Chapter 199: The Empress Backs the Fake Young Lady?

Li Qingluo then slowly walked forward and paid respects to Qu Shi and the Pei lady.

"Mother... no, the commander's wife, Old Lady... and also Eldest Miss Li..."

Li Qingzhu looked at Li Qingluo and the three others, her eyes brimming with tears.

Li Qingluo and Pei Lao Furen both closed their eyes, unable to bear to watch.

They're not men, yet she acts like this—could it be they'll soften their hearts?

Qu Shi: "Zhu'er... you, since you've already gone to Prince Yun's Mansion, serve His Highness well and live out your days happily!"

Empress: "Look. After all, she's been raised beside us since childhood—this familial affection is no different than blood ties; how could it be so easily severed?"

Pei Lao Furen turned and bowed: "I don't know why Your Highness has summoned this wicked girl and my grandmother and granddaughter trio—what is the purpose?"

Empress: "His Majesty once said, 'Cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, bring peace to the world.'"

"Our DaLiang's borderlands once had the honor of producing your Pei family, and later the Li family and other heroic generals who defended the nation."

"If it weren't for you, how could His Majesty govern in peace? Therefore, it is you who have pacified the realm and established the state for His Majesty. As generals, you naturally have great merit."

"But even though you are generals and the borders are now peaceful, you must still set an example in managing your households; you cannot stir up another scandal that would make all of DaLiang laugh, or else everyone in DaLiang will come to mock your mansions, and thereafter who would dare respect your authority?"

"Pei Lao Furen, do you agree?"

Pei Lao Furen smiled but did not answer.

She had confidence, but Qu Shi dared not.

Kneeling on the ground, she replied in a timid voice: "What Your Highness says is..."

The Empress glanced again at Li Qingluo, then continued: "This woman's deeds have indeed harmed your household's reputation and dignity, and also wounded your hearts."

"But she has now become Xiao Si's concubine, thus counting as a member of our imperial family. I must, for Xiao Si's sake, come to speak a few words of reconciliation with you."

"We do not insist that you still treat her as a daughter of the general's household; simply continue any necessary interactions as before, treating her as a distant relative—why not? There's no need to torment yourselves to death over this, harming the harmony with Prince Yun's Mansion."

"Miss Li, do you say what I've said is correct?"

As the pressure from imperial authority, Li Qingluo truly felt it today!

Although Prince Su remains the most awe‑inspiring, aloof presence she has seen to date, his might compared to the Empress's is no less—yet at this moment the Empress bears outright ill will toward Li Qingluo.

If she shows the slightest defiance today, she will surely not fare well!

Li Qingluo even felt a bead of sweat slide down her forehead.

The Empress seemed impatient.

"Miss Li, why don't you tell us how you see this matter? After all, you are also part of this situation."

Li Qingluo knew she could not avoid this today, nor did she want her grandmother's worried gaze to intensify; she lowered her head and replied: "I am terrified, Your Highness. I have grown up in the countryside since childhood, knowing little of state affairs, but I understand that only when officials' households are harmonious can they serve the emperor with peace of mind."

Before Li Qingluo finished speaking, a call came from outside the hall: "Xi Yue*** has arrived——"

The Empress furrowed her brows slightly: "How did she come?"

As they spoke, Xi Yue*** had already stormed into the hall.

She glanced at Li Qingluo kneeling on the floor, then smiled and stepped forward to pay respects to the Empress.

"I, your subject, pay my respects to the Mother Empress; may the Mother Empress live ten thousand years!"

Xi Yue*** is the current emperor's eldest legitimate daughter, yet not born of the present Empress.

Because her birth mother was the emperor's first wife in his youth.

It is a pity that she died from injury before the emperor ascended the throne, leaving only a three‑year‑old Xi Yue; the present Empress, Gao Shi, later became a secondary consort and entered the palace.

After the emperor's accession, he posthumously honored his first wife as Empress Xiaoai; the current Empress, Gao Shi, is the consort who succeeded her.

When Xi Yue*** first married, she quarreled with Empress Gao Shi, causing the loss of the Empress's unborn heir, provoking the emperor's wrath; thus Xi Yue*** was exiled to the northwest.

Originally Xi Yue*** also hated Empress Gao Shi intensely, believing that Gao Shi had set a plot to frame her.

After enduring much in the northwest, upon returning to the capital she has considerably tempered her former arrogant and domineering nature.

Upon seeing Gao Shi, she can now call her "Mother Empress" in harmony, as if the past had never happened.

But Empress Gao Shi cannot let her guard down toward her, thinking she truly has set aside past grudges.

Thus Empress Gao Shi has always been cold toward her.

"Please rise. Xi Yue, today the palace is holding a banquet; you used to love such liveliness. I didn't expect you to find time to come pay your respects—do you have something to discuss?"

Xi Yue*** smiled, pointing at the kneeling Li Qingluo, and said: "Mother Empress, I have come to seek the Li family's eldest daughter."

The Empress was surprised: "What do you want with her?"

"A country‑bred maid actually has dealings with the princess's mansion?"

The palace maid beside her immediately leaned forward to explain a few things.

