Zhou Donglin was referring to Li Yu.
I nodded. Naturally, I recognized Zhou Donglin's talent and believed that with his capabilities, the person he taught wouldn't be mediocre.
If Ting'er really ascended the throne in the future, it would be good to have someone like Li Yu to assist him.
A person who could so whole - heartedly follow the one they loved, willing to give and sacrifice, would surely teach good children.
As soon as I returned to the palace, I heard from the maids that the emperor had flown into a rage in the imperial study. Yu Fei, who had been at the height of her popularity and ranked No.1 among the favored concubines just a few days ago, had been thrown into jail.
Yes, it was not the cold palace but jail. The whole thing started because she had torn a painting.
The maid was still trembling with fear when she told me this.
"Your Highness, you don't know. I've never seen the emperor so angry. Yu Fei is probably done for this time."
Yu Fei was done for a long time ago.
Back then, when she climbed into the emperor's bed while he was drunk in order to gain favor, and after getting favored, started acting arrogantly without even understanding why she was favored in the first place, she was already doomed.
This kind of situation was bound to happen sooner or later.
Every time the emperor had a tantrum, he would come to me to pour out his heart. Everyone thought it was because the emperor liked me, but only I knew that he thought I had no background, was easy to manipulate, and wouldn't harm him.
He was already in the advanced stage of paranoid delusions.
However, while the emperor was incompetent, his concubines were quite capable. Although Yu Fei was cold - hearted, she was very good at managing the harem and being a good assistant to the emperor. All the concubines in the harem knew she was impartial and didn't dare to cause any trouble. They all behaved themselves. Moreover, after seeing Yu Fei's fate, those who used to cause trouble also calmed down.
Many concubines began to set their life goals elsewhere during their long years in the harem.
Needless to say, Yu Fei was so busy managing the harem that she had no time to think about other things.
Yu Fei was just in name. She was a very innocent girl who only thought about eating all day long. She got along well with Yu Fei. She often went to Yu Fei's place to eat snacks, and soon she became a bit chubby.
Even Yu Fei couldn't help but shake her head when she saw her like this.
"If you keep eating like this, His Majesty may not like you anymore."
"Anyway, His Majesty only comes to my palace a few times a month. I don't care."
"Don't you want to receive more of His Majesty's favor and give birth to a little princess or prince for His Majesty?"
"I've already seen it clearly. In our palace, only Sister Xiang Fei has been pregnant. Even if others get pregnant, they can't keep the baby. And the tragic situation when Sister Xiang Fei gave birth, I don't want to experience it again. I'd rather just focus on eating fruits and gaining weight. Isn't that more comfortable?"
When the same trick was used for a long time, everyone was not stupid and could see the truth. Everyone knew about Song Jiaye giving out contraceptive soup. Those who couldn't accept this reality mostly died of depression, and those who remained had come to terms with it.
Anyway, without children, people would be more at ease.
Sometimes I looked at them and felt envious.
I thought that Song Jiaye making me give birth to his child was not a reward but a punishment for me. I also wanted to be like Yu Fei, eating when I wanted and laughing when I wanted, without having to worry all the time whether my child would be successful or become like his father.
Women are really strange creatures. They can be jealous for no reason, and when they unite, they can be extremely close. Probably realizing that they couldn't have children, they doted on Ting'er very much. Ting'er didn't know where he learned his glib tongue from, but he could make all the concubines in the harem happy. Even my yard became much livelier.
However, they had an unwritten rule. As soon as they heard that the emperor was coming, they would leave immediately without disturbing.
At first, I was puzzled. Wouldn't it be good for them to stay and receive more of the emperor's favor?
Mainly, I just wanted someone to share the burden with me.
Later, Ting'er helped me understand.
"The concubines feel more at ease not seeing the emperor."
Yes, without seeing the emperor, there would be no troubles. Living their own little lives, wasn't that comfortable?
