Such a major event as the fire at the Fu family residence was naturally witnessed by the residents of that street. By the time the Regent's guards stormed into the Fu family home, and the Emperor personally led Furong out, everyone in the capital who needed to know knew. The common people, unable to come and watch the spectacle, combined with previous rumors, only knew that the Fu family was fortunate to have another daughter enter the palace.
Although the adopted daughter became the legitimate eldest daughter, and the concubine became an Imperial Noble Consort, the common people only assumed that the initial news was incorrect and that the later news was true. They all marveled at how well the Fu family had raised their daughter. With an Empress Dowager, an Empress, and an Imperial Noble Consort, the Fu family was destined for lasting prosperity! However, at the same time, some people were also vaguely saying that the Fu family sold their daughters for personal gain; otherwise, why were their men not successful? Relying on women for protection was utterly shameful!
The officials treated it as a joke. Furong's identity had remained unresolved, and they were still figuring out how to arrange things. Unexpectedly, Furong became the eldest daughter of the Fu family, listed in the family genealogy and the imperial register—a secret unknown to later generations. Furong was indeed the eldest daughter of the Fu family. Fu Qiuwen had just become Empress, and the very next day Furong was bestowed the title of Imperial Noble Consort. The Emperor's attitude was clear: he had slapped the Fu family in the face and was now forcing them to acknowledge their kinship. The Fu family had become a complete laughingstock!
Fu Lin didn't even attend court the next day, claiming illness and staying home, refusing to see any guests. After the Empress Dowager woke up, the Emperor, without any hesitation, took Fu Rong to pay respects to the Empress Dowager and the Empress. As soon as Fu Rong bowed, the Emperor helped her up without waiting for them to call her, clearly showing that he cherished her dearly, which infuriated the Empress Dowager and the Empress.
Furong was already beautiful, and her elaborate attire, befitting her status as an Imperial Noble Consort, was enough to pierce the hearts of the Empress Dowager and the Empress, completely overshadowing the Empress. She looked at them with a smile, "Aunt, sister, from now on we are family. I will definitely work with my sister to be filial to our aunt and take good care of our cousin."
Fu Qiuwen lost her temper and glared at her angrily, "Shut up! Who's your sister? Don't you have any sense of hierarchy?!"
The Emperor's face darkened, and Furong tugged at his sleeve, shaking her head at him. This scene, witnessed by the Empress Dowager and the Empress, made them gasp in shock. Furong, her smile unchanged, said, "Sister, I already acknowledged my family yesterday; Fucheng is my father. You are my second uncle's daughter, so naturally you are my sister. It is fate that our family can reunite in the palace. I hope you will take good care of me in the future."
The Empress Dowager slammed her hand on the table, unable to contain herself any longer, and pointed at the Emperor in anger, "Do you have any sense of propriety, righteousness, or shame? Do you have any respect for your parents and ancestors? You forced the Fu family to acknowledge this slut, where do you place the ancestors of my Fu family? My elder brother died young without leaving any bloodline, but he is your own maternal uncle, and you just use a slut to humiliate him like this?"
"Empress Dowager!" The Emperor waved for everyone to leave, leaving only himself and the Empress Dowager. He stared at her coldly and said, "Empress Dowager, Furong was once imprisoned in a brothel, but she respected herself and valued her reputation. She sold her art, not her body, and struggled to survive on her own. She never thought of clinging to me, and she didn't even know I was the Emperor until you wanted to kill her. She always thought of me and wanted to leave me more than once to protect my reputation. It was I who begged her to stay. She was never lowly, nor could she be humiliated by anyone!"
The Emperor approached the Empress Dowager step by step, looking at her frail appearance, and said with a wicked smile: "And what about you? How do you survive? How do you fawn over the Regent? How do you play hard to get? I refrain from saying anything harsh because you are my birth mother, but what right do you have to insult Furong? In my heart, you are far inferior to her!"
"How dare you!" The Empress Dowager gasped, raising her hand to strike, but the Emperor grabbed her wrist and flung her away.
"I will never be your puppet again, and your reliance on the Regent Prince is not guaranteed to protect you forever. If he finds out your true colors and knows that you have been using him all along, what do you think he will do?"
"You're insane!"
"I've gone mad, driven mad by you! You know perfectly well what you and the Fu family have done, and I will never let you have the chance to be above me again! But don't worry, I still want the Regent to support me, so he won't expose you so easily. I will only use his weaknesses to deal with you, just you wait and see." The Emperor looked at the Empress Dowager's hypocritical face with hatred, and without giving her a chance to speak, he turned and left.
The Empress Dowager clutched her chest, gasping for breath, utterly bewildered as to how things had escalated to this point. What had she done? Hadn't she simply wanted to kill Furong? She and the Fu family had helped eliminate Xu Zifan's influence and were even assisting the Emperor; why was the Emperor treating them this way?
Being subtly accused by her own son of seducing men and being told she was far inferior to a prostitute was an utter disgrace! She was so enraged she couldn't calm down, and in the empty room, she fainted from the shock. But who cared if she fainted? She'd be better off fainting a few more times.
The Emperor ignored the Empress's angry shouts and led the Imperial Noble Consort away without looking back. He also ordered people to watch over the Empress and make her attend to him day and night, forbidding her from leaving Anci Palace. If the Empress Dowager and the Fu family were rivals with him due to their power struggles, then Fu Qiuwen was someone he utterly despised, evidence of his incompetence and being suppressed by the Regent.
