The Empress Dowager, the original host's memory held a faint impression of her.
Coupled with some information Ruan Xi had found, she had a partial understanding of the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager was not Zhan Tianhong's birth mother, but his adoptive mother.
Zhan Tianhong's birth mother had died in childbirth on the very day he was born.
Afterward, Zhan Tianhong was raised by the Empress Dowager, who was then the Empress. The Empress already had a son, who was made Crown Prince by the late Emperor shortly after his birth.
However, the Crown Prince's life was short. He fell ill with a strange disease at the age of ten. The imperial physicians were helpless, and could only watch as the Crown Prince died. Only then did Zhan Tianhong, who had never been paid much attention by the Empress Dowager, become important.
During this period, the Empress Dowager likely wanted to have more children, but her womb remained barren.
According to Ruan Xi's findings, although the Empress Dowager began to value Zhan Tianhong, she still treated him poorly, always feeling that he had cursed her son to death.
Oh, and the Empress Dowager's maternal family was the Geng family.
Under the Empress Dowager's arrangement, Zhan Tianhong married Geng Yufei as his empress.
It could be imagined that the Empress Dowager's return was not good news for Zhan Tianhong, nor for herself, after all, she had had some friction with Geng Yufei and Geng Yuyue.
However... she hooked her lips. She held an ace in her hand.
She glanced at herself in the mirror. Well, not bad.
"Your skills are getting better and better," Yun Shu praised Yu Le.
Yu Le was delighted to be praised, "Thank you, Miss, for your compliment."
She had to learn more and more beautiful hairstyles in the future, aiming to give her lady a new one every day. After all, their lady was the most beautiful woman in the capital!
Yun Xiaojing walked in, holding a large piece of watermelon and taking big bites.
He exclaimed, "Mother is so beautiful! My mother is the most beautiful mother in the world!"
Yun Shu patted Yun Xiaojing's head, "Xiao Jing, you and your two brothers are also the cutest children in the world."
"Mother, are Xiao Li and the others also going into the palace today?" Yun Xiaojing asked, blinking his large eyes.
Yun Shu nodded, "They should be going into the palace. You stay and play with Sister Yu Le in the mansion today, and you can go to Xiao Li and the others tomorrow."
"Alright," Yun Xiaojing seemed a little disappointed. He blinked and said, "Mother, then I'll go find Uncle Ruan. His mansion is fun."
"Yes, let Jing Heng accompany you," Yun Shu agreed.
At the same time.
In the Yun Mansion, Yun Yueyin was also frantically trying to put on a false face.
She didn't know if Meng Jiatong's skills were problematic, but the false face could not be adorned with eyebrows or rouge. It could only be worn plain-faced.
Wen Shu fumbled for a long time without success. Even if she managed to draw eyebrows, they would start to fade after a while.
Her whole face looked dirty.
Yun Yueyin was anxious and furious, "Meng Jiatong lacks skill! The false face she made is so useless! People who have used Old Master Meng's false faces say there's no difference from a real face! Meng Jiatong is truly useless!"
"Miss, what should we do now? The carriage to the palace is waiting at the mansion gate. Should we look for Miss Meng? Perhaps she has a solution," Wen Shu asked anxiously.
"No, there's no time," Yun Yueyin flatly refused. Staring at her face in the bronze mirror, an idea suddenly struck her, and she let out a cold laugh.
It was good that her face was plain. The plainer it was, the more it would show how poorly she had been treated. Moreover, her words would make the Empress Dowager believe her even more.
Today, she could also stand in a more advantageous position.
Thinking of this, Yun Yueyin immediately stood up, "Let's go."
...
The Imperial Palace.
Qiankun Palace.
In the palace hall, Geng Yufei was pitifully wiping away tears, crying out her grievances to the Empress Dowager.
"Mother, the Emperor dislikes me more and more. He would rather learn the zither from the second Miss Yun than see me. It's a fool's dream for me to even hope to bear a royal child. I don't know what I did wrong, why does the Emperor hate me so much? Wuwuwu..."
Looking at the weeping Geng Yufei, a hint of impatience flickered across the Empress Dowager's well-maintained, unwrinkled face. However, after all, she was her niece. She sighed, "The Emperor is still young, and he has been plagued by illness all along. Be more tolerant. There are no other consorts in the harem, so you don't need to rush."
"But, but the Emperor seems to be very unusual with the second Miss Yun. He often summons her. They are in the imperial study for a long time. The palace servants say they rarely hear any zither music. Mother, you haven't seen the second Miss Yun for several years. I don't know how seductive she has become now, nor what she has experienced during these years. She's not foolish at all anymore, and her zither skills have surpassed Yu Yue." Geng Yufei knew this was an opportunity.
She had finally waited for the Empress Dowager's return to have her uphold justice. She had to seize this opportunity.
Hmph!
With the Empress Dowager's intervention, Yun Shu would definitely be dealt with properly, preventing her from being so arrogant, and once again causing Yun Shu to lose face in front of everyone.
After understanding the situation, the Empress Dowager disliked Yun Shu even more. How dare she bully someone from their Geng family.
Moreover, Yu Fei was the empress, who was in a high position.
On her way back, she had heard some things about Yun Shu. Now, it seemed necessary to give her a good warning.
The Empress Dowager nodded, "As the Empress of a nation, how can you be bullied by a general's daughter to the point of crying? What kind of bearing is that? Quickly wipe your tears, don't let anyone see them, it will disgrace you, disgrace me, and disgrace the Geng family."
Geng Yufei immediately nodded obediently and quickly wiped the tears from her face, saying with a smile, "Forgive me, Mother. It's just that Niece cares too much about the Emperor's thoughts. If Mother hadn't returned, Niece might still be under house arrest now. Niece is truly happy that Mother has finally returned to the capital."
The Empress Dowager also smiled, "I have been away from the palace for too long. This time, I don't plan to leave again. Don't worry, with me here, I will definitely not let the Emperor neglect you again. The Emperor is not young anymore, and it is indeed time for him to have a royal son."
Geng Yufei's eyes flickered, and she lowered her head as if shy.
At this moment, a woman who had been listening to the aunt and niece chat raised her head after they finished speaking. She had been diligently brewing tea.
Her tea ceremony skills seemed to be learned from somewhere, and her movements were very elegant.
Moreover, when the woman raised her head, she revealed a very delicate and graceful face. Geng Yufei couldn't help but look at her a few more times when she entered earlier.
Although her appearance was slightly inferior to Yun Shu's, she was still a beauty who could easily captivate a man's heart.
At first, she was a little uneasy, fearing that the Empress Dowager had brought her back for the Emperor. But it turned out not to be the case, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
It was truly because this woman knew how to serve people.
"Your Majesty Empress Dowager, the tea is ready," Jiang Luoxi said softly.