Forced to be a concubine? I turned around and married the scumbag's father.

Gu Hua was entering the palace for the second time, and she was still feeling lingering fear and nervous when she thought about what had happened the first time.

But feeling the warmth in the old lady's hands, he seemed less afraid.

However, it's unclear whether Pei Yi and the others have entered the palace.

The carriage, bearing the insignia of the Dowager Lady Mu, headed straight for the palace gates, proceeding smoothly all the way.

Gu Hua was stunned; the old lady was practically her idol.

So the old lady is really that shrewd; no wonder she pretended to be mentally ill.

It's no wonder that those in power are afraid of someone who can storm into the palace with impunity.

Gu Hua steadied herself and prepared to fight a tough battle with the old lady.

She asked in a low voice, "Mother, how should we proceed when we enter the palace?"

The old lady remained calm: "They should have entered the palace by now. I wonder if they have seen the Emperor. We just need to act according to the situation."

Gu Hua asked in surprise, "Ah, how did you know?"

“After Akabane sent someone to the palace, he left me a letter, which is why I brought you into the palace.”

The old lady smiled and took her hand: "You little girl, you've got some nerve. Do you know how big a wave you've stirred up? The Jiang family and the Yuan family have always been two unshakeable mountains, deeply entrenched and incredibly powerful. You dare to mess with them? You really are like a newborn calf that isn't afraid of death."

Gu Hua's face paled, and she stammered, "I really didn't know such a big thing would happen."

But then he realized he hadn't done anything wrong, and suddenly straightened his back and raised his voice.

"But isn't Ziyuan leading troops on the front lines also to protect the Great Zhou Dynasty and its people? If someone dares to tamper with our winter clothing and harm my Mu family army, I certainly can't stand idly by. Moreover, His Majesty shouldn't stand idly by either. Mother, what do you say?"

The old lady looked at her with a surprised expression.

Gu Hua blushed, feeling embarrassed by the gaze, and shrank her neck, murmuring softly, "Mother, it's my fault for being so ignorant."

The old lady laughed heartily: "You're so sensible! It's good that you made such a big fuss. If I, this old woman, found out, I would grab my dragon-headed cane and rush into the palace to beat that old hag to a pulp."

Gu Hua couldn't help but chuckle, hugging the old lady's arm and whispering in her ear, "Mother, you're the only one in the world who dares to directly confront the Empress Dowager. You're so mighty."

"Ha, of course! If it weren't for that old woman and your father-in-law back then, would she have ever become the Empress Dowager? No way!"

The old lady's words gave Gu Hua boundless strength.

As long as you are strong, you have nothing to fear, no matter who the opponent is.

The old lady briefly explained to Gu Hua the conflict between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, and how the Emperor ascended to the throne.

Gu Hua was somewhat taken aback: "So, does that mean His Majesty might not be angry if I do this?"

"Yes. However, we still need to put on a show, after all, the Jiang family and the Yuan family cannot be brought down by this one thing."

"They dared to openly kill government officials in broad daylight!"

"Whoever lays the first hand on the deed shall bear the consequences. Let's see which of the Jiang and Yuan families will drag out to take the blame."

Gu Hua's eyes widened. Could this really be possible?

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law arrived while they were talking.

……

"Grandma, why did you come to the palace by yourself?"

Upon seeing her, the emperor, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, quickly stepped down from his throne and personally went to greet her.

Gu Hua was both nervous and curious when she first met the emperor.

There was no one else in the main hall, so they knew that Pei Yi and the others had not yet arrived.

Madam Mu bowed respectfully: "This old woman greets Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live ten thousand years."

The Emperor hurriedly said, "Grandma, please excuse yourselves. Your father has granted you special permission to enter the palace without having to perform the formalities. I dare not disobey your father's orders."

"The proper etiquette between ruler and subject must not be abandoned."

Old Madam Mu stepped aside, making way for Gu Hua behind her.

Gu Hua stepped forward straight, knelt down and performed a grand salute: "Your Majesty, I, Gu Hua, pay my respects. Long live Your Majesty!"

Out of respect for the old lady, the emperor spoke to Gu Hua in a rather amiable tone: "You must be Mu Junyan's concubine, right? I bestowed this marriage upon you, and you haven't even come to the palace to express your gratitude."

Upon hearing this, Gu Hua, who was kneeling on the ground and dared not raise her head, quickly kowtowed again: "Your Majesty, I, your humble servant Gu Hua, thank you for your great kindness."

"Flat body."

The emperor gestured to the grand chair on his left.

"Madam, please have a seat."

"This old woman thanks Your Majesty for offering her a seat."

Gu Hua followed and stood behind the old lady.

She needs to learn a lot from the old lady.

"I have come to the palace today to plead guilty."

The emperor's expression changed: "Ah? Who angered the old lady?"

"Just now, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager issued an imperial decree, ordering all the palace guards to surround our Duke Yong's mansion, smash the doors, beat people, and even try to arrest my daughter-in-law. I wonder what heavenly law my Duke Yong's mansion has violated? I have come to the palace in person to plead guilty."

