The Changchun Palace team travels back in time to Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

Upon arriving at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Rongyin and Yingluo paid their respects. The Emperor then had Rongyin sit on the couch, ordered tea to be served, and said gently, "Your Majesty has worked hard these past few days leading everyone in mourning. What brings you to me?"

Rongyin said humbly, "In public affairs, I am a subject; in private affairs, I am a daughter-in-law. I have been loyal and filial, so what hardship is there? It is Your Majesty who has lost a lot of weight these past few days. Please take care of your health."

The emperor was very pleased: "The empress is indeed virtuous."

Rongyin adopted a humble and apprehensive demeanor, as if she were a newcomer to the inner palace, and said, "Today, I request an audience with Your Majesty because there is a matter I do not know how to handle. According to the customs of our Great Qing Dynasty, when the Empress Dowager dies, the Empress and the wives of the princes should cut their hair and wear mourning clothes. When the Empress dies, the concubines should remove their earrings and jewelry. The Lady of Jingren Palace passed away yesterday. Because she was previously imprisoned by the late Emperor without any decree to depose her, her status was awkward. The Lady died suddenly. I do not know if she died because she was too heartbroken by the late Emperor's passing. She was also the aunt of Consort Qing. Under such circumstances, if the funeral rites are not appropriate, it would be my dereliction of duty. Therefore, I ask Your Majesty, what kind of funeral rites should be performed?"

The emperor's expression suddenly turned stern, and then he let out a deep sigh.

Rongyin sipped her tea, secretly observing the Emperor's expression. Did his reaction mean he knew the truth, or not?

Before the emperor could speak, a eunuch's voice came from outside: "The Empress Dowager has arrived!"

The two quickly rose and respectfully bowed to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager lifted her eyelids, glanced at Rongyin, and said, "The Empress has also arrived."

The Empress Dowager and the Emperor then sat down, while Rongyin and Yingluo stood to the side.

As soon as the Empress Dowager sat down, she said, "Jingren Palace has passed away. Has the Emperor heard about it?"

The Emperor replied, "I have heard that Qingying came to report yesterday that he died suddenly from resentment."

The Empress Dowager said "Oh," and asked, "Did he die suddenly from resentment and anger? Or did he commit suicide?"

The Emperor said in a low voice, "Qingying is the niece of Jingren Palace, so what she said should be true."

The Empress Dowager seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and then inquired about the funeral arrangements.

The Emperor said, “The Empress came to inquire about this matter as well. I think that since the late Emperor never deposed the Empress, and Jingren Palace was grieving and died suddenly due to the late Emperor’s passing, let her be buried with the rites due to an Empress.”

The Empress Dowager insisted that not only should he not be buried with the rites due to an empress, but he should also not be buried with the late emperor.

At this moment, Wang Qin reported again: "Zhang Tingyu requests an audience."

Rongyin thought to herself, "How can this servant show such disrespect to Lord Zhang, addressing him by his first name?" But then she thought, "Empress Dowager even calls Lord Zhang 'old fellow' behind his back. Perhaps this is just how the world is." But more importantly, was Lord Zhang's request for an audience also related to the sudden passing of Empress Ulanara?

After entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation and paying his respects to the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress, Zhang Tingyu stated his purpose directly: "I heard that Consort Jingren has passed away, so I have come to pay my respects to Your Majesty."

The Empress Dowager said coldly, "Do the officials of the previous dynasty also have to interfere in the affairs of the inner palace?"

Zhang Tingyu said, “Your Majesty, it is not proper for an outsider to interfere in matters of the inner palace. However, the conferment of honors upon Jingren Palace has already attracted attention from the court and the public. Since it is a matter of state, I have no choice but to inquire.”

The Empress Dowager said, "The matter of bestowing honors has been settled. Jingren Palace has died suddenly, so the matter is over."

Zhang Tingyu retorted: "The matter of bestowing honors has barely been announced when Jingren Palace suddenly collapsed. The twists and turns of this matter are truly thought-provoking. I implore Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this matter!"

