Chapter 211 – I Am The Empress Dowager, Who Am I Afraid Of? (part 4)

After receiving the secret report, Emperor Long’an couldn’t believe his eyes. After confirming it several times, he invited the shadow guard to ask them again. Only then did he confirm it. Such a vicious tactic came from the hands of a little girl. He couldn’t help but feel a little scared. If it wasn’t for his mother’s trust and love for him, over time, their plans may have succeeded.

What Emperor Long An hated most in his life were people who tried to sabotage the relationship between him and his mother!

Therefore, even though Emperor Long’an originally did not want to take action against a girl, after he learned of Fang Rong’s actions, he ordered the shadow guard to kill her!

In order to consolidate the status of her and her mother, Fang Rong had secretly killed several of her father’s concubines, one of whom was pregnant. It was said that the concubine knelt down in front of her and begged bitterly. She did not move at all and even watched the concubine die in front of her.

This cruelty made Emperor Long’an feel ashamed of the him that had been the same age as her. This little girl, who had such great ambitions, tried to interfere with the relationship between the emperor and the empress dowager and disrupted the court and the law. Never breed tigers!

Emperor Long’an was able to stand out from many princes and was established as the crown prince, so he succeeded the throne. He also acted decisively because of his outstanding ability.

He ordered for the girl to be killed and it was not what a man would do. But, if he didn’t kill her, she would kill him. Emperor Long’an didn’t regret it.

It was better to keep this kind of bizarre thing under wraps so that the empress dowager did not know of it. Therefore, Emperor Long’an did not tell Li Su.

Li Su didn’t care how Fang Rong died as long as she died. After Li Su heard this, she forgot about it. She had eaten a lot of fish recently, so she was a little heaty. The honeydew sent by the emperor was very good! He could send some more tomorrow.

In the Yuan family, Yuan Shang’an frowned and listened to his cousin’s niece cry while he held back his anger. “Rong’er’s death was unjust, but Fang Zhiheng ignored it and favored those sluts. Now he wants to divorce me! Uncle, you must call the shots for me!”

Yuan Shang’an frowned. A series of recent incidents had caught him off guard, and he couldn’t understand it. It was incomprehensible that his daughter suddenly committed a crime towards the empress dowager and was locked in Full Moon Temple, where he could not even see her face. His grandson and granddaughter made a fuss, but his son-in-law personally enforced the family law and locked them up. His son-in-law suddenly received a decree to give up his title to the eldest son of his first wife.

Yuan Shang’an wondered if his plot had been discovered. But, everything was as usual in court, and he didn’t hear any news. Could it be just a matter between the women? Yuan Shang’an couldn’t help but be a little annoyed. His daughter had always been smart. Why was she so careless? Did someone say something to the empress dowager? Could it be his son-in-law’s first wife’s family? Or was it the two kids?

He told her a long time ago that the weeds needed to be eradicated, but she refused to listen! She said that keeping those two children showed her kindness. Now look at what happened!

His own family’s affairs were still a mess, and the cousin’s niece came over to cry again. Yuan Shang’an felt very helpless. “This is the Fang family’s issue. How can you let me decide for you? You suspect it was a concubine who killed Rong’er. Is there any evidence for that claim?”

Yuan Shang’an also felt a little regretful over Fang Rong’s. She was really a smart child, and her mother was a daughter of the Yuan family. If she had been cultivated well, she would have been a great help in the future. Unfortunately, she was gone now.

Mrs. Fang paused. “There is no evidence, but other than them, who would want to kill my Rong’er?!” After speaking, Mrs. Fang began to cry again.

Yuan Shang’an rubbed his eyebrows helplessly. “Since you suspect them, you should find evidence instead of killing them off all at once! Although they are concubines, they are also concubines with identities!”

This idiot!

Mrs. Fang was indifferent. “They were just sluts. It’s fine if they die. Fang Zhiheng has always prided himself on being a distinguished scholar. He would not dare to let outsiders know that he indulges in beauty and has a lot of domestic pets. He will not show it.”

“Then what do you want?” Yuan Shang’an asked while he held back his anger.

“He wants to divorce me. That’s impossible! If I am not a wife of the Fang family, who would remember my Rong’er in the future?! Even if I were to die, I would die with my Rong’er!” Mrs. Fang had calmed down. She had made up her mind. She wouldn’t let those sluts go so easily. They killed her Rong’er, and she wanted the Fang family to bury her with Rong’er!

Yuan Shang’an listened to her meaning. As long as Fang Zhiheng did not divorce his wife, it was simple. He was now the Minister of Rites, and Fang Zhiheng would still need to give him face.

“I know what you mean. Go back and wait. How could he divorce a daughter of the Yuan family!” Yuan Shangan exclaimed.

“Thank you, uncle!” Mrs. Fang said excitedly.

Two days later, Yuan Shang’an invited Fang Zhiheng to drink tea. The two said a few words. That afternoon, Fang Zhiheng went to his wife’s family’s house and picked up Mrs. Fang. Mrs. Fang was deprived of all rights and was locked in a small Buddhist hall. She was to chant sutras and worship the Buddha, and she was not allowed to go out.

Yuan Shang’an thought it was over. His son-in-law was as timid as a mouse, so he couldn’t count on him anymore. Recently, he was trying to talk to the people around the empress dowager. He wanted to know exactly how his daughter had offended the empress dowager. Then, he could take his daughter out. Yuan Shang’an didn’t feel distressed about his daughter. He had just spent many years of hard work and it was all ruined like this. Why wouldn’t he feel distressed about this?

But no matter what Yuan Shang’an thought, he would never get his wish.

Yuan Shang’an didn’t notice that many things changed quietly. First of all, several of his relatives were successively transferred from their original positions.

By the time Yuan Shang’an noticed something, something else happened that caught him off guard.