The doubt in the Empress's eyes was then dispelled.

"She rescued Nan Ping, so you made her an honored guest in your mansion? This girl receiving such honor is even luckier than Xiao Si."

The Empress gave Liu Qingzhu an indifferent stare; Liu Qingzhu trembled all over and involuntarily lowered her head.

In fact she already harbored a deadly hatred for Li Qingluo.

She had clearly reached that point; if the Empress forced her to agree to return to the general's mansion, she could still regain her former status...

But then, *** burst onto the scene at this very moment!

Know that she entered the palace this morning and has already listened to several hours of admonitions in the Phoenix‑Resting Palace!

Female virtues, palace rules, countless regulations… plus an inexplicable order forcing her to kneel on the ground, not allowed to rise.

Even now her knees still ache.

Li Qingzhu has endured all of this.

Because she must obey the Highness's words; only by obeying can her future days improve somewhat.

But all of this has now been thrown into chaos!

Xi Yue smiled: "Mother Empress, it's all my fault for indulging Nan Ping; after she returned to Jinling she made a couple or three close friends, and I couldn't bear to cut off that bond, so I let her confide in this Miss Li."

She came to the palace today; I clearly heard that Li Qingluo had already arrived, but she never showed up in Zhao Hua Hall, so I anxiously rushed to look for your servant.

I have few children, just Nanping and her younger brother. She was anxious, and I, as her servant, couldn't help but get anxious too, so I helped look around—only then did I learn that the Empress Dowager had summoned all the women of the Li Clan to Phoenix Perch Palace because she had business.

Is the matter regarding my mother already settled?

If not, I'll wait here as your servant. Then I'll personally send Li Qingluo to Nanping.

The Empress's face darkened, and the anger in her eyes almost burst forth uncontrollably.

She gripped the armrest so tightly she nearly snapped the armor.

She privately brought the three generations of women from the Li Clan to Phoenix Perch Palace, ostensibly to plead for that concubine of Prince Yun—really just to back her up, but actually to win back the Jiangjun Fu for Prince Yun.

With the Empress herself stepping in, both sides would have a way to back down.

Surely Li Chao Jing could no longer remain so foolishly arrogant, insisting on opposing her Phoenix Perch Palace!

The Empress's willingness to lavish such attention on one of Prince Yun's concubines ultimately stems from the fact that Li Chao Jing is in his prime, and who knows what future fortune he may hold—it's hard to say.

These matters must not be brought to the former court.

Because it's all utterly disgraceful.

The Emperor doesn't meddle in officials' household affairs—how could an Empress possibly stretch her hand so far?

If His Majesty were to find out…

The Empress's face darkened uncontrollably, then she waved a hand and said: "It's merely that I, the palace, am catching up with Pei Lao Furen, and wanting to take a look at the Li Clan's rumored daughter."

There was nothing important to begin with. Since that's the case, let's hurry along—I, the palace, am tired.

Having said that, the Empress propped her forehead and closed her eyes.

Li Qingluo and her party of three were taken out of Phoenix Perch Palace by Xiyue ***, while Qu Shi remained in a dazed state, frequently looking back at Liu Qingzhu who had followed them out.

Li Qingluo glanced, then bowed to *** and said: 'Thank you, Your Highness, for your rescue.'

Xiyue stared at her; this was the first time she had properly examined Li Qingluo.

She smiled and said: 'I, the palace, seem to understand somewhat why my Nanping likes you so much.'

Li Qingluo was still wondering when Xiyue smiled again and said: 'But today, I, the palace, didn't come to help you just for Nanping.'

'If you want to thank someone, go thank the main person.'

Li Qingluo's heart gave a slight jump.

Prince Su?

That person popped into her mind, startling her.

Besides him and Nanping, I really couldn't think of anyone else who could move this person before me ***.

Pei Lao Furen offered her thanks politely, and *** courteously and respectfully invited her to go along together.

Her courtesy was far more genuine than the Empress's.

Repeatedly saying 'you,' she said: 'I heard from my wet nurse that I, the palace's, deceased birth mother, when young, greatly admired you. Unfortunately, when I, the palace, grew older, you had already left Jinling for seclusion at Azure Pine Temple; I, the palace, deeply regret never having seen your youthful bearing.'

Qu Shi stepped forward, looked at Li Qingluo, her eyes gloomy: 'Luo'er, do you today understand what the Empress means?'

'Is she trying to have Zhu'er again nominally registered in our Jiangjun Fu?'

'Zhu'er has lost her status, her reputation is poor, and she must have suffered many grievances in Prince Yun's rear palace.'

Li Qingluo said: 'If she truly isn't favored, would the most exalted Empress in the world come today to back her up and make decisions for her?'

Qu Shi choked up instantly: '……'

After a while, she seemed to finally react.

'Yes, the Empress came to speak for her, showing that Prince Yun still values her highly.'

Li Qingluo saw her expression and knew she truly cherished Liu Qingzhu.

Even though Liu Qingzhu had done so many outrageous things, Qu Shi's deepest, truest affection still lay with the foster daughter she herself had raised.

Li Qingluo felt nothing about this.

She even felt like laughing wildly: this would be great!!!