An Lingrong is reborn to live for herself.

Jingren Palace.

Ever since the Flower Festival, the emperor's attitude towards the empress has always been indifferent.

The first and fifteenth of each month were traditionally the days when the emperor would visit the empress at Jingren Palace. However, on this particular first day, the emperor only had dinner before returning to Yangxin Hall with Su Peisheng.

Although the Empress didn't say it out loud, she was definitely feeling bad inside, and her headaches had flared up again in the past few days.

Knowing the Empress's temperament, Jianqiu had been serving her even more attentively lately. Before dressing up in the morning, she specially selected a fine white jade comb and carefully combed the Empress's hair. She then applied a light layer of osmanthus oil to the hair, making it smooth and shiny before carefully arranging it into a bun.

The Empress smiled slightly, "In the past, the task of combing my hair was always done by the palace maids. Why is it that you are doing it yourself today?"

Jianqiu lowered her head and said, "Your Majesty, I was just worried that if I don't comb your hair often, my skills will become rusty and I will be disliked by the Empress in the future."

The Empress chuckled, "The usually serious Aunt Jianqiu has learned to joke around."

Seeing that the Empress was in a good mood today, Jianqiu tentatively asked, "The kitchen has prepared red date and rice porridge and several snacks for breakfast. I noticed that the porridge was specially made in both sweet and savory varieties, and the snacks are also quite good. Will Your Majesty eat them in your bedchamber or in the side hall?"

The Empress glanced at him with her phoenix eyes and chuckled, "Just send him to his bedchamber."

Jianqiu was overjoyed, but because she was still serving by her side, she could not express it. She only whispered to the little palace maids serving in the hall to prepare the meal quickly.

"I know you have good intentions. You have always managed your daily life very well, so there is no need to be so careful," the Empress said calmly, as if she had noticed something.

"This servant wouldn't dare, but ever since we left the Hall of Mental Cultivation that day, Your Majesty's appetite hasn't been very good. The Imperial Kitchen always tries to avoid mistakes, but it's still not as refined as what our small kitchen makes. So today we've changed to breakfast prepared by our small kitchen." Jianqiu answered respectfully as she helped the Empress put on a gold hairpin with a phoenix design.

The Empress seemed to be in a good mood, looking at the hairpins and ornaments in her hair in the bronze mirror with apparent satisfaction. "I understand your intentions. Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine. I know you've recently replaced some of the more gossipy palace servants because you're afraid they'll let something slip by. That's how people in the harem are; they can't contain themselves at the slightest hint of trouble and love to spread rumors. Seven parts truth can turn into ten parts story." As she spoke, the Empress rose and walked to the door of her bedchamber.

I dressed and washed up quite early today; the sky was already bright, but the sun had not yet risen. As soon as I stepped out of the palace gate, a cool breeze blew in.

The early spring morning was chilly, and the wind gave the Empress a headache. She quickly advised, "The wind is cold in the early morning; it's easy to catch a cold. Let's go inside."

The Empress, however, merely glanced at the few crows flying sparsely across the sky and said softly, "A cool breeze is refreshing; it's good to have some."

After standing there for a while, the Empress seemed to suddenly remember something and turned to ask Jianqiu, "Has His Majesty visited Consort Wan recently?"

Jianqiu shook her head. "His Majesty hasn't entered the inner palace recently. Apart from coming to our Jingren Palace on the first day of the month, he hasn't been to any other palaces. His Majesty's treatment of the Empress is still different from that of others."

"I know that there is no need to fight over trivial matters in the harem. By the way, after breakfast, go and summon Consort Xin. Tell her that I have nothing to do today and ask her to bring Princess Jing'an over to keep me company."

-

Shoukang Palace.

In the afternoon, Zhu Xi went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to pay his respects to the Emperor and asked him to come to the Shou Kang Palace if he had time.

The Empress Dowager usually rested quietly in Shou Kang Palace, and unless there was something important, she wouldn't usually call Zhu Xi over to pay her respects. Therefore, after finishing his official duties, the Emperor immediately came to Shou Kang Palace.

The Emperor lifted the curtain and entered. Seeing that the Empress Dowager's complexion was rosy and her health was excellent, he felt a slight sense of relief. He quickly knelt down to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager smiled kindly and said, "Between mother and son, there's no need for such formalities. The Emperor has been carrying a chill on his journey, which shows that although it's spring, the weather hasn't warmed up yet. The Emperor shouldn't remove his clothes too quickly, and those attending to him should be extra careful."

Su Peisheng quickly knelt down and kowtowed, "This servant has not served you properly, please punish me, Your Majesty."

The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "You are someone who serves the Emperor well or not, so the Emperor will naturally judge whether you serve him well or not. I was just mentioning it casually, so there's no need to take it to heart." As she spoke, her eyes were kind and gentle, and no emotion could be discerned, as if it were truly just a casual remark during a mother-son chat.

Su Peisheng's back was covered in sweat.

Although the current emperor is the empress dowager's biological son, he was not raised by her since childhood, and their mother-son relationship is not particularly deep. Since the emperor's ascension to the throne, the relationship between the emperor and the empress dowager has become quite delicate due to past events of the previous dynasty.

The sudden mention of Su Peisheng today seemed far from a casual, impromptu conversation. However, with the Emperor remaining silent and the Empress Dowager keeping her true intentions hidden, he could only kneel alone to the side, trembling with fear.

