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

Gao Xiyue's letter to her family went unanswered.

It turns out that on the day Agui was allowed to enter the sealed-off residence of the Ulanara clan, he actually dug out a woman's skeleton from a crack in the wall.

The coroner pieced together the remains and used the "steamed bone red umbrella method" to examine them. He found that the person had injuries to their ribs, waist, and pelvis, and that they were pregnant at the time of death.

Lai Bao, the Minister of Justice, submitted a memorial requesting a thorough investigation.

How could the emperor let go of this opportunity to further expose Ulanara's crimes? He immediately granted the request. As a result, the officials dug up several more dried fetal corpses in the basement of the residence and in the cracks in the corner walls.

The court and the public were in uproar, all saying that the Ulanara clan was full of filth and their behavior was simply that of beasts in human clothing.

The emperor seized the opportunity and ordered the Ministry of Justice to continue the investigation. Soon, some officials who could not withstand the pressure confessed that they had been invited by relatives of the Ulanara clan to participate in a so-called banquet, and that they had engaged in prostitution and bribery at the banquet.

The emperor decreed that those who voluntarily report such cases would have their punishment reduced, while those who concealed their crimes would be punished more severely upon discovery. Furthermore, a thorough investigation was launched to determine whether any noble families were keeping prostitutes.

Everyone in the court was on edge, but Gao Bin knew very well that his son, Gao Heng, had not only accepted "skinny horses" (ladies' girls) from salt merchants in Lianghuai, but had also bought several singing girls and dancing girls from a madam who called herself "Nen Cai." He presented two of them to Prince Xian and Prince He respectively, and had the rest taken back by several uncles in his clan. In addition, through Nen Cai's connections, he had gathered a group of beautiful and talented women and sent them to the palace.

Gao Heng has gained the support of many people in the Gao clan because of his "generosity," and Gao Bin has long been beyond his control.

As for Nen Cai, Gao Bin had considered silencing her, but Nen Cai suddenly arrived in the capital after the Spring Festival, and Anxiang Xiaozhu sprang up almost overnight, quickly becoming a landmark in the capital. She also acted extremely flamboyantly, even competing with Prince He for antiques, and it was unknown how many people she secretly knew. If he were to make a move rashly, it was hard to guarantee that it wouldn't arouse suspicion.

Therefore, Gao Bin could only remind his clansmen to take those singers and dancers as concubines as soon as possible, to be open about it, to live cautiously, and to secretly hope that they would not be caught doing anything wrong.

Therefore, he would never dare to do what his daughter said. Besides, if helping his daughter suppress or even eliminate someone would help her gain more favor in the palace, then he would do it; but to retaliate against the Empress Dowager and the Eldest Princess out of momentary anger would, in his view, be nothing more than needlessly making enemies, and not worth it at all.

So Gao Xiyue still hadn't received a reply by June.

She was anxious and angry, and had no interest in even trying the methods Huang Yuanyu had suggested for conceiving a child.

She had always longed for a child, but due to qi deficiency and blood stasis, she had been unable to conceive despite years of favor with the emperor. She always felt that it was ultimately her own body that was failing her, and she inevitably lacked confidence in front of the emperor. Now that she knew that her incurable illness was also due to the Empress Dowager's machinations, her guilty conscience instantly turned into overwhelming hatred for the Empress Dowager, and she no longer cared so much about having children—after all, her infertility over the years was also caused by the Empress Dowager, not her fault!

During this time, what comforted her was that the Empress would occasionally call her over to talk, her words always filled with careful reassurance. She thought that since the Emperor had found out, he would surely inform the Empress. The Empress knew she was sad and angry and wanted to comfort her.

She appreciated the gesture, but her resentment remained. In fact, as time passed, her anger intensified, extending to deep resentment towards Princesses Duanshu and Roushu. If the Empress Dowager hadn't gone to Qingyi Garden and Princess Roushu hadn't gone to the Princess's residence, she didn't know what she might have done.

The emperor was also troubled: he had originally planned to use the Gao family to find fault with the Niohuru clan before Hengti's engagement, ideally shifting the blame onto the Empress Dowager, so that he could legitimately arrange for Hengti to marry into a family with little power, thus preventing the Niohuru clan from gaining more influence. However, Gao Bin made no move, instead proposing a strategy for flood control in the lower reaches of the Yellow River together with Akdun.

