OBS Chapter 1782 The Demeanor and Vision of an Empress
Chapter 1782 The Demeanor and Vision of an Empress
This clumsy attempt to sacrifice a pawn to save the king—who does it think is a fool?
"Your Majesty, this matter is clearly..."
At this moment, Shen Zhinian gently shook her head at Consort Xuan.
She noticed the change in the emperor's expression and understood the power of the Zhuang family and how important Grand Tutor Zhuang was to Nangong Xuanyu. With this way out, he wouldn't really do anything to Consort Zhuang.
If Consort Xuan continues to pester her, it will not end well.
Shen Zhinian never expected that she could completely bring down Consort Zhuang with this one move.
Who is Zhuang Yumin?
The eldest daughter of the Grand Tutor, a former servant of the Prince's residence, she had cultivated her influence in the inner palace for many years and had deep roots in the power structure.
Her father was the emperor's tutor, and her uncles held important positions in the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War.
Such a person cannot be shaken by a single medicine case or by Consort Kang.
Even if everyone knows that Consort Zhuang is the mastermind, as long as the emperor doesn't want to touch her, she will remain a consort.
Shen Zhinian understood this from the very beginning.
Therefore, she is not in a hurry.
One day, Consort Zhuang will, like Wang Zhuohua before her, gradually exhaust the emperor's patience.
When the market maker is no longer so indispensable.
When the emperor finally began to value that teacher-student relationship, it was completely erased.
Every time Consort Zhuang appeared before him, he didn't remember the gentle young girl from back then, but rather one unresolved scandal after another...
At that time, no one will need to lift a finger; the emperor will personally deal with Consort Zhuang.
Just like how Wang Zhuohua was dealt with back then.
Consort Xuan could only reluctantly stop talking.
Little did they know that the emperor's true feeling at that moment was one of relief.
He never had romantic feelings for Zhuang Yumin, but out of respect for his mentor, he treated her with sufficient dignity.
But this dignity is not priceless.
The emperor is more aware of the current predicament of the Great Zhou than anyone else.
In the imperial court, the chronic illness left by the late emperor had not yet been completely cured.
Although the Xiongnu sent envoys to the court at the beginning of the year, when have the wolves on the grasslands ever truly submitted?
They are merely licking their wounds, waiting for the right opportunity to pounce and tear them apart again.
At such a time, the Great Zhou Dynasty cannot withstand the shock of losing its own arm.
Zhuang Jia, the Grand Tutor was his mentor.
Nangong Xuanyu remembered that when he was still the sixth prince, everyone said that his birth mother was lowly and his adoptive mother was unkind.
Only my mentor never judged people in this way.
The Grand Tutor taught him the classics, history, philosophy, literature, and the art of rulership, as well as how to protect himself amidst the infighting among the princes.
In those years, when I studied under the trees in the backyard of the Zhuang family mansion, my teacher's wife would personally bring me snacks.
Zhuang Yumin stood beside him and ground the ink for him.
This is one of the few moments of warmth in Nangong Xuanyu's bleak childhood.
He remembers this kindness.
But the emperor knew even better that if it was found today that Consort Zhuang had plotted to harm the imperial heir and framed the Imperial Noble Consort, each and every one of these acts would be capital offenses!
Even if he spares her life out of consideration for their past relationship, there will still be people in the court who will criticize the Zhuang family.
Grand Tutor Zhuang was old, and the members of the Zhuang family each had their own duties, with his students and old friends spread throughout the court and the countryside.
Once this door is opened, it won't be as simple as dealing with Consort Zhuang...
Those were deeply entrenched forces; a single move in the court could have far-reaching consequences...
Emperors are not afraid of ruthless methods.
However, he was unwilling to create a major problem for the country before eliminating internal troubles and quelling external threats.
Therefore, Xiao Cai's words were nothing short of a stepping stone for the emperor.
The truth is never as important as stabilizing the political situation.
Therefore, the turmoil in the harem could only come to an end here!
