Chapter 1085: Kick You to the Curb when You’ve Outlived Your Usefulness
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Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Princess Qiuli bit her lip. Although she was indignant, she still said, “Aunt, I’m sorry. I ruined your plan.”
With the relationship between the Ning Public House and the emperor, after she befriended the new Empress, regardless of whether the matter of the imperial concubine could be successfully planned, it would ultimately be beneficial.
At that time, the new Empress would treat them more politely, regardless of whether they were in or out of the palace.
Now that they had offended the new Empress and caused trouble, even the emperor did not like them.
The emperor had given them dignity, but she had caused trouble.
The Madam of the Rong Nation put down her small golden scissors and washed her hands. “You can’t be entirely blamed for this matter. It’s still because of the conflict between me and the previous Empress Dowager. I never expected that the previous Empress Dowager would be a step ahead and not forget to attack me before she left. She had long been wary of me. She used her ident.i.ty as the Empress Dowager to make a big fuss about the marriage between the Eldest Princess and King Yue Fei and roped in the Eldest Princess and King Yue Fei. She had long cut off my way out. If it weren’t for the fact that I was cautious and deliberately instigated the officials to suggest choosing a good wife for King Yue Fei to test him, causing this betrothal to be exposed, I’m afraid we would have become rebels.”
She had originally planned to pair Liyang with King Yue Fei.
Then, she would betroth Princess Shaoyi to the Fourth Prince.
When the time was right, she would help the Fourth Prince ascend the throne.
She would enjoy the t.i.tle of Empress Dowager.
Unexpectedly, all of this scheme was ruined in the hands of the previous Empress Dowager.
Princess Qiuli’s face turned slightly pale. “Aunt, the imperial edict has already been issued. The emperor has even given you another residence. Clearly, he doesn’t want us to stay in the palace forever. Do we really have to move out of the palace…”
Of course, the Madam of the Rong Nation understood that it was also inappropriate for her to stay in the Yi Kun Palace all the time. She said, “The emperor has regained your Father’s t.i.tle and even posthumously t.i.tled his elder brother the Marquis of Zhongyong. Even I, the Empress of the previous dynasty, have been conferred the t.i.tle of Madam of the Rong Nation. He has even given you the t.i.tle of princess. It can be said that he has done his best for the Ning family.”
Princess Qiuli’s lips moved. “But I don’t want to leave the palace.”
Even if she was an imperial concubine, she was second only to one person and above ten thousand people.
“Silly child, you can’t just look at the surface.” The Madam of the Rong Nation chuckled gently. She seemed charitable. “What’s the use of superficial glory?”
Princess Qiuli looked confused. Didn’t her mother say that the emperor had done his best for the Ning family? Why did she say that this was just on the surface?
The Madam of the Rong Nation sighed softly. “If the emperor really treats our Ning Clan well, why didn’t he choose a capable person from the Ning Clan to inherit the t.i.tle of Duke Ning of my father? The t.i.tle of Duke Ning is hereditary. Now that the emperor has recovered the t.i.tle and my father is no longer around, it’s only logical to choose someone to inherit the t.i.tle.”
However, the emperor did not do that. He did not want Madam Ning to regain power.
“Even if he doesn’t want me to live in the palace, he can return the old residence of the Ning Residence and let me return to the Ning Residence to live. Why did he have to give me another palace courtyard in the mountains in the suburbs of the capital, far away from the mountains of the capital and the royal court?”
Princess Qiuli was dumbfounded.
The Madam of the Rong Nation cursed her for being insensible in her heart before continuing, “He just thinks that I’m too scheming. After the previous Empress Dowager pa.s.sed away, I’m very close to the previous dynasty. The emperor is worried that I’ll interact with the court officials in the capital and interfere in politics.”
Princess Qiuli’s expression did not look too good. “Aunt helped the emperor ascend the throne. How can he kick you to the curb when you’ve outlived your usefulness?”
