Qi Junmu's expression remained indifferent. "Imperial Mother exaggerates. If the Empress has done wrong, I will never shield or cover for her. But I must first know what has happened to so enrage Imperial Mother."
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager's mood lifted slightly. She turned to Consort Dowager Xian beside her and said in a firmer tone, "Consort Dowager Xian, you tell His Majesty what happened."
Consort Dowager Xian rose, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Your Majesty, this matter was something I discovered by accident. Someone has been secretly bringing lewd and obscene materials into the palace. If they had simply kept them in their own chambers out of sight, it might have been overlooked. But I found these things scattered along the path I must take to reach the residences of the late emperor's consorts. Who knows whether any have been left elsewhere? Whoever did this must have ulterior motives."
With that, she pointed to a few thin books lying under a sandalwood table not far away, where the Empress Dowager had tossed them.
The covers bore the titles of Confucian classics—Mencius and The Analects. Ruan Jiqing hurried over to pick them up. But when they had been thrown to the floor, some pages had already fallen open, and with one quick glance, he understood exactly what kind of books they were.
Wrapped in the guise of Confucius and Mencius were nothing but lifelike illustrated albums—enough to defile the sages themselves.
Ruan Jiqing flushed crimson after just one look. Holding the materials, he dared not present them directly. He feared that if he handed them to the emperor, the Emperor would have him blinded on the spot.
The Empress Dowager's eyes turned cold as she said, "These are all filthy, obscene things—too repulsive to look at. Your Majesty should not look at them, lest they stain your eyes."
From Consort Dowager Xian's tone and the uneasy expressions of those present, Qi Junmu could vaguely guess what they were—nothing more than erotic paintings meant to stir desire.
Having lived two lives, he had never yet known intimacy—at first from fear, and later from lack of opportunity.
But that did not stop him from analyzing the situation through this incident.
As Consort Dowager Xian had said, if such things were found tucked away at the bottom of someone's personal trunk, no one could say much about it.
But these items were discovered on the path leading to the palaces of Emperor Jing's consorts—and not just one volume at that. That made the intent far more malicious.
Emperor Jing's harem had been filled with many beauties, and naturally, quite a few were young and lovely.
When Emperor Jing suddenly passed away without leaving a final testament, some court officials had suggested that several of his young and beautiful consorts be buried with him as sacrificial companions, so that he would not be lonely in the afterlife.
However, Qi Junmu had rejected that proposal. Back then, Emperor Jing had once said that when he died, he wanted only himself buried in his tomb—too many people would make it crowded.
Qi Junmu had gathered Emperor Jing's consorts together and settled them in a remote palace, separated from the current imperial consorts.
But among them were young and beautiful women who were unwilling to accept their fate—after all, there had been precedents of emperors taking a liking to their late father's consorts.
Perhaps at first they had no such thoughts, but after viewing these erotic paintings too many times, their desires would stir, and they would find it hard to resist harboring improper intentions.
No one was willing to grow old alone in the palace while still young.
If they were at least a Dowager Consort or Dowager Imperial Concubine, that would be one thing—but what they feared most was having no rank at all, living a life worse than even the palace attendants.
Better to take a risk and try to catch the new emperor's eye. If discovered, at best it could be dismissed as a romantic affair of the emperor, and they might even continue to enjoy wealth and honor.
But there was also a worst-case scenario: someone with ulterior motives could exploit this, twisting it into the emperor coveting his father's women. With further maneuvering, it could become a claim that even as a prince, the new emperor had harbored lewd desires within the imperial harem—and perhaps even Emperor Jing's death was connected to him.
Then disputes and trouble would inevitably arise, with all sorts of rumors flying. A newly enthroned emperor with an unstable foundation might very well be forced off the throne.
Qi Junmu recalled that in his previous life, there had indeed been a surviving consort of Emperor Jing who tried to seduce him. Fortunately, he was not the type to be easily swayed by beauty.
Before the matter could spread, he had the woman beaten to death outright, and only then did those Dowager Consorts and Dowager Imperial Concubines quiet down.
At the time, he had wondered how such a thing came about. But now, looking back, he was certain someone had been pulling the strings behind the scenes, aiming to leave a handle against him for future use.
Qi Junmu's thoughts raced, and in a flash he had worked through all the hidden twists and turns.
That brought two questions before him: Was this Consort Dowager Xian's doing? Or had she discovered it by accident and kept silent, waiting to see him make a fool of himself? Or perhaps she intended to use this incident to create an opportunity for Qi Junyou to rise?
He suspected that Consort Dowager Xian had stumbled upon this matter by chance—otherwise, she would not dare use it now as a favor to curry favor with him.
In this life, he had sent Qi Junyou out of the capital without so much as a word to anyone, and for days Consort Dowager Xian had been unable to glean even a single piece of information.
She was afraid for Qi Junyou's safety, so she used this matter to show weakness to the Empress Dowager and humble herself—that was one goal. Second, she wanted to probe for news of Qi Junyou. And third, she was indirectly signaling that the Prince Ping faction had submitted to the new emperor.
Three birds with one stone—a beautifully crafted move.
Especially the last point—that was exactly what Qi Junmu had originally wanted. Even if it were only a temporary pretense, he would have outwardly expressed gratitude to Consort Dowager Xian.
Unfortunately, the Qi Junmu of now felt no gratitude toward anyone—least of all toward those who sought to scheme against him.
At that moment, Wen Wan spoke up, her tone firm: "This is all this concubine's fault. This concubine has failed in managing the rear palace. Imperial Mother must not let this harm your health."
[臣妾 (chén qiè): "This concubine." All women in the harem, including the Empress, used it when speaking to the Emperor as formal court language.]
She claimed responsibility only for her own failure as empress, making no mention of Qi Junmu having confined her to her quarters for reflection. This gave full face to the Empress Dowager while also protecting the emperor's dignity.
But though her words were so, they all understood in their hearts that her confinement was no secret to the Empress Dowager. Now the Empress Dowager was heaping all the blame onto Wen Wan—it seemed rather too deliberately targeted against her.
Had this been the Qi Junmu of the past, he would have been pleased that Wen Wan was considering him in everything, unwilling to put him in a difficult position. But now, he only found it amusing.
What was the point of Wen Wan doing this?
What was she after?
Was she humbling herself for the sake of peace, or was she simply unwilling to part with the splendor and glory of being empress?
"Imperial Mother," Qi Junmu said slowly, his mind churning with these tangled thoughts, "the Empress is frail and lacks the time and energy to manage the affairs of the six palaces. Since this matter has come to light, I believe it would be best for Imperial Mother to personally take charge."
With these words, he effectively stripped the Empress of her authority over the six palaces.
Consort Dowager Xian raised her delicate brows in surprise. Her eyes swept back and forth between the Empress Dowager and the Empress, but after a moment of thought, she quickly concealed the look in her eyes.
The Empress Dowager had braced herself for the emperor to defend Wen Wan, so when she heard these words instead, she was taken aback.
Then she reasoned that Qi Junmu likely did not want Wen Wan handling this because the matter was simply too sordid.
As for Wen Wan, still kneeling on the ground, she kept her head down and said nothing. No one could see the expression on her face.
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