His Majesty, he has to go to the Queen Mother and enjoy her presence. Tsk tsk tsk tsk."

"Aren't you talking nonsense? The Sixth Prince is in such a bad shape, and he still wants that? Forget it, I guess those hands would be too tired to review two memorials."

At the palace banquet, they all saw what the Sixth Prince looked like. Although he looked like a normal person when walking, his skinny body and wrists that were just bones looked like they would break if bent.

As the ruler of a country, one does not have to be proficient in all kinds of military and civil strategies, but he must be able to do so in all aspects to be qualified.

"What if His Majesty favors the Sixth Prince and gives him that position? What can we do? We can only watch helplessly. Don't forget, His Majesty is the ruler of a country."

Someone spoke out loud, earning everyone's cold stares and sneers.

"This is absolutely impossible. You are still too young. Even if His Majesty is determined, we courtiers will not agree."

"Alright, alright, stop talking. Just do what you need to do. You keep talking nonsense all day long."

Seeing that they were becoming more and more unreasonable, someone quickly changed the subject.

After everyone had left, the man who had just started the topic stood in the corner, watching the officials leave, and curled his lips.

Now, the Sixth Prince’s path is completely blocked.

Defei's personal maid whispered what had happened, and Defei couldn't hide the smile on her face.

That's what we have to do, leaving them with no way out.

She hummed a little tune excitedly, showing that she was in a very good mood.

The ultimate goal of Concubine De's struggle is to become the Queen Mother.

Even if she was not as glorious as Concubine Ning in the past, Queen Mother Wang was like a transparent person before. Who would have thought that her son would sit on the throne in the end.

Concubine De looked at the fifth prince and felt that her child was much better than the former emperor, and that the position belonged to him.

The conversation between these people was widely circulated and was heard by several people.

Queen Zhu was definitely the first to know about it, but she just smiled and said nothing. She hadn't planned what to do next yet, but she couldn't just let those people get what they wanted so easily.

When she met those female students on her way back to Beijing, she suddenly had an idea.

She also privately asked someone to inquire about the Xunlu Girls' School. Unfortunately, the school had only been established for more than two years, and its value was not yet apparent.

To be honest, she was very interested in the prospects described by Song Shengfu, but the prospect was just a premise.

It could also be a flash in the pan, so Queen Zhu is still waiting.

Song Shengfu also heard the "laughing rumors" outside.

At the beginning, she hinted to Concubine Ning that it was better to rely on herself than on others, but she did not mean to let the Sixth Prince compete for that position.

After all, she knew the Sixth Prince's body. Just like Duan Jingzong, if he wasn't well taken care of, he would lose his energy if he was worried or tired.

But she also saw clearly that the Sixth Prince did not have a good relationship with his brothers, and she also privately investigated the character of several princes.