Chapter 6 Queen Mothers of Honor, Mercy, and Deity

Yun Qingman thought that Noble Consort Shu’s words were too harsh. She felt so sorry for Yun Fenghuang because Duke Yi made her join the Imperial Harem without her permission. At this moment, she was afraid that Yun Fenghuang would feel embarrassed, so she pulled Noble Consort Shu’s sleeve secretly, saying in a low voice, “Sister!”

“Do you think that Queen Mother Ji is as accessible as me?” Noble Consort Shu gave her a disdainful look, but her tone softened. Before she was about to say a few soft words, Yun Fenghuang said directly, “It’s true I fell into the water, but no one pushed me.”

“What?” Yun Qingman broadened her eyes and said, “Fenghuang, you dare...” Dared to frame a consort in public, the hostess of the palace she lived!

Although Yun Qingman knew Yun Fenghuang was quite bold, she couldn’t help taking a cold breath to hear this!

Not only Yun Qingman, Noble Consort Shu also frowned slightly, and said, “You are quite bold, aren’t you?”

“How dare I?” Yun Fenghuang said with a look of grievance, “It’s the maid of Your Highness...”

She didn’t finish talking, but the two sisters were aware of it. Empress Ji’s resentment to Consort Yue was known in this palace.

Although the Empress had stable superiority under the protection of Ji’s Family, Consort Yue grew up with Emperor Chunjia and had a deep relationship with him. In addition to respecting the Empress, Emperor Chunjia was partial towards Consort Yue, which made the Empress hate her more. Today there was such a good opportunity, so it was not strange that she framed Consort Yue by using Yun Fenghuang... In fact, Noble Consort Shu mentioned the imperial doctor to the Empress before, also giving the Empress a chance to set her up.

“Sister, since Your Highness arranged this, Queen Mother Ji might not care about this, right?” Hearing these words, Yun Qingman rejoiced and asked Noble Consort Shu, “Queen Mother Ji is Your Highness’s aunt. She would not make her niece embarrassed.”

Noble Consort Shu still frowned, and said, “That’s quite naïve for you to say. It’s true that Fenghuang was ordered by the Empress to frame Consort Yue, but do you have any evidence?”

Yun Qingman said in shock, “This... if the maid of the Empress hadn’t given any implication, how would Fenghuang have done such a thing?”

“The premise is that the Queen Mother believes it! If Queen Mother Ji doesn’t believe it, let alone no evidence, even if there is evidence, it will be fake.” Noble Consort Shu sighed, “After all, our father doesn’t cooperate with Ji’s Family.”

As the mainstay of the royalists, Duke Yi had been given many hints by Ji’s Family to join them for many years, and the proposal of marriages with Ji’s Family alone had been mentioned many times. Unfortunately, Duke Yi was loyal to Gongxiang’s Family and ignored it. In recent years, he had repeatedly proposed that Emperor Chunjia should take over the imperial issues by himself... Emperor Chunjia might be grateful to him, while Ji’s Family naturally hated him.

Therefore, in the Imperial Harem controlled by the women of Ji’s Family, the situation of daughters of Yun’s Family could be imagined!

Although Noble Consort Shu didn’t say that Yun Fenghuang was reckless to give an excuse for Ji’s Family to attack her, her frowning appearance was enough for both sisters to worry, so they asked, “So... what should we do now?”

“We can only go one step at a time and look around before taking another,” Noble Consort Shu said helplessly after a moment of thinking, “I hope Princess Minghui would be there to help us. Although she is the biological daughter of Queen Mother Ji, she is the gentlest and kind person. In addition to the Empress Dowager, Queen Mother Ji only listens to her.”

The implication was that Queen Mother Ji was not so gentle and kind.

What she said was true. The Empress led a group of concubines to Mian Fu Palace. After they paid respects to Queen Mother Ji, the latter glanced and asked where Consort Yue was, “She has been in the palace for many years, but is still so narrow-minded without any qualities as a consort? My Majesty has no offspring so far, and Empress Dowager and I are always so anxious when we think of it. She who grew up with My Majesty is not more considerate than before, but jealous of the new ones in front of me?”

