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

Seeing the emperor pondering for a long time, Concubine Yan felt as if her heart had sunk into an ice cellar, and Xiao Yun'an hated his father from the bottom of his heart.

He was one of the only two princes in the palace and was carrying out the emperor's orders. How could he be sent to a temple to suffer asceticism?

"Father, I don't want to leave you. Please don't send me out of the palace."

Xiao Yun'an sobbed in grievance and fear, but his eyes kept glancing at the emperor's face.

Originally, this look was indeed pitiful, but Xiao Yun'an happened to be a person who had been reborn, and the calculation in his eyes was very mature.

The emperor always felt a little uncomfortable when he saw this. He had noticed this weirdness in his second son more than once.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Guards escorting the Second Prince are already waiting outside the palace gate. If we are any later, I'm afraid the journey will be difficult."

Sun Angong naturally wanted to complete the task assigned by his master as soon as possible.

"Your Majesty, this is impossible. The life in the temple is very hard. The Second Prince is still a child. How can he endure it?"

Concubine Yan threw away the hairpin in her hand, and regardless of her frail body, she crawled over on her knees, grabbed the hem of the emperor's robe and begged bitterly.

"Eunuch Sun, please wait outside for a while."

The emperor bowed respectfully to Sun An.

"Yes, the servant will be waiting outside."

Sun Angong knew that the emperor had agreed, and his face lit up with joy.

"Your Majesty, since I have never used my merit in saving you to ask for a reward in all these years, please grant me this one favor and don't let the Second Prince go to Anguo Temple. Let her stay by my side. I will have nothing else to ask for in the future."

When Concubine Yan saw that the people from Ci'an Palace had left, she continued to beg the emperor.

"What about your contribution to saving the emperor back then?"

The emperor's voice was a little cold.

"Is Yan Cairen trying to repay a favor?"

These words instantly chilled the atmosphere in the room, and Xiao Yun's pitiful crying also subsided.

"I dare not, but I..."

Concubine Yan was also a little stunned. Because of her contribution in saving the emperor, the emperor had always treated her well and had never been so cold to her.

"You know exactly what you were thinking back then. I don't want to talk about it again. Let's just talk about your contribution to saving me. Over the years, your Yan family has also used my name to seek benefits for yourselves."

"Don't say you don't know these things in the deep palace. I sympathize with your poor health and allow your family to visit you in the palace every month. I don't need to repeat what you said to me."

Concubine Yan wanted to argue, but when she heard the emperor's words and thought of what she had said to her mother, she became so angry that she collapsed to the ground. The palace maid beside her did not dare to come over to help her.

"I understand your deep love for the Second Prince. I will leave the Second Prince's luggage to you. In half an hour, I will personally send guards to take the Second Prince to Anguo Temple for a temporary stay."

It’s not that the emperor doesn’t care about his son Xiao Yun’an at all, but he knows his mother’s temperament very well. If he sends him away against her will, his second son might even lose his life.

The Queen Mother never showed any grandmotherly love to his children.

"Your Majesty, I am willing...willing..."

Concubine Yan originally wanted to say that she was willing to accompany the second prince to Anguo Temple for meditation, but she had damaged her body in the past because of her conspiracy to save the emperor, and had been relying on ginseng and bird's nest for nourishment over the years.

If she went to Anguo Temple, not only would she not be able to endure the hardship, but she would also not know when she would be able to return to the palace. The Second Prince was still a prince after all, and he would be able to come back someday. But for her, the Emperor already knew what happened that year, and was angry with her because she had used this as a way to repay a favor. She was afraid that she would not be able to come back here by then.

"I am willing to follow the emperor's orders."

Yan Cairen hardened her heart and said in a trembling voice.

"Cao Zhong, you stay and watch."

"let's go."

The emperor pulled Gu Youning out, who looked very reluctant.

"Father, I don't want to leave the palace...Father..."

"Second Prince, be careful and don't run around."

Xiao Yun'an's cries were heard from behind.

The emperor paused, but continued to walk towards the imperial carriage with Gu Youning.

"What's wrong? Are you scared?"

Sitting on the imperial carriage, the emperor saw that the woman here was a little absent-minded, so he gently embraced her and said caringly.

"Your Majesty, I am a little worried."

Gu Youning leaned obediently in the emperor's arms, but her willow-shaped eyebrows were tightly furrowed.

"I'm afraid Zheng'er will be sent away too."

Without waiting for the emperor to speak, Gu Youning spoke again softly, his tone full of hesitation and helplessness.

"Nonsense, our Zheng'er is fine, how could he..."

When the emperor said this, he remembered that Sun Angong had just mentioned that it was Prince Liang who brought the Taoist priest into the palace, and his brows frowned unconsciously.

"I'm afraid that if the Queen Mother's health doesn't improve, she might think of Zheng'er."

"If the emperor wants to send Zheng'er away, he must let me accompany him."

Gu Youning grabbed the emperor's hand, his tone becoming more urgent.

The emperor's eyes darkened slightly. The woman's words and thoughts were a little confusing, but after the queen mother met King Liang, she suddenly wanted to send Xiao Yun'an away. This was indeed a bit strange.

His mother had always wanted him to establish a crown prince, but he only had two princes.

"No, I won't let you and Zheng'er leave me."

The emperor suppressed his thoughts and coaxed the person in his arms.

The emperor sent Gu Youning to Changchun Palace and hurried back to Qianming Palace.

"Tan Yin, show me the letter that my father and Lady Wen sent yesterday."

As soon as they entered the inner hall, Gu Youning urged Tan Yin.

"Yes."

Tan Yin quickly handed the two letters to her master.

Gu Youning read it carefully again. After a while, she closed the letter with a serious expression.

No wonder the empress dowager’s eyes were so biased towards her son even though he was her own.

In order to please his mother, Prince Liang colluded with Taoist Zhang to fabricate a story that the birth of any child other than Prince Rong in Prince Liang's Mansion would harm the Queen Mother's fortune. After that, no children were born safely in Prince Liang's Mansion.

Therefore, the Queen Mother felt more and more guilty about doting on Prince Liang, and did everything she could to make up for the "loss" of her young son.

The Queen Mother, Prince Liang, Xiao Yun'an...

Gu Youning's mind flashed through the recent events one by one.

The Queen Mother has not yet recovered from her last plot. The incense can arouse the greatest fear in people's hearts, and heart disease is the most difficult to cure. The Queen Mother is King Liang's greatest support. It is hard to guarantee that this mother and son will not become anxious and attack the emperor or his offspring.

and many more!

Attack the emperor? Gu Youning thought of the emperor's palm being pierced by a silver needle.

She remembered that the Queen Mother had said that the clothes were prepared for Prince Liang. The Queen Mother was not a kind person, either openly or secretly, and Prince Liang was the apple of her eye. How could the palace maids of Ci'an Palace dare to be so negligent?

And there were indeed many strange things that happened that day.

If the emperor was not assassinated for poisoning, then it was for...

All these coincidences and oddities combined together, and Gu Youning had an idea in his mind that was about to come out but could not form at once.