“Your Majesty is right to scold me. I have always been fond of the coolness, and I had the servants put away my cotton-padded clothes and cloak long ago. You see, this thin cotton-padded clothes I am wearing look light and thin, but in fact, the palace servants have put a lot of goose down feathers in them, so they are very light and warm. Your Majesty need not worry.”

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager nodded and smiled, "That's it then." She then looked at Su Peisheng and said calmly, "I wasn't going to blame you. Now that the Emperor is protecting you, get up and serve him."

Su Peisheng bowed deeply in gratitude before rising to serve.

"I heard that the Emperor hasn't entered the inner palace recently. Is he still upset about Consort Li?" The Empress Dowager held the new tea that Zhu Xi had just brought, blew on it for a while as if she still couldn't drink it, and then put it back on the table.

The Emperor replied, “I have been very busy with official duties lately, and I have not had a moment to spare. However, no matter how busy I am, I know that the ancestral custom of accompanying the Empress to dine on the first and fifteenth of each month cannot be abandoned.”

The Empress Dowager nodded and said, "The Emperor is sensible and knows how to balance things, so the court and the harem are naturally in harmony. I am very relieved."

Upon hearing this, Su Peisheng immediately became more alert. However, he saw that the emperor's expression remained unchanged, as if he was quite satisfied with the tea that Zhu Xi had presented, and he was savoring it carefully.

Then the Empress Dowager continued, "The matter of Consort Li is a done deal no matter what. After all, she's gone mad, and her ravings are not to be taken seriously. However, the rumors in the palace cannot be ignored, and the Emperor still needs to take a stand."

The emperor put down his teacup and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I will heed your teachings. However, I have not heard of any rumors circulating in the palace."

The Empress Dowager chuckled, "The Emperor is the Son of Heaven, and his ears should not be disturbed lightly. It's just that I'm old, and it's not surprising that I hear some unpleasant noises." As she spoke, her expression shifted slightly, and she continued, "Although Consort Li is currently shouldering the responsibility for this matter, she is involved in many other things. To say nothing of the distant past, her brother is Nian Gengyao's deputy general..."

As the Empress Dowager spoke, she also observed the Emperor's expression. Although they were mother and son, their status was not that of ordinary people, so she spoke more cautiously than a typical mother and son. Seeing that the Emperor's expression did not change, she continued, "The Fuca clan fought alongside Emperor Taizu on the battlefield. Although the Fuca clan has not produced any outstanding children in recent years, it is still a prominent Manchu clan, and it has had many connections with the previous dynasty. If it weren't for the incident with Consort Li, Consort Fuca's miscarriage and death would have been the end of it. But now, another complication has arisen. Now, rumors are circulating in the palace that the Nian clan is jealous of Manchu concubines giving birth to noble sons, so they have sabotaged the imperial heir and the Noble Lady. Whether this is true or not, it doesn't sound good if it gets out."

The emperor's expression shifted slightly, which Su Peisheng noticed, and he felt uneasy. He knew he would have to be careful in serving him today.

“The servants love to gossip when they have nothing to do. Your Majesty will definitely discuss this with the Empress and strictly regulate the atmosphere in the harem.”

"If it's just rumors among the servants, that's fine. But what I fear is that gossip can be terrifying. If people hear these things too often, their hearts will be in turmoil," the Empress Dowager said with a sigh.

The emperor was slightly taken aback, then respectfully replied, "Your Majesty is right, I naturally understand the implications."

Upon hearing the Emperor's reply, the Empress Dowager nodded with great satisfaction and continued, "I've heard that Lady Fucha has another daughter, who is thirteen years old. She was too young to participate in the imperial concubine selection two years ago. She should be a beautiful young lady by now, so why not send her to the palace at a suitable time?"

The emperor quickly replied, "It is entirely up to my mother, the Empress Dowager."

The Empress Dowager looked kind and seemed quite pleased. However, she seemed to have talked too much today, and suddenly coughed a few times. Zhu Xi quickly brought tea to the Empress Dowager's lips and gently patted her back, which made her feel a little better.

Seeing this, the Emperor quickly stood up and respectfully said, "Your Majesty is in poor health and needs to take good care of yourself. I will not disturb Your Majesty's rest any longer." Then, he nodded very humbly to Zhu Xi and said, "I would appreciate it if Aunt Zhu Xi could take good care of me. Please let me know if anything happens." With that, he left Shou Kang Palace with Su Peisheng.

Seeing the emperor leave, the Empress Dowager let out a deep sigh of relief and said weakly, "Zhuxi, help me lie down for a while, I feel very tired."

"Empress Dowager, you should be enjoying your retirement years. Why do you have to work so hard?" Zhu Xi seemed to have a complaint, but she couldn't bear to say more and upset the Empress Dowager.

"How can I not be troubled? I know the Emperor's temperament best. To be an emperor and rule the world, if one is too sentimental, one will lose decisiveness. Sometimes, seeing the Emperor hesitate, I feel bad for him. But a person who is destined for great things cannot be bound by trivial matters. Sometimes I have to step forward and give him a push. I just hope that the Emperor will not resent me." As she spoke, she let out another heavy sigh, followed by a series of coughs.

Zhu Xi quickly comforted him, "How could that be? A mother and child are of one heart. His Majesty understands your good intentions."

The Empress Dowager smiled wryly, "If only you understood."