The Apo Master dressed up as Concubine Ling and killed the Ruyi sisters

As soon as Hai Lan left Yikun Palace, in order to avoid any further complications, she took the handwritten letter from Ruyi and went directly to Cining Palace.

"Your concubine pays respect to the Queen Mother. May the Queen Mother live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years!"

The Empress Dowager has been very worried recently. She sees that all the princes and princesses of marriageable age in the palace and the royal family have already been arranged to marry, but the child of her own Princess Duanshu has not yet found a good family.

The Empress Dowager also heard the report that Concubine Yu went to Yiku Palace today and talked for a long time.

The Queen Mother had been fighting in the palace all her life, so she naturally knew that Concubine Yu came to pay her respects at this moment because she had something to ask for.

"Noble Lady Yu? Noble Lady Yu hasn't come to the Cining Palace to pay respects to me for a long time. Why did she suddenly come today?"

Hai Lan was a straightforward person and didn't mince words. She said directly, "I am just a noble lady. I am not qualified to pay respects to the Queen Mother every day. I came to the Cining Palace today to deliver a letter on behalf of the Queen Mother. Please take a look at it!"

Since the Queen Mother chose to meet Hai Lan, she would naturally read the letter she sent, but she would not easily believe what was said in the letter.

"The Queen has been cutting her hair for a year and a half. Why did she suddenly write to me and ask for my help?"

Hai Lan said: "You know the Queen's temper. Even though the Emperor misunderstood her, she was unwilling to explain after taking back the imperial seal. But Yongqi died young. The Queen was very sad when she heard about it, and she even suspected that Yongqi was assassinated!"

"The Queen doesn't want to indulge the evildoers anymore, so she ordered me to ask the Queen Mother for help!"

The Queen Mother said, "I have long stopped caring about the disputes in the harem, and it is a fact that the Queen cut her hair. How can I help her?"

Hai Lan knew that the Queen Mother would not easily help others and must have her own needs, so she said to the Queen Mother: "Queen Mother, I know that the Queen Mother has been worried about Princess Duanshu's child recently. After hearing this, I also feel unfair for Princess Duanshu!"

"Princess Duanshu is the eldest daughter of the Empress Dowager. For the sake of the Qing Dynasty, she not only married to the Dzungar Khanate for more than 20 years, but also endured the hatred of her husband's murder and married Dawachi for the sake of the peace of the Qing Dynasty! Princess Duanshu suffered so much humiliation, but her children cannot choose good husbands because of their status as the descendants of traitors. How unfair is this?!"

The Queen Mother sighed and said, "Hengchu has not been by my side since she was young. When she grew up, she married into the Dzungar Empire twice for the sake of the country. I feel so indebted and guilty towards this daughter! But who made her so unlucky that she had to have Dawachi's child?"

Hai Lan shook her head and said, "The eldest princess is a meritorious official of the Qing Dynasty and should not be treated like this! Although the eldest princess's child is the descendant of a traitor, he is also a royal heir and the emperor's niece. Why can't she choose a prince?!"

The Queen Mother said, "But the Emperor and Imperial Consort Ling don't think so."

Hai Lan had heard the Queen Mother's dissatisfaction with Imperial Noble Consort Ling in her words, and she instigated, "Imperial Noble Consort Ling's Seventh Princess and Princess Duanshu's child are about the same age, but the Emperor not only arranged a marriage for the Seventh Princess early on, but also arranged a marriage for her with the Mongolian Heshuo Prince Chenggunzabu's seventh son, Lawangdorji."

"I heard that Chenggunzabu has already intended to make Lawangdorji the crown prince and inherit the throne of Prince Chaoyong. When the emperor was at Mulan Paddock, he promised that he would let the Seventh Princess and Lawangdorji live in the capital for a long time after their marriage."

"They are both princesses of the royal family, but the emperor treats them differently. I think it was Imperial Noble Consort Ling who slandered her in front of the emperor! Because Imperial Noble Consort Ling has never regarded Princess Duanshu as a meritorious official of the Qing Dynasty, she is naturally unwilling to speak for the princess's child!"

They are clearly of the same age and both are princesses.

Her eldest princess Duanshu was about to marry far away, and the mother and daughter had been separated for more than 20 years. Even if she was lucky enough to return to Beijing to reunite with them, she would be looked down upon by the world and could not even find a husband she liked.

