Seizing the throne, abolishing the adopted son, the imperial concubine rose to prominence

"Second Prince, be careful."

Before Xiao Yun'an could pounce on Gu Youning, Lady Wen reached out to stop him.

"Mother Wen, Yun An is just worried about Mother Gu."

Xiao Yun'an was stopped, clutching his sleeves with his hands, a look of hurt in his eyes.

"Thank you for your concern, Second Prince. I'm fine."

Noticing that everyone in the hall was looking at her, Gu Youning's eyes dimmed slightly. She didn't expect Xiao Yun'an to suddenly come forward and ask about her well-being.

"It seems that the Second Prince is particularly close to Concubine Gu. When we came in just now, the Second Prince only spoke to Concubine Gu."

The one who spoke was Jiang Yunv. Although she came from a family of military generals, her voice was thin and soft, and she looked quite beautiful.

"Sister Gu is probably the only mother here. She has a kind and gentle aura that makes it easy for children to get close to her."

The voice was very familiar, and Gu Youning looked up.

Lin Yunu was wearing only thin clothes, without even a cloak. Her oval face looked even whiter than snow, perhaps because she was cold.

The word "only" made many concubines in the palace jealous. The emperor had been favoring Changchun Palace these days, and he had made exceptions for Concubine Gu many times. Wasn't it because she had a prince?

Gu Youning withdrew her gaze indifferently. Anyway, she never gave Lin Yunv any face in front of the emperor and empress.

"Your Majesty, Queen Mother was frightened by the Second Prince. He must not stay in Ci'an Palace any longer."

"He was frightened today and needs comfort. He Cairen has to kneel and pray for the Queen Mother every day, so I'm afraid she has no time to take care of the Second Prince."

The queen seemed unaware of the undercurrents surging below, and her expression seemed as if she remembered something.

"What do you think?"

The emperor asked Xiang He what he meant.

"I know I am ignorant and cannot teach the Second Prince. As the Empress said, I will have to kneel down and pray for the Empress Dowager tomorrow. I really don't have the energy to take care of the Second Prince anymore. I ask Your Majesty to choose another virtuous mother for the Second Prince."

He Zhiyi glanced indifferently at Xiao Yun'an, who only wanted to get close to Gu Youning, and bowed coldly to the top.

"According to our ancestors' rules, concubines below the third rank are not allowed to raise royal heirs. Since He Cairen has been demoted, the Second Prince should no longer remain in Guanju Palace."

The queen nodded.

The emperor frowned slightly and looked at He Zhiyi with disappointment in his eyes.

Gu Youning understood the emperor's thoughts. Minister He was capable in the previous dynasty. Considering the He family's status, the emperor would restore He Chongyuan's position soon. At that time, the second prince could also be used as an excuse.

But now He Chongyuan, who is as calm as a chrysanthemum, has personally abandoned this excuse.

"According to the Queen's wishes, which concubine in the palace will raise the Second Prince?"

It would have been fine if Xiao Yun'an was only looked after by the eunuchs and palace maids before, but later he was handed over to the palace concubine to be raised. If he is now thrown to the palace people to be raised, he will probably have no place to stand in the palace.

Although the emperor did not like Xiao Yun'an, he still had a fatherly heart towards him.

However, as soon as these words were spoken, the concubines below all lowered their heads. The second prince had a poor background, and today he had somehow frightened the empress dowager and made her faint. Perhaps he was a calamity star, otherwise why would something happen to the empress dowager as soon as the eldest prince left?

Therefore, even if they could get promoted by this, they would not want to take on this hot potato.

The emperor is in his prime, and they will always be able to give birth to royal heirs.

Only two low-ranking concubines had some hope in their eyes. They had not been favored for a long time and were not at the age of budding flowers, so there was probably no hope for them to compete for favor. If they could raise a prince and get the position of a concubine, they would have hope for the rest of their lives.

Xiao Yun'an looked at the concubines who were retreating silently, his eyes full of gloom. He looked down on these concubines. These people were not even as good as a hair of his mother. But as a former king, he was despised like this, and Xiao Yun'an still hated them to the core.

These people must not regret it in the future.

Gu Youning, who was standing next to him, naturally also noticed the expressions of the concubines and Xiao Yun'an.

However, she had no time to take care of these things at the moment. The emperor had always been stingy with promotions in the harem. Even if someone was promoted above their rank, it would only be two levels at most.

Nowadays, the talented women and beauties in the harem can barely be counted on one hand.

Among these people, the most likely one is...

Gu Youning glanced to the side inconspicuously, and seeing that Lady Wen was only looking at him with concern, he felt a little relieved.

The emperor felt guilty for Concubine Wen's tragic loss of her child, and Concubine Wen was easily compassionate towards children, but Xiao Yun'an was selfish, narrow-minded, and malicious. Even if Concubine Wen needed an adopted child to comfort herself, it could not be him.

"Is Lady Wen willing to raise the Second Prince?"

As Gu Youning expected, the emperor really set his sights on Concubine Wen.

Lady Wen was genuinely stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered without even glancing at Xiao Yun'an. "I have a quick temper, and the Empress has scolded me several times in front of everyone. I'm afraid I won't be able to educate the Second Prince."

The emperor felt guilty towards Concubine Wen. Although he was disappointed, he would not force it.

Below Lady Wen, according to rank...

Gu Youning's gaze turned to the charming Lady Lu, but he was surprised to find that Lady Lu was a little nervous.

She wants to raise Xiao Yun'an?

Gu Youning was very confused. The Lu family was also one of the four great families, and even seemed more prosperous than the Wen family. How could Concubine Lu want to support the second prince who had no reputation at all?

But she felt that she was not mistaken, because when the emperor's gaze fell on Concubine Lu, Concubine Lu's hands could not stop trembling, and the expectation and joy in her eyes could not be faked.

But the emperor's gaze quickly shifted away.

The charming and elegant face of Lady Lu dimmed in an instant, and she even subconsciously grabbed the arm of her personal maid.

Next were Concubine Chen and Concubine Li. Both of them came from aristocratic families and naturally did not want to raise the second prince. Their resistance was also noticed by the emperor.