Chapter 8: The Prince's Biological Mother? The Empress Ji

The Empress Dowager said with surprise, "Ruying, why do you keep kneeling before me at every turn? Get up and speak."

Madam Qiao, whose given name was Ruying, was a descendant of the prestigious Qiao family. The Qiao family held a distinguished position in the literary world, and nearly half of the civil officials in the imperial court had once been protégés of the Qiao family.

The Empress Dowager cared deeply about her reputation, and as such, had always held this sister-in-law in high regard.

Madam Qiao, however, kept her neck stiff and refused to rise, her heart aching as her gaze fell upon the daughter kneeling beside her.

It was as if the Empress Dowager had only just noticed that Ji Qingwu was still kneeling, and she waved her hand.

"Qingwu, you should get up as well."

The floor tiles were icy, and Ji Qingwu’s hands and feet had grown cold from kneeling.

Her heart felt cold, too.

Grandmother, aunt, cousin—what did they matter? In this world, only one's mother was truly good.

Ji Qingwu’s calves were numb. As she sat on a cushioned chair, she mentally narrowed her inner circle of loved ones, leaving only Jiu-jiu, Madam Qiao, and her eldest brother.

The Empress Dowager asked, "Ruying, tell me, what is this important matter you wish to request?"

Madam Qiao’s expression was solemn as she carefully began, "Your Majesty, since Qingwu lost her husband, she is still in the period of mourning. She should not be entering the palace, lest she offend Your Majesty or the noble ladies of the court. Your subject requests that, from now on, Qingwu be allowed to remain at home and not venture out until the mourning period has passed."

Upon hearing Madam Qiao’s words, Ji Qingwu merely raised an eyebrow slightly; she had no objections to what her mother had requested.

Prince Yong’s mouth moved, as if he were about to say something.

But the Empress Dowager, clutching her forehead, beat him to it. She said with a headache, "If that is the case, then let it be as Ruying requests. You may all withdraw; I have some private matters to discuss with the Old Madam."

With the Empress Dowager issuing an order to leave, everyone had no choice but to exit the main hall of the Cining Palace.

Prince Yong was called back by Aunt Fanghua, who stood by the Empress Dowager’s side, while the mother and daughter of the Ji family’s second branch headed to the side hall first.

Like a little tail, Ji Qingwu followed closely behind Madam Qiao, never leaving her side.

When they reached the doorway, in a place where no one else was around, Madam Qiao looked deeply at her daughter.

"Xiao Wu, do you resent Mother for grounding you?"

Ji Qingwu shook her head immediately. "How is this grounding? It is clearly giving me more peace and quiet."

Hearing her reply, Madam Qiao said with relief, "Xiao Wu, both the Empress Dowager and Prince Yong have set their sights on you. But those palace gates and courtyards, filled with imperial nobility, are actually a den of tigers and wolves. You have only just returned home; Mother cannot bear to see you suffer those hardships."

The prize that the second branch was fighting tooth and nail to obtain was, in Madam Qiao’s eyes, nothing more than a den of tigers and wolves.

Ji Qingwu nodded and reached out to hold Madam Qiao’s wrist.

Her tone was sweet and spoiled. "I cannot bear to be away from Mother, either."

Madam Qiao had another son and daughter, but whenever she heard Xiao Wu call her "Mother," her heart felt sweet, as if it had been soaked in a honey jar.

Stroking her daughter’s dark, glossy hair, Madam Qiao’s eyes were filled with doting affection.

"My sweet girl, once we have weathered this storm at home, you can do whatever you wish."

Ji Qingwu smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.

She was Mother’s sweet girl.

However, thinking of what had happened in the hall earlier, she asked, "Mother requested in public that I be allowed to stay at home—will the Empress Dowager be displeased?"

Madam Qiao looked up at the sky and said meaningfully, "Whether the Empress Dowager is pleased or not is of no consequence. You only need to remember who owns this imperial palace and who owns this world. How could the schemes of the Ji clan be hidden from *His* eyes?"

Ji Qingwu knew that Madam Qiao was decisive, but she had not expected her to be so insightful.

How should she put it? She had a very grand perspective.

Ji Qingwu recited silently in her heart: Within the imperial palace, the Emperor’s mood is the most important thing of all.

—————

Cining Palace.

The Empress Dowager walked over to the side of the Old Madam Ji, losing the composure she had held moments before.

Her tone was somewhat urgent. "Mother, tell me, how should we proceed this time?"

"Qingyuan is beautiful, but she is not clever. Just today, by blurting out in front of you that the fifth girl has a child, she showed that she doesn't care about the Ji family at all, only her own private interests."

