After being exiled for eighteen years, the prince returned to the capital as a veritable immortal.

Night falls and the city lights come on.

Bright red lanterns hung high, and the vast palace was brightly lit.

The Palace of Yao's Mother.

As the residence of Empress Yugou, the lights were especially bright.

The candles, as thick as an arm, burned with all their might, illuminating the palace and its surroundings as if it were daytime.

Two strings of large lanterns hang on each side of the tall palace gate.

"Yao's Mother's Gate".

Three large, gilded characters shone brightly on the palace gate, so dazzling that it was almost impossible to open one's eyes.

Yao's mother.

This is the glory of Empress Jade Hook.

Because she gave birth to the sixth prince, who possessed the appearance of Emperor Yao, Empress Wu bestowed upon her a special honor.

and so.

The gate to Yao's mother must be the most dazzling.

It must be so that everyone in the palace can see it at a glance.

Zhou Yi paused six steps ahead, gazing at the three large characters "Yao Mu Men" (Gate of Yao's Mother), seemingly lost in thought.

"Could the way the Empress treated the Crown Prince really be related to the Sixth Prince?"

Si Xuan lowered his voice to the lowest possible level, as if speaking to Hu Die, yet also as if talking to himself.

Hu Die remained silent.

A ruler's heart is hard to fathom; how can outsiders possibly understand what happened twenty years ago?

"What kind of person possesses the qualities of an ancient emperor?"

Si Xuan said indignantly, "I think it's just that Empress Yu Gou is very scheming."

Empress Yu Gou, also known as Lady Yu Gou, was originally surnamed Zhao.

The name "Jade Hook" was bestowed by Emperor Wu.

Everyone knows that Lady Jade Hook is cunning and full of tricks.

Twenty-two years ago.

When Emperor Wu went on an inspection tour, local officials reported that there was a remarkable woman in the area.

She was as beautiful as an angel, but she was born with a strange disease that prevented her from ever opening her fists.

Empress Wu's curiosity was piqued, so she summoned Lady Zhao.

At just one glance, the Empress was captivated by her beauty.

When asked why he couldn't open his hands,

Zhao Nu said that upon her birth, she received a dream from a deity, and only her true dragon emperor could open her palms.

The Empress grasped Zhao's two small fists but did not pry them open.

In each hand, there is a jade hook, one representing a dragon and the other a phoenix.

Zhao knelt down and begged the Empress to accept the jade phoenix that represented her.

……

Emperor Wu could not resist such teasing, so he immediately took her back to the palace, made her a Noble Consort, and bestowed upon her the name Lady Jade Hook.

After entering the palace.

Lady Yu Gou was deeply favored by Emperor Wu, and he served her every day.

Soon after, Lady Jade Hook became pregnant.

In the first few months, her pregnancy was not obvious, but she still frequently enjoyed herself with Empress Wu.

Fourteen months later, she gave birth to the sixth prince for Empress Wu.

A minister reported this to Emperor Wu.

In ancient times, there was Yao, who was pregnant for fourteen months and eventually became the Great Emperor of all ages.

The sixth prince was also born after a fourteen-month pregnancy.

He has the bearing of an ancient emperor!

Emperor Wu was overjoyed and renamed the residence of Lady Yu Gou as the Yao Mu Palace.

The palace gate was subsequently renamed.

—The Gate of Yao's Mother.

It's a popular legend.

Empress Wu firmly believed that the sixth prince was indeed destined to be an emperor.

At that time, the crown prince had been overseeing the country for more than twenty years.

Whenever Empress Wu was in trouble, the Crown Prince would take charge of state affairs on her behalf.

The Crown Prince promoted benevolent governance, which repeatedly clashed with Empress Wu's iron-fisted approach to ruling the country.

In Empress Wu's eyes, the Crown Prince was weak and incompetent, lacking any royal demeanor.

This made the Empress increasingly displeased.

On the contrary, the sixth prince showed intelligence from childhood, which made Empress Wu more and more pleased with him.

It seems as if an invisible hand is at work.

Among the imperial concubines and court officials, a saying is becoming increasingly popular.

The sixth prince is the reincarnation of the ancient Emperor Yao.

then.

The idea of ​​deposing the eldest son and establishing a younger one had begun to stir in Empress Wu's heart.

Rumors circulating among the people.

The mastermind behind the Crown Prince's wrongful conviction was none other than Empress Yugou.

……

The gate of Yao's mother is dazzlingly bright.

In contrast, the governor's mansion of the Si family in Liangzhou was like a cold cave.

Si Xuan couldn't help but feel inferior, and he also felt worried about the future of his cousin, His Highness.

For the first time in his life, he felt powerless and whispered:

"You're saying the Sixth Prince is truly the reincarnation of Emperor Yao?"

"Tch!" Hu Die replied with a light sneer.

"However, it is said that he is really talented."

"Royal bloodline, descendants of Empress Wu, which one of them isn't exceptionally talented?" Hu Die's handsome face was full of disdain.

Looking at Zhou Yi, who was wearing a python robe and jade belt, Si Xuan felt his confidence return.

Yes.

In terms of talent, who can compare to His Highness Prince Yi?

If the sixth prince is a great emperor on earth...