Then she asked Empress Ji why she did not punish such an unruly consort to set an example to the new concubines. Otherwise, they would think that the high-grade concubines were all like Consort Yue!

Queen Mother Ji and Empress Ji were relatives indeed, sharing similarities in their appearances. They were both gorgeous beauties with delicate skin as roses. Even though the Queen Mother was a little older, she looked like the Empress’s sister because of comfortable life. Her grace cultivated by the official family of generations became more and more mature and grave after years of palace’s life.

Although she did not vent violent wrath at this moment, a few questioning words were enough to make everyone in Nong Rou Hall quiet, as if the sound of a needle falling to the ground could be heard there.

“Mother, here is the thing. Consort Yue is now making introspection in Hu Zhu Palace under my order.” Empress Ji said calmly about what happened in Yan Fu Palace a while ago. As Queen Mother Ji listened, not only did her frowning eyebrows not unfold, but also she said in a reproachful tone that the Empress handled it too lightly, “Hu Zhu Palace has always been troubled. As for the truth of this incident, everyone knows. My Majesty and Consort Yue grew up together, and Queen Mother Yuan is her aunt. For the sake of both of their faces, I always neglected the facts. I thought that one day, Consort Yue would change to serve My Majesty and Queen Mother Yuan... But she became worse, even framing a Bao Lin who just joined the Imperial Palace under the imperial decree of Empress Dowager! How could she not allow others to have My Majesty’s children just because she had no babies? If such things were handled lightly, everyone in the Imperial Harem would follow suit to cut off the royal blood!”

That was a very serious charge. Empress Ji immediately knelt down and confessed her fault of handling it lightly.

Noble Consort Gui, Noble Consort Shu, Consort Xin, Fu Ren Yaoning and other high-grade concubines also knelt down, saying in unison, “We dare not!”

Yun Fenghuang and other low-grade concubines followed them to kneel down, frightened as a quail... Then they heard that the Empress and other concubines pleaded guilty and made promises to Queen Mother Ji. After a long while, Queen Mother Ji cooled down, and said, “Rise, all of you.”

Then they began to discuss how to punish Consort Yue for what she did in the past.

During this period, Yun Qingman’s face was pale. She thought that the Queen Mother, as Noble Consort Shu said, would not smooth the thing easily, and she did not know whether Yun Fenghuang would be involved or not.

Fortunately, she lowered her head and her identity was not high. Everyone but Yun Fenghuang didn’t notice it, so she reached out one hand and held Yun Qingman’s wrist quietly, indicating her not to be afraid.

They were both distracted. And when they listened again, Queen Mother Ji was already making arrangement, saying that the murder of the new Bao Lin must be thoroughly investigated! After all, although Bao Lin’s status was not high, she was in the palace to serve Emperor Chunjia. Consort Yue framed Bao Lin today. Would she kill the Emperor tomorrow? Moreover, this Bao Lin was chosen by the Empress Dowager. Did Consort Yue do this because she was dissatisfied with the Empress Dowager?

In short, Queen Mother Ji believed that the evidence of this matter was conclusive and it had a great bad impact. It must not be neglected but investigate thoroughly to make it clear. And it must be done in the whole Imperial Harem without fail!

Then, she sent people to Hu Zhu Palace to call Consort Yue, and scolded her in front of all the concubines. Finally, she made Consort Yue kneel at the gate of the palace and enjoined, “Kneeling until you realize your mistakes!”

Consort Yue almost lost her temper!

If she really had ordered someone to murder Yun Fenghuang, she would have accepted this punishment when it was revealed!

But she hadn’t done anything yet!

What’s more? To be reasonable about what happened yesterday, obviously, she was framed!

Now Queen Mother Ji made her introspect herself. She said that Consort Yue had to realize and confess her mistakes to change thoroughly... While Consort Yue was so wronged, how could she realize her mistakes?!

It was impossible to understand in this life!

But Queen Mother Ji did not give her the opportunity to explain at all. After she finished, she leaned back slightly, then several strong servants understood her meaning, stepping forward, covering Consort Yue’s mouth, and dragging her out.

