Quick Transmigration: Survive to the End

The Empress gently grasped Yin Yin's wrist, as if seeking approval, or perhaps earnestly awaiting her answer: "Yin Yin, you will help me, won't you?"

Before, it was still "I," but now it referred to itself differently. Yin Yin knew that she had no choice but to express her opinion.

I agree, though the future is uncertain; but I refuse...

While Tangyuan was still in the capital, the inside information that the Empress had the female official reveal earlier fully demonstrated her influence over the Emperor.

Besides, the emperor intends to send other princes to serve outside the capital to mend relationships with their brothers of the same generation. If she refuses, there are plenty of other candidates to be the empress. This wouldn't be a loss for the empress, but it might not be for her.

Having come this far, Yin Yin had no intention of backing down: "If Your Majesty has any use for me, I will certainly not refuse. But I am often in Yangliao, how can I help Your Majesty?"

The Empress smiled and said confidently, "Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you."

The Empress withdrew her hand, and since only Yin Yin and the lady-in-waiting were in the room, she spoke more boldly: "I have things to do, and you can come to see me naturally when necessary."

Even after leaving the palace, Yin Yin still couldn't understand the Empress's meaning.

Even if the Empress wanted to consolidate power for the child in advance, the gender of the child was unknown, so her plan to prepare for the future did not make much sense.

Adding to the Empress's words, it's clear that she only values ​​Yin Yin.

What makes her different from others, and why does the Empress value her so highly?

Yinyin was thinking about this problem, and she couldn't concentrate on reading, not turning the page for a long time.

Fu Yuanzhou noticed this and quietly took the book from her hands.

Yinyin looked up at him, a hint of confusion still lingering in her eyes.

Fu Yuanzhou was surprised to see her like this: "Yinyin, what's wrong? Is there something difficult to deal with?"

Yinyin shook her head, then suddenly remembered that Fu Yuanzhou was not knowledgeable about politics but was very good at interpersonal relationships, so she simply made an excuse to ask him.

"Her Majesty the Empress has helped me a lot, but I have nothing to repay her with. I also don't understand why Her Majesty values ​​me so much when we are not related."

"What's there to not understand? Yinyin, you're such a kind and sincere person," Fu Yuanzhou said, launching into a string of praises. In his eyes, Yinyin was good in every way.

Yinyin gently patted him: "Can the way you see me be the same as the way others see me?"

Fu Yuanzhou smiled even more happily: "Yes, yes, Yinyin treats me differently."

At this point, Fu Yuanzhou considered for a while before answering: "I think, Yinyin, you are a rare friend who can speak with Her Majesty the Empress without any conflict of interest."

Seeing that Yin Yin looked somewhat skeptical, Fu Yuanzhou explained to her, "Look, when the Empress is in the palace, those concubines... I'm telling you, would she dare to believe them?"

"And her family outside the palace, they're not very capable. They've all been promoted to their current positions because of the Empress's connections. They all have to live off the Empress and are always looking for favors from her."

"As for the sisters-in-law in the imperial clan, I don't think they are as easy to get along with as Yinyin. Moreover, those brothers are more or less disrespectful to the emperor, and many of them have been punished and reduced to commoners."

"The Empress has always regarded the Emperor's decisions as gospel, so how could she possibly associate with people the Emperor dislikes?"

"Besides, Yinyin, the Emperor specifically requested that you be friends with the Empress!"

What Fu Yuanzhou said earlier might have made some sense, but Yin Yin scoffed at at least half of it.

The concubines and empress in the palace dared not believe it, but her family outside the palace shared the same interests with her. Could she really not find anyone she could trust to talk to?

As for the sister-in-law argument, there's some truth to it, but not much. Saying that her family isn't powerful enough makes her easier to control might sound more realistic.

Only the last point made Yin Yin feel enlightened.

Yes, she was a "friend" specifically chosen by the emperor to persuade the empress.

Over this period of time, she and the Empress did get along quite well, and they often exchanged letters.

The Empress often spoke up for her in the capital and took special care of Tangyuan, so in the Emperor's eyes, they must have gotten along very well.

Thinking of what the Empress said, to go see her naturally, Yin Yin thought of the Emperor.

With a flick of her finger, what exactly was the Empress plotting?

Seeing that Yinyin had fallen into deep thought again, Fu Yuanzhou also sensed something was wrong: "Yinyin, did the Empress say something to you?"

Seeing his worried expression, Yin Yin concealed the most important point and told him, "Her Majesty revealed a few things."

"One reason is that the emperor intends to use the cities that have been recovered from the Song Dynasty to enfeoff the princes."

"Secondly..." Yin Yin paused, "The Emperor complained that we came to see Tangyuan too often, and felt that our family had too few children, so he wanted to give you more children."

Fu Yuanzhou listened to the first point without a second thought, since it wasn't someone trying to take Yangliao from him, so it didn't bother him. But after hearing the second point, he jumped up as if his pants were on fire.

"What does the Emperor want? Is our family's good relationship and happiness getting in his way? Do I need him to bestow people upon me?"

Seeing that Fu Yuanzhou was about to change into his court robes and confront the emperor, Yinyin quickly stopped him, saying, "Her Majesty the Empress helped and persuaded him to stop."

Fu Yuanzhou calmed down a bit: "When the time comes, we'll send all the treasures bestowed by the court to Her Majesty the Empress!"

Fu Yuanzhou continued, still seething with anger: "Does the Emperor have nothing better to do than to see others doing well?"

Yinyin tried her best to persuade him to stay, but to her surprise, the next day, when Tangyuan went to study, Fu Yuanzhou went with her.

When Yinyin entered the palace again later, she learned that he had gone to reason with the emperor.

Fu Yuanzhou, who was usually weak and always knew how to back down when hit, suddenly became tough on this matter. The emperor was a little confused and even wondered whether he was thinking of his brother or endangering his brother's life.

When the Empress brought up the matter, her cheeks ached from laughing: "Since Prince Yangliao knows what's important, it saves the Emperor from blaming you for this."

As she spoke, she couldn't hide her envy and said to Yinyin, "You two must live well."

Yinyin agreed, looking as if her heart had already flown home, so the Empress quickly let her go.

The lady-in-waiting beside the Empress said, "Everyone says that the Prince of Yangliao is deeply devoted to his wife. But I think the wife is just as devoted to the prince."

The Empress nodded in agreement: "She seems like a calm and composed person, but I didn't expect her to be so unsteady when it comes to matters of the heart."

The Empress sighed, but a smile played on her lips: "She is lucky to have met a good man."

The Empress was chatting happily with her lady-in-waiting when the Emperor entered from outside: "What joyous occasion is the Empress talking about that makes you so happy?"

The lady-in-waiting brought tea to the emperor, and the empress spoke with a mixture of amusement and jealousy: "Just now, the Princess Consort of Yangliao came over, and I told her about the Prince of Yangliao coming to see His Majesty a couple of days ago, and she couldn't sit still."

“I was sitting perfectly fine in front of her, but she only had eyes for Prince Yangliao and couldn’t see anyone else at all.”