Whenever he saw Fu Qiuwen, he was reminded of Xu Zifan's domineering manner in court. He hated Fu Qiuwen and felt nauseous just looking at her. This attitude deeply wounded Fu Qiuwen. From childhood, she had been a pampered princess, the darling of the Fu family. She had never suffered such humiliation. She had thought that with the Empress Dowager by her side, she would have nothing to fear once she entered the palace. But now, even the Empress Dowager was being suppressed by the Emperor. She trembled with anger, but there was nothing she could do. She could only stay in Anci Palace, feeling utterly miserable.
The emperor's harem consisted of the empress and the imperial concubine. The two palace maids who taught him about court affairs were granted the title of Noble Lady by him, but he only visited the imperial concubine. This meant that it was as if Furong was the only woman in the harem. In the eyes of the other palace women, Furong's status was second only to the emperor, surpassing even the empress dowager and the empress. Qihong had shared hardships with Furong and served her closely, so naturally she had access to...
There were even more things to deal with. As a result, Mo Yun, Xiao Shunzi, and Qi Hong worked together, creating even more opportunities for conflict.
With Mo Yun's careful planning, the conflicts among the palace intensified, and misunderstandings snowballed, leaving no chance for clarification. Fu Rong was no pushover either; with a few whispers in the emperor's ear, the emperor grew increasingly dissatisfied with the empress dowager and empress, and even stripped Fu Lin of his official rank for consistently missing court, causing the empress dowager to faint from anger once again.
Instead of resting, the Empress Dowager's health deteriorated, and she became frequently angry. Even after consulting with all the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital, they could not find a way to completely cure her, and she could only take medicine and recuperate every day. Now, the Empress Dowager gets out of breath after walking just a few steps, and although she is in her early thirties, she looks like she is in her forties. The Empress can only stay in Anci Palace to attend to her illness.
Mo Yun stirred up trouble among them in the palace, causing minor skirmishes every three days and major conflicts every five days, which made Xu Zifan feel much more relaxed. Because the emperor was overwhelmed by several women and had no energy to fight for power, Xu Zifan didn't even need to deceive the emperor. Every day after court, he would return to his residence to review memorials, then arrange plans and issue orders, while also taking care of his health.
The original owner of this body had been completely devoted to the Empress Dowager, and for the past six years, he had worked tirelessly day and night to maintain his power, resulting in numerous health problems that required proper care. Although Xu Zifan had top-grade elixirs in his space that could cleanse his marrow and strengthen his bones, without the cultivation world, those elixirs were becoming increasingly rare. Unless absolutely necessary, he preferred to use the medicinal herbs available in this world to recuperate himself. In any case, with his medical skills, restoring his health wouldn't take much effort.
Just after Xu Zifan finished his medicine that day, De'an reported that Miss Yulan was requesting an audience.
"Master, Miss Yulan has brought some newly learned pastries; she must have come to bring you some food."
Xu Zifan got up, stretched, and walked outside. "Let's go to the pavilion for some pastries. We've finished reviewing all the memorials; it'll be good to get some fresh air."
Upon hearing this, De'an hurriedly instructed two servants to make arrangements. Yu Lan saw Xu Zifan and bowed with a smile, "Your Highness, I thought that good medicine tastes bitter, and Your Highness might lose your appetite if you drink this soup every day. So I learned to make a few new pastries to whet Your Highness's appetite."
Xu Zifan gestured for her to walk while saying, "No need for all that trouble. I have a good appetite. You should learn more for yourself. Didn't we agree to settle our debts?"
Yu Lan laughed and said, "That's not what I'm after. I'm concerned about the Prince. The Prince has given me a place to stay, and I enjoy wealth and luxury in the mansion. It always feels like a dream, unreal, that he doesn't let me do anything."
"Whatever you want, just don't overwork yourself."
They walked to the pavilion, where soft cushions had been laid out and fruit and tea were served. Xu Zifan, thinking about what Yu Lan had just said, suggested, "There's nothing for you to do in the manor, why don't you manage a few shops? Sell whatever you want, keep things lively, and you won't feel bored when you're thinking about the shops' business."
Yu Lan was taken aback, then immediately waved her hand in refusal, "Your Highness, I am already incredibly fortunate to be able to stay here. I dare not close the shop again, I..."
"You've learned how to manage a household from the old lady, and you're familiar with the general situation of the mansion. What are a few shops worth? Saying that makes you act like an outsider."
"I..." Yu Lan was speechless. She really considered herself an outsider and dared not accept too many benefits because she couldn't possibly repay them. These days she tried to do something for Xu Zifan, but Xu Zifan seemed to need nothing. Wasn't she just taking advantage without being able to give anything back?
Seeing her conflicted expression, Xu Zifan understood and said with a smile, "How about this, consider it as you managing the shop for me. You know I need money to do business. If you make money, we'll split it 50/50, how about that?"
"I can accept it as long as I can help out," Yu Lan said with a smile, raising her cup. "Then I'll gladly accept your offer, Your Highness." She felt much better immediately. Although she knew it was Xu Zifan who was taking care of her, she was still happy to be able to work for Xu Zifan and be a useful person. She would definitely do her best to earn money for Xu Zifan.
As the two were raising their cups to drink, two women with servants walked over from around the corner. They spotted them immediately, and their expressions became somewhat strange.
Xu Zifan looked up and saw Xu Ziyun and Xu Shiyue. He asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"
Xu Ziyun glanced at Yu Lan with a half-smile. "What's wrong? Shi Yue is going home to visit. Is it wrong for me, as her younger sister, to come and visit my brother? Or am I interrupting your good time?"
Xu Zifan sighed helplessly, "How can you talk like that! This is Yu Lan, Yu Lan, this is my younger sister Zi Yun."
Yu Lan curtsied and greeted her in a generous manner. Xu Ziyun approached and saw her face clearly, and her smile immediately vanished.