Chapter 42

Jun Zechen’s face suddenly darkened, as cold as an icy lake. His brows furrowed tightly.

This was in front of his father’s spirit!

The Empress was also shocked, but she quickly regained her composure and spoke urgently. “Crown Prince, Tang Fengyi is pregnant! Quickly take her back to the Eastern Palace!”

Seeing blood in front of the late emperor’s spirit was a serious offense—it was an act of great disrespect to the former ruler.

Jun Zechen’s expression remained as cold as ice.

Even though he knew that it would be extremely difficult for Tang Fengyi’s child to survive, he would never allow things to end this way.

He strode forward, picked her up, and carried her away. After leaving the mourning hall, he carefully placed Tang Fengyi onto a palanquin.

Then he turned to a nearby palace maid and ordered, “Take Tang Fengyi back to the Eastern Palace and immediately summon the imperial physician.”

With that, Jun Zechen turned around without hesitation and headed back to the mourning hall.

Tang Fengyi watched his figure grow smaller as he walked away. The pain on her face deepened.

She didn’t know if this pain was coming from the sharp agony in her belly or from the cold indifference of the man before her.

She was carrying his child, yet after suffering a miscarriage, he showed not even a hint of sympathy.

In front of the mourning hall, at the exact moment the Crown Prince carried Tang Fengyi away, An Liangdi discreetly used her mourning robes to cover her movements. She silently switched the prayer beads back to their original place.

The string of beads coated with nettle powder and monkshood was carefully wrapped in a handkerchief and slipped into her sleeve without a trace.

Su Jingyao, who had been watching An Liangdi and Tang Fengyi closely, noticed every single move.

To ensure nothing went wrong, she silently moved beside the Crown Princess, bent down, and pretended to help her up.

At the same time, she cleverly nudged the prayer beads with her foot, positioning them right in front of An Liangdi—making it even easier for her to act.

Then, she asked with concern, “Crown Princess, what’s wrong?”

While speaking, he gently helped her up.

The Empress’s face was dark with anger as she walked straight to Ling Yue.

A sharp “slap” echoed in the air.

Without hesitation, the Empress raised her hand and struck Ling Yue hard across the face.

Ling Yue staggered from the sudden blow, her eyes instantly filled with shock.

There was also deep grievance and fear in her gaze.

The Empress shouted angrily, “Guards! The Crown Princess has disrespected her superiors and disturbed the late Emperor’s remains. Take her to the ancestral hall—she must kneel and pray for the late Emperor and copy Buddhist scriptures a hundred times!”

Just as Jun Zechen entered, he missed the scene of his mother slapping Ling Yue.

He only heard his mother’s cold and merciless punishment.

As he walked closer, he saw the clear red mark on Ling Yue’s face.

At that moment, with so many people watching, Jun Zechen could only furrow his brows and look at Ling Yue with a complicated expression.

He could not openly go against his mother now.

The most important thing at the moment was to complete the mourning rituals for his late father.

Jun Zechen had no choice but to ignore Ling Yue’s pleading eyes.

The eunuchs beside the Empress quickly stepped forward and took Ling Yue away.

When the Empress slapped Ling Yue, Su Jingyao subtly stepped back and “accidentally” stepped on a Buddhist prayer bead bracelet that had been swapped earlier.

After all, Tang Fengyi had stepped on it before. If someone noticed the bracelet was still brand new, wouldn’t that raise suspicion?

She had to help cover it up—she couldn’t let the Empress find anything suspicious.

After Ling Yue was taken away, the palace maids swiftly cleaned up the bloodstains left by Tang Fengyi.

In front of the mourning hall, everything seemed to return to peace in an instant, and the rituals continued as if nothing had happened.

Su Shangshu stood silently at the front row of the officials, looking at his daughter with a loving gaze, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

As the head of the civil officials, it was impossible for him to have no ambitions or desires.

His daughter had always been precious to him, raised like a treasure in his hands.

The Emperor’s decree had made his daughter a consort to the Crown Prince, which he had never been pleased about.

With her noble background, she should have been the Crown Princess.

The current Crown Princess was not fit for that position—she should step aside for his daughter.

Back then, when the Crown Prince married the daughter of a general, some officials were dissatisfied.

However, they did not insist on interfering in the Crown Prince’s household affairs.

They knew their limits—after all, the Crown Prince’s power was unquestionable.

