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

"Meet Mother Gu."

Xiao Yun'an was extremely excited when he saw Gu Youning. These days, life in Guanju Palace was very difficult because He Chongyuan was demoted.

But He Chongyuan was really a brainless person. In order to prove his innocence, he sent most of the palace in Guanju Palace to the Ministry of Punishment for interrogation, and the two eunuchs he had bribed before were also sent away.

The supplies in various parts of the palace have always been to flatter the powerful and bully the weak. Not only was He Cairen's supply cut, but even his share was deducted a lot.

Xiao Yun'an missed the time when he was with Gu Youning in his previous life even more. Although his mother was not favored at that time, he had never been wronged and was never short of money.

If He Chongyuan had not insisted on removing the birthday gift he had carefully prepared, he would not have fixed the hairpin in anger.

What happened next was all within his expectations, but He Chongyuan had been demoted to a talented lady and was not qualified to raise the royal heir, but his father had been reluctant to order her to move out of Guanju Palace.

But he had a God-given opportunity after all, and now, the opportunity had come.

"Why is the Second Prince injured? What happened just now?"

Gu Youning then noticed Xiao Yun'an standing beside him and asked with concern.

"Yun'an is fine. Thank you, Mother Gu, for your concern. I just hurt my hand accidentally."

Xiao Yun'an raised his head and glanced quickly at Gu Youning, but everyone saw his red eyes, which naturally looked particularly pitiful and aggrieved on the face of a six-year-old child.

Gu Youning caught a glimpse of the emperor's expression and felt a chill in his heart. Xiao Yun'an came prepared today, but he didn't know what he was going to do.

"Cao Zhong, send the Second Prince back and have him taken good care of."

Although he was born out of someone else's scheme, he was his son after all. Seeing Xiao Yun'an wanting to get close to him but not daring to, and his eyes turning red just by receiving a word of concern, the emperor couldn't help but feel pity for him.

"Father, Yun'an won't leave."

But to everyone's surprise, Xiao Yun'an suddenly knelt straight on the ground.

The emperor's face suddenly darkened: "What's going on?"

"Father, I would like to accompany my brother to Ci'an Palace."

Xiao Yun'an seemed frightened by the emperor's expression and shrank back a bit, but finally straightened up and requested firmly.

"Father, Mother He has been so kind to me, raising me. She now suffers greatly from kneeling and reciting scriptures every day. As a junior, I would like to take the blame for her, but I heard that she has offended the Empress Dowager, and that she needs the prince's presence to stay healthy. Although I am not as good as my elder brother, I am willing to help as well, as a way to atone for Mother He's sins."

Xiao Yun'an kowtowed to the ground with red eyes.

There was a hint of emotion on the emperor's face.

"Your Majesty, the Second Prince is truly filial. At such a young age, he learned about the Empress Dowager's affairs so quickly and came to ask Your Majesty for help immediately."

Gu Youxin thought about how he had scolded the Second Prince Xiao Yun'an and almost taught him a lesson. Seeing the pity on the emperor's face, he felt scared, so he was smart for once.

The emperor indeed frowned, his deep gaze cast down.

"I heard from the aunt beside Concubine He that it's a good thing for my eldest brother to be filial to the Queen Mother, but Concubine Gu will definitely be unhappy. I am not as high-ranking as my eldest brother, nor as likable as him, but I also want to do good things. Concubine Gu has always been kind, and I came here to ask her for help..."

Xiao Yun'an lowered his head and whispered.

Gu Youning's eyes dimmed slightly. If someone else said this, it would indeed sound like a provocation, but for a six-year-old child, others would just think that he was just repeating it seriously.

Xiao Yun'an actually had this in mind. I'm afraid he bumped into Gu Youxin just now on purpose.

Not only did she behave cautiously and pitifully in front of the emperor, showing her filial piety, but she also secretly tricked He Zhiyi - while kneeling and praying for the empress dowager, she asked people around her to inquire about the affairs of the harem.

As expected, I have grown a lot after living this life again.

