CHAPTER 559: CHAPTER 1541 DOWAGER

"It’s not appropriate, is it?" Fengyu wasn’t surprised that Xie Xun knew about her matters in the mansion. Xie Jue’s Shadow Guards currently didn’t have any assignments, Zhang Da and the others hadn’t returned yet, and Xie Xun wouldn’t leave her alone in the mansion without anyone to look after her. Surely, he left a few people in secret to protect her, so the affairs of the Feng Mansion couldn’t remain hidden from him.

The First Madam came to plead with her; he must have known as well.

"What’s inappropriate? I’ve already drafted the edict to name you Empress, just waiting for the right opportunity. If you mind the formalities, I’ll announce the edict in court tomorrow morning, and our wedding will wait... wait until autumn."

By autumn, the war in Jiangnan should also settle down, and Second Brother should have returned by then.

"I won’t stay in the palace; otherwise, the officials will nag you to death." Fengyu chuckled softly. "You also don’t need to worry about the affairs in the mansion; I can handle them."

The matter regarding Prince Duan didn’t warrant further explanation from Xie Xun to Fengyu. No matter who pleaded, Prince Duan would have to remain imprisoned. Ayu wouldn’t plead for him either, but Xie Xun couldn’t let his beloved girl suffer grievances. "If Feng Wan is willing to divorce, she can take the child and leave Qiushan to return to the Feng Family."

"Alright." Fengyu knew this, and she had no intention of advising Feng Wan.

If she advised her elder sister to divorce for the child’s sake, and something unfortunate happened to Prince Duan in Qiushan later, Feng Wan might harbor resentment, saying she shouldn’t have abandoned him back then and ought to have shared in his trials and tribulations. Fengyu, now cold-hearted and indifferent, didn’t want to seek trouble. If her elder sister decided to divorce, she would naturally come to her. Fengyu wouldn’t take the initiative to persuade her.

Xie Xun held her hand and accompanied her as they strolled through the under-repair Changshou Palace. Fengyu urged him to go handle government affairs and not waste time accompanying her. Today, the documents regarding the change of dynasty had already spread across the realm—nearby Shun City, Lian City, and Gaoping should have received the news. In a few more days, Jiangnan should receive it too.

The transition of power wasn’t something everyone could easily accept. Xie Xun and the Cabinet needed to be ready to deal with unforeseen incidents at any moment. Though busy, Xie Xun also wanted to find something for Fengyu to do lest her mind become clouded. "There are still some Dowagers in the rear palace who haven’t been properly settled. If Ayu has nothing to do, how about helping me ease these concerns?"

"Can I handle it as I please?"

"Yes, I leave the rear palace affairs to you."

"Alright!"

Currently, Su Yuejiao was managing the business affairs, leaving Fengyu with heavy thoughts that made idleness prone to troubling her mind. It was just as well to find something to do. Yuwen Jing’s harem wasn’t large, so it would be relatively easy to manage.

The Noble Consort of the Li Family, along with a few concubines who had given birth to princes and princesses, were all confined to Qiushan with their children. They were not allowed to leave for the rest of their lives. For a few concubines who hadn’t borne children, Xie Xun decided to let them return home or find other paths. Some concubines wanted to seek positions in the palace, and others pleaded for Xie Xun not to banish them from the palace.

For the women who had served a fallen ruler, even returning home often resulted in their families executing them with a white silk ribbon due to disgrace. Furthermore, families avoided offending the new Emperor, so they hesitated to accept these women. Remarriage was extremely difficult, nearly impossible. Xie Xun intended to let them fend for themselves upon leaving the palace, but they were pampered and lacked survival skills.

Yuwen Jing’s concubines were already in such circumstances, and the situation of Emperor Jianming’s Dowagers was even worse.

After Yuwen Jing ascended the throne, all the Dowagers were relocated to the West Palace, crowded together in a hall. Palace attendants from the Twelve Directorates catered to them based on rank and status. Their maiden families were even more unwilling to accept them, and finding them husbands was nearly impossible. Xie Xun was also troubled about how to settle this group of women.

After reviewing the list, Fengyu was mildly astonished—Emperor Jianming had as many as sixteen Dowagers remaining in the palace, the oldest being thirty-six years old, and the youngest only twenty-one. To waste such youthful years in the palace was truly unfortunate.

Xie Xun didn’t want them staying in the palace, as they were eyesores. Additionally, the Dowagers and Yuwen Jing’s concubines were difficult to distinguish as friends or foes. Employing them in the palace was quite risky; it was best to banish them all.

Entirely removing them from the palace meant finding them a livelihood.

In these hard times, survival was difficult for all women, and Fengyu didn’t want to make things harder for them. Her arrangements for Yuwen Jing’s concubines were straightforward—almost all were expelled from the palace. Those who sought positions in the palace were mostly refused by Fengyu. She didn’t keep any women related to Yuwen Jing within the palace.

As for the Dowagers, each case needed individual attention. Those who had children could leave the palace to live with their offspring. If their children were confined in Qiushan, they would be imprisoned there together; Princess Huaying’s mother was willing to be confined alongside Huaying.

However, since Huaying had married into the Lin Family, the Princess Mansion and her fief were confiscated. Though she had remaining funds, she wasn’t imprisoned in Qiushan and was instead confined to her newly established residence, where she raised her son. Her mother was willing to accompany her in confinement, though Xie Xun didn’t intend to imprison them for life. Once the court stabilized and the former dynasty posed no threat to the new regime, Xie Xun planned to release them, including Prince Duan and Yuwen Jing’s sons in Qiushan.

For now, however, the atmosphere was tense, and everyone believed Xie Xun intended to keep them under lifelong confinement.

As for the Dowagers who hadn’t borne children and refused to return home or leave the palace, Fengyu decided to send them to a summer retreat.