If Ling'er hadn't been fond of the young princess of the Cangwang Mansion, the royal family would have had no reason to bestow the title of princess upon her. The Cangwang Mansion was originally a non-royal prince, a figure the royal family would avoid. Furthermore, Xi Hanzhi controlled many economic lifelines in Beilu. Therefore, to prevent this non-royal prince from causing trouble, he shouldn't have bestowed the title of princess upon Xi Liang. However, Ling'er was always clever, and naturally, she valued the young princess, so she must be quite good. Therefore, after careful consideration, Ye Lingfeng agreed.
Hearing Ye Lingfeng's words, Hai Ling happily leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, thanking him with a beaming smile.
"Thank you, Night."
"Since you're thanking me, shouldn't you be more sincere?"
Ye Lingfeng gradually developed a thick skin, staring at Hai Ling's red lips without blushing or skipping a beat, indicating that she had kissed the wrong place.
Hai Ling knew exactly what he meant, and without being polite, she kissed his lips hard, then stood up and said softly, "I won't bother you anymore. You can continue with your official duties, but don't overwork yourself."
"I understand. Ling'er, please take care of yourself too."
The two of them became reluctant to part in the study, like a couple who hadn't seen each other for many years. After they finished speaking, they realized it themselves and couldn't help but laugh.
Hailin put away the food box and walked out. When she reached the door of the study, she remembered something and turned back to look at Ye Lingfeng.
"To thank Ye for her support, I've decided to help you get some money out of those wealthy ladies."
After she finished speaking, she walked out with a smile. Inside the study, Ye Lingfeng watched her leave with a doting smile. He knew that the wives of the officials in Beilu were going to have to spend money again. As long as Ling'er took action, they would have no choice but to give in. Besides, who in Beilu didn't know how powerful the Empress of Beilu was? If she asked for money, probably no one would dare not pay up.
As Hai Ling left the Imperial Study, the eunuchs and guards outside the door respectfully announced, "Respectfully seeing off Her Majesty the Empress."
Offending the Emperor might get them spared, but offending the Empress meant certain death, so these people dared not be careless.
Shi Mei and Shi Lan came forward. One of them took the food box from Hai Ling's hand, and the other helped Hai Ling out of the study and into the sedan chair in front of the door. They went back to Liuyue Palace.
Inside Cixi Palace.
Inside the main hall, the Empress Dowager sat at the head of the table, while several people knelt below her. The one in the lead was none other than Prime Minister Zhongli, who had been angered by Hailing in the Imperial Study earlier. Behind Zhongli were naturally several like-minded court officials who were close to him.
At this moment, several people knelt in the main hall of Cixi Palace, first kowtowing to the Empress Dowager, and then speaking with expressions of deep sorrow and resentment.
"Your Majesty, we are heartbroken. If you do not step forward to uphold justice, the Northern Lu will be in turmoil."
The Empress Dowager sat at the head of the main hall of Cixi Palace, frowning as she looked at Zhongli. She did not like Zhongli and found him extremely annoying because the Zhong family had always suppressed the Xi family. Even now, Zhongli did not take the Xi family seriously, yet he knew to come to her to complain and reason with her.
"What is Prime Minister Zhong doing? You are a veteran of three dynasties, what kind of behavior is this, crying and sobbing like this?"
The Empress Dowager spoke slowly. Although she disliked Zhongli, she did not want to offend him. After all, Zhongli was a veteran of three dynasties in Northern Lu. In the eyes of the people, he was highly respected in Germany and had done nothing wrong.
"Your Majesty, it's not that I want to cry, but I'm crying so sadly for the sake of the Northern Lu kingdom."
"What exactly happened?"
The Empress Dowager spoke helplessly, looking at Zhongli, thinking to herself, "Could it be that the Emperor has dealt with the Zhong family?" Thinking this, she was actually quite happy.
Zhongli, sitting below, wiped away tears as he reported.
"Your Majesty, I am heartbroken. I fear that the Northern Lu is about to undergo a major upheaval. The Emperor's favoritism towards the Empress is something we can say nothing about, but the empress has always been forbidden from interfering in politics. Previously, when the Emperor was not in the palace, the Empress interfered in politics, and we had nothing to say. Now that the Emperor has returned to the palace, the Empress is still interfering in politics. This is an ominous sign in all dynasties. For the sake of the Northern Lu's future, Your Majesty must stop the Emperor from favoring the Empress so much."