As long as the Crown Princess did nothing majorly wrong, her lower status was not a big issue.

But now?

She could not bear an heir, nor did she have the strength to fulfill the duties of a Crown Princess, let alone a future Empress.

Today’s incident alone was enough for the officials to criticize her.

A deep thought flashed through Su Shangshu’s eyes.

Since that was the case, he would do everything he could to support his daughter in taking her rightful place!

In the following days, Jun Zechen was extremely busy.

Not only did he have to carry out various mourning rituals for the late Emperor according to royal customs, but he also had to review government affairs and handle state matters.

This busy period lasted until the twenty-seventh day after the late Emperor’s passing, when Emperor Jing Sheng was finally buried in the imperial tomb.

After that, Jun Zechen officially ascended the throne and granted the late Emperor a posthumous title:

“By the will of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims:

In remembrance of the late Emperor Jing Sheng, whose achievements were outstanding and whose virtues matched heaven and earth.

He ruled wisely, laid a solid foundation, and his heroic presence commanded respect from all.

His wisdom and brilliance guided the empire; his governance brought prosperity to the people.

His merits were unparalleled, his intelligence illuminating history.

He honored the heavens and ancestors, serving as a model for all generations.

Thus, he is posthumously titled: Emperor Ding Ji Jing Sheng Jun Wu Rui Zhi Wen Mo Gong Gao Zhi Ming Jing Xiao.

May his virtue be forever remembered.”

With that decree, the enthronement ceremony was complete. The Qianqing Palace was also refurbished, and all of the late Emperor’s belongings were replaced.

From this day forward, Jun Zechen was the new master of Qianqing Palace.

After the ceremony, Jun Zechen walked back to Qianqing Palace.

He sat with the Empress Dowager on the couch.

The Empress Dowager looked at him sharply and asked in a calm voice, “How does the Emperor plan to appoint the Crown Prince’s consorts and the Crown Princess?”

Jun Zechen’s face immediately turned serious. He frowned slightly and said firmly, “What does Mother mean? The Crown Princess will naturally be my Empress.”

His eyes were filled with determination.

Originally, Jun Zechen had planned to personally appoint the Crown Princess and secondary consorts while leaving the selection of other concubines to his mother.

But now, it seemed the Empress Dowager did not want the Crown Princess to become Empress?

The Empress Dowager no longer hid her deep disdain for the Crown Princess, her voice icy.

“Emperor, the Crown Princess’s behavior in front of the late Emperor’s remains was disgraceful. I wanted to strip her of her title at that moment.”

“But to protect the royal family’s dignity, I chose to remain silent. She is not worthy of being the mother of the nation.”

Jun Zechen’s expression darkened further as he defended Ling Yue with determination.

“Mother, I will investigate what happened at the mourning hall. The Crown Princess would not act so disrespectfully for no reason.”

The Empress Dowager’s voice remained cold.

“I know you’ve been busy, so I already investigated it.”

“I would not falsely accuse your Crown Princess.”

She continued, “The Crown Princess claimed she dropped the Buddhist prayer beads because of a rash on her hand. But I had the beads examined by the imperial physician—there was nothing wrong with them.”

The Crown Princess herself couldn’t explain where the red rashes on her hands came from.

The Empress Dowager spoke sternly.

“That means I must investigate even more carefully…” Emperor Jun Zechen frowned and responded.

“You can investigate, but no matter the reason, the fact remains that the Crown Princess was disrespectful in front of the late Emperor’s spirit. That is undeniable.”

The Empress Dowager’s gaze grew even sharper.

In her opinion, even if the Crown Princess had lost control of her hands, she still should not have dropped the prayer beads.

She continued, “Because of her mistake, Lady Tang suffered a miscarriage. Imperial Physician Hu had reported to me that if she had continued taking his prescribed medicine, your second prince could have been born!”

“And most importantly, before the late Emperor’s burial, when the palace servants were burning Buddhist scriptures, they found bloodstains on one of the scriptures. I personally checked the handwriting and confirmed it was copied by the Crown Princess.”

Although writing Buddhist scriptures with blood can show deep devotion, the Crown Princess had originally used regular ink. The unexpected bloodstain gave the scripture a completely different meaning—one that was ominous rather than respectful.

If she had noticed the blood and rewritten the scripture, it would not have been an issue.

