The 65th will hold the jade bow like a full moon (two)

  "When you have time, go visit San Soo in Nansan more often." The couple returned from Yangxin Hall and took a refreshing hot bath, lying on the bed with tired eyes.

  "Huang E Niang's place..." Yun Zhu hesitated a little.

  "It's enough to show respect, but Empress Dowager still owes you a visit when you're ill? And with Huizheng and Ruoan around, I'll also make more trips to pay my respects." Hongli reached out and gently brushed the blue silk on her cheek behind her ear, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He was well aware of Empress's recent coolness towards Yunzhu, which was just jealousy that Yunzhu had won over Emperor Father's favor, feeling threatened by her position.

  She was a virtuous empress who had never made any mistakes, not thinking of grasping power in her hands. Did she need to guard against the crown prince's consort? She was only guarding against her mother-in-law and her own great influence in the palace.

  He sneered in his heart, what maternal love and filial piety, she could make the people in the palace look at her with a distant attitude towards Eighth Brother, making the servants who took care of him not dare to use their hearts, didn't she also watch coldly without lending a hand? Born in the imperial family, struggle is their instinct, it's their fate, life and death, victory and defeat can't be blamed on anyone. But Yunzhu was different, she just married herself, just got liked by the Emperor, and let them one by one look down on her...

  There was also his mother. His eyes dimmed.

  Third Brother, Fifth Brother, Eighth Brother... These days, the noble-born princes are nothing but pawns and tools for them to fight for power and interests. Useless pawns only have a fate of being abandoned. He doesn't want Yunzhu to become that kind of person either, nor does he want their future generations to live such lives.

  Since last year, Galdan Tseren of the Junggar tribe has not only hidden the leader of the Qinghai rebels, Lobzang Danjin, but also repeatedly raided the Khalkha Mongols... The troubles on the western border have not been completely eliminated, and the emperor has already decided to go to war again. Not to mention that he himself followed Zhang Tingyu to assist in handling military documents and data work, after the New Year's festival, grain and supplies must also be tightly grasped... It is certain that she cannot spare her body or energy to take care of this rear base, can she hold on?

  Wanted to protect her, but found himself with a surplus of heart and insufficient strength. The harem had never been a place where these princes could exert their efforts, nor was it a place for them to show off their abilities. These intrigues and struggles still had to be faced by herself.

  The emperor must have thought so too, that's why he doted on Eighth Brother but didn't send anyone to protect him. They all grew up like this, slowly and laboriously.

  Hongli was savoring this epiphany, with a kind of inexplicable frustration and suffocating sense of having to accept this situation.

  Overindulgence towards the beloved, over-reliance on those who please him, disregard for those he dislikes, and discontent with those he resents... He realized for the first time that he was even less tolerant than his father, the emperor, who had once secretly ridiculed him for being too obvious.

  "Jingren Palace and Nan Sansuo are all right, tomorrow, the relocation of Yuqing Palace will be neglected."

  "Where is there a concubine who has to move and still take care of her mother-in-law herself? Let Steward Chang and Nurse Ye, Shang, and others keep an eye on it." He said lightly, "Don't exhaust yourself, just hand over the tasks to those below you... If there's anything that can't be solved, have Feng Yi find me or Empress Dowager..."

  He doesn't even trust his own mother? Yunzhu nestled into his arms, covering her lips with a smile, saying: "Don't worry, I may not have any other skills, but taking care of my body is still something I'm good at. How could I exhaust myself for someone else's sake... You too, don't be like the Emperor, getting up earlier than the chickens and working harder than a donkey, exhausting yourself for nothing."

  His warm chest lightly trembled, his chin rubbed against her hair, "Is this how you treat the Emperor's mother? You're not allowed to do this again in the future."

  "Ah, I had arranged it before, and was even caught by the Emperor himself." Yunzhu spat at his chest, looking very upset.

  "Oh?" Hongli was still unaware of this matter, and his interest was piqued, "What's going on?"

  Yunzhu told the whole story and finally said: "The emperor is really unfair, he only knows how to bully my brother-in-law."

  "I didn't know you were a hot-blooded person, did you know that the Emperor is listening outside?" Hongli lifted her chin and kissed her lips, feeling more and more unable to let go, his body gradually heating up. He had long known that Hongshi was not dead, but had become Hai Ning Chen Hongyi... These things, the Emperor did not hide from him, but he did not expect that the Emperor and Yunzhu had this relationship. No wonder, the Emperor would be so fond of her, she was truly thinking for the Emperor's sake.

