CHAPTER 1283: CHAPTER 1261: SEARCHING

The emperor’s harem has always been stable. Firstly, because the emperor respects the empress, no one in the harem can surpass her; secondly, the empress is virtuous and treats all the concubines in the harem well, even the dowager concubines left by the late emperor. So, there is not as much scheming as in the previous dynasty.

After the empress dealt with a group of palace attendants, the maids and eunuchs in the empress dowager’s palace became much more honest, even their footsteps were lighter than usual.

A palace maid carefully brought in a bowl of medicine, tested the temperature, and respectfully handed it to Commandery Princess Yunfeng, who then passed it to the empress dowager.

The empress dowager drank half a bowl with her hand and then shook her head. The Princess Consort of Yizhou immediately offered water for her to rinse her mouth.

The empress dowager suppressed the bitter taste on her tongue and waved her hand, saying, "Alright, you all may rest. Let the palace attendants handle these matters."

The Princess Consort of Yizhou softly said, "Let Yunfeng stay and chat with you, so you won’t feel bored. The imperial physician said you should relax and worry less."

The empress dowager smiled, "As long as you are all safe, I have nothing to worry about. I’m feeling a bit bored here, don’t keep Yunfeng cooped up, let her go to the garden and have some fun."

"I won’t go," Commandery Princess Yunfeng turned slightly to the side.

The empress dowager smiled and asked, "Who upset you? Come, tell your royal grandmother."

The Princess Consort of Yizhou’s face changed, and she wanted to stop Commandery Princess Yunfeng, but Yunfeng was faster and said, "Royal Grandmother, the regular attendants who serve me have been reassigned by the empress. I don’t even know the ones now appointed to me, I don’t want to go to the garden with them."

"Yunfeng!" warned the Princess Consort of Yizhou, and then said to the empress dowager, "Mother, it’s my fault for spoiling Yunfeng. The palace attendants around her were not honest and would always incite her, so the empress had to reassign them."

"They did not incite me," Commandery Princess Yunfeng retorted to her mother, and then explained to the silent empress dowager, "Royal Grandmother, you don’t know, the Zhou Man who harmed my father is now openly entering the palace, and they all kept this from you. The empress, she..."

"Enough," the empress dowager suddenly interrupted her, smiling faintly, "It’s just a few palace attendants, it’s not a big deal. If you don’t find them suitable, let me assign a few from my side to serve you, as you’re familiar with them, you may find them more fitting."

Commandery Princess Yunfeng was about to speak on a different matter, but seeing the empress dowager was unwilling to pursue it further, she became anxious, "But Zhou Man... Ah—"

The Princess Consort of Yizhou secretly pinched her, and Commandery Princess Yunfeng finally stopped speaking. The empress dowager raised an eyebrow and asked, "What’s wrong?"

Commandery Princess Yunfeng’s expression changed several times, at last, she said, "Nothing."

The empress dowager smiled and nodded, "It’s good if nothing’s wrong. You can leave now. Xin Qing should be finishing his lessons by now; he’s young, you should keep a close eye on him so he doesn’t become mischievous outside."

The Princess Consort of Yizhou responded in agreement and pulled Commandery Princess Yunfeng away to take their leave.

Once the mother and daughter left, the empress dowager sighed, leaned back against the pillow, and began to ponder.

A senior maid quietly stepped forward to adjust the pillow, making it more comfortable for her.

The empress dowager asked, "Is there still unrest in the palace?"

"The empress has enforced order, they have become much more honest."

"Were they executed?"

"No, most were sent to the royal farms to work."

The empress dowager snorted coldly, "The empress is too soft-hearted. Those ingrates, two-faced schemers should be executed entirely."

The empress dowager angrily said, "Wulang has also been misled by them. The emperor should sweep away all of these families, let’s see how they leap about then!"

The senior maid lowered her head, and as the empress dowager became angry, she couldn’t help but cough. She quickly offered her water to drink.

After suppressing the tickle in her throat, the empress dowager asked, "How is the search for a suitable family going?"

The senior maid promptly replied, "Still looking, the families we’ve found recently are not quite satisfactory. Though well-off, they are ultimately a tier lower, it’s unfit to let Commandery Princess Yunfeng marry beneath her."

The empress dowager frowned and asked, "Let me see, what kinds of families are they?"

The senior maid quickly fetched a booklet and presented it.

After flipping through it, the empress dowager’s frown deepened, "None of them are suitable. Forget those from the capital and Yongzhou. Check for smaller noble families near Jiaodong or some minor gentry. In the future, Xin Qing will establish his domain in Dizhou, being close will allow the siblings to support each other."

The senior maid complied anxiously, "I’m just afraid Commandery Princess Yunfeng will not agree. Previously, the prince and Commandery Princess Yunfeng favored the Wang family from Langya, and there was some interest from the Wang family as well..."

The empress dowager said, "Things are different now. Would the Wang family still be willing?"

The senior maid remained silent.

The empress dowager said, "Let it be then. If the family rank is lower, Yunfeng will be more confident. She still has quite a temper, so find a family further from the capital."

The senior maid complied.

After a moment of silence, the empress dowager asked, "How is the crown prince’s health?"

"Yesterday, when I went to deliver things to the Crown Princess, I saw that he indeed looks much better. It’s said that he no longer drinks wine with supper and can eat three bowls of rice, and he seldom loses his temper in the training grounds."

The empress dowager was silent for a long time, then she sighed after closing her eyes, "Never mind, let them be."

The senior maid understood that the empress dowager no longer intended to pursue the matter of the accusations made by Zhou Man and Bai Shan.

Prince of Yizhou is already in the ground, almost a month has passed, tears have been shed, and pain has been felt. The living are more important than the dead.

The senior maid quietly withdrew, once more setting about finding a suitable husband for Commandery Princess Yunfeng.

The Princess Consort of Yizhou dragged Commandery Princess Yunfeng back to their quarters. Once inside, she had her trusted maid close the door and turned to slap Commandery Princess Yunfeng across the face.

Commandery Princess Yunfeng was stunned, holding her face in disbelief, "Mother, you hit me?"

The Princess Consort of Yizhou asked angrily, "Who allowed you to bring up Zhou Man in front of the empress dowager?"

"Why can’t I mention it? It’s because of her that Father is gone!"

The Princess Consort of Yizhou, furious, slapped her again and hissed, "Shut up!"

She said, "How can you not realize, she’s now treating the crown prince’s illness. Why provoke her?"

"She was also treating the empress’s illness before, yet we weren’t afraid," Commandery Princess Yunfeng said, "We should have driven her out the moment she sneaked into the palace to treat the empress. It’s because we did nothing that they’ve become so audacious, boldly entering the palace now... And you hit me instead of addressing her, aren’t you my mother?"

The Princess Consort of Yizhou felt dizzy and steadied herself against the table, sitting down in a chair. Clutching her aching head, she said, "Why don’t you understand, the times have changed. Director Xiao might have been able to treat the empress’s illness, but for the crown prince’s, only Zhou Man can treat it now. And the crown prince is the foundation of the state, more important than the empress, don’t you understand!"