“You must know that Li Qin’s favor towards you isn’t entirely out of ‘love,’ right?” The abbot’s words echoed in Qingqing’s ears: Love, once it encounters power, will be destroyed. Although the so-called love between Li Qin and Yafu might not have been completely destroyed yet. Yafu, of course, knew that Li Qin’s love for her was somewhat an act. Because the Empress Dowager thought Li Qin was still too young and immature in handling affairs, she often suppressed him. Once power is tainted, one can’t easily let go, and the Empress Dowager was no exception. Li Qin didn’t want his empire and power to be divided, especially with the Empress Dowager’s trust and favor towards Yafu, making it easy for his actions to be monitored by the Empress Dowager and the Lin family. Thus, the Empress Dowager’s power grew, and she couldn’t stop. Even though Li Qin always respected his mother, he couldn’t tolerate such division and surveillance. Meanwhile, the Lin family had grown rapidly in the past year. Not long after Li Qin ascended the throne, by the time he fully realized these two issues, it seemed too late. The best approach for Li Qin was to favor Yafu, who was valued by both the Empress Dowager and the Lin family, to appease them. On the other hand, he relied on the Fourth Prince, who was at odds with him, perhaps thinking that the Fourth Prince would never collaborate with the Empress Dowager who killed his own mother. However, assumptions can sometimes be wrong. Yafu’s mind was filled with numerous thoughts, but she showed nothing on her face, “You seem to have forgotten, you are also surnamed Lin!” Qingqing’s smile faded, coldly saying, “When have you ever considered me part of the Lin family?” Yafu was silent, staring at Qingqing for a while before saying, “Tell me your plan.” Qingqing whispered into her ear, speaking softly. Unexpectedly, three days later, Li Qin’s imperial edict came down. The gist of it was that although Qingqing had committed the crime of deceiving the emperor, she was, after all, the empress appointed by the previous emperor. Considering she had repented after being confined in the Cold Palace, she was specially appointed as the Second Rank Consort Lin, and was granted residence in the Zang Ju Palace. Holding the edict, Qingqing sneered, “Consort Lin,” it seemed Li Qin was extremely dissatisfied with the Lin family, always thinking of how to use people who were at odds with them. It was well known that Qingqing harbored hatred for the Lin family, and with the opposition from the Empress Dowager, she was deeply resentful. Of course, this “well known” was a rumor spread by the Fourth Prince’s people. But from this, it was clear that Li Qin believed it wholeheartedly; otherwise, he wouldn’t have added the “Lin” to Qingqing’s title.
Chapters 146-155
Chapter 146: The Source of the Poisoned Cakes