This water control project was complex and massive, and Akdun was a minister of the late emperor. The emperor had long been wary of the Gao family, so he could not fully trust either of them. After thinking it over, he finally thought of someone who was knowledgeable about water control, was in the capital, and would not attract attention. So he sent Jinbao out of the palace with the plan to ask Guiduo.

Gui Duo sent Jinbao back with a memorial, earnestly stating that this strategy had been proposed by Jin Fu and Chen Huang during the Kangxi era. It was a benevolent policy that comprehensively managed the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, balancing the protection of grain transport and the people's livelihood. However, it was shelved at the time due to factional strife. As the saying goes, "The way to manage the river must be to examine the overall situation, integrating the river channel and the transport route into one, managing them from beginning to end in a coordinated manner, so as to avoid any problems." If this strategy could truly be implemented, it would be a blessing for the country.

The emperor thought that this was a feat even his grandfather had failed to accomplish, and if he could complete it himself, it would be a glorious achievement recorded in history. In comparison, Hengti's engagement seemed like a minor matter.

He thought of Gui Duo and felt a pang of emotion, so that night he chose A Ruo as his concubine.

In the past two years, the Emperor and A'Ruo have mostly spent time together discussing how to deal with Ruyi, and it's rare for them to have any tender moments together.

That night, as the two lay on the dragon bed, the emperor said, “I think of your father and feel a sense of regret. He was talented, loyal to the country, and never let personal grudges interfere with state affairs. If it weren’t for the Mountain Tiger Society incident, he would have achieved even more. So I’m thinking, should I give him a higher-ranking position?”

Aruo said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, although you and the Empress have kept it a secret, I can guess that he was seriously injured at the time. When Mother came to the palace the other day, I also inquired about it. His illness has now become serious, and he is only being kept alive. I'm afraid he will not be able to share Your Majesty's worries."

The emperor then said, "Then I will secretly give your mother's family some silver, as well as your two younger brothers. Gui Duo once held the rank of third-grade official, and they can also be selected as Baitang'a. Their future will not be affected."

The next day, the emperor sent Yu Hu to deliver the silver, and then issued an edict to betroth Princess Hengti to Zhuang Yougong, the top scholar of the fourth year of Qianlong's reign.

Generally speaking, the top scholar in the imperial examinations is usually in his thirties or forties, but Zhuang Yougong became the top scholar at a very young age, which can be called a child prodigy.

He was a Han Chinese, not even from the Han Banner or the Han Army Banner, and was from Panyu. Not only was his hometown far from the capital, but Guangdong had only produced one top scholar in recent years. He had no local connections, and as a protégé of the emperor, he relied on the emperor himself. This eliminated the opportunity for the Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager Niohuru to deepen their ties with relatives and friends through the marriage of Hengti. Since the founding of the Qing Dynasty, apart from a few princes such as Wu Sangui and Shang Kexi who married princesses, there had never been a precedent of a Han Chinese marrying a princess. This was also to show the Han Chinese kinship and to win over the literati.

As soon as the decree was issued, Niohuru clan members couldn't sit still, and even the Manchu nobles couldn't sit still either. They submitted memorials one after another, saying that Princess Roushu was the Empress Dowager's own daughter and had a good reputation for virtue. Marrying a Han Chinese who was not of Manchu origin would be a disgrace to the royal family.

However, Zhang Tingyu and Gao Bin stood on the emperor's side, saying that the emperor had long said that no matter what one's background was, as long as one had talent and worked diligently, one was a talent of the court. They argued that opposing this marriage meant they did not understand the emperor's appreciation for talent!

There was another person the emperor hadn't expected—the former General Zhenyue, who had served in Nanyue for over a decade and had only recently been transferred back to the capital, also praised Zhuang Yougong for his exceptional intelligence and talent.

