Chapter 236 - 198: Part 2

"That’s not what I’m worried about," Xie Sheng said.

"Then why are you holding me back? Have you been bewitched by Mrs. Jiang? Do you also think the Noble Consort is a good person?"

Guo Xiao Yi couldn’t believe it!

’What kind of potion has the Pure Consort given my son!’

"Mother, please let me finish," Xie Sheng said helplessly. "Whether the Rong Family falls or not, she is still a Noble Consort personally appointed by the Emperor. If you go to her residence to mock her, do you think Her Lady, with her temper, is more likely to endure it silently or fly into a rage and punish you severely, consequences be damned? As your son, how can I stand by and watch you walk into danger? Please, Mother, reconsider."

What Xie Sheng left unsaid was that, given the Noble Consort’s standing with his father, the Emperor...

...punishing a mere Guo Xiao Yi wouldn’t be a big deal at all.

His words were enough to deflate Guo Xiao Yi completely.

’Given Noble Princess Consort Rong’s temper, I’d probably get ten slaps across the face before I could even finish my taunts.’ "You have a point," she conceded. "I’ll just watch coldly from the sidelines and see how long her glory lasts. Her day of reckoning will come!"

Guo Xiao Yi was prone to getting hot-headed and doing reckless things, and no one could ever talk her down. Only her son’s words could get through to her, saving her from a painful beating.

-----------------

Contrary to what Guo Xiao Yi imagined, Noble Princess Consort Rong’s quality of life had not declined at all.

Only Noble Princess Consort Rong herself could feel that her influence in the harem had greatly diminished, and the servants were no longer as attentive. To outsiders, however, the fact that the Emperor had set aside the memorial impeaching Rong Xue Tao without taking action, and had also approved General Rong’s request for troops and provisions, was a clear sign that the Rong Family had not yet lost favor.

「In Jianzhang Palace.」

Ever since giving birth to Princess Taihua, the Empress’s already sickly constitution had grown even more frail. She had stopped using incense long ago; after years of brewing medicinal decoctions, any fragrance would inevitably mingle with the smell of herbs and become unpleasant.

The Empress, her eyes half-closed, dismissed all the palace attendants serving in the inner chamber.

Before leaving, Fu Jin set down a bowl of inky-black medicinal soup. She kept looking back worriedly, which made Jiang Xian smile. "If Fu Jin is that worried, I can feed Her Majesty the medicine later."

"I wouldn’t dare," Fu Jin said. "It’s just that the Imperial Physician said Her Majesty needs to rest quietly and shouldn’t trouble her mind with excessive worry."

The Empress smiled. "Fu Jin, dear, you worry too much. You may go. With the Pure Consort here, there’s nothing to be concerned about. We’re just going to have a private chat."

Once all the palace attendants had withdrawn, the Empress sighed. "Before I married the Emperor, I was also constantly surrounded by a throng of attendants. It became second nature. It’s only recently that I’ve noticed how nervous they are around me, as if they’re afraid I might pass away at any moment." After this preamble, she continued slowly, "This matter originally had nothing to do with me. However, for the sake of the Eldest Prince, and for Taihua, I had no choice but to summon you."

Although Ms. Chu’s family is an aristocratic family, they have always been low-key and reserved, and they have not gotten involved in the current factional struggles. As for the Empress herself, she has long stood at the pinnacle of the harem. Her career, so to speak, has reached its peak; to do more is to risk making mistakes, while to do nothing is to remain invincible.

But even as the Empress, she was not without weaknesses.

Her Achilles’ heel was her only daughter, Princess Taihua.

The Empress, having no System, didn’t know that the Emperor was destined to live a very long life. She feared she wouldn’t live long herself, and that after the Emperor’s death, there would be no one left to protect Taihua. Her only hope was that the future Young Emperor would treat her daughter kindly. Since she had placed her bet on the Eldest Prince, she was afraid that Jiang Xian, who had always been on good terms with Noble Princess Consort Rong, would misjudge the situation and drag the Eldest Prince down with her.

"I am telling this to you and you alone," the Empress said, laying her cards on the table. "The Emperor isn’t showing mercy by setting aside the memorial against Rong Xue Tao. He’s waiting for the right moment to pull the entire family up by the roots. You must not get involved in this mess. While this affair will certainly affect the Noble Consort, it will not endanger her life."

Seeing the look of understanding on Jiang Xian’s face, it was clear she was already prepared for this. The Empress couldn’t help but be surprised.

Jiang Xian said, "General Rong has built up immense authority over the years, and his power is staggering. The Emperor cannot move against him rashly. This action is meant to chip away at his prestige. The key was rewarding Lord Guo, which sent a signal to all the civil and military officials: now is the perfect time to bring down the Rong Family, so impeach away. When others see that the Emperor didn’t punish Rong Xue Tao but rewarded Lord Guo instead, they will assume the embezzlement charges are true. They’ll think the Emperor is only holding back on punishment because of the Rong Family’s power, and that he compensated Lord Guo to placate him."

After that, the Emperor needs only to sit on his high throne and wait for the memorials impeaching the Rong Family to come flooding in like snowflakes.

Meanwhile, General Rong, having been lauded and placed on a pedestal for so many years, will only think the Emperor trusts him implicitly. He won’t be pushed into a corner and forced to do something desperate, like staging a rebellion. After all, even the other court officials believe the Emperor suppressed the memorial in order to protect the Rong Family.