The Imperial Guards were the emperor's personal bodyguards, and when they were deployed, they represented the imperial family.

"What?" The emperor's eyes widened.

How did Mother manage to stir up such a hornet's nest? Didn't she know that this Old Madam Mu was a tigress?

"Mother? It must be a misunderstanding, or someone has forged an imperial edict. I will send someone to find out the truth immediately."

Just as the emperor was about to turn around and order someone to go to Baoci Hall, he heard a strange, eerie voice coming from there.

"No need to trouble Your Majesty, I have arrived."

The Empress Dowager entered in a grand procession, surrounded by a large group of palace servants.

The emperor quickly stood up: "Mother, what brings you here?"

The Empress Dowager glanced at Old Madam Mu and said, "How could I not come? They've come to interrogate me."

The emperor, with a bitter face and a forced smile, said, "Mother, please take a seat."

Madam Mu sat upright and remained unmoved.

The Empress Dowager was angry inside, but smiled faintly: "With Old Madam Mu here, do I not have a place?"

"How could that be?" The emperor helped her up. "Mother, if you don't sit, I can only stand with you."

The Empress Dowager then sat down in the superior position, her gaze falling on Gu Hua.

Gu Hua could only step forward, kneel down and bow: "Your subject Gu Hua greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager. May Your Majesty live a thousand years."

The Empress Dowager hated Gu Hua to the core, and sneered sarcastically, "Ha, Gu Hua, I heard that you are actually the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Wenchang's family. How can you become a concubine? Where do you put your parents' faces?"

Gu Hua lowered her head and said, "Your Majesty, my marriage to the Duke of Yong was bestowed by His Majesty, and my title of Consort was also granted by His Majesty. My parents are very proud of this."

Empress Dowager: "...!"

The emperor was helpless.

Madam Mu smiled and said, "Not bad."

The Empress Dowager was furious: "What a sharp-tongued little girl! I brought you into the palace because I was going to arrange a marriage for the Duke of Yong with a proper wife. I also pitied you and wanted to give you a good marriage so you could be a respectable wife. But how could you so debase yourself, break up their good marriage, and steal their place?"

Madam Mu sat calmly, watching Gu Hua respond.

Gu Hua could no longer hold back and looked up solemnly, saying, "This humble woman was unaware of the Empress Dowager's bestowal of marriage, and I have no right to accuse anyone of breaking up our marriage..."

The Empress Dowager's face darkened, and she angrily rebuked, "How dare you! Did I give you permission to speak?"

Gu Hua glanced at the old lady and met her encouraging smile, which immediately boosted her courage.

She replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "If Your Majesty speaks to me and I do not respond, it would be disrespectful to Your Majesty."

Empress Dowager: "...!"

Enraged, she glared fiercely at Old Madam Mu: "Zhao Ruoying, the concubines in your household don't know any manners, and you haven't even taught them! How dare a mere concubine disrespect me? Who knows, she might bring ruin to your Yongguo Duke's Mansion one day!"

Old Madam Mu lazily raised her eyelids and looked at her: "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, back then, you were also a concubine."

Gu Hua's eyes widened, and her eyebrows rose.

The Old Madam is mighty!

The Empress Dowager choked, but couldn't retaliate.

She was so angry that she gritted her teeth.

The late emperor and empress were deeply in love, and he favored the crown prince. The crises and hardships she encountered in order to help her son seize the throne were countless.

She was only a Consort De when she outlived the emperor, forced the crown prince to commit suicide, and helped her son ascend the throne.

At that time, the Empress was still alive, so even if her son ascended the throne, she could only be a concubine dowager.

It was she who forced the Empress to her death so that her son could bestow upon her the title of Empress Dowager. This was the past she hated most when people mentioned it.

The emperor glanced left and right, not wanting to join the women's melee.

The Empress Dowager's face turned ashen with rage: "Zhao Ruoying, aren't you crazy? You're just pretending to be insane to deceive the Emperor!"

Gu Hua couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, Mother has dementia, not madness."

Madam Mu sneered, "Does the Empress Dowager hope I'm insane? If I'm insane, no one can control you! Don't forget how you became Empress Dowager! If you don't want to live like a human being, I can drag you down to the ground to see the ancestors of the Great Zhou royal family and let them judge!"

The emperor's face also turned grim.

This suggests that his ascension to the throne appears to be illegitimate and improper.

The Empress Dowager was so angry she was about to cry: "Your Majesty, aren't you going to do anything about this? The Mu family is trying to ride roughshod over me and rebel!"

Madam Mu stood up and slammed her dragon-headed cane heavily into the ground.

Bang.

A muffled thud startled the Emperor and Empress Dowager, making their hearts leap.

Madam Mu looked coldly at the Empress Dowager: "Do you want to taste the dragon-headed staff bestowed by the late Emperor again?"