Ever since that incident, the emperor now gets a headache whenever he hears the word "Empress Dowager".
He didn't want to engage, but since the person mentioned was Xue Lin, he had to ask, "What did she do this time?"
After the incident involving Prince Jing, the emperor issued an edict ordering the Empress Dowager to stay in her Palace of Compassion and Tranquility and not to come out.
Besides the Empress Dowager, one of her male favorites, who was also her lover in the past, also lives in Cining Palace of Compassion and Tranquility.
Aside from confining the Empress Dowager to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, her food and drink were still in accordance with her regulations, but the mother and son had completely lost their hearts to each other.
Even on New Year's Eve, the emperor didn't think of bringing the Empress Dowager out for a reunion. It was good enough that he didn't take his anger out on Prince Jing. The emperor thought he had done everything he could.
If this gets out, the royal family will lose all face.
Fortunately, the Empress Dowager didn't cause much of a fuss.
Have they had enough of a peaceful life and are they about to start causing trouble again?
The emperor was extremely troubled.
Xue Lin said, "Someone close to the Empress Dowager bribed a junior eunuch in charge of purchasing at the Imperial Kitchen."
The emperor narrowed his eyes. "Whom does she intend to send a message to?"
Xue Lin: "She asked that little eunuch to find her a handsome, dashing man."
emperor. "..."
He suddenly felt a deep sense of irony.
She was willing to abandon even Prince Jing for that man back then, so what's wrong with her now? Has she suddenly gotten tired of him?
He didn't want to get involved, but the emperor didn't want Xue Lin to be involved either, so he said, "I will handle this matter."
Xue Lin nodded.
Eunuch Wang rushed in, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has suddenly summoned Fourth Miss Tong."
This is truly one problem after another.
The emperor frowned and asked, "What is she doing meeting with Aning?"
Eunuch Wang lowered his head, "This... how would this old servant know?"
Before the emperor and the Eunuch Wang could react, Xue Lin had already gotten up and headed towards the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility.
Eunuch Wang clicked his tongue in amazement, "Your Majesty, this..."
The emperor waved his hand. "Let him go. It's a matter for the young people. Besides, do you think that girl, Aning, will suffer a loss?"
Eunuch Wang suddenly realized that the Empress Dowager was about to be in big trouble.
Palace of Compassion and Tranquility.
" Miss Tong, please wait here for a moment. I will go and inform the Empress Dowager."
Tong Aning nodded.
Before Cuihe went in, she glanced back and saw that Tong Aning was standing obediently in place, like an honest and well-behaved person.
After a while, Cuihe came out and invited Tong Aning inside.
Tong Aning followed her.
Inside the hall, sandalwood incense burned. The Empress Dowager sat on a rosewood chair, which was padded with cushions. She leaned back against the soft pillows, and a lazy white cat lay on her knees. Her painted nails stood out against the white cat.
Tong Aning looked up; the Empress Dowager was very well-preserved and did not look like she was in her sixties at all.
"You are Marquis Tong's fourth daughter?"
Tong Aning knelt down, her head kowtowed to her clasped hands, and said loudly, "This humble woman greets the Empress Dowager. May the Empress Dowager enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
The Empress Dowager looked at her, Tong Aning accepted the Empress Dowager's scrutiny with composure.
The Empress Dowager curled her lips into a smile. "You're not afraid of me, are you?"
Tong Aning thought about the words Su Zhouyue had taught her, and randomly picked two to use. "The Empress Dowager is blessed with great fortune, who would be afraid of the Empress Dowager?"
"You have a sweet tongue, much sweeter than your father and mother," the Empress Dowager chuckled. "Rise."
Tong Aning stood up, head bowed, respectfully.
The Empress Dowager pointed to a chair beside her and said, "Sit."
Tong Aning sat down.
Tong Aning watched the rising smoke and spoke in the silence, "What is the Empress Dowager summoning me for?"
The Empress Dowager lazily propped her forehead up and asked, "You don't know?"
Tong Aning: "?"
Should I know?
The Empress Dowager and Cuihe exchanged a glance. There was also some panic in Cuihe's eyes. The Empress Dowager knew that the voice she had just heard was definitely not her hallucination.
She only found out how Prince Jing's affair was exposed after making inquiries from various sources.
In all the excitement that has swept through Beijing over the past year, one person has always been present: Tong Aning.
Now that I see it, it's no wonder Tong Aning has such abilities.
While the Empress Dowager was still pondering, Tong Aning had already begun to guess.
[Could it be that the Empress Dowager found out about Zhang Chennian's affair with the palace maid?]
The palace maids and eunuchs on duty inside the hall. "?"
My God, they know such a huge secret! How can they possibly survive?
The Empress Dowager's expression suddenly changed, and she tightened her grip. The white cat hissed at her, but after being glared at by the Empress Dowager, it obediently lay back down.
[Actually, this Zhang Chennian is a habitual deceiver of women's feelings. He's good-looking, gentle and refined, and adept at feigning innocence. Before the Empress Dowager, he had already deceived two or three people. Who knew he would deceive the Empress Dowager this time?]
[The Empress Dowager is so fond of him, he must be very proud of himself, so now he's gotten arrogant and dares to do this in the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility. Isn't he afraid the Empress Dowager will turn him into a real eunuch?]
The Empress Dowager coughed lightly.
Cuihe handed over a handkerchief, saying, "Empress Dowager, it's time for your medicine."
"Good."