Maybe Consort Yue’s hysterical but helpless expression made her very happy. After that, Queen Mother Ji was in a good mood, looking like a normal kind Queen Mother. She spoke a few words to the Empress and several high-grade consorts, and picked a few new concubines from noble families, such as Yun Qingman, and Mei Ren Xue, who was in Su Rong Palace hosted by Zhao Yuan Ji. Then she said some words to encourage them, and gave some rewards... The atmosphere suddenly relaxed, and laughter sounded gradually.

After a while, Empress Ji thought that they had spent enough time there, so she stood up and retreated.

Queen Mother Ji bowed her head and agreed, “You just leave now. The Empress Dowager has been tired recently, so you should not bother her.”

The Empress responded respectfully, then led a group of concubines with beautiful makeup to go away, like she did when she came here.

After going out, Empress Ji dismissed them, and Yun Fenghuang was taken by Noble Consort Shu as a matter of course.

Stepping on the sedan, Yun Qingman was very happy, “Sister, the Queen Mother didn’t mention Fenghuang just now. Does that mean Fenghuang is safe in this incident?”

However, Noble Consort Shu sneered and said, “Queen Mother Ji is...”

She glanced at Yun Fenghuang and held her words back, only sighed, and then asked Yun Fenghuang, “Queen Mother Yuan of Chun Yong Palace, have you heard her before?”

Yun Fenghuang also sighed. Of course she knew. After all, not every dynasty and every generation could make up the situation where three Queen Mothers coexisted... Oh there was an Empress Dowager above the three Queen Mothers!

Even if when she hadn’t thought about joining the Imperial Harem, she had known something about this. After receiving the imperial decree, Ms. Lan, her sister-in-law, inquired a lot of inside news from Duke Yi’s Mansion, and told her completely!

Among the three Queen Mothers, one had the strongest sense of existence and the highest status. Of course, they had just met her, Queen Mother Ji, who was the niece of Empress Dowager, the legitimate daughter of Ji’s Family, and Emperor Xiaozong’s first Empress. Her whole title was Queen Mother of Honor.

There were two more: Ms. Yuan, Emperor Chunjia’s legitimate mother before he came to power, was respected as Queen Mother of Mercy;

Ms. Qu, biological mother of Emperor Chunjia, who was originally a concubine of Chunjia’s birth father, was respected as Queen Mother of Deity.

According to the tradition of adoption and inheritance, they were not supposed to be brought to Dijing City, let alone ranking them as the Queen Mothers.

It was said that it involved the competition among the royal family, eunuchs, ministers, and Ji’s Family, but the specific details were not known by Yun Fenghuang at this time. In short, since joining the Imperial Harem, Queen Mother Yuan shared the same life with Queen Mother Qu, cared nothing about the world affairs, and only appeared in the ceremony all year round, but people who had a little inside information dared not underestimate her... Because she had the deepest mother-child bond with Emperor Chunjia among three Queen Mothers.

As the son of a concubine, Emperor Chunjia was brought up by his legitimate mother right after he was born. That was Queen Mother Yuan who had no children. She treated him as her biological son, and raised him as best as she could. Therefore, they had deeper relationship than a mother and a son with blood relation. Compared with this, Queen Mother Qu was behind, not to mention Queen Mother Ji who only met Emperor Chunjia after he was enthroned.

At present, because Emperor Chunjia had not yet taken over the power, let alone in charge of it, and the status of Queen Mother Yuan was not notable, she dared not compete with Ji’s daughters.

However, dealing with the three daughters of Yun’s Family... There would be no problem. After all, Ji’s Family would like to see support forces of Emperor Chunjia fight inside. If Queen Mother Yuan took the revenge for her niece, Queen Mother Ji would absolutely clap her hands happily.

“... Do you know why Queen Mother Ji said that the Empress handled it lightly?” Noble Consort Shu lectured her sisters intently, “Do you really think she wanted to embarrass the Empress? She just wanted Queen Mother Yuan and Consort Yue to hate us, and kill us for her!”

Feeling anxious, Yun Qingman was about to speak, but Yun Fenghuang took the chance and asked Noble Consort Shu with tears, “My Lady, if I continue to stay in Hu Zhu Palace, would my fate be like those concubines who dead there before, without knowing the cause of my death? My Lady, can you help me change a place? Even the remote corners in bad repair would be fine!”