Chapter 369: Chapter 364: Imperial Concubine
By the second day, for some reason, rumors had spread that the Imperial Concubine was meddling in state affairs, even saying that her suggestions on how to deal with the remnants of the Eldest Prince in the Southern Province and to ask merchants to donate money for disaster relief came from her. The previous dynasty was shaken, and the Imperial Censors one after another submitted memorials to criticize Ye Qiu.
Ji Fei’s attitude was also very ambiguous, not denying these rumors, nor punishing Ye Qiu, as if he intended to let the situation ferment.
"Grandfather, are you really not worried at all?" Ye Mu felt extremely anxious inside.
But Ye Xing was serenely sipping a cup of tea made with the Spiritual Spring Water that Ye Mu had brought back from Ye Qiu, "Who do you think spread these rumors?"
"Isn’t it His Majesty?" As he saw his grandfather gaze at him with an expression that seemed to say ’you’re an idiot’, Ye Mu said doubtfully, "Isn’t it him? Then who is it?"
"Your sister."
Ye Mu paced back and forth anxiously, "Then why would sister do such a thing? Meddling in state affairs is a huge taboo; now that His Majesty and Empress Dowager Wang have caught her handle, they certainly won’t let it go easily."
"Have you forgotten your sister’s ambition?"
"I haven’t forgotten, but what does she gain from doing this?"
"Of course there’s a benefit," Ye Xing’s eyes flashed with a sharp light, "Your sister wants to get involved in state affairs and needs a legitimate reason. Since His Majesty cannot come up with good ideas, let her come up with them. The courtiers will get used to it one day, even if they are not accustomed to it at first."
"But what if His Majesty uses this incident to deal with my sister?"
"He won’t," Ye Xing said confidently, "Firstly, His Majesty does not dare to offend our Ye Family at the moment, and secondly, His Majesty does not want others to know he’s incapable. So just wait, your sister will not be punished."
"You should read more history books, think more, don’t always follow your father, uncles, and brothers who only know how to fight." Ye Xing sighed, "Among you brothers, you are still the brightest. I really don’t know what the Ye Family would do without your sister in the future? A nest of fools."
Ye Mu, scolded by his own grandfather, didn’t dare to make a sound, and even felt somewhat proud inside; at least he was smarter than his brothers.
Seeing Ye Mu made Ye Xing annoyed again; he kicked him, "Go away so you won’t irritate me further, and tell your sister that my health has improved a lot. She doesn’t need to bring this kind of spring water so frequently. Tell her to be careful in her endeavors."
"Yes, Grandfather."
After finishing his tea, Ye Xing felt his body and spirit had improved a lot. In the past winters, he would always feel languid, sometimes needing to stay in bed. This year, he did not even see the Imperial Physician once and could even go to the training field to throw a few punches.
Ye Xing remembered a wandering Taoist who came to their family’s doorstep back when he was on the border, proclaiming that the Ye Family’s future glory was beyond words.
He once thought that his becoming a Lord, with one son becoming a Grand Marshal and another a Pingyang Marquis, was that glory. Now, it seemed he was mistaken. The glory meant by the Taoist was referring to his granddaughter Ye Qiu.
Ye Xing, who had fought his way out of the battlefield, did not subscribe to the idea of favoring men over women. In the borderlands, women could also take up arms against marauding Liao People. Not to mention that the Ancient Loulan had always been ruled by a queen!
That position was for the one who is capable. Since his granddaughter had the ability and the determination, he should support her with all his might. Moreover, his granddaughter had already encountered a fortuitous opportunity, hadn’t she?
Ye Xing looked at the Spiritual Spring Water and smiled; he felt it was a sign from the heavens for the Ye Family.
To ensure a prosperous New Year, everyone in the court had been excessively busy, and indeed, after a few days, seeing that no one paid attention to the Imperial Concubine’s political interference, the Imperial Censors also gave up the idea of submitting a memorial.
"She really got off easy," Empress Dowager Wang said resentfully.
"Aunt, there will come a day when we will catch her in the act again," Wang Yajing said as she massaged the Empress Dowager Wang.
Empress Dowager Wang closed her eyes in comfort: "Right, has Lady been troubling you recently?"
Wang Yajing smiled slightly, pretending to be grateful: "I should thank Aunt for standing up for me! However, she is after all the Second Prince’s birth mother, keeping her in confinement all the time might not be appropriate? It could become a laughingstock for outsiders."
Empress Dowager Wang frowned: "Who asked her to be so blind to her situation? Once Jing’er bears a son, she will no longer be of any use anyway, but did your mother find out who was sending letters to her and her concubine aunt?"
"Not yet," Wang Yajing shook her head, her expression somewhat suspicious, "Aunt, do you think it could be the Imperial Concubine?"
"Doesn’t seem like it," Empress Dowager Wang speculated, "I rather think it’s..." Her voice trailed off.
Wang Yajing pricked up her ears but heard nothing: "Aunt, who do you suspect?"
"I’m not sure, but if it really is him, then our plans won’t be so easy to carry out," Empress Dowager Wang sighed heavily, suddenly feeling the future was incredibly bleak. "Jing’er, you must quickly conceive the Heir!"
At the end of the year, the capital was covered in a heavy snow, lightening the disaster and making the New Year exceptionally lively.
On New Year’s Eve, Ji Fei was drinking and having fun with the Ministers in the front hall, while Ye Qiu and Empress Dowager Wang were entertaining the Imperial Mandate women in the harem. It’s worth mentioning that Princess Yuhua, the only daughter of Empress Dowager Wang, returned to the capital this year and even caused a stir by demanding a divorce from the Prince Consort.
Although Princess Yuhua was the late Emperor’s only legitimate daughter, she was not favored because Empress Dowager Wang was not cherished, nor was she doted on by the late Emperor. The Prince Consort was a son of the aristocratic Wang family from Shandong, known locally for having a good reputation, though he held no real power.
Initially, Empress Dowager Wang did not agree to this marriage, but she had no choice but to accept it when the late Emperor granted it; however, since the Prince Consort himself was quite handsome and talented and had qualified as a scholar at a young age, Princess Yuhua herself was willing, and so Empress Dowager Wang was reassured. Who could have known that, after a good three years of marriage, Princess Yuhua would suddenly demand a divorce?
In the end, it all came down to the issue of offspring. How could Princess Yuhua have not yet given birth to an heir for the Wang family after marrying? With the Prince Consort being the Wang Family head’s only son, and the Princess not allowing him to have concubines, wouldn’t the Wang family be anxious?
It was also two months ago that the Prince Consort, in a drunken stupor, slept with a maid, and who knew that from just that one encounter the maid would become pregnant? Naturally, the Wang family hoped the child would be born since the Princess had not conceived in three years.
But Princess Yuhua was the late Emperor’s only legitimate daughter, and now that her own mother had become the Empress Dowager, could she agree to it?
The Princess wanted to have the maid killed, while the Wang family wanted to protect the maid and the child in her womb, and thus the issue escalated. Princess Yuhua came to the capital in tears, begging the Emperor and the Empress Mother to decide on a divorce for her.
There was no rule against the Prince Consort having a concubine, but since the Princess was of Imperial blood, most Prince Consorts would also give face to the Imperial Family. However, in cases like Princess Yuhua, who couldn’t bear children, usually the Prince Consort’s family wouldn’t say anything, and the Princess herself would take the initiative to select a concubine for the Prince Consort.
But Princess Yuhua was stubborn. She was a Princess, the only daughter of the reigning Empress Dowager, and she did not want to raise another woman’s child. So what if the Prince Consort had no sons? Couldn’t they just adopt?