amaotonovel Chapter 578: A Gift to the Emperor
Chapter 578: A Gift to the Emperor
"This child is a well-behaved child, and now she is willing to work hard, which is naturally a good thing. As long as she opens her mouth, try your best to satisfy her needs." Ji Chuhe whispered.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Madam!" Xiao Yan'an walked in from outside.
Mianzhu immediately stepped forward and saluted, "Meet the prince."
"No need to formality." Xiao Yan'an walked straight up to Ji Chuhe and said, "Madam, the decree to reward the three armies has been issued! The emperor actually asked Gao Jin to lead 80,000 soldiers back to the court to reward them according to their merits. He also made up an excuse to let Fourth Uncle continue to stay in the northern border to deal with the surrender of the Hu bandits. In this way, not only will Fourth Uncle's military power be dispersed, but he will have to continue to guard the northern border. Without the emperor's order, he must not leave the northern border at all." Xiao Yan'an's tone was somewhat complaining.
After all, my grandmother had been looking forward to being reunited with my fourth uncle for a long time.
Everyone in the Rongguo Mansion is waiting for Fourth Uncle to return.
Now I don’t know when my fourth uncle will come back.
"The emperor is worried that it will be difficult to take back the military power if Fourth Uncle comes back. He doesn't want Fourth Uncle to hold the military power, so he came up with this last resort. It's a good thing this way. Fourth Uncle is in the northern border and can still play a role at the critical moment. If he returns to the court, he will be controlled by the emperor." Ji Chuhe responded softly.
"I thought so too. Besides, the Hu bandits have surrendered. Even if Fourth Uncle is in the North, his life will not be in any danger."
"No, Your Highness, don't be so optimistic. Think about it, why is Shen Chengjing in the Northern Territory? He must be trying to harm Fourth Uncle. If he dies, the Emperor may send someone else to go there."
Xiao Yanan suddenly became nervous, "Madam is right, it's better to be safe than sorry."
"We don't need to worry too much about this. Fourth uncle knows how to protect himself. The emperor's actions also indicate a problem. He is ready to take action against father. Let's see how he makes his next move."
"Yeah." Xiao Yan'an nodded.
“However, before that, I also want to give the emperor a big gift.” Ji Chuhe’s eyes darkened.
……
After seeing his mother, the Fourth Prince became worried.
I can't help but recall the good old days.
His mother was in great favor, and the Luo family was also trusted by his father, and they were in great glory! He couldn't understand why such a big change would happen in such a short time.
Why did his father cruelly banish his mother to the cold palace, and why did he kill his grandfather and uncle?
Could it be that my father’s previous favor for my mother and his trust in my grandfather were all fake?
Although he returned to the palace, his mother was suffering in the cold palace! As soon as he closed his eyes, the picture of his mother's current situation kept appearing in his mind. He could only watch his mother suffer, but he was powerless to save her.
The Queen Mother came to check on the Fourth Prince's injuries and found him sitting dejectedly under the window. She couldn't help but frown.
"Your Highness, the Queen Mother is here to see you." The palace maid reminded him in a low voice.
The fourth prince immediately stood up and saluted to the Queen Mother, "Greetings, Her Majesty the Queen Mother."
"Get up. Why do you seem so depressed? Are you worried about something?" The Queen Mother sat down and asked with a loving face.
The fourth prince hesitated for a moment, then knelt down again, "Empress Dowager, I went to the cold palace to see my mother, and she suffered a lot in the cold palace. As a son, I saw my mother suffer so much, but I couldn't save her, so I felt very sad."
"So it's because of this incident. You are a filial child, and I can understand your feelings. However, your mother is in the cold palace. If you really think about it, the cold palace is more uncomfortable than prison." After the queen mother finished speaking, she sighed.
"Empress Dowager, please can you save my mother? Even if you can't let her regain her status, at least let her leave the cold palace." The Fourth Prince pleaded immediately.
"I will think of a way to deal with this matter. After all, it was your father who issued the decree himself. Even if he wants your mother to leave the cold palace, he still needs your father's consent."
"Thank you, Queen Dowager!" The Fourth Prince immediately kowtowed to express his gratitude. As long as the Queen Dowager was willing to help, his mother would have a chance to come out of the cold palace!
The Queen Mother was not trying to help Concubine Luo, nor was she trying to help the Fourth Prince.
She agreed to do this in order to disgust the Queen.
Thinking back to the time, Concubine Luo was the most favored concubine in the six palaces, and she even snatched the power to manage the six palaces from the Queen for so many years. How could the Queen not hate her?
If the Queen knew that Luo had left the cold palace, how angry would she be?
The queen today is no longer the same queen as before. She had been enduring and keeping a low profile before. Sometimes, she even had no sense of existence at all. Now, it’s completely the opposite!
The Queen wouldn't think that the Third Prince is the only one who can be the Crown Prince, right?
In the evening, the Queen Mother invited the Emperor to her palace to have dinner with her.
The emperor looked at the dish on the table and his eyes changed slightly.
"Your Majesty, I remember that you used to like this dish very much. Your Majesty specially ordered the kitchen to prepare it especially for Your Majesty." The Queen Mother certainly knew that this dish was not the one that the Emperor liked, but Concubine Luo liked.
At the beginning, when the emperor favored Concubine Luo, he asked the imperial kitchen to specially add this dish.
Originally, this dish was not available in the palace.
"Mother, you remembered it wrongly. I don't like this dish. It is Concubine Luo who likes it." The emperor pointed out directly.
It seems that today's meal is not simple.
"I have a bad memory. Concubine Luo was deposed and has been in the cold palace. I don't know if she can endure that kind of hard life. She used to be so bright and beautiful. When I saw her, I felt that she would definitely enter the palace to accompany the emperor. She did not disappoint me and became the emperor's bedmate."
"Mother, Concubine Luo was deposed because she deserved it."
"Yes, she deserved it. But what about the Fourth Prince being injured this time? Isn't it the same? Is there anyone who wants to kill the Fourth Prince? Can this matter just be left unresolved?"
"Mother, how could such a big thing be left unresolved? I am still investigating and will definitely find the real culprit."
"Now, it doesn't matter whether he is the real murderer or not. What matters is that the Fourth Prince is indeed pitiful. I haven't seen him smile since he came to my place. He was such a bright and cheerful child before. Your Majesty, this is your own flesh and blood. Don't you feel sorry for him at all? Even if you don't feel sorry for him, I do."
"Mother, what do you want to say to me today? Just speak directly."
"I want to ask for a favor on behalf of Concubine Luo, and let her leave the cold palace. If the emperor is unwilling to let her return to favor, you can let her arrange some work in my palace. What do you think?"
"Mother, do you really want Concubine Luo to leave the cold palace?"
"Even if it's for the Fourth Prince, Your Majesty, please agree."
"Since the Queen Mother has said so, there is no reason for me not to obey. For the sake of the Fourth Prince's reputation, his mother cannot be made a slave. So let Luo Shi be restored to her position as a good wife."
"Okay, Your Majesty is very thoughtful." The Queen Mother immediately agreed.