The Empress Dowager looked down at Tong Aning, who stood there obediently as if nothing had happened, and said, " Miss Tong, are you waiting for me here?"
Tong Aning smiled and said, "Okay."
Cuihe helped the Empress Dowager into the side hall.
At the Empress Dowager's signal, Cuihe stepped forward, lifted the beaded curtain, and the Empress Dowager followed her inside.
In this room, a man was tied up, half-dead.
The man was naked from the waist up, and his lower body was covered with a white cloth. Blood was slowly seeping from the center of the cloth.
The man was very excited to see the Empress Dowager arrive, but his mouth was stuffed with a handkerchief, so he could only make some whimpering sounds.
A cold glint flashed in the Empress Dowager's eyes, and she said with disgust, "Why hasn't the bleeding stopped yet?"
The old eunuch beside him hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, it's once a day, that's how it is. This servant will administer some strong medicine right now."
The Empress Dowager raised her hand, "No need."
She wished Zhang Chennian would be in so much pain he would die.
When the Empress Dowager returned after taking her medicine, she seemed to have regained her radiance.
[What kind of medicine is this? It's quite potent.]
Tong Aning suddenly gasped.
[ Xixi, the Empress Dowager really did give Zhang Chennian...]
[Yes, host, Zhang Chennian is in the side hall right now, it's terrible.]
Tong Aning felt a chill run through her body.
Just then, the Empress Dowager asked, " Miss Tong, why don't you have lunch here with me before you go back?"
"Ah, since Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has said so, this humble woman is naturally willing."
In fact--
[Aaaaaah, I don't want to! Someone, please save me!]
[The Empress Dowager is a ruthless woman. That Zhang Chennian knew perfectly well that she could abandon even her own son, yet he still went against her every whim. He deserved his fate.]
The Empress Dowager was kind and gentle; she liked hearing these words. When the young girl didn't speak ill of her, she was quite likable.
As for Prince Jing's biological son, he was just as unlucky as his father.
She poured so much effort into Prince Jing, but Prince Jing was still a good-for-nothing. He was not only inferior to Prince Yong and the Emperor, but he was also inferior to Xue Shang.
In the end, they'll still scold her for being a useless mother.
It's useless?
Then you can go to hell, she can just have another one.
A palace maid hurried in, announcing, "Your Majesty, the Heir of Prince Yong has arrived."
Xue Lin?
Why would he come?
Just as the Empress Dowager was about to say she wouldn't see him, Xue Lin walked in.
Upon seeing Xue Lin's face, which bore a striking resemblance to Prince Yong, the Empress Dowager felt displeased.
She said coldly, "Why have you come? You've finally remembered to visit your grandmother?"
She was confined to this Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, and not a single person thought to visit her; they were all heartless.
Xue Lin said expressionlessly, "Grandmother."
He looked at Tong Aning on the other side, his face regaining some warmth, "Grandmother, Imperial Uncle wishes to see Miss Tong."
The Empress Dowager said sarcastically, "Oh, I had no idea that the young lady from the Marquis Tong family had become such a sought-after commodity?"
Even if Tong Aning was slow to understand, she would have realized it by now.
Is she trying to make a sarcastic remark about me?
[Why did she suddenly break down...? Because Prince Yong is too clever and can see right through her, so she dislikes Prince Yong, and by extension, Prince Yong son. Her thought process... is so bizarre.]
The Empress Dowager clenched her fists.
She just didn't like it. Her daughter, Huang Hui, died young Prince Yong was a monster, and his son with the princess was a little monster.
A monster devoid of humanity.
Wait a minute, the Empress Dowager's gaze shifted between Tong Aning and Xue Lin, and she suddenly realized something—
Xue Lin didn't come to see her at all; he came for Tong Aning.
Knowing that she had summoned Tong Aning, and fearing that Tong Aning would be harmed by this old witch, he rushed to her Palace of Compassion and Tranquility without stopping.
Since the deaths of Prince Yong and his wife, Xue Lin's temperament had turned cold, and nothing could catch his eye. This was the first time the Empress Dowager had ever seen him so anxious about someone.
The Empress Dowager's eyes flickered slightly; this was indeed interesting.
Tong Aning has such an ability that no one who stays with her can have any secrets.
But what if someone like that were paired with someone as cold and aloof as Xue Lin, someone who seems to be full of secrets?
How lively that would be! The Empress Dowager could almost picture the chaotic scene at Prince Yong's Residence.
Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager's gloom vanished, and she even felt a strange excitement, her eyes shining as she looked at Tong Aning and Xue Lin.
Tong Aning: "?"
[What's wrong with her? I suddenly have a bad feeling.]
The Empress Dowager said kindly, " Alin, you've reached the age where you should get married."
Xue Lin became wary. "Grandmother, what do you mean?"
The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow, "How about your grandmother bestows upon you a marriage?"
Tong Aning blinked, puzzled.
[How did things suddenly veer towards an arranged marriage? Anyway... I'm quite curious.]
Xue Lin: "..."
The Empress Dowager's delight caused Xue Lin to panic. But the real show was yet to come.
The Empress Dowager said, "I think you and Miss Tong are a match made in heaven. How about I bestow a marriage upon you both?"
Xue Lin and Tong Aning were both somewhat incredulous.
[I?]
[Ouch! I've gotten myself involved in this mess.]
Xue Lin, for some reason, breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Grandmother."
The Empress Dowager's face stiffened. What did this mean?