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

"After meeting Yun'an, the Queen Mother suddenly became emotionally unstable. Zheng'er is not suitable to be in her presence these days."

"I thought the Queen knew."

As expected by Gu Youning, the emperor looked at the queen with a cold and focused look, so the slightly frozen corners of the queen's mouth happened to fall into the emperor's eyes.

"Your Majesty, the West Side Hall has been cleaned up."

At this time, Cao Zhong stepped forward and reported.

"I have something to ask the Queen."

After the emperor said this, he turned and walked towards the west side hall, with the hem of his bright yellow formal robe swinging in a sharp arc.

Gu Youning dodged sideways.

The Queen's subtle eyes swept over Gu Youning, who showed no trace at all. Her hand holding Zhichun tightened slightly, but her posture remained graceful and gentle.

"Cao Zhong, bring the things up."

As Gu Youning followed the empress into the west wing hall, she heard the emperor's extremely cold voice.

"Yes!"

Cao Zhong personally brought up the pile of clothes.

The emperor's words were unexpected, and the queen's pupils constricted when she saw the clothes, but she quickly calmed down, and others could not notice this subtle change in her expression at all.

However, the emperor's words and actions today were intentional, with the intention of testing the queen.

"Is there anything wrong with these clothes? They look to me like they were newly made by the Shanggong Bureau."

The queen looked at the clothes in Cao Zhong's hand in confusion.

"The Queen doesn't recognize you?"

The emperor's gaze was still fixed on the queen's face, but at this time there was no trace of emotion on her face.

"Did something happen?"

The Queen glanced at Gu Youning and asked softly, "Gu Jieyu, I ordered the Shanggong Bureau to send these clothes to the eldest prince. Is there any problem?"

"To answer your Majesty, yes."

Gu Youning responded respectfully as usual, but didn't say anything more, as she wasn't supposed to know.

"The Queen personally instructed the Shanggong Bureau to make clothes for Zheng'er. Could it be that she has forgotten it now?"

Facing the emperor's stern questioning, the empress's face remained calm and puzzled. "A batch of Shu brocade has just been sent as tribute from the southwest. I asked the Shanggong Bureau to make a few winter clothes for both princes. I wonder if the eldest prince has some, and the second prince has some too. It just so happened that when I went to Jing'an Residence to visit him yesterday, the eldest prince's clothes were accidentally wet by the palace servants. So I sent someone to urge the Shanggong Bureau to deliver them to the eldest prince."

"Concubine Gu is also fully aware of this matter."

The queen looked at Gu Youning again, with a hint of hesitation in her gentle eyes.

She was sure that Concubine Gu had no way of knowing the Empress Dowager's worries, and the Emperor was only a six-year-old child at the time, so it was impossible for him to know this secret matter in the harem.

Moreover, the emperor's reaction in the main hall of Ci'an Palace the night before also showed that he was unaware of the inside story.

So what exactly happened today?

There was nothing wrong with the dress, and she didn't ask anyone to do anything about it. Could it be that Concubine Zheng, who was still under house arrest, was using her to do something, or was it that Gu Youning was coaxing the emperor to plot against her?

The queen could only think elsewhere.

"It is just as the Empress said. Because two palace maids accidentally spilled tea, Zheng'er's entire box of clothes has to be washed again before she can wear them. The Empress's suggestion just solved my urgent need."

"Besides, Shu brocade is precious, and the Empress has always been very caring towards me and my child."

To the Queen's surprise, Gu Youning did not try to flatter her with his words. Instead, his tone and expression were very sincere. Anyone could see that Gu Youning was truly grateful to the Queen.

But after hearing this, the queen felt even more uneasy.

"Although I instructed the Shanggong Bureau, I have no time to ask what kind of clothes they made, so naturally I don't recognize them."

Even so, the Queen showed no sign of it, and continued with what she had just said.

"Oh? The maids from Ci'an Palace soaked the eldest prince's clothes, and right after that the Empress arrived at Jing'an Residence."

The emperor slowly withdrew his gaze, but his voice became more indifferent and sarcastic.

Gu Youning watched the emperor and empress respond and was very satisfied with the rhythm of the emperor's questions.

The queen has always been gentle, generous and tolerant. Even if the emperor speaks harshly, she can still respond calmly on the surface. However, the emperor has been talking for half a day without mentioning what happened today. Even if the queen has a good psychological quality, she may be confused in her heart even if she doesn't show any emotion on the surface.

"I don't know what happened this morning in Jing'an Residence that caused the Emperor to suspect me of ulterior motives, but I have a clear conscience. Yesterday, I was worried that the people in my mother's palace would look down on Concubine Gu and her son, so I hurried to the back palace to visit them."

The Queen's words already hinted at an effort to explain.

"If Your Majesty feels that I have ulterior motives, please summon the two palace maids from yesterday for questioning."

Seeing that the emperor was silent and had a sullen face, the queen spoke frankly and made a suggestion.

When Gu Youning heard this, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes. It seemed that the Queen was really anxious.

If the queen is innocent and knows nothing about what happened today, the focus should be on what happened to the pile of clothes in Cao Zhong's hand, rather than wondering whether the two palace maids were instructed by her.

What she could think of, the emperor must also understand. Xiao Heng, who was sitting on the upper seat, had an increasingly gloomy look in his eyes, and his thumb rubbed the jade ring more vigorously.

"Cao Zhong, call those two palace maids over."

The emperor gave an order to his personal eunuch, his expression slightly relaxed: "Everyone, please sit down."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Gu Youning looked at the queen opposite him who was obviously relieved and sat down, and he also sat down in a good mood.

After a while, Cao Zhong came in with the two palace maids.

"This servant pays homage to the Emperor, Empress, and Concubine Gu."

Two palace maids knelt on the ground.

"Who ordered you to wet the eldest prince's clothes yesterday?"

Xiao Heng's majestic gaze fell on the two palace maids.

"Your Majesty, I...I accidentally spilled the tea into the box yesterday."

"Yes, yes, I wanted to replace the tea for the masters as soon as possible, so I was a little hasty. I didn't expect to cause trouble. I will definitely not dare to do it again next time. I beg the emperor and Concubine Gu to forgive me."

The two palace maids were stunned for just a moment and then began to kowtow on the ground.

"I'll give you one more chance. Was this instigated by someone?"

The emperor's voice was lukewarm, even less forceful than his previous questioning of the queen.

"It was truly our two servants who made a mistake due to our impulsiveness. No one ordered us to do that."

Seeing that the emperor's expression was not cold and stern, the two palace maids felt more confident.

"Come here, take him away and beat him with a stick. Don't stop until he tells the truth."

The emperor's cold order startled the two palace maids, and even the queen's expression changed slightly.

"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother is still ill..."

"The Queen is right. Cao Zhong, shut them up and don't disturb the Queen Mother while she's recovering from her illness."

The emperor interrupted the queen coldly.