But instead, she placed a bloodstained scripture in front of the late Emperor’s spirit!

Jun Zechen listened silently to his mother’s accusations against Ling Yue. He had no way to argue back.

Even though he knew that Ling Yue might be innocent, or even framed, at this moment, he had no proof to defend her.

“Mother, what if the Crown Princess was framed?”

“It doesn’t matter if she was framed or not. After so many incidents, she is no longer suitable to be Empress. Do you understand, Your Majesty?”

The Empress Dowager’s expression was serious as she stared at Jun Zechen.

He lowered his head slowly.

He knew that his mother was right.

But…

He looked up again, his eyes filled with determination.

“Mother, I have always trusted the Crown Princess. I personally chose her as my wife, and I promised her. If she does not become Empress, I will feel guilty.”

A trace of pain flashed across his face.

He had always been a cold-hearted person, but only to those who had never entered his heart. For those he truly cared about, how could he just ignore them?

The Empress Dowager sighed softly but then spoke with firm authority.

“You are the Emperor. You may let others down, but no one is allowed to let you down.”

She paused before continuing, “If the Crown Princess becomes Empress, how will the court officials see you as their ruler?”

“Her mistakes were not small, and not just one or two. Even if you insist on making her Empress, I will never agree. I will not give her the Empress’s seal.”

Seeing her son’s troubled expression, she understood his nature well.

After punishment, there must be a reward.

She continued, “This time, demoting the Crown Princess from wife to concubine was indeed a severe punishment. I can allow her to hold the title of Noble Consort and give her some palace authority.”

“If she behaves well in the future, and an adopted prince is given to her, becoming Empress is still possible.”

Jun Zechen’s eyes flickered.

This seemed like the best outcome.

However, he had originally planned to grant Yaoyao the title of Noble Consort. Now that Ling Yue was taking that position, as his original wife, she naturally could not be ranked below others.

To demote his wife to a concubine was already a great humiliation.

Jun Zechen sighed helplessly. “Mother may decide.”

“What about the other concubines? Do you wish to grant them titles, or shall I handle it?” the Empress Dowager asked.

“What title does Mother wish to give the Side Consort?” Jun Zechen asked in return.

“The Side Consort gave birth to the First Prince, which is a great contribution to the nation. She originally deserved the title of Noble Consort.”

“But since there has never been two Noble Consorts in the palace, I am thinking of granting her the title of ‘Virtuous Consort.’ What do you think?” the Empress Dowager said gently.

Jun Zechen nodded. This arrangement matched his own thoughts.

“Mother has thought it through carefully. However, since the Virtuous Consort gave birth to the First Prince and raised him with great effort, I plan to give her the honorary title ‘Pure’ and name her ‘Pure Virtuous Consort.’”

“A jade hidden in the mountains makes the plants flourish; a pearl in deep waters keeps the cliffs from drying.”

Yaoyao’s kindness and purity should be like a precious jade or pearl, influencing the entire palace. The imperial harem should not be filled with endless scheming and conflict.

She deserved the title of ‘Pure.’

The Empress Dowager was slightly surprised by the Emperor’s decision to grant an honorary title. She had thought his heart only held the Crown Princess.

After all, in the past, he had refused to be intimate with the Virtuous Consort.

But now…

Had he changed?

“What are your plans for the residences of the Noble Consort and Pure Virtuous Consort?” she asked calmly.

Jun Zechen thought for a moment.

Since he had no Empress, the Kunning Palace was still empty.

He pressed his lips together slightly.

“The Noble Consort will live in Yikun Palace. The Pure Virtuous Consort will live in Yongshou Palace.”

“However, Yongshou Palace does not have a pleasant name. I will rename it ‘Zhaochun Palace,’ which suits the Pure Virtuous Consort well.”

As the Noble Consort, Ling Yue was well-suited to live in Yikun Palace.

Yongshou Palace had previously been the residence of Imperial Consort Shu, one of his father’s favored concubines. It was luxurious and even larger than Yikun Palace.

Now that Yaoyao had given birth, she should live in a grander palace.

Her previous palace in the Eastern Palace had an unpleasant name. But now, the name “Zhaochun” was much more fitting.

After today’s decree, Ling Yue would certainly have a hard time accepting it. He would have to visit Yikun Palace tonight to comfort her. He owed her that much.