I insist

Chapter 368: New Love and Old Flame

That same evening, after the Empress's welcoming banquet, the Empress Dowager approached the Emperor.

It's all for Consort Li's sake.

The emperor was drunk and deliberately spoke incoherently and incoherently.

"Empress Dowager, I am so happy, Empress Dowager."

Pregnancy already makes her body sensitive, and when she smelled the Emperor reeking of alcohol, the Empress Dowager covered her nose and kept her distance.

"How can the Emperor, the ruler of a dynasty, be so incompetent?"

They were implying, both openly and subtly, that the emperor was incompetent.

The emperor sneered, "Yes, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have ascended the throne in the first place."

This was the first time the Empress Dowager had ever heard such treacherous words.

Enraged, she immediately demanded, "Your Majesty, what do you mean by that?"

The Emperor looked at the Empress Dowager with extreme disappointment, his eyes questioning her.

"Could it be that the Empress Dowager's visit to me this time wasn't about Consort Li?"

The Empress Dowager panicked and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Calming herself down, she reached out her hand, and upon seeing this, Granny Hong immediately stepped forward to support the Empress Dowager.

"The Emperor has drunk too much. Quickly serve him and put him to bed. Don't let him talk nonsense."

The emperor, still emboldened by the alcohol, did not want the matter to end like this.

"Your Majesty, if you leave like this, I will deal with Consort Li according to my own wishes."

The Emperor is closing in on the Empress Dowager step by step.

The Empress Dowager showed no weakness, "Your Majesty knows perfectly well why I have come, yet you still choose to oppose me?"

"In the end, it all boils down to letting Consort Li go. Fine, I agree. Consort Li will be reinstated as a consort tomorrow. Is the Empress Dowager satisfied now?"

The Empress Dowager turned her back and left without looking at the Emperor.

On the way, Granny Hong whispered, "It seems the Emperor has grown up and knows how to fight for power."

"If I don't deflate the Emperor's arrogance now, he probably won't listen to me anymore."

Granny Hong immediately understood the Empress Dowager's words.

"Understood, Madam. I will go and inform the ministers immediately."

The Empress Dowager remained silent and tacitly approved.

The Emperor's mood has not recovered since last night's events.

After attending the morning court session, he would take a walk alone in the Imperial Garden.

Consort Li was still in confinement, but she had already heard about the restoration of her rank and was secretly pleased, not realizing that the Emperor had grown to the point of loathing her.

One day, the Emperor was taking a walk alone in the Imperial Garden when he suddenly smelled the fragrance of peach blossoms wafting from ahead and couldn't resist going forward to investigate.

A palace maid dressed in purple was seen tending to the branches.

The palace maids were completely unaware of the emperor's arrival, and were even humming songs as they went.

The emperor was so engrossed in watching that his earlier gloomy and terrible mood completely disappeared.

After watching for a few minutes, the emperor couldn't resist going up to strike up a conversation.

"What an elegant tune! Few people in the palace sing it. I never expected that I would be so lucky today."

The young palace maid only realized the Emperor's arrival when she heard the voice. Having been in the palace for so long, this was the first time she had ever seen the Emperor, and she didn't know how to greet him.

The eunuch accompanying the emperor scolded, "How dare you! Why don't you kneel before the emperor?"

The young palace maid then realized what was happening and was about to kneel when the emperor reached out and stopped her.

"Hey, I am the Emperor, don't listen to his nonsense. Beauties have never had to kneel."

As he spoke, he helped the young palace maid to her feet.

The emperor lifted the palace maid's chin and scrutinized her closely.

"That's wonderful. Why don't you come to my side? I'll give you endless riches and honors."

This was something countless palace maids dreamed of, so the maid readily agreed.

"It is my good fortune that the Emperor has taken a liking to me."

The emperor was truly captivated by the shy and bashful palace maid.

He put his arm around her waist and walked openly towards her bedchamber.

That very night, she was granted the title of imperial concubine, and the news of the palace maid's meteoric rise spread throughout the entire palace in an instant.

The Empress was helpless when she heard this, and could only worry anxiously.

From that day on, the emperor never left the palace maids' side, and he no longer needed to flip the nameplates every night.

When Song Miqiu heard this news at the Imperial Hospital, she felt sorry for Consort Li.

Ultimately, men are all fickle and forgetful of one woman after another.

That evening, Song Miqiu finally returned to the home she had been longing for.

When I saw Yu Huailin at the door more than ten days later, I became nervous.

If it weren't for her daughter-in-law trying to liven things up, Song Miqiu really wouldn't know how to start the conversation.

"Mother, you look much better these past few days. We won't worry about your life in the palace anymore."

Yu Huailin stared at Song Miqiu in a daze, finally feeling that the longing he had endured for these past few days had finally come to an end.

Song Miqiu returned home late at night. After exchanging a few words with her son and daughter-in-law, she prepared to go to bed.

"It's getting late, so get some rest. I won't go to the palace tomorrow; I'll stay home and spend a few more days with you all."

The grandchildren were jumping and skipping with joy, extremely happy.

After saying goodbye, Song Miqiu walked towards her room, but she always felt that someone was following her.

Turning around, I was surprised to see Yu Huailin.

You startled me.

Yu Huailin looked at Song Miqiu with a coquettish expression.

He went up and hugged her tightly.

Song Miqiu was afraid that her son and the others would see this and she wouldn't be able to explain herself, so she struggled to speak.

"What are you doing? Aren't you afraid of being seen?"

Yu Huailin was unwilling to give up, and seeing Song Miqiu struggling, he tightened his grip even more.

"They've all gone to sleep, who's going to watch us? Let me give you a good hug, I've missed you so much these past few days."

Song Miqiu really couldn't do anything about him.

She dragged Yu Huailin into the room, and only felt relieved after closing the door, then hugged him back.

"I've missed you so much these past few days. Let's never be apart again."

The two lingered for a while, as if they had endless things to say.

Exhausted from a long day of running around, Song Miqiu was already very sleepy and kept yawning.

"I can't go on, I need to sleep. You should go back now." He urged Yu Huailin to return to his room.

Yu Huailin disagreed, "No, I'm not leaving. You go to sleep, I'll watch you sleep."

Song Miqiu was both amused and exasperated. "Then I'm going to sleep. If you're sleepy, go back to sleep yourself."

Song Miqiu slept soundly until dawn, only to be woken up by her granddaughter's knocking on the door when the sun was high in the sky.

"Grandma, Grandma, the sun is shining on your bottom."

Song Miqiu opened her eyes, stretched, and felt that her entire leg was numb.

Looking down, I saw that Yu Huailin had been sleeping on my lap all night.

Hearing her granddaughter knocking on the door, Song Miqiu carefully got up, covered Yu Huailin with a blanket, and then went to the door.

"Grandma's here." Her voice was soft, as if she were afraid of waking Yu Huailin.

Although Song Miqiu had already opened the door and quickly left, her granddaughter still managed to spot Yu Huailin.

"Grandma, there's someone in your room."

Song Miqiu quickly covered her mouth.

"Shh, this is a secret between us, you can't tell anyone else. Grandma will take you to buy some candy later."

"Great! Great! There's candy to eat!"

Yu Huailin groggily emerged from Song Miqiu's room after the family had finished breakfast.

Fortunately, Song Miqiu was the only one in the courtyard at that time, and no one else saw her.

Song Miqiu lowered her head shyly and invited him to come and eat.