Chapter 116

Chapter 116

The Empress Dowager's return to the palace was both difficult and easy.

The difficulty lay in the fact that without an invitation from the Emperor or prior notice to the palace, it would be improper and against protocol to return without notice, especially with the Grand Empress Dowager and the Retired Emperor still present.

The ease stemmed from the Empress Dowager being the Emperor's birth mother. Even if she were to act impulsively and walk into the throne hall, as long as she did not rebel, the Qing Dynasty was governed by filial piety, and the Emperor could not do anything to her.

Out of deference to the Emperor, the Grand Empress Dowager and the Retired Emperor could not completely disregard Lady Wu Ya's face, but it ultimately depended on whether the Empress Dowager herself was clear-headed.

Whether she was clear-headed or not, outsiders could not know, but Lady Wu Ya had her own calculations. She wore an angry expression as Nanny Wu Ya arranged the imperial procession.

The next day, Lady Wu Ya, escorted by the imperial guards, traveled with minimal entourage and entered the palace by mid-morning.

As soon as she entered the Cining Palace, she immediately instructed Nanny Wu Ya: "Go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and summon the Emperor to me, and have Geng accompany him!"

Nanny Wu Ya relished the Empress Dowager's fury and, without a word, did not give Nanny Zhou a chance to speak, heading straight to the Hall of Mental Cultivation with a determined air.

Unfortunately, the status of a Cining Palace nanny did not grant her the authority to act recklessly in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

As soon as Nanny Wu Ya left the Cining Palace, Zhao Song reported to Su Peisheng.

Su Peisheng waved his hand expressionlessly, "Have someone guard the place, don't let any unworthy individuals approach the imperial presence. I will personally go to greet Nanny Wu Ya."

Zhao Song nodded emphatically.

As soon as the Empress Dowager's carriage entered the city gates, the Hall of Mental Cultivation received the news, and neither the Emperor nor his son was surprised by the Cining Palace's actions.

Zhao Song had been in the Fourth Prince's residence since he could remember. In the past, when the Empress Dowager was still Consort De, outsiders only saw her as gentle, virtuous, and respectful, but he knew that privately, she often embarrassed the master.

Back then, even if the Empress Dowager went too far, and the master was so angry in the study that he coughed up blood, he could only conceal it to avoid giving other princes and ministers an excuse to attack him.

Now, did Nanny Wu Ya still think the master was the same vulnerable prince who could be bullied? Hmph...

*

After another incense stick's time, Su Peisheng intercepted Nanny Wu Ya outside the gates of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

He forced a smile and bowed to Nanny Wu Ya, "It's been a while, Nanny. You look much better."

"You suddenly coming here... does the Empress Dowager have any message for you to deliver from the palace to the imperial court?"

Nanny Wu Ya sneered, "In front of me, Chief Su, there's no need to play dumb. The Empress Dowager entered the palace through the Shenwu Gate, would the attendants on duty in the Imperial Household Department dare not report her arrival?"

"The Empress Dowager has important matters to discuss with His Majesty, please request the Emperor to make time to visit the Cining Palace, and have Female Official Suining accompany him."

Nanny Wu Ya's words did not prevent Su Peisheng from feigning genuine surprise.

"The Empress Dowager has returned to the palace? This... why wasn't it announced earlier, so that the master could personally go to greet her!"

"Coincidentally, His Majesty is busy discussing state affairs with the cabinet ministers in the study, and this servant dares not interrupt him. Once His Majesty is done, this servant will report immediately!"

Nanny Wu Ya weighed the situation. The Emperor was diligent in governance, and it was possible that he was truly occupied with state affairs. She dared not cause a scene and disturb the imperial presence.

She pondered for a moment, "Of course, we must not delay the Emperor's important matters. Then please have Female Official Suining accompany me first—"

Su Peisheng smiled and interrupted Nanny Wu Ya, "Nanny, don't make things difficult for this servant. Female Official Suining is an Imperial Attendant, and at this moment, she is serving in the imperial presence. She cannot go anywhere."