  "We were just talking at home, how would we know that the Empress Dowager would come over?!" Yunzhu pushed his face away and said: "In this world, power and wealth are not as important as one's own life. If Third Brother's matter is not handled properly, it will not only hurt the Empress Dowager, but also make my sister and brother-in-law live in fear every day. Maybe the Empress Dowager has some deep intention behind this, but how would outsiders know?... In this world, there are more people who step on others to climb up."

  Actually, anyone with a discerning eye can see that you are the most suitable heir to the Emperor's throne. The Third Prince is just being misled by himself and the people around him. Do you think I'm being too bold in saying these words? But this is truly my opinion."

  Hongli was taken aback, then laughed again, "You just honestly and bluntly told me, in this palace, who among those who can climb to the position of a palace owner hasn't secretly collaborated with outsiders to listen for these things? Although it's said that the harem cannot interfere with politics, the Eight Banners noblewomen still need to 'understand the overall situation'. If they don't understand reason and aren't clear about current events, how can they understand the overall situation?"

  Twelfth Uncle is quite capable, and his temperament has been influenced by Su Mala's upbringing, not greedy for power or status. He must be the best candidate left by Emperor Ama to manage the clan's affairs, but was ruined by this little girl. Fortunately, over the past year, Emperor Ama and the clan members' attitudes towards each other have softened, and the court is stable, so it doesn't matter if this move is used or not.

  He was so transparent that Yunzhu was somewhat unexpected, but from historical data, it is not clear what kind of temperament Qianlong liked, only knowing that he favored few Mongolian concubines, and those who gave birth to his children in the early period were mostly low-born... nor whether it was intentional or unintentional.

  "Yes, wisdom and power are just tools. Whether to use them for the benefit of all people or to indulge in personal desires depends on one's heart." Now Emperor Qianlong seems quite wise and open-minded, hopefully he can keep it that way.

  Her astonished gaze made him very dissatisfied, was he the kind of person who looked down on women and deceived himself?! He flipped over, pinning her underneath, and began to punish her severely...

  The next day, Yunzhu began visiting Jingren Palace to pay respects and attend to her illness.

  Perhaps due to her poor physical and mental state, Wu Lanra saw that she didn't even want to put on a good face, lying in bed with her eyes closed despite being wide awake. Yunzhu got up without waiting for her to call out, and asked Chen Nian'er with concern: "She was fine yesterday, how could the Empress Dowager not even get out of bed after just one night? Has the imperial physician come to see her? What did they say?"

  Madam Chen was taken aback for a moment, then collected herself and replied: "Royal Physician Wang has been here. He said you've overworked yourself and need to rest quietly for a while."

  "Oh, can we have medicine then? Can we have breakfast now?"

  She asked in minute detail, and Chen Mama couldn't help but answer. This was the Empress's filial piety towards her master and mistress, wasn't it? However, the Empress lying on the bed listened with growing impatience, her brow slowly furrowing.

  "The imperial physician Wang has prepared the medicine, it's already been decocted, but the empress didn't take much of it..."

  "It's useful anyway." Yunzhu nodded, and didn't ask how much was used or if they should eat some more... The people lying on the bed and standing on the ground were crowded together, unable to get a word in edgewise.

  She handed the quilt to Wu Lan Na, who was pale but showed no signs of chill or fever. Perhaps she had simply fainted from exhaustion and needed rest. Yun Zhu thought vaguely that with palace maids and eunuchs around, all she needed to do was come every day to pay her respects, ask if everything was being taken care of properly, and feed her a few mouthfuls when the medicine arrived.

  At this time, Hai Tang brought over the medicine she had personally brewed and handed it to Yun Zhu. "Empress Dowager, drink your medicine." Seeing that the Empress Dowager did not open her eyes or mouth to take the medicine, Yun Zhu put down the spoon and looked worried, saying: "How can she be so seriously ill? Nanny, did Wang Taixi really say it was just exhaustion?! When did Wang Taixi come to see her, last night or this morning?"

  This is hinting that they served carelessly, causing the Empress's condition to worsen. Chen Qiang and the palace maids in the room quickly knelt down, "Replying to Fourth Furen, Wang Taiyi came to see her last night... Early this morning, the master's wife had half a bowl of bird's nest congee."

  Yunzhu also didn't overdo it, "Alright, the Empress Dowager might be too tired and fell asleep again. Take this medicine away and warm it up, and feed it to her when she wakes up, got it?" She put the medicine on a nearby table.

  "Yes." Chen's nanny and others stood up, also unknown what kind of taste. The master wanted to suppress the fourth Fu Jin, but did not expect that the surface looked gentle and elegant, the imperial son's Fu Jin's temperament was not something to be trifled with, these slaves who had been serving the empress and had been given courtesy by other palace people and concubines from beginning to end were suppressed by her.