The important thing is that Niannian no longer needs to be involved in this matter.
Little did she know... the development of events was exactly as Shen Zhinian had predicted.
She had been ordering Xiaomingzi to send people to keep an eye on Changchun Palace and Xianfu Palace, so how could she not know what Xiao Caizi was doing?
Without Shen Zhinian's tacit approval, how could Xiao Caizi have possibly broken into the impregnable Yongshou Palace?
If she wanted to stop it, she could have done so long ago.
Shen Zhinian did this not because she was being overly compassionate, nor because she was showing mercy to Consort Zhuang.
Rather, it's because... in her previous life, Shen Zhinian was engaged in a political struggle filled with swords and shadows, far more dangerous than the harem!
From the illegitimate daughter of a sixth-rank official to the youngest first-rank imperial consort in the Great Zhou Dynasty!
Shen Zhinian knew that Nangong Xuanyu was a wise ruler.
Even a wise ruler cannot escape the concept of "weighing the pros and cons".
She was all too aware of the current political situation.
Internal troubles remain unresolved, and external threats persist. The powerful Zhuang family is too strong for the court to withstand a thorough purge.
The Imperial Penal Commissioner uncovered more evidence, and the Zhuang family would lobby for Consort Zhuang in the imperial court. The emperor was caught in a dilemma; he couldn't decide whether to punish them or not.
Both the imperial court and the harem will be in turmoil for quite some time...
When someone falls from power, the court must undergo a reshuffle.
A single personnel change can lead to three to five years of upheaval...
Even if Shen Zhinian had selfish motives, she would not do anything that would endanger the country.
Therefore, she was willing to let Xiao Caizi in, giving the emperor a way out.
From the very beginning, Shen Zhinian did not want Consort Zhuang's life.
What she wanted was for the emperor to see with his own eyes what a ruthless heart lay beneath Consort Zhuang's hypocritical mask.
See how Consort Zhuang, in order to extricate herself, could unhesitatingly push her cousin out as a scapegoat.
She wanted to shatter Consort Zhuang's image in the Emperor's heart, inch by inch!
From a dignified and virtuous daughter of her mentor, she transformed into a ruthless woman who harbored resentment for power, framed concubines, and sacrificed pawns to protect her king!
One day, the emperor will grow utterly weary.
I'm tired of Consort Zhuang's repeated claims of "innocence" and "cleanliness".
He was tired of her kneeling in the palace time and time again, saying "Your Majesty, I am wronged" with those tearful eyes.
By then, no one will need to lift a finger.
In this whole scheme, Shen Zhinian's goal was simply to create an opportunity to immobilize Consort Zhuang and Consort Mei for a short period of time, allowing her to give birth in peace.
Clearly, she has achieved her goal.
Nangong Xuanyu looked at Shen Zhinian.
She sat there, still with that composed demeanor.
Even though the Xia family had just become a suspect, Nian Nian was not flustered at all.
She's always like this; the more turbulent the situation, the more composed she becomes.
The emperor also noticed that she had stopped Consort Xuan from arguing.
With Niannian's intelligence, she must know that if the fire were to be added at this moment, Consort Zhuang might not be able to escape unscathed.
But Niannian chose to stop.
Nangong Xuanyu did not believe that Nian Nian had softened her heart.
There's only one reason she stopped—
She saw through his predicament and offered him a way out.
The emperor's heart softened, as if something had melted away.
Nangong Xuanyu still remembers that when Niannian first entered the palace a few years ago, she was a newcomer who needed his guidance and protection in every way.
She was intelligent, but also naive.
She is patient and reserved, but occasionally she reveals her sharp edge.
At that time, he thought that if Nian Nian had a few more years of experience, she would surely become a great person!
But the emperor never expected that she would grow up so quickly.
It'll surprise him soon!
Of all the women in the harem, only Nian Nian would prioritize the greater good over personal grudges.
Therefore, his choice of Nian Nian as his future empress was not solely based on his love for her. Rather, it was because only she possessed the magnanimity and vision to rule the world!