Rongyin's heart skipped a beat. She had been worried about not having a chance to tell him about this, but she didn't expect that Lord Zhang would expose it directly! It seems that, as Yingluo said, there had already been rumors in the previous dynasty.

The Empress Dowager insisted, "Throughout history, when an emperor dies, there are always people in the harem who die of grief. What is there to dwell on?"

Zhang Tingyu said, "The one who passed away this time was, after all, the former Empress of the Qing Dynasty. Even if she had a long-standing feud with the late Emperor, and the late Emperor once said that he would never see her again in this life, even without a posthumous title, she should not have died suddenly and mysteriously in Jingren Palace!"

This statement was tantamount to explicitly accusing the Empress Dowager of being the murderer. The Empress Dowager immediately became agitated and began to refute it sternly.

The two argued fiercely. Rongyin was about to speak when she remembered that Lord Zhang was an outsider. If she spoke up for Lord Zhang at this moment, it would be considered colluding with court officials and interfering in politics in the harem. Therefore, she remained silent.

At this moment, a voice interrupted their argument.

"Your Majesty, I, Ulanara, request an audience with Your Majesty."

After Qingying entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation and paid her respects, Zhang Tingyu said impatiently, "Greetings to Your Majesty. Your Majesty, I was just discussing with the Emperor the matter of the sudden death of Jingren Palace. Your Majesty is a close relative of Jingren Palace, and we must seek justice for her."

The Emperor said, "Qingying, Jingren Palace and the Empress Dowager are your closest elders. You must be careful with your words."

Rongyin realized that Zhang Tingyu had already suggested a thorough investigation. Although the Emperor hadn't explicitly agreed, his change in expression when she mentioned Empress Ulanara's death suggested that he knew it wasn't a sudden death. Furthermore, the Emperor seemed to have pity for Empress Ulanara and had indeed wanted to grant her a grand funeral. His earlier mention of "Jingren Palace" before "Empress Mother" seemed to encourage Qingying to tell the truth. It was likely that, as Yingluo had said, the Emperor wanted to use this opportunity to challenge the Empress Dowager. If Qingying said that Empress Ulanara's death wasn't sudden, even if she said there were suspicious points, there would be a strong possibility of further investigation. Therefore, she added, "Qingying, please speak your mind."

Qingying said to Zhang Tingyu, “Lord Zhang, I am deeply saddened by my aunt’s passing, but I don’t know where to begin with the word ‘justice’. My aunt was confined to Jingren Palace, and was filled with grief and indignation. She fell ill for many years and passed away because she was overly worried about the late emperor’s death. I was serving her at her bedside at the time and witnessed her passing away.”

Then she turned around and bowed, saying, "Empress Dowager, Emperor, Empress, my aunt passed away because she cared too much about her relationship with the late Emperor. If there are any rumors, I should step forward to quell them so that my aunt can leave with dignity and have peace of mind after her death."

Rongyin looked at the emperor, whose expression was very unpleasant. The emperor said, "In that case, the funeral should be conducted with dignity."

So it was decided that she would be buried with the rites due to a concubine. Seeing that Qingying had spoken so resolutely and there was no way to change the situation, Rongyin had no choice but to take her leave. Only Qingying and the emperor remained in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

When Rongyin left the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Empress Dowager was still there. She stepped forward, bowed, and then left in her carriage.

The Empress Dowager gave her retreating figure a deep look. This Empress Fucha, her daughter-in-law, had been so quiet during her time as a prince; the Empress Dowager had assumed she was a stubborn fool. But today, she had gone to the Emperor first to inquire about the funeral arrangements at Jingren Palace, and even told Qingying to tell her everything. While Qingying's words were impeccable, the Empress Dowager's suspicions grew; she felt that Empress Fucha knew something. Oh well, the Fucha family had deep roots in the previous dynasty; it wasn't easy to provoke them. In any case, Qingying had already covered for her; from now on, she could rest easy and enjoy the honors of Empress Dowager.