"When I was serving in the General's Office of Zhenyue, Zhuang Rongke's home was not far from the office. When Zhuang Rongke was young, he once flew a kite nearby, and the kite fell into the General's Office, so he went straight in to look for it. At that time, I was on leave and playing chess with a friend. Intending to tease him, I gave him the first line of a couplet: 'An old painting in the hall, the dragon does not roar, the tiger does not howl, the flowers do not smell fragrance, the birds do not sing, seeing this little boy is laughable.' Zhuang Rongke immediately replied: 'A half-finished game of chess, the chariot has no wheels, the horse has no saddle, the cannon has no smoke, the pawn has no rations, shout 'General, beware! Beware!' Such a man of great talent will surely become a good husband for the Princess."

The Empress Dowager did not object, only saying that she would be content if Hengti lived a peaceful and happy life after marriage and always showed filial piety to her. As for Niohuru, she would try to appease her.

The emperor was pleasantly surprised. He had originally planned to threaten the Empress Dowager with the fact that Hengti had suffered from madness if the opposition was too great, so that she could deal with Niohuru. He did not expect that even without doing anything, things could be accomplished smoothly.

So the emperor also showed goodwill by promoting Zhuang Yougong to the position of Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Remembering that Agui had done a good job and that Agui's father was on good terms with Zhang Tingyu, he was willing to give Zhang Tingyu some face at this time, so he promoted Agui by half a rank and transferred him to the position of Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

The emperor and empress dowager were satisfied, but Gao Xiyue was very dissatisfied.

Zhuang Yougong is a top scholar in the imperial examination and a Han Chinese with no powerful connections. Naturally, he will be devoted to the princess. With such a husband, Princess Roushu will have everything she wants!

She acted coquettishly and whined to the emperor, and after achieving his goal, the emperor did not want her to cause any more trouble. He simply gave her a perfunctory reply, saying that he would let her family members come to the palace to visit her.

When Gao Xiyue saw that the Emperor, after telling her the truth, was unwilling to stand up for her, her heart sank. She still stubbornly asked, "Does Your Majesty tell me the truth not to uphold justice for me, but rather to..."

She dared not ask the second half of the question, while the emperor's face had already darkened: "Consort, if such a thing were to spread, it would damage the royal family's reputation. The Empress Dowager is, after all, my mother. I am in a difficult position when it comes to filial piety, yet you do not understand. It seems that I have spoiled you too much all these years!"

When her stepmother, Madam Ma, arrived at Xianfu Palace, Gao Xiyue no longer bothered to maintain any semblance of politeness and directly questioned Madam Ma about why her father hadn't followed her wishes and ruined Princess Roushu's marriage.

Madam Ma had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Your Highness, this is, after all, the Eldest Princess, a member of the royal family, and has a reputation for kindness and virtue. If we really offend her, the Gao family might be in trouble in the future!"

Gao Xiyue's anger surged instantly, her chest heaving. It took her a long time to say, "Fine, fine! I've been working so hard in the palace to gain favor for my family, while Father and Hengdi have been making a big fuss outside. Now all I want is justice, an eye for an eye, and they won't even give it to me!"

Madam Ma said, "Please, Your Highness, consider the well-being of the entire Gao family!"

Gao Xiyue retorted angrily, "For the sake of the Gao family? Madam Gao, you only care about your own children, so you don't mind seeing your stepdaughter like me suffer? If my own mother were still alive, she would be too busy feeling sorry for me to say such things to me!"

After being rebuked like this, Ma was about to retort when she saw Gao Xiyue suddenly breathing rapidly, clutching her chest and ribs, her expression one of great pain.

The next moment, Gao Xiyue vomited blood and fainted.

Moxin and Xingxuan were shocked and hurriedly said, "Summon the imperial physician! Quickly summon the imperial physician!"

When Gao Xiyue woke up, she saw the Empress guarding her bedside.

Upon seeing that she had woken up, the Empress hurriedly summoned the imperial physician to examine her.

Huang Yuanyu took her pulse, his expression grave. He said, "Her Highness the Imperial Concubine suffered a sudden attack of anger, triggering an old ailment. As long as she maintains a peaceful state of mind and recuperates for a while, she will recover. However, Her Highness the Imperial Concubine is not easily moved while ill, so it may not be convenient for her to go to the Yuanmingyuan for summer retreat this year."

Once outside the door, he said to Moxin and Xingxuan, "The Imperial Concubine has a history of qi deficiency and blood stasis. Even though her condition has improved, she has been weakened by years of depletion and her constitution is frail. Recently, the Imperial Concubine has been in a bad mood, which has led to her illness due to worry and anger. If this continues, the medicine will only have a temporary effect."

