Not long after, Hang also resigned.
She was not a particularly thoughtful woman, and her emotions came and went quickly. When she left Jingyang Palace with Brother Ji, there was already a hint of joy in her eyes.
The fire was burning and warm.
Qingzhu knew how to watch people's words and quietly waved away the extra maids, leaving only a few personal attendants.
Zhu Qiyu took a sip of tea and seemed to be thinking about how to speak.
He had long been aware of this mess in the harem, and he didn't know when the relationship between Empress Dowager Wu and the Wang family had become somewhat bad.
It was for the draft at first, but he blocked it. Not long after, Wang became pregnant, and the palace became much calmer. As a result, this incident happened again.
It has to be said that even those who are as clear-minded as Zhu Qiyu are still a little confused when it comes to these household matters.
You know, in the past, Queen Mother Wu had always been very satisfied with Wang's daughter-in-law, and the relationship between the two was also very good.
Even because of his extraordinary care for Brother Ji, Empress Dowager Wu once specially beat him and told him that he had a high position in the palace and should not act rashly.
Because Mrs. Wang was in poor health when she gave birth to Sister Hui, and because she was busy with Zhu Qiyu's illness, she almost developed a hidden disease. Empress Dowager Wu discovered it immediately and asked the imperial doctor to take good care of her.
How come we are now...
"Does the emperor feel that the Ai family is deliberately targeting your wife?"
Empress Dowager Wu's voice sounded faintly, and she seemed to know Zhu Qiyu's thoughts clearly.
There are no outsiders at the moment. Although this matter is a household matter, it is not an option to put it off forever.
So, after a moment's hesitation, Zhu Qiyu nodded and said.
"Mother Concubine, Yun Niang has always managed the harem properly and is very filial to you. If it were not during pregnancy, she would never miss you in the morning and dusk. However, since the draft, I always feel that you are dissatisfied with her. I don't know what she is. What went wrong to make you unhappy?"
Empress Dowager Wu was silent, with a somewhat complicated look on her face, looking at her son intently, and then said after a moment.
"Of course she didn't make a mistake, it was you who was wrong, Brother Yu!"
Zhu Qiyu frowned, not understanding what Empress Dowager Wu meant, but he still stood up and said.
"Please give me a lesson, my mother-in-law."
Empress Dowager Wu seemed to feel a little bored, got up from the couch, walked two steps in Nuan Pavilion, and said.
"Earlier, you told the Aijia that the emperor's favoring of one person is a recipe for disaster. For this reason, you disregarded outside opinions and re-established the draft for the long-term plan of the heirs."
"Why, it's your turn and you can't figure it out?"
In my memory, the last time Empress Dowager Wu spoke to him in such a stern tone was before she left the palace and opened her mansion.
When he was young at that time, he went to his father with the homework that his teacher had promised him, hoping to get his praise.
At that time, my father glanced at it and put it on the table next to him. Then, he ordered someone to give him a handful of pearls and sent him out.
From beginning to end, my father's eyes were fixed on the two crickets in the jar.
Returning to Jingyang Palace, he was severely reprimanded for the first time by his mother, who was still a concubine at that time, and was punished by kneeling for two hours.
As the thoughts in his mind turned around, Zhu Qiyu suddenly felt a surge of emotion in his heart, and he raised his head and said.
"My mother and concubine are wrong. The queen is the lord of the six palaces and has her own honor."
"What's more, although I get along well with the Queen, I never dote on her alone. I go to various palaces and places every month. In addition to the Queen, Concubine Guo is also pregnant now. How can you say that I dote on one person alone?"
Queen Mother Wu didn't know that her son still remembered old things. After hearing this, she frowned and walked back and forth in the Nuan Pavilion.
After a while, she sat back on the couch again, but her face was calm and she said.
"You are quibbling!"
"Not to mention anything else, there were seventeen or eighteen concubines with status in your father's palace earlier, and there were even more concubines without status. Aren't they all favored by your father?"
