"Mother, if the empress is deposed, whom do you plan to place on the position of empress?" Of course, Su Wan'er wouldn't depose herself. On the contrary, since the empress dowager was so eager for her to abdicate, she just refused to do so.
The empress dowager also thought for a while. "I think both Concubine Mei and Concubine Xi are very good. Especially Concubine Xi. She is your distant cousin. You don't have to worry that the imperial power in your hands will fall into the hands of other families after a hundred years."
The empress dowager was talking cheerfully, but didn't notice that the person beside her had a face as black as the bottom of a pot.
"Mother, I think this matter needs further discussion." Su Wan'er shattered the empress dowager's fantasy.
"Why?" The empress dowager didn't understand why Su Wan'er would refuse. According to the usual scenario, "Si Junlin" should have agreed... Could it be...
"Lin'er, tell mother honestly. Do you like that woman?" The empress dowager asked Su Wan'er seriously.
Like? Su Wan'er didn't know how to answer the empress dowager. Theoretically, she of course liked herself. But from Si Junlin's perspective, it should be no, right?
Thinking about her stance, Su Wan'er decided to speak from Si Junlin's perspective.
"Mother, you're joking. How could I like her?" A contemptuous smile appeared on Su Wan'er's face.
Su Wan'er's words made the empress dowager feel relieved. "It's good that you don't like her. The reputation of the Su family is too great. You still need to be careful with the people from the Su family."
Su Wan'er had long known what the empress dowager said. A few days before she was reluctant to enter the palace, her grandfather had called her over and told her these things.
The Su family had made great contributions in the battles outside. Although she entered the palace as the empress, she was only regarded as a hostage by the royal family to contain the Su family.
However, it still felt heart - wrenching to hear the empress dowager say it.
"Of course I know this." Su Wan'er could only use a big smile to cover up the turmoil in her heart.
"Then tell me why the empress cannot be deposed." The empress dowager looked at Su Wan'er seriously.
"First of all, the Su family is still guarding the border. If they hear that we have deposed the empress, they will surely be indignant. This is the first reason. Secondly, mother, your reason for deposing the empress is not sufficient. Not to mention that your standard for judging the empress is quite different from that of others in the palace. Just the temperaments of Concubine Mei and Concubine Xi are not enough for them to be the empress."
"What's not enough?" The empress dowager really couldn't understand what her son meant. One of the two people she proposed was his favorite concubine, and the other was a distant relative that both he and she were satisfied with. She couldn't think of any reason for her son to reject them.
"What the empress needs most is a mature temperament. Concubine Xi is just like a child. If she is allowed to manage the harem, it will only get more and more chaotic." Su Wan'er recalled the appearance of Concubine Xi when she came to see her several times. Her evaluation was really not biased.
"As for Concubine Mei..." Su Wan'er recalled. "She is too arrogant. She is not a suitable candidate for the empress either."
"Keep the empress. At least it can make the Su family a little more scrupulous." Su Wan'er's words were the last straw that broke the camel's back.
The empress dowager finally stopped insisting on deposing the empress. "Alright. Since you've already made a decision, I won't interfere in your affairs. By the way, you haven't summoned any concubines to sleep with you for a long time. Go to Concubine Xi's place tonight."
"Okay, but that's a matter for tonight. I still have important things to deal with, so I'll take my leave first." After saying that, he bowed to the empress dowager and left the empress dowager's palace. Then Su Wan'er rushed straight to the cold palace.
At this moment, the cold palace was not cold. On the contrary, it seemed a bit lively because of the arrival of the empress.
Concubine Mei, Concubine Xi, and some other concubines had all come.
They came not to see Si Junlin, the empress, but to watch the empress's plight after being sent to the cold palace.
Si Junlin looked at the concubines in front of him impatiently. He had thought they were kind before, at least better than a rude and "vicious" woman like Su Wan'er. But now it seemed that was not the case at all.
"Yo, I said Empress Sister, why do you look so ugly? Don't you like our visit?" One of the concubines said with a look of being hurt.
Concubine Xi sneered contemptuously. "Concubine Ling, you're wrong. Miss Su is no longer the empress now. Once the emperor's imperial edict is issued, she won't be the empress anymore."
Si Junlin sneered. "Do you really think the emperor will issue an edict to depose the empress? He married me back then to contain the Su family. Now that the Su family is guarding the border, do you think the emperor will depose me so easily?" He was still confident about this. Even if their souls hadn't been swapped, he wouldn't have deposed the empress because the Su family was guarding the far - away border of the imperial city.
Of course, after the soul swap, he had another reason to believe that Su Wan'er wouldn't just watch the empress dowager depose her.
"You! Do you think the emperor will be afraid of your family?" Concubine Xi was refuted by him and was speechless for a moment. She could only bring up the emperor.
She didn't know that the emperor she was talking about was right in front of her.
Although a certain emperor didn't want to admit it, sometimes the truth was the truth...
"Sorry, this is the truth. Otherwise, why do you think I could sit on the position of empress for so long?" Si Junlin sneered disdainfully.
"You shameless bitch!" Concubine Xi was really angry and directly slapped Si Junlin.
She used a lot of strength. Si Junlin only felt a burning pain on his face. When he touched it with his hand... it should be swollen.
Si Junlin was so angry that he wanted to step forward, but unfortunately, several old nurses were holding him tightly, leaving him no room for resistance.
The other concubines also seemed to be irritated by his words. Each of them came up and punched and kicked him, aiming at the places that were not easy to be noticed.
If it were normal, these concubines would have been stopped by the secret guards around him. But now he was using Su Wan'er's body. Coupled with the restraint of the old nurses behind him, he couldn't even resist, let alone fight back.
He could only passively protect his important parts to ensure that he wouldn't be hurt by these women.
Just when he had no ability to resist, a shout came from outside the cold palace. "The emperor is coming!"
In an instant, those concubines returned to their dignified looks.
"Greetings to the emperor." Seeing Su Wan'er come in, a group of people knelt down and saluted her one after another.
But at this moment, Su Wan'er only had Si Junlin in her eyes. He was only wearing his inner clothes, with his hair and clothes in a mess.