Great, it's just a lackey, we're saved!

Chapter 60 My relationship with the Empress is that of gentlemen!

When the Empress heard that the Crown Prince also wanted to marry a woman from a poor family, her expression changed.

He then returned to normal, still smiling calmly.

"If you have made up your mind, then go and tell your father, the Emperor, and let him make the decision."

In the past, when the Empress said this, the Crown Prince would always say "never mind."

But today he cupped his hands and said, "Then I will choose a day to express my feelings to Father. If my third brother can marry a woman from a humble family, then I can too."

"As the Crown Prince, I should set an example for my subjects."

The Empress's face was somewhat stiff, but she still maintained her composure, though her smile was a little forced.

After the Crown Prince left, the Empress remained stunned for a long time, without uttering a word.

Seeing her like this, Changpei felt heartbroken and comforted her, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is immature, please don't be upset."

The Empress sighed, her expression sorrowful: "Why don't they understand me? What's the point of all this fighting?"

"Just like the Emperor and I, we were childhood sweethearts. When the Emperor was still a young man, we fell in love with each other."

"No matter how many women there are in this palace, no one can shake the bond between the Emperor and me."

"The position of Empress, even if I didn't fight for it, it would still fall to me. It was they who fought tooth and nail for it, but in the end they lost their dignity."

Changpei listened to Jian Xiyan's nonchalant words and felt both love and respect for her.

Yes!

The Empress is of noble birth, and deserves all the best things in the world!

While others fought and scrambled, their actions were utterly ugly, but the Empress was a breath of fresh air in the palace, pure and virtuous.

However, the Crown Prince's disobedience to the Empress still needs to be addressed.

Changpei took the initiative to say, "Your Highness, this servant will go and invite Consort Li over."

There are some things the Empress cannot say, so only Consort Li can say them.

It has always been this way!

Jian Xiyan nodded slightly, which was taken as consent, and Changpei went to Qiuhua Palace alone.

On his way back to the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince was still in a state of agitation.

Jian Xiyan, his biological mother, always made him feel very uncomfortable.

Back when the birth mothers of the eldest and second princes were enjoying their glory, the days he and Jian Xiyan spent in the palace could only be described as walking on thin ice.

Consort Li Wanrong suffered an even more tragic fate. Because of her gentle nature and lack of favor with the emperor, she was bullied by servants every day.

If Li Wanrong hadn't awakened to the truth and learned how to compete for favor, Jian Xiyan probably wouldn't be sitting on the Empress's throne today.

But Jian Xiyan felt that her position as empress was given to her by the Emperor of Great Zhou because of their childhood friendship.

These old stories are incredibly complex and filled with pain, and the Crown Prince feels agitated whenever he thinks about them.

I shook my head, trying to shake off the sorrow in my heart.

The prince suddenly realized that he had wandered into a secluded place.

"Fifth or sixth, where is this place? How did I end up here?"

The young eunuch Wu Liu hurriedly replied, "Your Highness, you were traveling at a great speed and wouldn't allow me to stop you, so..."

The prince understood. Perhaps he had been distracted and wandered off course earlier, and since Wu and Liu dared not disturb him, he had strayed from the route.

"Alright, take me back to the Eastern Palace..."

After the prince finished speaking, he was about to leave with Wu Liu when he suddenly heard two voices coming from a secluded place.

A man and a woman appear to be arguing.

The woman's voice was soft, yet carried a hint of competence and assertiveness.

The man, on the other hand, seemed listless and exhausted from dealing with the situation.

Just as the five or six eunuchs of the Eastern Palace were about to reprimand the two men and order them to pay their respects to the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince raised his hand to signal them to be quiet.

“Brother Yuanzhe, I have fifty taels here. Add your fifty taels and we can go to the palace steward to try and smooth things over. Even if we can’t get transferred to the Imperial Guard, it would be good to be promoted to a second-class guard!”

Hidden in the shadows, the prince saw a woman in palace attire handing fifty taels of silver to a guard.

The woman had a beautiful face. Although she was dressed like the other palace maids, her eyes were bright and her smile was very sweet when she looked at the man.

Looking at the fifty taels in front of him, Xiao Yuanzhe said awkwardly, "Xiaozhao, fifty taels... I'm afraid it's not enough?"

Jiang Zao paused, holding the silver. "Brother Yuanzhe, it's not fifty taels, it's one hundred taels..."

