Forced Into the Palace: Becoming the Emperor's Favorite-Chapter 313: Mother and Daughter Reunion
Lin Wanyi had mentioned to the Emperor the idea of sending the Second Prince to the Empress Dowager to learn more.
With the Empress Dowager bringing it up, it saved the Emperor from having to speak.
He was, of course, glad.
"What Mother said is true, but a prince should be a little playful. How about letting him and the Third Prince come to Mother here after their studies to learn about the rules, but they return to their places to live. What do you think?"
"Hmm, the Emperor has thought it through thoroughly, let it be done that way."
They are all the Emperor’s sons, and it’s not good to favor one above the others.
If the Second Prince came and the Third Prince did not,
Princess Consort Yi would surely find a problem with it.
Rather than letting a trivial matter disturb the peace of the harem, it’s better to keep things fair.
By sending them all, there would be nothing to say.
In this regard, the Emperor’s consideration was indeed thorough.
After the mother and son talked for a while, they didn’t linger.
However, as the Emperor was leaving, he spoke to Concubine Qian. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
"In the next few days, put in a little more effort to prepare all the things of the Fourth Prince. In a few days, I will come with Princess Consort Yi Ning to fetch him."
Concubine Qian had her grievances but could only comply despite her reluctance.
After all, the Fourth Prince was not her son; even if she disagreed, what could she do?
After the Emperor left, Concubine Qian hardened her heart.
She knelt before the Empress Dowager.
Slightly choking with tears, she said.
"Empress Dowager, I have a request. These months I have been getting along quite well with the Fourth Prince. I know I am humble and unworthy of the responsibility of raising the Fourth Prince, but in the past, when Princess Consort Yi Ning raised the Second Prince and the Second Princess, she was also a noble, so I think the status doesn’t matter as much as being good to the child."
"The Fourth Prince and I have been together for several months, and we’ve developed some affection. Could I care for the Fourth Prince? I promise to treat him like my own, not letting a single mishap occur."
After saying this, she knocked her head on the floor several times.
Her sincerity was moving to watch.
Unfortunately, she was facing the Empress Dowager, who appeared kind and gentle but was cold and sharp at heart.
Thus, lamentation and soliciting sympathy had no effect on her.
With a calm tone, she said.
"If you truly care for the Fourth Prince, you should know that for him, the support of siblings is most important. Being deaf in one ear is considered a disability, and the throne will be irrelevant to him in the future. If he can’t even maintain ties with his siblings, how will he live independently when he grows up?"
"Your attentiveness to the Fourth Prince is a good thing, but if it’s for your own desires and disregards the Fourth Prince’s future, then you are in the wrong. Understand?"
The words of the Empress Dowager weren’t harsh, but to Concubine Qian, they felt as heavy as a thousand-pound stone.
They pressed down on her, leaving her breathless.
Concubine Qian looked up, tears streaming from her eyes.
The sadness wasn’t just from her unreciprocated efforts but from the sense of a future being strangled.
So her feelings towards the Empress Dowager changed slightly.
She used to respect and fear her, but now there was a bit of resentment.
"Yes, I understand."
Her demeanor satisfied the Empress Dowager.
She didn’t completely cast her aside but rather instructed her.
"When the Fourth Prince goes to Yihua Palace, you will have more time. If you are free, you can often come to Cining Palace and chat to keep me company."
She cut off her path of caring for the Fourth Prince, but she gave her some special treatment.
The Empress Dowager liked tranquility, and not everyone could come and go freely in Cining Palace.
Having this opportunity meant an extra layer of protection for her in the harem.
Concubine Qian obviously didn’t expect this, so she nodded gratefully, saying.
"Thank you, Empress Dowager."
The Empress Dowager said nothing more, just turned the rattle in her hand towards the Fourth Prince again.
The disturbances at Cining Palace settled, but cries came from Linzi Palace.
Lin Guifei and Princess Ming Ruo had not seen each other for over a year.
The mother and daughter’s reunion naturally led to tears.
Seeing her daughter had grown quite a bit since before, Lin Guifei felt both sorrow and joy in her heart.
"Did you suffer while Mother was not in the palace?"
Ming Ruo shook her head, then nodded.
Her eyes were red, and her nose twitched as she cried.
"Mother, I miss you. In this vast palace, I never feel at ease."
Hearing Ming Ruo’s words, Lin Guifei felt a deep sadness.
A single wrong step leads to another.
If she had known leaving for Taishan would mean not returning for over a year, she wouldn’t have followed the Emperor for such an ordeal.
They said it was to investigate old cases of Empress Xu.
But in truth, it was just to distance her.
When she returned, indeed, the palace world had changed repeatedly.
The ones she found obstructive were gone, but the overlooked ones slowly emerged.
This made Lin Guifei feel quite uneasy.
Especially with Lin Wanyi.
The speed at which she rose was astonishing.
Even though Lin Wanyi had now given birth to the much-anticipated royal prince, what of it?
With her current rank, it was almost impossible to take the child away.
Either she would advance further, or Lin Wanyi would fall from grace.
Neither possibility seemed easy.
So for now, Lin Guifei could only wait and see for a new opportunity.
"The Empress Dowager didn’t make things difficult for you, did she?"
"No, Grand Empress Dowager treated me well, though Nanny Jiao Yi was strict occasionally, but Father praised me several times when he visited."
Lin Guifei felt somewhat comforted hearing this.
She had just returned and thought it unwise to demand her daughter’s return immediately.
Even if she asked, the Emperor likely wouldn’t agree.
After thinking it over, she decided to wait and see.
So she instructed.
"If that’s the case, stay close to the Empress Dowager. Mother will find an opportunity to discuss with your father about bringing you back."
Ming Ruo, after months of education, had corrected her thoughts somewhat.
Regardless of other things, she realized her old ways were indeed arrogant, so she changed quite a bit.
But hearing Lin Guifei’s words, she still nodded with anticipation.
Though the Empress Dowager was good, Lin Guifei was her birth mother.
A child wishing to return to her mother is the most natural of things.
Not only Lin Guifei and Princess Ming Ruo thought this way.
Princess Consort Ying, far in the traveling palace, often thought of the Fourth Prince she hadn’t seen in a long time when she was lucid.
Now she seemed as if her heart was shut tight.
Even when not ill, she lacked spirit.
Daily she wept over the Fourth Prince’s old clothes and toys.
Several times, Rong Le felt pained too.
But as a maid, what could she do to interfere with the Emperor’s decision?