The Madam of the Rong Nation shook her head. “Let’s talk about you again. Yin Huaixi has changed the dynasty, and your t.i.tle as a princess only exists in name. Since the emperor wants to give you a good t.i.tle, why didn’t he choose another t.i.tle? Why did he give you a t.i.tle with the character “Li”, which is in your name? He’s just reminding you to remember your ident.i.ty and not cross the line and get in the way of that person from the Chenggan Palace.”
Princess Qiuli’s face turned pale. The difference between being a legitimate princess and a princess had already made her feel terrible. Now that she knew that there was another meaning behind her t.i.tle, she felt even worse.
The Madam of the Rong Nation sighed. “I originally hoped that you would catch the emperor’s eye and be conferred the t.i.tle of an imperial concubine. The Ning family can also use your power to regain power. At the very least, we can befriend the new empress and let her matchmake you with the talents of the Yu family. Our Ning family can also use the Yu family to rise again.”
Princess Qiuli’s eyes immediately widened in disbelief.
Her aunt had never said anything about this before.
The Madam of the Rong Nation said, “I took a fancy to Yu Shande a long time ago. He’s from the line of the Yu Clan’s Clan Chief. Not only is he glorious in the clan, but he’s already very valued in the previous dynasty. Later, he took on a position in the Hanlin Academy and followed Zhang Wenzhong’s magnificent feat of disaster relief in public relations. He’s gained a reputation for himself. After the new emperor ascended the throne, he was personally appointed as the a.s.sistant Minister of the Ministry of Works and became the Grand Secretary of the East Pavilion. In the future, he’ll definitely be a high-ranking official and become the second-in-command of the dynasty. If you rely on the Yu Clan, you will have the support of the Empress and the Clan Chief. There’s no better future than this.”
In the past, the Grand Secretary had always come from the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs or the Ministry of Revenue. The members of the Yu Clan were hardworking and exempted, so they could do more practical work in the Ministry of Works. The emperor cherished talent. This arrangement was to let Yu Shande, who had long been aware of the people’s situation and was extremely famous among the commoners, make a big move in the Ministry of Works. With Yu Shande’s reputation in the world, in the future, all the fortifications in the Ministry of Works would go smoothly.
The Grand Secretary was temporarily given to Elder Yu, but he was over 60 years old. He probably had to start nurturing the next Grand Secretary for the Imperial Court so that he could retire.
Other than Yu Shande, there were currently no very outstanding talents in the Yu Clan. The eldest son of the Yu Residence’s Second Mansion, Yu Shanyan, was a little talented. However, he was only a high scholar and his future was not obvious for the time being.
From the looks of it, it was impossible for the Grand Secretary to be from the Yu Clan.
She thought more highly of Song Mingzhao. When Yu Zongshen was around in the previous dynasty, he had the intention to nurture Song Mingzhao. Song Mingzhao was indeed talented.
The Song Clan and the Yu Clan had been on good terms for generations. In the future, Song Mingzhao would not be able to surpa.s.s Yu Shande in the court. The two sides complemented each other, but they also kept each other in check.
The prosperity of the Yu Clan was still far behind.
Unfortunately, this scheme was ruined in the hands of this fool.
Princess Qiuli felt dizzy and immediately thought of the young man she had met by chance in the palace earlier.
He was not as handsome and n.o.ble as Song Mingzhao, nor was he as graceful and n.o.ble as the emperor. However, his eyes were wide and light, as if they were hiding a world. He was only wearing a grayish-white robe and stood there with his hands behind his back. He actually had the aura of an exiled immortal.
She had only seen this aura from Mr. Hu Shan and Mr. Xian Yun in the past.
She stood still and looked at it for a long time. She couldn’t help but ask the palace servant, “Who is this person?”
The palace servant replied, “It’s Little Lord Yu, the brother of Eldest Princess Shaoyi. The emperor has ordered Little Lord Yu to return to the court. Little Lord Yu entered the palace to visit the emperor today.”
She thought for a long time before she thought of a person like Yu Shande.
Why did she have an impression of Yu Shande?
It was because Yu Shande was once a close va.s.sal of the previous dynasty’s master. Everyone had to pay attention to him.
Even as a legitimate princess in the past, he was extremely dignified.
She suddenly felt bitter and regretful.