The protagonist of this crossover film and television series is disrupting the plot again.

Chapter 81 Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace 8

Regardless of how the other concubines reacted when they learned that the Empress Dowager had bestowed the name Ruyi upon Qingying, Hongli was quite speechless after finding out.

It's truly astonishing that you can still gleefully lick the boots of someone who poisoned your aunt.

Furthermore, when Ruyi was in the Prince's residence, she was greatly favored by the original owner of the body. Among everyone in the residence, apart from Hailan, who had no intention of serving the original owner and had a good relationship with her, everyone else regarded her as a thorn in their side. Now that she has entered the palace, everyone's fear of her will only deepen.

They hadn't pointed the guns at her before, but because the Empress Dowager disliked her and often caused her trouble, the crowd just watched the spectacle to vent their anger.

Now that the Empress Dowager has accepted Ruyi's overtures and even bestowed a name upon her, the two are seen as having joined forces in the eyes of others.

The Empress Dowager was the previous champion of palace intrigue, and her methods were beyond doubt. Ruyi was also the niece of Consort Jingren, and she had been frequently sent to the palace to be taught by her since she was a child. Who knows how much of Consort Jingren's skills she had learned?

The fact that these two joined forces naturally put immense pressure on the other concubines. They were highly likely to band together to exclude Ruyi, or even strike first and eliminate her.

This was truly the first time Hongli had ever seen someone make himself a living target in the harem; it was quite an eye-opener for him.

Could it be that Qingying—no, now Ruyi—has some kind of backup plan?

Puzzled, Hongli shook his head, clearing his mind of distractions, and focused his attention back on the memorial before him.

The next day, all the newly appointed concubines gathered at Changchun Palace to receive instruction from the Empress. As the Emperor, Hongli was naturally not absent and went to the Empress's Changchun Palace to receive the ceremony with her.

After the ceremony, the two, along with a group of concubines, went to Cining Palace to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.

Previously, people had paid their respects to the Empress Dowager under the Empress's leadership, but at that time, it was somewhat improper and not entirely legitimate.

Now that they have received their investiture ceremony, their titles and palaces have been determined, and they are now proper imperial concubines.

Originally, Hongli didn't need to come; only the Empress and concubines would have been needed. But he had something to do today!

"Your son greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!"

The Empress Dowager's face lit up with a smile the moment she saw the Emperor. Although the Emperor was not her biological son, he valued her highly, and even the death of Yixiu was covered up by him.

Not to mention that the Emperor, despite pressure from his ministers, honored her as Empress Dowager and moved her to Cining Palace. How could she not be overjoyed by all of this?

The Empress Dowager showed Hongli immense enthusiasm, and before he could finish his greetings, she quickly made him stand up and sit in the seat next to her.

"Your Majesty seems to have lost a lot of weight recently. I know you are busy with state affairs, but you must take care of your health no matter how busy you are."

Hongli smiled and replied, "Your subject understands."

Seeing his good attitude, the Empress Dowager was even more pleased. She then turned to look at the Empress and the concubines below, and looking at their youthful and energetic faces, she thought back to when she herself had been like that:

"You have now been officially conferred titles and are proper concubines in the palace. The Emperor is young, and there are only a few of you in the palace. I have a few words to tell you. From now on, no matter how many people there are, I cannot stand those filthy things. You should all behave yourselves."

This was already a reprimand, and the Empress led the concubines to quickly rise and bow.

"Your Majesty, I will follow your teachings."

"There is one more thing I need to tell you."

The Empress Dowager waved her hand, signaling for people to sit down, and a smile returned to her face.

“Since ancient times, the eldest son and the legitimate son have been valued. The emperor already has a concubine’s eldest son, Yonghuang, and a legitimate son, Yonglian. There is another son who is also very important.”

The Empress Dowager paused deliberately at this point, and seeing that they were indeed instantly captivated by her words, she continued:

"That is the Emperor's first son after his ascension to the throne, and he is equally precious. So you all need to work harder and give birth to this precious child as soon as possible."

Upon hearing the Empress Dowager suddenly mention offspring, the concubines sitting below all blushed, but their thoughts were all different.

Ruyi and Xiyue were both concubines during the time they were in the Prince's residence, and were among the first to enter the household. However, they had not yet conceived. Hearing the Empress Dowager say this was like a knife to their hearts, and they felt extremely distressed.

Neither of them noticed the wary look in Langhua's eyes as she looked away from their faces. Her gaze slid from their faces to the bracelets on their wrists before she seemed to breathe a slight sigh of relief.

Su Luyun already had the Third Prince Yongzhang, but she was also quite interested in the idea of ​​having a son. She was also secretly considering whether she could conceive again, since she had only given birth less than half a year ago.

Huang Qiying, Hailan, and Chen Wanyin did not react much to Guizi's remarks.

Huang Qiying was previously the Empress's maid, and her entire family was under the Empress's control. Whether she could have children was not her own decision. Hailan didn't even want to serve the Empress, let alone have children. As for Chen Wanyin, she never competed or fought for anything, and her main approach was to let nature take its course.

Of all the people, only Jin Yuyan truly took it to heart, her eyes darting around, radiating a fiery ambition.

In the past, in order to avoid Langhua's resentment, she had been using contraception. It was impossible for her to have an eldest son or a legitimate son, but she was determined to have this precious son.

She was a noblewoman of the Yu family, but after entering the palace, she was only granted the title of a minor noble lady, on equal footing with Huang Qiying and Hailan, who were both born into slavery. How could she not be angry?

This is a good opportunity to have a son. If she successfully gives birth to a prince, not only will the prince be valued, but she will also be promoted and her rise to power will be just around the corner.

Inside the Cining Palace, people were restless. Although no one spoke, the atmosphere became inexplicably lively.

At first, Hongli thought the Empress Dowager's provocative words were too clumsy, but when he turned his head and looked at the crowd on the ground with their various expressions, he realized that she was quite clumsy.

Seriously?! Seriously?! They actually believed it!

Hongli was utterly speechless, feeling that these concubines were so easily tricked!

The Empress Dowager, observing the expressions on the concubines' faces, secretly gloated. The talk of a noble son was pure fabrication; this was merely an attempt to muddy the waters of the harem so she could reap the benefits. She still had two young children; without power, how could she raise them to adulthood?

Having achieved her goal of sowing discord, the Empress Dowager said nothing more and waved for everyone to leave.

Hongli stayed behind alone.

"How is Empress Dowager's stay at Cining Palace? Is she content? Are the new servants still needed?"

The Empress Dowager was surprised that he hadn't left. When he asked about it, she assumed he was just concerned about her and said, "Since the Emperor is so filial, I am naturally doing well in every way!"

"Yes, it's good that the new people are useful." Hongli nodded: "The palace servants around the Empress Dowager are getting old. I thought that they have served the Empress Dowager for so many years and it must have been hard for them. So I have granted them permission to retire to the temporary palace."

The Empress Dowager's face darkened: "Your Majesty, what do you mean by this?"

These palace servants were all her trusted confidants whom she had personally promoted. Sending them all to the imperial palace would be like cutting off her arms.

Hongli Zhang seemed not to have heard the Empress Dowager's words and continued, "Your Majesty experienced many hardships in your youth, and the three years on Lingyun Peak were even more arduous. Now that you are getting older, you should take better care of yourself. You are comfortable living in Cining Palace, so please stay here to recuperate. I will have the imperial physicians come to take care of your health from time to time."

The Empress Dowager could no longer maintain her composure, her face changing drastically: "Is Your Majesty trying to imprison me?"