Therefore, His Highness Prince Yi is the God of the Celestial Court.

With his mind clear, Si Xuan's heroic spirit surged once more.

……

"Hey, who dares to sneak around and spy on Yao's mother's palace?"

A young palace maid, with her hair in two buns and wearing a pink skirt, walked out from behind the door carrying a lantern.

Too lazy to even put down the lantern, she simply bowed and gave Zhou Yi a deep curtsy as a sign of respect.

Wearing a robe with a four-clawed golden dragon, one must be royalty; the most basic etiquette cannot be disregarded.

however.

The bowing was extremely casual, to say the least.

Instead of offering greetings, the maidservant accused Zhou Yi and the others of spying.

"Be bold!"

Hu Die angrily rebuked, "How dare a mere palace maid speak so disrespectfully to His Highness Prince Yi!"

Despite being reprimanded for her rudeness, the young palace maid remained completely calm and said:

"Oh—it's His Highness the Imperial Grandson!"

The word “哟” is pronounced with a rising tone at the end.

The expression conveyed was not one of surprise, but rather of disdain.

The words "Imperial Grandson" were emphasized, carrying a profound meaning.

Everyone knows it.

The fact that the Grandson of the Emperor was granted the title of King was because the Empress Wu did not want to see him and sent him to the remote and desolate frontier.

These few words clearly reveal the status of the Imperial Grandson in the eyes of everyone in the palace.

The eldest grandson of the emperor was looked down upon by a mere palace maid.

A sense of helplessness rose in Si Xuan's heart.

Even when walking in the palace, the princes were still very careful.

Prince Yi, who was not favored by Empress Wu, had no status whatsoever.

really.

"Let's go."

Zhou Yi didn't look at the little palace maid, and turned to leave.

She's just a lowly palace maid; she's not worth his time.

Hu Die and Si Xuan followed, one on the left and one on the right.

His Highness didn't bother to argue, but Si Xuan felt very frustrated.

I had a lot of anger bottled up inside me and I had to get it out.

I don't know.

Zhou Yi didn't argue with her, but the little palace maid persisted.

She caught up with him, carrying a lantern, and said in an unfriendly tone:

"Your Highness, please restrain your subordinates and be careful with your words and actions."

Haha, they've actually started criticizing.

The young palace maid is instructing a prince on how to do things.

In other words, he was accused of failing to properly manage his servants.

Are all of Empress Yu Gou's subordinates this arrogant?

Zhou Yi stopped in his tracks out of curiosity and turned around.

"Why do you say that?" Hu Die asked.

Her voice was icy; she was enraged.

The young palace maid, completely unafraid, said:

"The Crown Prince case was decided by the Emperor himself, and has nothing to do with the Sixth Prince, let alone the Empress."

"Rumors are circulating that the Sixth Prince stole the position of Crown Prince, hmph..."

"Your Highness, you should restrain your servants from speaking carelessly, lest they tarnish the reputation of the Sixth Prince."

In other words.

The rumors that Empress Wu deposed the Crown Prince because she favored the Sixth Prince were all fabricated by Zhou Yi and others.

In order to attack the sixth prince and gain the upper hand in public opinion during the struggle for the throne.

"Hehe." Zhou Yi smiled faintly.

If a mere palace maid dared to stand up and criticize the grandson of the emperor, how much public resentment must have been boiling over in the palace of the mother of the emperor!

but.

Respect and order.

No matter how indignant she felt, a mere palace maid had no right to criticize the prince.

However, she dared to jump out quickly.

It can only be said that the Empress's power has reached the point of being arrogant and disdainful of everyone.

Si Xuan sighed inwardly once more.

The imperial grandson's branch was weak and powerless in the capital, and had no status whatsoever in the palace.

Even a lowly palace maid dared to jump up and criticize.

Zhou Yi clearly did not think that way.

He turned around and nodded gently to Hu Die.

Hu Die walked towards the palace maid and slapped her across the face.

"Snapped!"

The slap was crisp and clear.

The young palace maid stood there in astonishment.

She was actually hit.

As the Empress's personal maid, even the princes dared not hit her, and the Prime Minister had to treat her with utmost respect.

She never dreamed of it.

A lackey of a disgraced imperial grandson dared to slap her.

Today, we must make the other party kneel on the ground and slap themselves a hundred times.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be enough to vent the hatred in her heart.

The young palace maid covered her face, her voice filled with anger, and said:

"Your Highness, this woman under your command..."

“It’s because she’s not capable enough…” Zhou Yi interrupted the other person, smiling calmly.

The young palace maid's expression softened slightly, giving off a "you're smart" look.

She pointed at Hu Die imperiously: "Make her kneel on the ground..."

She was halfway through her sentence when she realized that Zhou Yi had never looked at her directly from beginning to end.

in contrast.

He waved to Si Xuanyi: "Come here."

"Me... to come?" Si Xuan was a little confused.

What did His Highness send him here for?

"Slap him in the face," Zhou Yi said.

Slap him in the face?

Is Hu Die incompetent?

Si Xuan immediately understood Zhou Yi's intention.

He swung his arm and slapped the palace maid across the face.

"Snapped!"

The palace maid was slapped several feet away, her body spinning as she fell to the ground.