August 19th was the late emperor’s birthday. Emperor Long’an went to the imperial mausoleum to worship the late emperor and saw that the paint on the inscription in the stele pavilion had faded. Emperor Long’an was furious and held the Ministry of Rites to blame. In the end, after investigating, they found Yuan Shang’an. Emperor Long’an decreed that Yuan Shang’an was to be removed from his post and investigated.

It was only now that Yuan Shang’an understood that from the moment his daughter committed a crime against the empress dowager, his fate was already doomed. His Majesty must have known what he was planning, so this was this thunderous wrath.

Yuan Shangan regretted the beginning. He hated himself for not being able to control himself. He listened to Fang Rong’s words and did such a rebellious thing. The fact that His Majesty did not execute him was already extremely merciful.

The Yuan family were the in-laws of the empress dowager’s mother’s family, the Li family. Due to this relationship their family was stable, even if they had not risen much. Now that something happened suddenly, many people were worried.

In the Duke of Cheng’en’s mansion, Li Chen was uneasy. “Chengzhong, do you think your aunt is still angry?” In the past, the empress dowager would summon Mrs. Li to the palace 3-5 times a month. Now that more than a month has passed, the empress dowager seemed to have forgotten them. She hadn’t even summoned them, let alone rewarded them.

Li Chengzhong was 28 this year. He already had a wife and children, and his stepmother was in charge of the marriage. His wife was cowardly and had no opinion. His wife obeyed the stepmother’s orders. Fortunately, the stepmother fell and she inherited the title. The aunt of the empress dowager sent another wet nurse. Although the wife was a little stupid, she was very obedient. These days, there had been a lot of progress.

“Father, our family already has the title of the Duke of Cheng’en. What more do you want? As long as the empress dowager and aunt are around, our family will be prosperous and rich. Even if the empress dowager and aunt were gone, there is still His Majesty and the prince. They would never leave us alone. We just need to live peacefully and honestly and not cause trouble for our aunt.” Li Chengzhong then said with a frown, “There is also third younger brother and fourth younger brother’s maternal families by the Yuan family’s side. I heard that the Yuan family is going to return to their ancestral home, so I’ll send some money to express my feelings.”

Li Chen nodded. “You are the head of the family now, so you can call the shots.” He was just a person who wanted to have fun and had no opinion. He would just listen to whoever. He used to listen to Mrs. Li, but now his son was in charge of the house, so he listened to his son.

Li Chengzhong ordered things to be done like this. After Li Chenghui and Li Chengde found out, they made more noise. Li Chengzhong didn’t even show his face. He just sent someone to say that if there was more trouble, he would send them to Full Moon Temple, just like what the empress dowager said! The three of them were frank with one another.

The Li family was completely quiet. After Li Su learned about it, she smiled with satisfaction. She also asked Wet Nurse Xu to find a few wet nurses in the palace to send to the Li family in order to keep an eye on the inner courtyard of the Li family and cultivate the rules of the next generation. She didn’t expect any talents from the Li family. She just didn’t want them to cause trouble for her.

After finishing the matter at hand, Emperor Long’an finally brought his concubines to the vacation palace to escape the summer heat. The first thing he did when he went to the vacation palace was to bring the empress and his younger brother to greet Li Su. As for the concubines, they were all sent back.

Emperor Long’an dealt with the Yuan family, the in-laws of the Li family, mercilessly. Many people thought that there was a rift between the emperor and the empress dowager, but now it seemed that they were wrong.

“This son pays respects to empress mother.”

“We are mother and son. There is no need for such ceremonies!” Li Su didn’t wait for Emperor Long’an to pay his respects and immediately let him get up. “You have worked hard this entire time. It’s time for you to take a break when you arrive at the vacation palace. Why are you in a rush to please Us! Look at your sweaty head! Come here. Bring some bowls of sour plum soup to the emperor, empress, and prince. Make sure there is no ice.”

“Empress mother!” Emperor Long’an said angrily.

“Don’t even think about it. The imperial doctor said that your spleen and stomach are deficient. Even if it is hot, you are not allowed to eat iced things. You all have to remember that Your Majesty’s body is important.” Li Su then said to the people serving by Emperor Long’an’s side, “Don’t let His Majesty eat iced things”.

“Yes! This servant will obey the empress dowager’s orders.”

“Empress mother, that’s what the imperial doctor said when your son was young. Now your son is so old.” Seeing that empress mother cared so much about him, Emperor Long’an was so happy that he even remembered the trivial things like eating and drinking, but he complained deliberately.

You are not allowed to eat those. If you don’t obey, beware of Us hitting you!” Li Su glanced at him, then said to Empress Jiang, “You are a daughter in my family. Even though it’s hot, try to eat as little ice as possible.”

Empress Jiang did not dare to object. She quickly stood up and said, “Thank you for empress mother’s care. This subject will listen to empress mother.”

Only Zhao Defang was dissatisfied. The weather was so hot. It would be great to eat some ice, so he pouted in dissatisfaction.

Li Su glared at him. “How old are you? You still act like a child without shame. Let’s drink the sour plum soup first. Your empress mother asked someone to make something good, and she came back to let you be the first to try it.”

“What good stuff?” Zhao Defang asked with interest.

“It’s something you haven’t eaten before,” Li Su said proudly. She had been having people in the kitchen work on yoghurt lately. She only knew the approximate production method. As for whether it could be done in the current environment, it depended on their wisdom. The people in the kitchen had tried many times, and said that they had already made some progress. They claimed that they would probably be able to make it in a few days.

“Empress mother, do you have a share for this son?” Emperor Long’an also asked with a sullen face.

“As long as you are obedient, you will.” Li Su smiled. Emperor Long’an also laughed. This is what his empress mother often said when he was a child.