On the other hand, the seventh princess of Imperial Noble Consort Ling had the best marriage arranged at a young age. Like Princess Hejing, she had the support of Mongolia behind her. She did not have to suffer the pain of separation from her family, and was able to cultivate feelings with her fiancé from an early age.

With such a difference, how can one not feel jealous?

Hai Lan's words deeply hurt the Queen Mother's heart. She said angrily, "Hengchu is no longer useful. The Emperor and Imperial Noble Consort Ling are naturally unwilling to choose a good husband for her child. They are not the only ones who think so in the palace. My Hengchu is so miserable!"

Hai Lan hurriedly asked, "How could that be? The Empress has always been the most sympathetic to Princess Duanshu! Could it be that the Queen Mother has forgotten that when the Khorchin tribe wanted to marry the legitimate princess of the Qing Dynasty, the Queen Mother did not want Princess Hengti to marry far away, and it was the Empress who shared the Queen Mother's worries and saved Princess Hengti, allowing Princess Hejing to marry far away in the Khorchin tribe?"

"If the Queen hadn't been confined to her house, she would have advised the Emperor to treat Princess Duanshu well!"

The Queen Mother smiled bitterly, "But there is no if in all this. The current master of the harem is Imperial Consort Ling!"

Hai Lan said: "As long as the Queen Mother is here, even if the Emperor favors your Imperial Concubine, it will never be her turn to be the head of the harem!"

The Queen Mother said, "What's the point of saying all this? I still can't influence her."

Hai Lan said: "Empress Dowager, now the Niuhulu and Ulanara families have no one in the previous dynasty, and they can't say anything in front of the emperor, let alone influence the emperor's decision. But the royal concubine's family is thriving, and gradually it is under the pressure of big families like the Niuhulu and Ulanara families."

"I know that the emperor once intended to make Yongqi the crown prince, but Yongqi didn't have such a blessing and passed away! Among the emperor's children now, only the twelfth prince Yongji and the fifteenth prince Yongyan have the highest status. My sister was confined to the Yikun Palace because of the murder. If the emperor really chooses the fifteenth prince, not only this harem, but even the whole world, will probably belong to your imperial concubine in the future!"

Although the Empress Dowager had been burning incense and worshipping Buddha in the Cining Palace for many years, she was never willing to continue like this. She always sent people to keep an eye on the movements of the former court and the harem. Naturally, she understood that what Hai Lan said was not alarmist.

The Empress Dowager originally thought that given Imperial Noble Consort Ling's background, even if she had the power to assist in managing the six palaces, she would not be able to handle palace affairs properly and would still have to rely on her, the Empress Dowager.

But who would have thought that not only did the Emperor trust Imperial Noble Consort Ling and give her all the power, but Imperial Noble Consort Ling was also very competitive and did not give her any chance to take advantage of the situation.

I’m afraid if this continues, the master of the harem will really be Consort Ling!

The Queen Mother was too busy playing dumb with Hai Lan at this point, and said bluntly, "The rift between the Queen and the Emperor is deep, and it's useless for me to plead for the Queen."

Hai Lan said: "Sister has already realized her mistake. I asked this concubine to come here today just to ask the Queen Mother to say a few good words in front of the Emperor, so that the Empress will have a chance to confess her guilt in front of the Emperor!"

"The Queen's health has deteriorated significantly in recent years, so she ordered me to entrust the twelfth prince, Yongji, to the Queen Mother!"

When the word "entrust" was mentioned, the empress dowager's eyes lit up, but the emperor has disliked the twelfth prince for a long time. Is it really worth her taking action?

The Queen Mother was still hesitating, and Hai Lan continued, "Noble Consort Ling falsely accused the Queen of having an affair with Ling Yunche, and confined the Queen to Yikun Palace. But I have already found out that it was actually Noble Consort Ling who had an affair with Ling Yunche, and now I am about to get the evidence."

"The Empress has decided to report this to the Emperor. Please, Queen Mother, save the only bloodline of the Aixinjueluo and Ulanara families!"

Hai Lan's words made the Queen Mother determined, and she responded, "Since the Queen has been wronged, I will never sit idly by!"