The Empress Dowager was initially uninterested in Zhongli's crying, but upon hearing that the Empress was involved, she became somewhat interested.
In fact, Zhongli had grasped the Empress Dowager's psychology. He had heard that the Empress Dowager and the Empress were at odds, so he came to Cixi Palace to cry and complain. If the Empress Dowager and the Empress were getting along well, he might not have come to Cixi Palace.
The Empress Dowager rolled her eyes and understood. It seemed that Zhongli had been humiliated by the Empress in the Imperial Study, which was why he had come to her.
Originally, she was dissatisfied with the Empress, but out of consideration for Feng'er, she didn't want to provoke her. However, now that she wasn't provoking her, someone else was. It seemed that even Heaven couldn't stand the Empress's arrogance, which is why Zhongli was going to clash with her. This was for the best, as it saved her from making any moves that might anger Feng'er. Now that Zhongli wanted to deal with the Empress, these two groups were fighting each other, saving her all the trouble. She could sit back and watch the tigers fight, which was truly gratifying. Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager's expression softened considerably, and she lowered her voice.
"What exactly is going on?"
"Previously, when we were discussing matters in the Imperial Study, Her Majesty the Empress came to the Imperial Study. Not only did His Majesty not stop Her Majesty, but he even allowed Her Majesty to interfere in political affairs. What kind of behavior is this?"
Zhongli recounted what had happened in the Imperial Study, but he downplayed the important points and omitted mentioning that the Empress had come up with the idea, which had gained the approval and attention of many ministers in the court.
A glint of malice flashed in the Empress Dowager's eyes, slightly annoyed. That Ji Hailing was too inconsiderate of the occasion. The court officials were discussing matters, what was she, a concubine of the harem, doing meddling in them? The Emperor was there for everything. Wasn't the Emperor capable of handling state affairs? You think you're so capable? You think you're so capable.
Although the Empress Dowager was furious, she showed no emotion on her face. She didn't want Zhongli to see her lose her composure, so she nodded slightly and looked at Zhongli.
"I understand. Prime Minister Zhong and the others may return. I will persuade the Emperor later."
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."
Although Zhongli said this, he was very angry inside. He originally thought that he could provoke the Empress Dowager's anger because of the discord between the Empress Dowager and the Empress. But now it seems that the Empress Dowager is also a cunning fox and will not fall for his tricks at all. Judging from her appearance, she seems to be just watching the show from the sidelines and has no intention of taking action.
Zhongli snorted inwardly, then rose to pay his respects and left Cining Palace.
At the head of Cixi Palace, the Empress Dowager slightly lowered her eyelids and leaned against the couch.
As Ying Mama served her, she noticed that the Empress Dowager's expression seemed somewhat cold, and then she reverted to her previous demeanor. Ying Mama felt uneasy and spoke in a low voice.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, don't you get along very well with the Emperor and the Empress?"
If you get along well, why cause trouble?
Granny Ying dared not speak her mind, but the Empress Dowager knew what she was thinking and opened her eyes to look at Granny Ying.
"I'm just so indignant! Didn't you hear what Zhongli said? The Emperor actually favors her so much! The court officials were discussing matters in the Imperial Study, and that woman dared to interfere! The empress has always been forbidden from interfering in politics, yet that woman dared to do so. And that's secondary. I've carefully nurtured Feng'er for over twenty years. All I wanted was for him to give important positions to the Xi family. Do you think he'd listen to a word of that? And look at the Ji family. They were already meritorious officials, and now that Ji Hailing is favored, she's even more favored by the Emperor. Didn't the Emperor bestow a marriage upon the princess from Nanling Kingdom to Ji Shaocheng of the Ji family? Now he doesn't listen to me at all. I've waited so many years and gotten nothing in return. Do you think I can accept this?"
As the Empress Dowager spoke, her eyes welled up with tears of anger.
She just couldn't understand why Feng'er wouldn't give important positions to the west family. They were his own uncles, who had helped him before he ascended the throne. Why wouldn't he give them important positions now?
Even Granny Ying couldn't understand why the Emperor didn't give important positions to the west family. If the Emperor had, the gap between the Empress Dowager and the Empress wouldn't be so large.
Inside the main hall, Granny Ying dared not utter a single word. This was a matter for the royal family; what could a servant like her say?
The Empress Dowager closed her eyes and said nothing. The hall was silent. After a while, she suddenly opened her eyes, and the room was bright. She then called the eunuchs outside the hall in and ordered them to go to the Imperial Study to invite the Emperor over.