After seeing Huang Yuanyu off, the Empress stayed behind to comfort her. Seeing that she had no reaction, she even suggested that the affairs of the Yuanmingyuan could be handed over to other concubines, and that she would stay in the Forbidden City this year to accompany the Noble Consort.

Gao Xiyue's eyes twitched slightly, and she said, "Your Majesty need not trouble yourself. I'm afraid my illness is difficult to cure. Why should Your Majesty waste your time accompanying a sick person like me?"

The Empress said, "Your Highness, you mustn't think such things. Imperial Physician Huang has already said that she'll recover after a period of recuperation..."

Gao Xiyue sighed weakly, "Spitting blood at a young age cannot last long. Besides, can the imperial physician heal the body's illness, or the heart? Your Majesty, the Emperor must have told you that I was made sicker by the Empress Dowager. However, if I were to say that I wanted to take revenge on the Eldest Princess in order to take revenge on the Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, although we have a bond from our time as princes, you are also close to the Eldest Princess. Moreover, given your personality, you would surely think the Eldest Princess is innocent and therefore would not stand on my side."

The Empress took a deep breath and said, "Yes. My sister Hengti has nothing to do with these matters. If the Consort intends to harm my sister Hengti, I will stop her."

Gao Xiyue forced a smile, a smile that seemed rather eerie on her pale face: "I knew Your Majesty the Empress was a fair person. Moreover, a blessed person like you, healthy and strong, with both sons and daughters, would never understand my resentment."

She turned her face slightly toward the wall and said blankly, "Since birth, I have suffered from qi deficiency and blood stasis. Every winter, no matter what fur clothes I wear, how thick the quilt I cover myself with, or how many charcoal braziers I burn, my body is still like an ice cave, cold from the inside out. In summer, I break out in waves of cold sweat and want to change my clothes four or five times a day. If I feel slightly upset, my chest and ribs feel like they are being pricked with needles. If I eat anything cold or use ice, I won't feel better until I'm bedridden for several days."

I endured this torment for over twenty years, until I became a Noble Consort. The Emperor then ordered Qi Ru to treat my illness. Qi Ru told me he could cure my cold ailment, and I thought I would be free from suffering and even able to bear children like other women. But in the end, it turned out he was following the Empress Dowager's advice and made my condition worse. Even if my cold ailment later improved, what good would it do?

"When I think of the years of suffering I've endured, when I think of how, if the Empress Dowager hadn't fallen from power, I would likely be even more seriously ill, when I think of how all I've wanted for so many years is a child of my own, yet I've only managed to add new illnesses to my body and still can't have one, I hate the Empress Dowager to the core! Your Majesty, tell me, the Empress Dowager harmed a minister's daughter because of his advice to marry her off to a distant place, and now that daughter is retaliating against her own daughter—isn't that unfair?"

Rongyin remained silent. Rationally, she could not agree with the Consort's stubborn and narrow-minded thinking. However, she had also suffered from illness in her previous life and knew the pain of illness. She also knew that it was difficult for a person to maintain a calm and clear mind under such circumstances, not to mention that the Consort was a child at heart.

She was pondering how to dissuade Gao Xiyue when she heard Gao Xiyue say, "Enough. What I'm saying is already offensive. It's only because Your Majesty the Empress is willing to listen to my foolish words. Your Majesty, may I ask you for a favor?"

Rongyin said, "Your Highness, please speak freely."

Gao Xiyue said, "In my current state, I'm afraid I can't take good care of Yongcheng. Please ask Your Majesty the Emperor on my behalf if Yongcheng can be sent to Prince Lü's residence. After all, Yongcheng is nominally adopted into Prince Lü's lineage."

Rong Yin sensed that these words implied a final arrangement, and alarm bells rang in her mind. Just as she was about to say something, she heard Yuan Yi's voice in her mind: "For events that are not caused by the chosen ones, my advice is to reduce intervention and respect the fate of others."

Rongyin thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I will convey your message. However, Consort, Yongcheng has always been raised by you, and I think it would be best for him to stay by your side for the next few years."

Gao Xiyue murmured, "No, this is the best way."

In this way, whatever she does next will not implicate Yongcheng.