  "Take good care of Empress Dowager, I will come again tomorrow."

  "Yes."

  Out of the house, Su Wen busily put a golden silk brocade white fox fur cloak on Yunzhu. These two days of thawing snow were exactly when the chill was seeping into people's bones. Fourth Brother had instructed earlier that morning to take good care and not let Master catch a chill.

  A group of people walked to the outside of Jingren Palace, and Yunzhu, who had exceptionally good hearing, heard the crisp sound of porcelain falling inside. A faint smile floated on her lips. She glanced at Wang Jinbao and others standing behind her with their heads bowed, and said leisurely, "Let's go."

  It's not because of knowing what happened last night or because of Xi Fei that the Empress Dowager is only polite on the surface, but it's because in these days the Empress Dowager has lost the dignified and gentle demeanor she had when they first met. She was originally sensitive to negative emotions due to her ability to observe facial expressions and colors, and with the rapid growth of her spiritual power, her sensitivity has become even more acute.

  She is not the weak and submissive daughter-in-law in Taiwanese melodramas, nor is she one of those women in post-apocalyptic worlds who are treated worse than objects, going through hardships without any progress or escape.

  The Empress Dowager of the Yongshou Palace sent an elderly lady-in-waiting to excuse her from paying respects during this period, knowing that the Empress was "ill" and that she, as a daughter-in-law, should "nurse her illness". She specially sent someone to exempt her from the ritual, showing her kindness and benevolence.

  The Empress is ill, and as the only daughter-in-law, she should indeed take care of her. Although Xi Fei has exempted herself from paying respects, the move to Qianxi's second residence and Yuqing Palace can also be entrusted to others... But isn't there still the Emperor's instruction to take care of the ailing Eighth Prince? No one can say that she is doing it wrong.

  If Yongzheng really valued Empress Jingren, he wouldn't have gone to Yongsu Palace last night after leaving Jinger Palace to humiliate the empress's face. He also wouldn't have called them to Yangxindian after Hongli returned to the palace and ordered her to take care of Fuhui who was ill.

  There is no child without a mother who fears that the person in charge will not take care of them... It's clear that it's saying the empress did not fulfill her duties as a stepmother. So, the empress's "illness" is absolutely not just due to overwork, perhaps it also has something to do with Fuhui's "illness".

  Yunzhu didn't let anyone investigate, as it involved the discord between the emperor and empress. She still wasn't sure if she could avoid being discovered by Yongzheng's eyes and ears. Moreover, even if she understood the twists and turns, it was just a piece of gossip.

  Arriving at the Nansan Temple, Yunzhu looked at Fuhui lying on the bed. His pale face and dull eyes... all showed that his originally weak body had suffered another great loss.

  She touched his forehead, and while pretending to pull the quilt over him, she discreetly felt his pulse. Yunzhu confirmed her suspicions - he had been poisoned, not with ordinary poison, but with a drug that damaged bodily functions. Otherwise, Fuhui's body, even if it was weak, wouldn't have deteriorated so quickly in just a few days.

  These ancient people are really formidable, this kind of medicine that unknowingly damages the body's five organs is hard to find even in modern times.

  Fu Hui opened her eyes and stared for a while before she could see clearly that it was her. She opened her mouth and shouted: "Fourth Sister-in-law."

  "Hmm, what would you like to eat?"

  "Don't take medicine," he said in a weak voice, but his eyes lit up, "I like Fourth Aunt's congee."

  "This child! Yunzhu sighed and said softly: "Fourth Aunt will make it for you, you must eat more later, do you know?"

  "Mm." His eyes sparkled with delight.

  After saying a few words, Yunzhu saw that he was somewhat unwell and let him rest first. She went to the small kitchen, cooked a pot of porridge with a fragrant yulan fruit, and gave Hongli a share. The remaining porridge had another yulan fruit with nourishing effects added to it, and she served out another portion for Yongzheng. "This one is for the Emperor, this one is for Fourth Brother, remember?"

  "Yes." Su Wen responded with a single word and called out to Wang Jinbao outside the door to come in and take the food box, then headed towards Yangxin Hall together.

  These two years, she and Ling Huan gradually also sensed that the number of jade orchids and jade lan fruits taken out by their master did not match what they had planted and harvested. The effect was also much better, but they didn't say it out loud. They had decided to serve their master for life, whether it was good or bad, they would go through with it. The more abilities their master had, the safer they felt.

  The remaining porridge was fed by Yunzhu herself to Fuhui for more than half a bowl.

  ……