Fortunately, Ting'er was different from Song Jiaye. He grew up in a loving environment, and I didn't have to worry about him going astray.
When Ting'er was twelve years old, Song Jiaye suffered from angina and couldn't sleep at night. He said it was because he missed Li Qiyu.
I didn't believe it. I sneered in my heart. What he missed was probably just the self who could love someone whole - heartedly.
On the day when Ting'er forced the emperor to abdicate, I held the imperial edict and personally went to Song Jiaye's sickbed to read it.
Song Jiaye looked at me in shock: "Xiang'er, why is it you? I've treated you well. Why..."
"Your Majesty, I'm tired of your so - called good treatment. Xiang'er has already grown up. He doesn't need a selfish father like you anymore."
"Presumptuous! This is my world!"
"Then take a look. Is there anyone in this world who is willing to save you?"
Ting'er said that how to deal with the retired emperor was entirely up to me.
Over the years, looking at Song Jiaye, I had always been thinking about what would be the best ending for him.
Let him face the scene he least wanted to see.
"Your Majesty, didn't you keep saying that you wanted to repent? I'll give you this chance."
I locked him up in the Star - Picking Tower. To the outside world, the retired emperor had become a monk and didn't care about worldly affairs anymore. But only the emperor and I knew that the madman locked up in the Star - Picking Tower was the real retired emperor.
Of course, I returned all the evils he had done to him one by one. I treated him the same way he had treated Zhou Donglin. Since he had made Li Qiyu blind, I made him blind too. I would read the words Zhou Donglin had written for Li Qiyu to him again and again. I would tell him again and again that he had once had the best feelings in the world, but he didn't deserve them, so he lost them.
Not only about Li Qiyu, but also about his father and brother who he had killed. I would tell him how much the former emperor had doted on him as a prince, and that the former crown prince had left a message saying that he didn't blame his younger brother when he died.
I tore off all his disguises. I wanted him to know that he had let the whole world down, not the other way around.
Of course, there were also occasional unexpected results. For example, Yu Fei, probably the only woman in the palace who still liked him, was pushed off the Star - Picking Tower.
At this time, Song Jiaye couldn't speak and his hands and feet were useless. He could only watch helplessly as Zhong Yuxiu fell to her death.
Just like when Li Qiyu left.
Ting'er once asked me: "Mother, why do you hate Father so much?"
"I don't hate him." He wasn't even worth my emotions. "Ting'er, do you think Mother is too cruel?"
"Well, a little." Although Ting'er hesitated for a while, he still nodded honestly. "But I also understand that these are the debts Father owes."
With Li Yu by his side, Ting'er didn't need me to tell him about the absurd things Song Jiaye had done in the past. He had gradually understood them.
Speaking of this, Ting'er still had a lingering fear: "He is not my father. He is a devil."
Yes, a devil.
However, I wouldn't let Ting'er commit patricide.
Ting'er only knew that I had imprisoned Song Jiaye. He knew nothing else. He was just surprised why his mother was so ruthless.
I'm not a good person. I wasn't even before I time - traveled. I'm cowardly, selfish, and overly ambitious. I think I'm the most dirty - minded person among these lovely ancient people.
But Song Jiaye was so bad that even I couldn't stand him.
Punishing Song Jiaye was to seek justice for the deceased, to get justice for the sisters in the harem who had lost the chance to be real women in their lives, and to let out the anger I had felt all these years of being on tenterhooks.
He was the emperor, and the law couldn't punish him. Then I would! This was also what he had taught me over the years.
Power was the ultimate truth.
He thought he was safe and handed the power to me, and also threw himself into the abyss.
I didn't tell Ting'er to keep the compassion in his heart.
The mother has entered hell, while the son should stay in the world.
This prosperous and peaceful era would be left to him and Li Yu.
As for me, having no great ambitions, I could only continue to think with the sisters about how to torture Song Jiaye next.