Nanny Wu Ya caught the underlying meaning in Su Peisheng's words. She stopped smiling and glared at him angrily.

"Chief Su, think carefully. If you, relying on your master's power, delay the Empress Dowager's important matters and tarnish His Majesty's reputation for filial piety, watch your own head!"

Su Peisheng still smiled respectfully, "Nanny, rest assured, even if this servant is relying on the master's influence, I would never dare to jeopardize the master's reputation. Do you have any other messages for the master?"

He tilted his body slightly: "If not... then get lost!"

Nanny Wu Ya spun around in a huff and stormed off.

At the corner, she was so angry that she almost stumbled, and suddenly, behind Su Peisheng, there were suppressed snickers.

Su Peisheng turned around and was not surprised to see Zhao Song with two eunuchs who had served the emperor since the prince’s residence, in the corner, unable to contain their smirks of satisfaction.

Even Gao Wuyong, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, who had served with Su Peisheng in the prince’s residence, crossed his arms and gave a thumbs up.

Su Peisheng couldn’t help but chuckle; showing off like this felt pretty good.

Previously, knowing his master's nature of restraint and patience, he wouldn't have dared to imagine such a scene.

Since that little ancestor started serving in the emperor's presence, the emperor has become more human, and he feels that life has more prospects.

*

Meanwhile.

Nanny Wu Ya returned to the Cining Palace and embellished the story to the Empress Dowager. In her rage, the Empress Dowager smashed a set of purple clay teapots and cups from the previous dynasty.

"Su Peisheng wouldn’t dare!" Lady Wu Ya was so angry that her face turned pale, but she still managed to stay calm when necessary.

"This means I have to see the emperor myself. Whether it's the emperor's intention or that wretched woman's, I might as well give them what they want!"

Yinzhen had snatched the throne from her son Zhen'er. If Zhen'er had succeeded, he would never have treated her this way, breaking her heart as a mother.

Now, under the spell of some seductress, he doesn’t even show her basic respect. What’s the use of being Empress Dowager if this is how I’m treated!

So, she decided to throw all decorum out the window.

The fire that burned day and night in Lady Wu Ya's heart made her rise with icy determination, "Help me change my clothes, tell Xu Chang to arrange my procession, I will personally go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to request an audience with the emperor!"

Even Nanny Wu Ya was startled by her mistress's recklessness and instinctively tried to stop her—

"Your Majesty, the Grand Empress Dowager is still in the palace..."

Lady Wu Ya interrupted Nanny Wu Ya: "How dare you! Advising the emperor is my duty. What can the Grand Empress Dowager possibly do to me!"

Could she strip me of my title as Empress Dowager?

But both Nanny Wu Ya and Nanny Zhou knew that deposing the Empress Dowager was impossible, but in any dynasty, there were many Empress Dowagers who were placed under house arrest!

At that point, life would truly be hopeless.

As Nanny Wu Ya, Nanny Zhou, and others knelt pleading, Xu Chang’s voice softly came from outside the door—

"Your Majesty, the Fourteenth Princess Consort and the wife of the Governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi have sent their cards, urgently requesting an audience. They await outside the Shenwu Gate."

The Empress Dowager’s anger momentarily subsided.

She hadn't met the Governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, Eshan, many times, but Eshan's wife was a niece from a distant branch of the family, and they were quite close to the Duke of Wu's mansion.

As for the Fourteenth Princess Consort, Zhao Jia, of course.

She rubbed her temples, holding back her rising anger, and ordered, "Xu Chang, go and bring them in."

*

Half an hour later, Zhao Jia and Lady Wu Ya, Eshan’s wife, stepped into the Cining Palace.

As soon as they entered, without waiting for the Empress Dowager to ask, the two knelt down straight away.

