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

Chapter 82 Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace 9

"What are you saying, Empress Dowager? I'm just concerned about you!" Hongli said frankly.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager gave a cold laugh: "The late Emperor's body is not yet cold, and the Emperor has already imprisoned me. Doesn't he fear the ridicule of the world, who will say that the Emperor is disobedient and unfilial, and unfit to be a ruler?"

Hongli also suppressed his smile: "Your Majesty's words are laughable! I would rather send the Empress of Jingren Palace to a temporary palace than not honor you as Empress Dowager. I will also repair Cining Palace for you to recuperate. If the court officials knew that I was doing this, they would only say that I am filial."

"Besides, doesn't the Empress Dowager feel ashamed to mention the late Emperor now? How could you be so heartless as to watch him pass away so young, when he had such deep affection for you?"

"What does the Emperor mean by that?"

The Empress Dowager shouted angrily, but she was extremely shocked. What did the Emperor mean by those words? Did he know something?

"Does the Empress Dowager really have to spell it out like this?" Hongli stared intently at the Empress Dowager, his gaze as deep and unfathomable as a bottomless pool.

The two locked eyes, and an invisible standoff slowly unfolded.

After an unknown amount of time, the Empress Dowager looked at him and said mockingly, "The Emperor says I am heartless, but I say you are the truly heartless one. For the sake of the throne, you actually watched your own father be murdered and even honored your father's killer as Empress Dowager. How laughable!"

Oh! The late emperor was really killed by the Empress Dowager!

When the late emperor was seriously ill, the imperial physician Wei Lin treated him, but after his death, Wei Lin disappeared without a trace.

The original owner was only thinking about becoming emperor and didn't remember such a trivial matter at all. It was only when Hongli transmigrated and sorted through his memories and the information at hand that he realized something was wrong.

However, the Empress Dowager acted swiftly and decisively, leaving no trace. He had only been there a short time and couldn't find anything out in a short period of time. He had only been trying to trick the Empress Dowager, but he didn't expect her to admit it so readily.

Hongli: "You're getting impatient!"

The Empress Dowager, unable to bear it any longer, flew into a rage: "So what if you know? Go ahead and tell everyone if you dare! I poisoned the late Emperor, and you, the Emperor, are the beneficiary. You will not escape the judgment of the world."

"Your Majesty, please don't do this."

Hongli spoke gently and calmly: "You have schemed against me in so many ways, why can't I retaliate a little? Besides, it was just a few words, and you've already torn off all pretense of civility. It's really beneath your dignity and too undignified."

"Dignity? Do I still have any dignity?!" the Empress Dowager said coldly, "Your Majesty..."

"As long as Your Majesty stays quietly in Cining Palace and acts as a mascot, without interfering in the affairs of the court and the harem, I guarantee you can live out your old age in peace."

Hongli interrupted the Empress Dowager directly. Now that he had such a big handle on the Empress Dowager's poisoning of the late Emperor, she was no longer a threat to him. Moreover, he could use her to improve his reputation. From this point of view, it was not a bad idea to spare her life.

The Empress Dowager glared angrily, about to retort, when she heard him speak calmly:

"Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them! Your Majesty, don't just think about yourself, you must also think about your children."

Her anger vanished instantly, leaving only a sense of bewilderment.

Children?

Hongzhan and Lingxi!

That's her and Yunli's child!

Yunli died for her, must the two children also suffer because of her?

Do not!no!

"you dare!"

The Empress Dowager suddenly stood up, looking as if she wanted to fight to the death.

But Hongli remained seated in his chair with an air of superiority, his eyes filled with disdain, as if he were looking at a clown.

He told her with his silence: He could! Because he was the emperor!

This nonchalant attitude angered her so much that her face gradually contorted, her hands gripping her sleeves tightly, her wide eyes seemingly glistening with tears.

"It seems the Empress Dowager has figured it out!"

Hongli smiled gently and stood up: "I still have matters to attend to in the court, so I will take my leave first. The Empress Dowager should rest and recuperate here from now on, and there is no need for outsiders to disturb her, so as not to delay her condition."

The Empress Dowager's breathing grew heavier. She looked at Hongli's smug expression and wanted to say something, but then she thought of her two children and swallowed her words.

"That's right!"

Just as Hongli reached the door, he seemed to remember something and suddenly turned back to the Empress Dowager, saying:

"I heard that there is a pipa player named Bai Ruiji in the Southern Palace who is very much liked by the Empress Dowager. Why don't we just have her come and serve us?"

The Empress Dowager's expression changed again; she hadn't expected the Emperor to know even about such a trivial matter.

It seems that her every move was already under the Emperor's control, which is why she was called the "female Zhuge Liang".

How ridiculous!

Bai Ruiji was originally sent to the palace by the Ulanara family, intended as a tool to consolidate Yixiu's favor after her fall from grace. Unfortunately, plans changed quickly; the late emperor passed away, and Yixiu never had the chance to use this tactic again.

She took the opportunity to win people over, planning to give them to the emperor later so that they could cause trouble in the harem. Even if something went wrong, others would only trace it back to Ulanara. Ruyi, Yixiu's niece, was a ready-made scapegoat.

She never expected that the Emperor would find out so soon after she subdued Bai Ruiji. It was likely that Bai Ruiji had been eyeing her for a long time, but she was completely unaware of it and was even gloating, plotting how to control the harem and the Emperor.

Looking back now, it's truly pathetic! Ridiculous!

As Hongli left, Wang Qin bowed and followed, respectfully saying, "Your Majesty, all the original servants in the Empress Dowager's palace have been sent out, and the Imperial Household Department has also reassigned people to serve her. They are all meticulous, thoughtful, and efficient, and I'm sure they will satisfy the Empress Dowager."

"Hmm! Well done! Go and give them a warning, make them more vigilant, serve the Empress Dowager well, and report anything promptly."

"The slave obeys the order!"

……

After paying respects that day, the Empress Dowager fell ill and secluded herself in the palace to recuperate. At first, no one believed it, since the Empress Dowager looked rosy and full of energy that day, not like someone who was sick.

Because Hongli had warned the palace servants beforehand, no one knew what happened at Cining Palace that day, and even fewer knew that all the palace servants inside had been replaced from top to bottom.

So they all guessed that the Empress Dowager was in a bad mood and wanted to use the excuse of attending to the sick to make trouble for the concubines. But they did not expect that the Empress Dowager not only refused the Empress and concubines to attend to her sick, but also refused the noblewomen to pay their respects.

A few days later, news came from Cining Palace that after the Sixth Prince was adopted by Prince Guo, the Empress Dowager also sent Princess Lingxi to Prince Xian's residence and entrusted her to Prince Xian's wife to raise. She herself still did not leave Cining Palace.

When Hongli learned of this, he was happy to do a good deed and enhance the reputation of his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, so he directly issued an edict to bestow upon Princess Lingxi the title of Princess Heshuo Roushu, and not only bestowed upon her many treasures, but also assigned her several reliable palace servants to take care of her.

Those who know about this say that the emperor was extremely filial to his mother and kind to his younger siblings.

The series of events left everyone puzzled. They wanted to ask around, but the palace servants of Cining Palace were very disciplined and would never leave the palace unless absolutely necessary. Those who did leave the palace on errands were also very tight-lipped. No matter how eloquently you praised them or how much gold and silver you offered, they would not utter a single word and would return to Cining Palace immediately after completing their errands.

Over time, although people had doubts, they stopped asking about the Empress Dowager since it didn't concern them.