Chapter 274: Chapter 274

Thinking back to those early palace upheavals, the pools of blood on the ground took several days to thoroughly clean. Earlier, it wasn't that there were no court ministers outside the palace who hadn't memorialized about the Princess's excessively harsh methods.

Yet in reality? Each and every one of those faults was absolutely genuine—even the censors had no grounds for defense. The only criticism they could muster were accusations of overstepping authority.

But that was merely the beginning. Without fail, the day after each memorial was submitted, either the official's family clan or the memorializing official themselves would invariably have one or two scandalous affairs exposed.

Despite being confined within the palace walls, no one knew where Her Highness acquired such methods—they were as shadow-like and terrifyingly pervasive.

Being demoted and humiliated was one thing, but for scholars—especially contemporary literati—what they cared about most were precisely the two words: reputation and face.

After several rounds of this, the court fell into such stunned silence that no one dared speak another word. Later, when the palace had been completely purged, forget other matters—even ordinary news couldn't leak outside at all.

As for those who violated orders, their fates...

The young palace maid shuddered involuntarily.

"Benevolent virtue? Magnanimous?"

As if recalling something laughable, Lady Zhang immediately burst into laughter until tears nearly streamed down her face. "What so-called magnanimity allows one to watch with open eyes as their children turn cold, one after another?"

Even if he couldn't match the Great Princess's ruthless methods, could he not at least severely punish those who hadn't been diligent enough afterward? Instead of administering such feeble, ineffective consequences?

Like when she was pregnant with Fushou—this child was so weak that even she herself felt it couldn't be preserved. She even once thought about simply going together with the child, to accompany her deceased sisters underground. Mother and daughters together—at least they wouldn't be lonely.

It was only because Princess Fukang, who had just seized power at that time, personally went to the Imperial Hospital. No one knew exactly what she said.

But from then on, all the imperial physicians became extremely cautious. Combined with the meticulous care from palace servants and thoughtful provisions from all departments, this child somehow managed to stumble along and survive until today.

Growing into such an obedient, adorable appearance!

It was also thanks to after the Princess took power—to improve the Imperial Hospital's standards, she not only conducted regular assessments but even spent heavily to collect precious medical texts from various regions, even recruiting physicians...

The exalted official, Fushou's own father, actually cared less than an older sister.

How utterly ridiculous!

Lady Zhang raised her hand and fiercely wiped away the nearly dried tears from her eyes.

Moonlit flowers, two hearts pledging devotion—how she had once been deeply moved by this man's considerate partiality. Yet in the end...

This so-called favor turned out to be so shallow and superficial.

"Madam, ah, please don't be . Surely the official now regrets..."

"Hah, regret? How could he not regret! But exactly who he regrets for isn't necessarily certain!"

Thinking of the three previously deceased princes, Lady Zhang couldn't help but sneer lightly, her eyes unusually carrying a trace of schadenfreude.

The palace servant nearby couldn't help but sigh softly.

The madam probably... resents the Shangguan family now...

Similar scenes occurred simultaneously throughout various major palaces. With numerous deceased royal children in the palace, there were many madams who had given birth. But such stark contrasts between before and after made it impossible for them to even deceive themselves.

After walking through the rear palace hoping to relax, Zhao Zhen instead found himself increasingly gloomy: "......"

Especially when recalling those days and nights spent weeping bitterly and tossing restlessly over having no sons...

The more he thought, the more obscure and unspeakable Zhao Zhen's heart felt.

"Maoze, tell me... if... if..."

What "if" remained unspoken for a long while. Zhang Maoze nearby couldn't help but lower his head.

Frankly, in Zhang Maoze's view, there weren't so many "ifs"! This matter fundamentally had no solution.

Just look at Her Highness the Princess's methods—so young yet decisively ruthless, swiftly purging all palace factions, even forcing the Empress's authority to become virtually nominal while making all external censors completely shut their mouths.

Ah, earlier he couldn't even withstand the pressure, reluctantly handing over several young princes to the Empress's care under ministerial coercion.

Didn't he consider—no matter what, when it came to children, how could outsiders compare to biological mothers in dedication?

Ah, speaking of which, those princes were truly unfortunate. If they had come just a bit later—look at the several young princesses, aren't their lives preserved now?

Honestly, with such dramatic differences before and after, especially involving the official's heirs—not just them, but outside the palace, clearly many were whispering about it too!

Haven't you noticed how few recently speak up for the Empress? Even...

Stealing a glance at his master, Zhang Maoze lowered his head again.

Not far away, in the cool pavilion, after leisurely admiring her cheap father's gloomy expression for a while, An Ning finally walked back to her own palace with her little companion in pleasant spirits.

Inside the inner chamber, Han Yue had already been waiting: "Your Highness, these are the account books delivered from various regions these past few days."

"This subject has tallied them—last year, Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Bingzhou among other places collectively established over thirty new workshops, employing more than ten thousand workers total."

"They developed over four thousand three hundred mu of barren mountainous land, still following Your Highness's previous deployment..."

"And the people Your Highness previously arranged have gradually arrived everywhere. Just last year alone, the number of desperate enlistments throughout Bingzhou decreased by thirty percent..."

As she spoke, Han Yue's eyes unconsciously carried excitement and admiration. Especially seeing how Her Highness merely lifted her hand to briefly flip through them, yet already grasped everything.

The more she interacted over these years, the more Han Yue felt profoundly grateful for her previous choice.

"Your Highness, could it be..."

"Yes, now is finally the time!"

Meeting the other's gaze, An Ning couldn't help but chuckle lightly. In that shared look, enormous surprise suddenly appeared in Han Yue's eyes.

"This is really... wonderful!"

The next day during morning court, after the usual arguments, just as everyone including Zhao Zhen thought today's court session would conclude as usual—a middle-aged official approximately thirty years old suddenly stepped forward from the crowd:

"Reporting to the official, this humble official has a memorial!"

"Though the official still lacks a prince to inherit the throne, Princess Fukang possesses exceptional ability and demonstrable filial piety. To ensure the imperial bloodline's stability, this official boldly proposes today—may Princess Fukang enter court administration!"

As his words fell, the entire court instantly fell into dead silence.

What? A princess participating in governance? Preposterous!

Not only was Zhao Zhen visibly surprised in court, but after recovering, countless ministers rushed forward to remonstrate. Yet unexpectedly, among the highest-ranking ministers at the front, more than half remained silent.

"Wait, Brother Fan, Brother Zhang, and Brother Han, you all..."