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

The rear hall of Guanju Palace.

"Second Prince, I have followed your instructions and inquired with the eunuchs in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. There is no eunuch named Xiao Qingzi."

A eunuch put down the food box and whispered to Xiao Yun'an when no one was around.

"How is that possible? Didn't you find out clearly?"

Xiao Yun'an frowned and said dissatisfiedly.

"Second Prince, keep your voice down."

The eunuch glanced furtively at the palace entrance.

Xiao Yun'an felt annoyed again when he saw this. Thanks to He Chongyuan's careful discipline, he now had to do things secretly.

"In fact, young eunuchs like us are given names by our masters after entering the palace. Today we are called Xiao Qingzi in this palace, and tomorrow we will be Xiao Fuzi in that palace. It's just a matter of a word from our masters."

"If the Second Prince wants to find someone, it would be best if he could look for other characteristics, such as appearance, so that I can follow the clues to find the right person."

The eunuch's words did sound reasonable, but Xiao Yun'an couldn't think of any special features in Xiao Qingzi's appearance. He only remembered that he was handsome, but there were many handsome eunuchs in the palace.

"Alright, this prince understands, you can go out first."

Xiao Yun'an was worried again. Did he have to wait another two years to find someone?

He is now imprisoned in Guanju Palace and can do nothing, not even get close to his mother. He really needs help.

Otherwise, a gleam of light flashed in Xiao Yun'an's eyes.

"Why haven't you left yet?"

When Xiao Yun'an came to his senses, he found that the eunuch had not left yet.

"Second Prince, this..."

"This is your reward. Take it."

Xiao Yun'an looked at the greed in the eunuch's eyes and threw a golden melon seed out.

"I thank the Second Prince for the reward. If you need anything in the future, just tell me."

Watching the eunuch go out happily, Xiao Yun'an sneered towards the front hall.

He Chongyuan did not allow the palace ladies to get close to her, but unfortunately she was stingy and incompetent. She could not win the hearts of the palace ladies like her mother, and her rewards to them were small. As long as she rewarded them with some silver, there would be many people working for her.

After sneering, Xiao Yun'an returned to the table, threw aside the Buddhist scriptures that He Chongyuan had ordered him to copy, and picked up a pen to draw the image of Guanyin on the paper.

This is a birthday gift for the Queen Mother. He is too young now and his hands are weak, so he has to work day and night to catch up.

……

Yuan Cai brought the news back to Changchun Palace on the third day.

"I have rescued the young man and he is now staying in my residence. Fortunately, I arrived in time that day, otherwise the people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs would have taken him away."

Yuan Cai bowed in front of the couch and reported.

"Take good care of this young man. It will benefit us in the future."

Gu Youning felt relieved when she heard that Yuan Cai had rescued the person. In fact, once the person entered the palace, she also had a way to keep the person by her side and even make him grateful, but the child was not a perfect person after all.

However, she still needed to think carefully about how to reveal it to the Ministry of Internal Affairs without leaving any trace.

Moreover, she was not confident in letting Yuan Cai do this, so she decided to wait for her father to return from Dengzhou.

Counting the days, the Dengzhou matter should be settled. If this matter is handled well, my father can be promoted at least two levels.

Besides, this matter does not rely on the help of the Wen family. My stepmother's status in my father's heart will definitely not be as good as before, and my mother's life in the Gu Mansion will be better.

Gu Youning's guess was correct. Xiao Heng came that day with a happy look on his face.

"Ning'er, get up quickly."

Just as Gu Youning was about to bow and greet the emperor, he was helped up and led into the palace.

"Your father has made a great contribution this time."

Seeing the woman next to him looking at him with a puzzled expression, Xiao Heng remembered that the woman was not like those girls from aristocratic families and was not well-informed about the news in the court.

So he briefly recounted what happened in Dengzhou.

"The Governor of Dengzhou dared to open an iron mine privately and force the people to work in it. No wonder Dengzhou is so full of bandits that they even dared to detain the envoy from Dayong. If it weren't for your father's advice, those bandits wouldn't have dared to let him go so easily."

Thinking of this, Xiao Heng couldn't help but praise Gu Yuanshan a few more times. If something happened to the envoy from Dayong in Dengzhou, not only would Dazhao lose face in front of Dayong, but there would also be friction between the two countries, and even cause instability on the border.

At that time, he would have to show favor to the Zheng family, which held military power. The aristocratic family forces that had just been suppressed in the court would only become more rampant than before.

"No matter how powerful my father is, he is only following the emperor's orders. Those are clearly the emperor's achievements."

Gu Youning was not as happy as other palace concubines when they heard that their family members had made contributions. Instead, she pouted slightly, seeming a little unhappy.

"I know you suffered grievances in the Gu Mansion before, but... anyway, this matter will benefit you."

Xiao Heng originally wanted to explain the benefits of Gu Yuanshan's ability in court affairs to women, but he thought that women were simple in nature and probably had never even thought about these things in the court, so he just said something vaguely.

He recalled what he had heard not long ago in the Imperial Garden: "The Emperor is the most powerful." Being trusted and relied upon wholeheartedly by the woman he cared about, even as an emperor, he felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

"In seven days, on the Queen Mother's birthday, I will invite everyone in the Gu Mansion to a banquet in recognition of your father's meritorious service."

With the woman's trust, Xiao Heng naturally wanted to do something for her.

But Gu Youning lowered his head slightly, his bright eyes dimmed: "No."

"Why..."

Xiao Heng didn't react for a moment. He wanted to use this opportunity to let Ning'er meet her family, but he soon remembered that the girl's biological mother was just a concubine. It was okay to summon someone to the palace to meet her last time, but for the queen mother's birthday banquet, the family members that officials could bring could only be the wife of the main wife.

"The last time I met with my family, I embarrassed the Emperor and the Empress. I have the sachet made by my mother, and that's enough."

Gu Youning said softly.

But the more this happened, the more guilty the emperor felt, especially since he had scolded the woman for this matter last time.

Xiao Heng pondered for a moment, then squeezed the woman's hand. "I've sent someone to the Gu residence to pass on the message, promoting your mother to a co-wife. This way, it will be easier for you to see each other in the future."

"Your Majesty, you must not do this!"

Gu Youning screamed.

"The emperor will be talked about by the court officials, and also by the people in the harem..."

Seeing the woman grabbing his sleeves with an unusual look of anxiety and worry on her face, Xiao Heng's last bit of hesitation disappeared.

"It's just a verbal order, not an official decree. It won't hinder you. Besides, you were nearly killed that day by Fang Cainu, and the Queen mentioned raising your rank. I rejected it because it was against the rules."

Xiao Heng saw that the woman's face showed no sign of dissatisfaction, and his eyes were even more gentle: "It is only natural that I show favor to your biological mother this time."

"As long as the emperor doesn't make things difficult for me, I will naturally be happy."

Gu Youning reached out and hugged the emperor's waist.