"Is it possible that because your father has so many concubines that he favors the Sun family all the time, doesn't he only favor the Sun family? Now you just changed the favored person from a concubine to a queen. What's the difference?"
These words were obviously filled with emotion. When Zhu Qiyu raised his eyes, he could see that the joints of Wu's clenched hands were turning white.
So he lowered his head and stopped arguing.
But how could Empress Dowager Wu not understand that her son had the same stubborn temper?
With a long sigh, Empress Dowager Wu tried her best to slow down her tone and said.
"There is nothing wrong with the fact that the emperor only favors the queen in the harem, but it is not a good thing for the emperor to favor only one person, even the queen."
"You need to know that in the harem, in addition to the honor of the middle palace, the mother is more important than the son. Yes, you love Brother Ji very much, but what about the Hang family?"
"Have you ever thought that she is not only an ordinary concubine, but also the mother of your eldest son? Have you given her enough honor?"
Even though she was trying her best to control it, the resentment in Empress Dowager Wu's tone was still difficult to hide.
This is not to Zhu Qiyu, but to the late emperor!
Zhu Qiyu lowered his head, but Empress Dowager Wu spoke sharply. She looked at her son, who was ranked ninth and fifth, and asked coldly.
"Nowadays, the concubines in your harem are more or less, and the palace affairs are much heavier than before."
"What's more, the Supreme Emperor is about to return. The cleaning and decoration of various places in the Nangong, and the arrangements made by the palace staff are not top priorities. Can the queen make arrangements well with such a heavy body?"
"In terms of status, Mrs. Hang is a noble concubine. She is the most noble one among the queens. In terms of seniority, she and the queen married you together and are old friends. In addition, she is also the mother of your eldest son."
"Under this situation, tell the Ai family, why can't the Hang family temporarily act as queen and assist in the management of the Sixth Palace?"
Zhu Qiyu said nothing, but there was a look of deep thought on his face.
For this reason, he had to admit that Queen Mother Wu was right.
In the harem, in addition to status, there are also power and grace. The combination of the three is the true honorable status.
Just like in the Wai Chao Yamen, the higher the rank, the higher the status.
As Empress Dowager Wu said, the harem before the Ming Dynasty did not have a particularly clear system, but one thing is unquestionable, that is, the mother is more valuable than the son.
As long as you have a prince, even if you are just an ordinary palace maid, you should have the honor and status that matches your status as the prince's mother.
Of course, it's just "should". Most of the time, it can't be done...
Seeing her son's look, Queen Mother Wu's face brightened slightly and she said.
"Your wife is respectful and there is nothing wrong with her, but you should understand this truth. When you sit in a high position, you should be a person who can't help yourself."
"Earlier, the Ai family wanted the Wang family's daughter to enter the palace. They thought that after she entered the palace, you should do some superficial work to take care of the outer court, but in the end, you stopped her."
"Well, it's not a good thing that my cousin is too strong, but the Hang family is not a prominent family. As the mother of the prince, what's the matter if the Ai family wants to promote her?"
Among the Nuan Pavilion, the only few serving the palace quietly retreated far away, and Qingzhu had been guarding outside the Nuan Pavilion for a long time.
The fire roared, and Zhu Qiyu was silent.
Queen Mother Wu's words could be regarded as clearing up his doubts.
Hang's scheming is not that deep, so many times, she actually does things a little recklessly.
During this period, she had been running to Jingyang Palace. With Empress Dowager Wu's shrewdness, it was impossible not to see what she was thinking.
However, Empress Dowager Wu still pretended that she didn't know anything. Not only did she dote on her more, she was also willing to take the initiative to take responsibility for her.
There is no reason behind this.
Everyone in the world is suffering, and who can easily get rid of the barriers? Even the emperor has no choice but to do so.
Looking up at the vaguely red eyes of Queen Mother Wu, Zhu Qiyu couldn't say a word no matter how many words he had in mind.
Countless words could only turn into a low whisper in the end.
He lowered his head, with a respectful expression and respectful attitude, and said.
"What the mother-in-law teaches is that the son realizes his mistake..."