The Empress Dowager frowned slightly, "What's going on here? It's neither a festival nor a holiday, why such a grand gesture? Please, rise."

Zhao Jia, the younger of the two, shrugged off Nanny Zhou's help, tears falling down her cheeks as she kowtowed.

"Mother, please, you must save my husband!"

Without a glance at her kneeling niece, the Empress Dowager urgently asked, "What happened?"

Zhao Jia cried, "Two weeks ago, our husband sent an urgent dispatch back, saying that the Emperor had secretly ordered him to return to the capital immediately upon the arrival of the new general."

"Three days ago, he sent another letter back, saying that Nian Gengyao, the son of Nian Xiaoling, had been appointed by the Emperor as the Governor of Sichuan and the General of Fuyuan, to assume our husband's command in Qinghai, and ordered our husband to return to the capital immediately."

"By now... our husband must have departed days ago!"

The Empress Dowager stood up abruptly, furious, "I will confront the Emperor and demand to know his intentions! He's driving me to an early grave!"

Zhao Jia cried even louder, "Mother! Our husband is returning to the capital to honor your birthday!"

She kowtowed again, "In his decree, the Emperor expressed regret for failing to bring you joy, causing you repeated distress over our husband, hence he ordered our husband to return to the capital, mother!"

The Empress Dowager swayed, "Nonsense! I don't need the Fourteenth Prince's filial piety! I will go—"

"Mother! Don't you understand?" Zhao Jia, in desperation, shouted softly, "If you persist in provoking the Emperor, our husband might only be able to stay by your side, reduced to a mere idler!"

The Empress Dowager's body stiffened suddenly, her face gradually stiffening, turning pale.

She naturally knew, but she was that scoundrel's mother, would he really dare to kill her with anger?

At this moment, Lady Wu Ya interjected softly, "Aunt, the Duke of Wu has been indisposed of late and cannot come to the palace, so he sent me to bring you a message."

The Empress Dowager remained silent, and Lady Wu Ya, without waiting for a reply, kowtowed respectfully and conveyed the words of the current Duke of Wu, the Empress Dowager's younger brother Bai Qi.

"The Duke of Wu said that you were personally praised by the old Duke as the most astute lady of the Uya clan, destined for great prospects. The Uya clan has rallied its entire strength to support you, fortunately not letting your brilliance be tarnished."

"Though the Uya clan now lacks successors, with the Emperor and the General of Fuyuan as your nephews, in time, the Uya clan will surely completely shed its bondservant status and become a more respectable Manchu surname than Hesheri."

After praising the Empress Dowager, seeing her expression soften slightly, Lady Wu Ya continued.

"The Duke of Wu asked me to ask you, since you entered the palace thirty-five years ago, you have always been the pride of the Uya clan. How is it that now, as life becomes more respectable, you've suddenly lost your senses, determined to sow discord among brothers, unrest in the imperial family, and harm to the family?"

The Empress Dowager tightly clutched her handkerchief, clenched her back teeth, but remained silent.

Lady Wu Ya sighed inwardly, "The Duke of Wu also said that now the Fourteenth Prince retains his generalship, only returning to the capital to celebrate your birthday. If you continue to be confused... it's hard to say."

"At that time, if Prince Yi becomes an Iron Hat Prince, the Fourteenth Prince might only be a prince in the capital or even the imperial mausoleum. If that day comes, the imperial decree is immutable, what will you do then?"

Zhao Jia was chilled by the future Lady Wu Ya depicted.

With the Emperor's nature of loving to make one live and hating to make one die, and their family's stubborn fool who is easily swayed... it's not impossible!

She cried out sorrowfully, "Mother..."

The Empress Dowager stood up abruptly again, pointing at the door and shouting angrily—

"Get out of—pfft!"

Before she could finish, a mouthful of blood sprayed out, and the Empress Dowager fainted, her face as pale as gold.

Zhao Jia and Lady E'shan both stood up in shock.

"Mother!"