Rongyin returned to her palace, somewhat disheartened. She dismissed Yingluo and Mingyu, and rested in her bedchamber for a while, but found it difficult to fall asleep. Suddenly, she heard a rustling sound. Looking up, she saw Yingluo peeking half her head in from behind the door, whispering, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty?"

Rongyin couldn't help but sit up and laughed, "Alright, you're always so sneaky. Stop sneaking around there and come sit down for a while."

Yingluo entered the bedchamber, sat on a low mahogany stool inlaid with mother-of-pearl in front of the bed, rested her hands on her knees, and looked at Rongyin: "I know Your Majesty is troubled, but I didn't dare to disturb you."

Rong Yin smiled helplessly and said somewhat dejectedly, "Do you also think that I was too impulsive this time?"

Yingluo said, "How could that be? It is precisely because Your Highness is kind-hearted that you spoke out for justice in this matter. If anyone is to blame, it is Qingying, who, as a niece, is not filial and does not think about avenging her aunt."

Rongyin said, "Qingying did it because she was following her aunt's dying words and had no choice but to do it in order to survive."

Yingluo said, "She's confused and muddle-headed. Facing the enemy who drove her aunt to her death, she thinks that as long as she covers up her aunt's crimes, she can gain a shred of leniency from the enemy. Today, the Emperor, Minister Zhang, and you all wanted to help her investigate her aunt's affairs. If she tells the truth, Minister Zhang and the Emperor can use this opportunity to thoroughly investigate the case, thereby suppressing the Empress Dowager's faction. Once the Empress Dowager is hit, even if she can't be completely defeated, she'll be overwhelmed for a while and naturally won't have time to pay attention to her. She could easily take advantage of this to win over the Emperor, or befriend you or Consort Gao, and..." She could have gained more protection; at the very least, she could have enjoyed some peace and quiet for a while. But not only did she miss this golden opportunity, she also ruined it by saying, "If there are rumors, I must come forward to clarify them." She didn't understand that when facing an enemy, one must either become as strong as them, deterring them from making any rash moves, or lie low and seize the opportunity to completely defeat the opponent, ensuring their eternal damnation. Only then can one be safe. Begging and groveling before the enemy is the most foolish thing to do; it will only earn the enemy's contempt and further encroachment.

Rongyin sighed, "I remember you in the past, when you were the most ruthless and decisive person. To avenge your sister, you even dared to lay a hand on Consort Yu. Now you also know how to assess the situation. After I died in my previous life, I learned everything that happened from the Director. You have matured now, but I have seen how many open and hidden attacks you went through to become who you are today. Yingluo, you really suffered a lot all those years."

Yingluo's nose tingled, and she held back her tears: "Your Majesty, Yingluo was able to be willful in the past because you always protected her."

She blinked, trying to lighten her tone: "Besides, Yingluo didn't have to suffer much. In my previous life, I got along well with the Emperor, avenged my great enemy, and my children had good futures. Yingluo has no regrets. My wish in this life is to be with you, Your Majesty and Mingyu. As long as we complete this task, we will be able to fulfill our wish."

However, Your Majesty, the Director said that this world has strayed from the natural order and is on the verge of collapse. Therefore, there is no justice or fairness in this world, and no one can be understood through common sense. The events of the past few days may continue to unfold. You wish to protect the people of this world, but you cannot protect everyone, especially since some of them are not human. To ultimately save this world, we must first protect our own minds and bodies. Only by ensuring our own survival can we slowly pull this world back to normalcy and restore it to its former order.

Therefore, Your Majesty, do not expend too much energy. Simply do good deeds and do not worry about the future. Whether things succeed or fail, do not take it too seriously. I will not give anyone the opportunity to harm you, and you do not need to be saddened by unworthy people and things. Just treat them as puppets held in the hands of evil spirits.

After hearing this, Rongyin was stunned for a moment, then finally felt relieved.

"Let's make some ham and chicken soup tonight. I'd like to try it; if we use both ham and chicken broth, will it lose its flavor?"

"Alright! I'll go tell Mingyu right away!"