"Nonsense, your mother, Concubine Gu, has always been filial and respectful to the Queen Mother, how could she be unhappy?"

In order to avoid getting into trouble, Ning'er has reluctantly agreed to send Zheng'er to Ci'an Palace. He cannot disobey his mother's wishes, but Ning'er's reputation must be preserved.

Although this woman may not have thought of this.

"I know I was wrong. I was just listening... I'm sorry, Mother Gu. I apologize to you."

Xiao Yun'an stammered a few words in fear, then turned to Gu Youning and kowtowed.

Gu Youning hurriedly tried to move away, but was helped by the emperor.

"Alright, help the Second Prince up."

"It's rare for you to be so filial."

"Cao Zhong, take the Second Prince back to tidy up, and then go to Ci'an Palace with the First Prince."

As Gu Youning expected, the emperor agreed to Xiao Yun'an's request. Firstly, Xiao Yun'an's request was so humble and pitiful, even self-deprecating, the emperor was not without any fatherly love for his son and would certainly feel pity for him; secondly, with Xiao Yun'an accompanying him to Ci'an Palace, the emperor might feel that Zheng'er would have a playmate and would be happier in Ci'an Palace.

Not to mention that the emperor usually did not pay much attention to this son, even He Cairen, who was demoted and had to suffer the pain of kneeling for three months, would never have thought that a six-year-old child had such a mind.

"My son, I would like to thank my father for your success."

Xiao Yun'an stared wide-eyed, stunned in disbelief for a moment before he kowtowed to the emperor to express his gratitude. He didn't even feel the impact of his forehead hitting the back of his broken hand.

"Hurry up and let the palace servants bandage your wound first."

The emperor said gently.

"emperor……"

"It's getting late. The Queen Mother should be looking for my sister. You should go there quickly."

Gu Youning interrupted his sister's words. Right now, the emperor's love for his son is at its strongest. If Gu Youxin says anything bad about Xiao Yun'an, it will only make the emperor feel more pity for him.

"Go first, don't keep the Queen Mother waiting."

The emperor looked at Gu Youxin with approval.

"I will take my leave. Your Majesty, rest assured that I will serve the Queen Mother well."

Gu Youxin hid the resentment in his eyes.

Inside the hall, Gu Youning watched the father and son talking intimately and quietly retreated.

"The Second Prince will be accompanying us to Ci'an Palace this time, so you need to be more careful."

Gu Youning instructed Xianyu.

"Master, rest assured, I will protect the eldest prince. Apart from those who came from our palace, I don't trust anyone else."

Gu Youning nodded. Although Xianyu was not as smart as Tanyin, she was meticulous and stubborn.

She is not a god, and no matter how much she does, she cannot guarantee that everything will be foolproof. But as long as the people around Zheng'er are alert enough, Zheng'er's safety will be more guaranteed.

"The Queen is here!"

Gu Youning was about to go back into the hall when he heard a eunuch's announcement from the door.

"May the Queen be blessed with happiness and peace of mind."

Gu Youning bowed in the corridor.

"You're out here in such cold weather? I know you're worried about the Crown Prince, but you also have to take care of yourself."

The queen held Gu Youning's slightly cold hand affectionately and scolded him without any hesitation.

"I am indeed worried about Zheng'er, but I am afraid that he will anger the Queen Mother in Ci'an Palace and cause the Emperor and the Empress to be blamed in front of the Queen Mother."

Gu Youning noticed that the laughter in the hall had stopped, and spoke in a worried tone.

"Zheng'er has always been well-behaved. Besides, there's no need for you to worry about me and the Queen."

As soon as he finished speaking, the emperor came out of the hall holding Zheng'er and stood with Gu Youning very naturally.

"My concubine joins the Emperor."

When the queen saw the affectionate look between the emperor and his son, her eyes flickered slightly.

"I've met my mother."

Xiao Yunzheng clasped his fists in the emperor's arms.

"The eldest prince is so well behaved."

The queen smiled gently and kindly, and slowly raised her armored hand, about to fall on Xiao Yunzheng's fair face.