"Aunt!"

"Quick, summon the Imperial Physician!"

*

By evening, the Imperial Physician from the Imperial Hospital had left Cining Palace.

The medical report was also delivered to Yinzhen, whose expression was somewhat unpleasant, with a hint of complexity.

If his mother's increasing erratic behavior was indeed due to illness, as a son, how could he be too harsh? But...

Geng Shuning noticed her boyfriend's unusual expression and leaned over to look, "Symptoms of menopause: persistent sweating and irritability, dizziness and tinnitus from stagnation, a weak pulse causing emotional instability..."

Isn't this just menopause?

She thought; if it really was menopause, the hormonal changes affecting emotions, leading to unpredictable moods, would make sense.

But she still felt something was off.

She nestled into the arms of the man, who was silent and tense, took his hand, found a comfortable spot to place it, and let him hold her.

"My lord, as you mentioned, the Empress Dowager has been doing some... not very rational things privately for many years, right?"

"In my experience, such symptoms are common in women aged forty to forty-five, even if they are not well maintained, it's rare to see such conditions in their twenties."

If menopause is merely amplifying the Empress Dowager's distorted hatred towards Yinzhen, that would explain it.

But she had spent time with the Empress Dowager; she wasn't a woman who would go mad regardless of her mood swings.

What was her real goal?

She looked up at Yinzhen: "Could it be that the Empress Dowager still wants the Fourteenth Prince to inherit your position?"

Yinzhen chuckled and patted her forehead, "Don't speculate wildly, Ning'er has already helped me a lot, as long as she remains calm these few years, it's enough."

Geng Shuning quietly instructed Qiao He to arrange for Yiergenjueluo Xiuying, who had caused trouble before, to send out a message, and also had the Thirteenth Princess Consort talk to the Fourteenth Princess Consort several times, already prepared for today's events.

Yinzhen gazed at the Empress Dowager's medical report, his heart still troubled: "No matter her intentions, with the Empress Dowager and the Emperor still alive, she... can only move cautiously. I owe her my life, and that's what follows."

Geng Shuning puffed out her cheeks, this man can be truly ruthless when necessary, but his patience towards those within his protection is something even a turtle would admire.

But for now, there's no time to deal with the Empress Dowager, vomiting blood once should keep her subdued for a few years.

If she remains obstinate, there's still a grand gift for the Thousand Autumns Festival, hopefully, she'll be more resilient that day than she is today.

*

That night, the Empress Dowager had Nanny Zhou administer her medicine.

When alone, she softly instructed—

"The medicine from Yonghe Palace can be stopped, conceal the medicine residue and that treacherous servant well, you're aware of the people Fourth Brother has placed in Cining Palace, don't let them find out."

Nanny Zhou softly asked, "Mistress, how long must we conceal this? If it's too long, the medicine residue might not serve as evidence."

Lady Wu Ya calmly said, "It's meant to decay, then the truth and falsehood will be our opportunity, hide it further away, it won't be a short time."

We must at least wait until after the war, for my Zhen'er to return in glory, to secure that position.

*

The next day, the selected palace maids departed the palace, carrying the royal decree.

Half a month later, the Fourteenth Prince Yun Ti returned to the capital in haste, paid his respects to the Empress Dowager, and retreated to his residence.

By June, the court's discussions grew increasingly heated over whether to reclaim Tibet or only defend the Qing Dynasty's territory in Sichuan and Shaanxi, after the Dzungars occupied Hotan and caused border raids.

Yinzhen intended to personally lead the imperial campaign to the front lines, but civil and military officials repeatedly urged him not to.

The Emperor secluded himself in the Changchun Garden, refusing all visitors, and the imperial court's inner circle quieted down, adopting vegetarian diets and Buddhist prayers to pray for the Qing Dynasty and the Emperor.

At the peak of tension in both the court and the imperial court's inner circle, the Empress Dowager's Thousand Autumns Festival began.