The Old Madam’s eyes were clear as she continued, "If one day Qingyuan enters the palace as a consort, I fear she will cause many problems for the Ji family and, in the end, implicate Your Majesty."

The Empress Dowager said anxiously, "Mother, I find it increasingly difficult to guess what the Emperor is thinking. Since he ascended the throne, women from the families of meritorious officials and nobles have been selected to enter the palace, yet only the Ji family has no one in the inner palace."

Old Madam Ji said with worry, "I understand everything you say. Over these years, you and I have spent so much effort training Qingyuan, but her ambitions are high while her vision is low."

Thinking of all the years of maneuvering, the Empress Dowager sighed, "When I heard the news that Qingwu had returned home, I wanted to plan as early as possible. If she were capable, I would arrange for her to enter the palace. With the Ji family and me as her backing, we could ensure the glory of the entire Ji clan."

That was why, when the Empress Dowager first saw Ji Qingwu, she had been delighted. Such a dignified, well-mannered, and delicate woman—the Emperor should have been pleased with her.

But who would have thought she was a widow with a young child?

And she had carried the child into the Ji residence in front of the entire city; the Empress Dowager couldn't even help her cover it up.

How could she possibly send her to the Emperor now?

The Empress Dowager had been angry earlier because she felt the girl had failed to live up to expectations. A young lady like a delicate flower had been defiled by some rough mountain man, and had even borne a child.

Old Madam Ji said calmly, "Your Majesty, things have reached this point; we can only think of other ways."

The Empress Dowager steadied herself and asked, "Does Mother have a brilliant plan?"

"Besides stuffing people into the Emperor’s bedchamber, there is another path."

"What path?"

Old Madam Ji gazed at the pomegranate vase decorating the palace.

"The Emperor has only one prince, and no one knows who the birth mother is. Furthermore, for these past three years, no consort in the inner palace has had news of a pregnancy. Perhaps, with the swords and arrows on the battlefield, the Emperor has already damaged his foundation. If Your Majesty can find an opportunity to personally raise the little prince to adulthood, why worry about your position being unstable?"

The Empress Dowager frowned and pondered for a long time.

"That makes sense."

Raising the imperial grandson—when the grandson ascended the throne in the future, she would be the Empress Dowager.

And if they married him to a Ji empress...

Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager finally exhaled the stifled air in her chest.

"Shixi."

The palace servant standing at the door lowered her head and pushed the door open, responding respectfully, "Your Majesty, this servant is here."

"Go personally and ask where the little prince is now. It has been quite some time since I last saw the child. Tell Consort Wei to bring him to the Cining Palace."

The Emperor had only this one prince, who was four years old this year.

Strangely, no one in the entire palace knew who the prince’s birth mother was, not even the Empress Dowager.

The little prince’s face looked remarkably similar to the Emperor’s; his features and eyes were carved from the same mold.

Therefore, no one had ever doubted the prince’s lineage.

Currently, the little prince, Yuan Heng, was being raised in Consort Wei’s Guanju Palace.

Consort Wei was the younger sister of Wei Ting, a subordinate who had followed the Emperor on his personal campaigns. Since entering the palace, she had been promoted three times, rising all the way from a Noble Lady to the rank of Consort, and she was currently the most prominent figure in the inner palace.

Both inside and outside the palace, rumors spread that Consort Wei was the most likely candidate to ascend to the position of Empress.

However, the Empress Dowager had never been close to this imperial grandson.

After all, the Emperor was not her own son, so this could not be considered her own grandson. She only saw him during festivals and holidays, and the Empress Dowager had never paid him any special attention.

Shixi felt puzzled as she headed toward Guanju Palace.

At the entrance, she did not see the mother and daughter of the Ji family.

Ji Qingwu and Madam Qiao had gone to stroll in a nearby small garden.

The imperial garden was different from those of ordinary families; everything planted there was a rare variety, and even the weeds did not grow at random.

Ji Qingwu’s eyes lit up, and she squatted down, saying happily, "Mother, look at the leaves of this little grass."

It was a medicinal herb that could calm the spirit and soothe the nerves.

Though she did not understand what was so good about this grass with its slender leaves, Madam Qiao looked at her daughter’s charming, upturned face and smiled. "If you like it, I will find a gardener to plant more in our courtyard at home."

Madam Qiao did not care what kind of grass it was; she only cared whether her daughter liked it.

Such partiality warmed Ji Qingwu’s heart, and she said with a sweet smile, "Thank you, Mother."

Across a few rows of lush, green trees.

Suddenly, a cry for help rang out!