novelraw Chapter 1259 - 470: Palace Strife Is No Match for Rebellion (Part 7)_3
Chapter 1259 - 470: Palace Strife Is No Match for Rebellion (Part 7)_3
He believed his mother would not completely abandon him. Once this period was over and his mother calmed down, she would still plan for him.
But all suitable aristocratic daughters were already married. Could it be that he, the mighty Emperor, should stoop to marry a daughter from a poor family?
If he truly married such a family’s daughter, he could certainly take charge of the government and gain support from certain influential ministers in the court.
Yet, she is not an aristocratic daughter, and he would lose to Prince Liang again!
Emperor Yongcheng began to feel restless, regretting and pondering how to "reconcile" with his mother.
Lady Hu, being the person who understood Emperor Yongcheng the most, naturally noticed the anomaly immediately.
She combined the news from outside the palace with Emperor Yongcheng’s indecision and restlessness, forming a guess in her mind.
Her eyes were filled with obscurity.
Immediately, without waiting for Emperor Yongcheng to speak, she expressed first, "Erlang, send Nianer and me out of the palace, will you?"
Such a brief sentence made Emperor Yongcheng widen his eyes.
Well, he had such thoughts in his heart, but ultimately, he couldn’t bear it.
The wet nurse and Nianer were the people he valued most. He ignored the Empress Dowager’s dissatisfaction and resistance, insisting on bringing them into the palace in order for them to enjoy honor.
It’s only been a short time, the wet nurse and they had just lived a few good days, and now they were to be sent out of the palace shamefully?
Outsiders witnessing this would undoubtedly gloat, ridicule, and make jokes about the wet nurse and Nianer.
These days, Emperor Yongcheng had been hesitating, simply not wanting the wet nurse and them to face this.
"Erlang, I know you care about me, like Nianer, and want us to have dignity and wealth."
Lady Hu, however, like a loving and tolerant elder, suffered grievances but still wholeheartedly cared for her "child."
In her gaze towards Emperor Yongcheng, there was nothing but tenderness, "Erlang cares about us, we equally care about Erlang. Your current situation is too difficult—"
"The Empress Dowager values rules the most. She doesn’t like us mother and daughter staying in the palace, which is understandable!"
"Erlang, you should send us out. You and the Empress Dowager are, after all, mother and son—how can there be debts overnight?"
Lady Hu spoke every word sensibly, as if truly for the Emperor, for the supreme mother and son.
Yet, her words still conveyed one message—
Emperor Yongcheng still needed the Empress Dowager’s help. Now, he needed to win the Empress Dowager’s favor by sending away the wet nurse and his beloved.
Once the Empress Dowager was pleased, her anger would dissipate, and she would naturally plan for Emperor Yongcheng as she did in the past!
Emperor Yongcheng already harbored resentment towards his mother.
At this moment, hearing these words, his estrangement with Empress Dowager He grew.
Well, the Empress Dowager’s kindness to him indeed came with conditions.
If he obediently became a puppet, Empress Dowager He would be a good mother who loved her son.
If he resisted even slightly, Empress Dowager He would show him displeasure!
Is this what a mother should be like?
The wet nurse is better; she wholeheartedly supported him without "negotiating terms"!
While Emperor Yongcheng was angry with his mother, his sympathy and guilt towards Lady Hu increased.
"Wet nurse, I, I—" I’m sorry to you, for letting you endure the ridicule and humiliation from noblewomen in the capital!
Emperor Yongcheng’s eyes reddened, and he stumbled over his words.
Seeing the true emotional expression of Emperor Yongcheng, Lady Hu secretly rejoiced, yet her face still showed "I indeed suffered grievances, but I am willing to endure all this for my Erlang."
"Erlang, don’t say any more. Your kindness towards me, towards Nianer, is well known to us in our hearts!"
"...The most important thing now is not about us mother and daughter, but your marital matters!"
The more Lady Hu appeared to "consider the bigger picture" and "sacrifice herself," the more sorrowful Emperor Yongcheng felt in his heart.
His resentment towards Empress Dowager He grew even stronger.
He wanted to retain Lady Hu; he didn’t want them to fall into an embarrassing situation.
But reality didn’t accommodate.
Emperor Yongcheng truly needed Empress Dowager He to help him find a noble aristocratic daughter to be the Empress!
"It will be unfair to the wet nurse and Nianer! However, rest assured, I, I will surely compensate you well in the future!"
Holding Lady Hu’s hand, Emperor Yongcheng earnestly made a vow.
"...Not unfair. For my Erlang, I fear not even death, let alone merely some rumors and gossip?"
"Besides, they didn’t say wrong; I am indeed a wet nurse, a slave. It’s just pitiful for Nianer, who is young and thin-skinned... However, Erlang shouldn’t worry too much, I will teach her well!"
Lady Hu continued her performance, leaving Emperor Yongcheng to finally break into tears.
"Wet nurse, rest assured. As soon as this matter is resolved, I will bring you and Nianer back to the palace immediately!"
The words of Emperor Yongcheng were not only addressed to Lady Hu but also set as a goal for himself.
He hadn’t realized that at some point, he used elevating Lady Hu and her daughter to prove that he, the mighty Emperor of the Dayuan Dynasty, was not a puppet in the hands of the Empress Dowager, but was truly the sovereign of the nation, the ruler of the land!