As she spoke, she suddenly realized something and felt a little wronged.

"Brother Yuanzhe, you didn't spend all the money, did you?"

Xiao Yuanzhe was somewhat embarrassed and angry, seemingly feeling that it was very undignified for Jiang Zao to argue with him over fifty taels of silver.

"Xiao Zhao, I'm the oldest among the brothers, so it's only right that I treat them to a drink once in a while!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zao almost burst into tears.

“That’s fifty taels, Brother Yuanzhe! Our monthly allowance is only five taels, and we have to set aside a portion for our families outside the palace.”

"It would take several years to save up fifty taels, yet you spent it all on treating them to drinks?"

Hearing Jiang Zao's tearful complaint, Xiao Yuanzhe became very impatient.

"Can you stop worrying about these things? We're all working together. I'm treating them to drinks to build good relationships."

Jiang Zao disagreed, saying, "What's the point of getting along with them? All those third-class guards you befriend are trying to climb the ranks."

“Every now and then, someone from your team is transferred to another palace; this is all done by paying money.”

"They all know to save their money to smooth things over, but you're so generous; you treat them to drinks whenever you have a little money..."

Xiao Yuanzhe became increasingly irritated as he listened, and shoved Jiang Zao away.

"Stop talking. I think it's fine as it is now. Being a third-class guard, watching over the storeroom, no one bothers me, there's not much infighting, it's very comfortable."

Seeing Xiao Yuanzhe lose his temper, Jiang Zao had no choice but to shut up.

We don't have enough money right now, so we have to think of other ways.

She carefully sorted things out and then said, "Brother Yuanzhe, my mother wrote to me a few days ago saying that Brother Qiuming has become the garrison commander of the Five Cities Garrison."

"The three of us have been friends since childhood. If we take some money to ask Brother Qiu for help, it would be good if he could help you get a position in the Five Cities Military Command, wouldn't it?"

Xiao Yuanzhe became even angrier at the mention of Qiu Ming.

"Stop mentioning that纨绔 (spoiled brat)! If it weren't for the Qiu family's ancestral influence, would Qiu Ming have become the garrison commander of the South City?"

"If I had his family background, I would definitely be doing better than him! Besides, do you really think he's so glamorous?"

Jiang Zao was puzzled upon hearing this, as she had not heard anything about Qiu Ming's misbehavior while in the palace.

"Brother Qiu is in trouble?"

Xiao Yuanzhe sneered, "He's incredibly audacious, daring to offend General Lu Zhiyan!"

"Just you wait, General Lu will not let him off the hook. His good days are coming to an end."

"I advise you to stay away from Qiu Ming. Also, stop trying so hard to scheme and plot. Why don't you learn from the Empress?"

"Her Majesty the Empress is as gentle as a chrysanthemum, never vying for power or attention; who in the entire palace doesn't praise her?"

Jiang had never heard of Qiu Ming offending General Lu Zhiyan.

She was about to ask a few more questions, but seeing Xiao Yuanzhe's impatient expression, she had no choice but to give up.

However, the mention of the Empress rekindled hope in Jiang Zao's heart.

“Brother Yuanzhe, when the Empress was down on her luck, you helped her many times.”

"If you ask her for help, just to change palaces, I think Her Majesty the Empress will definitely agree."

"My original idea was to use money to transfer us both to the Crown Prince's Palace. You would be a member of the Imperial Guard, and I would be a maid who sweeps the Eastern Palace. That way, we could be together."

"Now that the money is gone, perhaps we can ask Her Majesty the Empress for help; maybe that will work?"

Xiao Yuanzhe refused without even thinking.

"Forget about it, I will absolutely not trouble Her Majesty the Empress."

Jiang Zao looked shocked and found it hard to understand.

"Why not? The Empress promised that if you ever encounter difficulties in the future, you should just go to her. Why don't you go?"

Xiao Yuanzhe looked arrogant, his eyes filled with a hint of disdain as he looked at Jiang Zao.

"Her relationship with the Empress is like that of gentlemen, pure and simple. How could we be tainted by such worldly matters?"

"Xiao Zhao, don't mention this matter again, otherwise it will be an insult to me and Her Majesty the Empress."

"Also, I think you've changed. You used to be innocent and kind. Although you weren't born as noble as the Empress, you had some of the Empress's composure."

"But what about now? All you can think about is spending money to find a better job."

"What you're doing is really undignified."