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

He reached out and held the person in his arms.

"This matter...is indeed not against the rules, but since I ascended the throne, no concubine has ever summoned my family."

"It's never good to be too conspicuous in the palace..."

Feeling the wetness on his cuffs, for some reason, Xiao Heng couldn't bring himself to say all the things he had said with such confidence.

"I don't know about this, so tomorrow, either... or forget it."

The rules of the Forbidden Palace are very strict. Even concubines of the third rank and above are not allowed to meet family members at will. The fact that the Queen agreed to her request so readily was originally intended to win her over.

Gu Youning naturally understood this.

But she wanted to see her mother's family, not just to see her aunt.

There are more important things that depend on her stepmother.

However, the tears she shed just now were indeed for her aunt, so they were naturally touching. Especially since the emperor knew very well the situation of her and her aunt at home, these tears made people even more heartbroken.

"The Queen has probably already sent someone to the Gu Mansion to pass on the message. If you want to see your aunt, go ahead."

Seeing the woman in his arms with a gloomy face and no longer as cheerful as before, Xiao Heng couldn't say no.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. You treat Ning'er so well."

Gu Youning immediately burst into laughter, and the light in his eyes reappeared.

"Although the Queen is generous and kind, you should also be more careful in your daily life."

"There are many people in the palace, so don't argue with them. Just stay in the palace with Zheng'er and I will protect you."

Xiao Heng felt the white wrist with a serious look on his face.

"I will obey the emperor."

Gu Youning leaned on the emperor's chest. The dragon head woven with gold thread looked a little rough and hard, and her heart also became cold and hard.

The emperor still wanted to let her and her son stay in Changchun Palace in obscurity to avoid the eyes of the harem as they did in their previous life, but the despair she felt when Zheng'er was seriously ill in her previous life made her determined not to obey the emperor's wishes.

She needs the ability to protect herself.

But the man in front of him was once the crown prince and is now the emperor. Even though he was not liked by his biological mother since childhood and the position of crown prince has been passed around several times, the arrogance and pride accumulated from his years of power made him not be easily persuaded, especially in such a big matter.

But she wanted to ensure that she and her son would live a prosperous life, so she could not openly oppose the emperor. She could only use facts to make the emperor understand that even if the emperor neglected her and her son, they would still not have peace, and might even be left isolated and helpless.

As for the queen's magnanimity and kindness?

Gu Youning sneered in his heart. The emperor was also an ordinary person. Although the queen and the queen mother were both from the Cui family, the queen seemed to be on the side of the emperor, and thus gained his trust and reliance.

In his previous life, Xiao Heng did not deal with his first wife until the third prince, born to the queen, rebelled.

"Your Majesty, Lin Cainu requests an audience."

Just then, Cao Zhong came in and reported.

Upon hearing this, Gu Youning immediately stood up from the emperor's arms and stood aside.

She used her handkerchief to wipe the tears from her face that had not yet dried on the dragon robe, and her tender face turned red.

"Be careful, if you look like this, someone who doesn't know would think I did something to you."

Xiao Heng stood up, waved at Cao Zhong, and then pulled the robe from Gu Youning's hand.

When Lin Cainu came in, before she could even bow, she saw the usually cold and aloof emperor wiping someone's tears. Although there was some disgust in his eyes, the tenderness in it made her heart ache.

"Lady Lin, I pay my respects to the Emperor and greet Sister Gu."

Xiao Heng stuffed the robe in his hand back to Gu Youning, and Lin Cainv bowed softly to the two of them.

"No gift."

"What's the matter with you, Concubine Gu?"

Xiao Heng sat down in the chair again, his voice distant.

Gu Youning paused, thinking that the emperor asked this question.

Zhaoqing Palace was right next to them, and the emperor's arrival would be visible. Lin Cainu came over eagerly at this time, and who else could she be targeting if not the emperor?

"I...I came to pay my respects today and met Sister Gu. I found her frank and amiable, so I wanted to come and talk with her for a while."

Lin Cainv's face turned pale, her body was a little shaky, and she even looked at Gu Youning pleadingly.

See what she does?

Gu Youning found it more and more ridiculous. She had gone to great lengths to lure the emperor here today, so could she just let him go?

"I'm afraid I'm not free today. Why don't you come another day, Lin Cainu?"

Gu Youning's clear and bright eyes turned to the person next to him, and then he looked at Lin Cainv in embarrassment.

"I am sorry for being so ignorant and interrupting the conversation between the Emperor and my sister. This is the lotus root starch and osmanthus cake I made myself. Please accept it, my sister."

Unexpectedly, after hearing Gu Youning's direct words to drive people away, Lin Cainv did not look embarrassed, but seemed relieved.

"I will take my leave first."

After saying this, Lin Cainv bowed to Xiao Heng and left the hall without any reluctance.

Gu Youning was really confused at this time. Lin Cainv came running here eagerly, just to show her face in front of Xiao Heng, showing her timid look.

How could a concubine who could live peacefully in the harem until Xiao Heng's death and gave birth to the emperor's eldest daughter be an ordinary person who only knew how to win favor?

"What? Ning'er likes Lin Cainu?"

Seeing the woman staring at the door in a daze, Xiao Heng asked with a smile.

She likes him? She is so bored that she likes Xiao Heng's woman.

"I'm just a little surprised that I haven't even spoken a few words to Lin Cainu, but she has become so approachable."

"Also, I didn't say anything just now, but Lin Cainu looked so frightened. It's really strange."

Gu Youning shook his head.

Xiao Heng's face darkened slightly after hearing this. If those two sentences were said by other concubines, he would have thought that they were trying to flatter others. But in his mind, Gu Youning had always been a simple and confused person, and he would never think that way.

Instead, he suspected that Lin Cainv's cowardice was meant to deceive Gu Youning.

"Since we can't communicate, we don't need to have any contact in the future."

Xiao Heng casually said that Lin Cainu's father was just a county magistrate and was not worth the emperor's attention.

"Your Majesty, Zheng'er has been talking about you since he entered the palace. Should I ask someone to call him over?"

Gu Youning applied eye drops to the person openly and then changed the subject.

"Okay, I haven't seen Zheng'er for a while. He's taller than Yun... I'm afraid he's grown taller."

Xiao Heng stopped talking, sighed softly, and a complicated look appeared in his eyes.

Gu Youning knew that the emperor was thinking of Xiao Yun'an.

Xiao Yun'an's birth was considered a stain on the emperor, but Xiao Heng was not really cold towards his son.

After her son Zheng'er died in her previous life, Xiao Heng registered Xiao Yun'an under her own name. It was more like finding a shelter for Xiao Yun'an than comforting herself.

After all, she was really kind in her previous life. Even though she was heartbroken, she only distanced herself from the emperor and did not hate others.

But since the emperor didn't say it explicitly, she certainly wouldn't bring it up on her own initiative.

She no longer has deep feelings for the emperor, but Zheng'er still admires her father and king, and she will make Zheng'er the emperor's most beloved child.

And Xiao Yun'an can be a stepping stone for Zheng'er.

This was the debt she was seeking to avenge herself in her previous life, when she was tortured by poison for two hours before dying.