The Enchanting Imperial Concubine (Book 2)

Chapter 278 - Fate Plays Tricks

"The late emperor had many concubines, but he never cared much for the matters of the inner harem. This resulted in fierce struggles among the consorts, and few children were born. The fact that the Empress Dowager was able to give birth to the current emperor was largely due to the protection of the Grand Empress Dowager."

"At that time, the late Empress was very powerful. Aside from the Tai Guifei, who could somewhat compete with her, the other consorts were suppressed. However, those who gave birth to children did rise to higher positions..."

Though Liang Momo's words didn't directly answer the question, they explained everything. The implication was that the Empress Dowager was not particularly favored; it was only because she became pregnant in a harem where the late emperor had few children that the Grand Empress Dowager stepped in to protect her, allowing her to give birth. This was how she managed to secure her place in the harem.

Ye Yun didn't know what to say. She could only think that fate indeed plays tricks. The Empress Dowager had good fortune. As a concubine, she was lucky to bear a child and gain some favor. Then, her son became emperor, and she became the Empress Dowager.

And thus, the court ended up with an Empress Dowager who wasn't particularly clever.

Fate truly seemed to toy with people.

Tai Guifei had been highly favored back then and was both intelligent and ambitious. Yet, her son, Prince Ping, didn't take after her at all. Just like his title suggests, he was ordinary, preferring a quiet life.

If fate had been different and Tai Guifei had given birth to Ningchen and become Empress Dowager, who knows what kind of future the court would have had?

"Why did Xiuyuan suddenly ask about this?" Liang Momo asked curiously.

Ye Yun withdrew her thoughts and smiled slightly. "It's nothing, just a bit of curiosity. Is the donkey-hide gelatin ready? I'll eat it now before it cools."

Since Ye Yun didn't want to say more, Liang Momo didn't ask further and helped her eat.

As for the Empress Dowager's message, Ye Yun had no intention of mentioning it to Ningchen. It went in one ear and out the other.

The tense atmosphere didn't last long, and finally, on the night of April 12th, everything erupted.

Everyone thought that the Liao Kingdom would attack from the fief of the Fourth Prince of Zasake, but unexpectedly, they launched a surprise attack on Lingzhou, targeting Ye Zhe's territory.

Ye Zhe wasn't the only one guarding Lingzhou. He was still young and couldn't command so many troops alone. There were two other generals stationed there, both seasoned veterans who had fought against the Liaos many times—General Xian and General Lu.

Ye Zhe's troops were inherited from his father, numbering eighty-five thousand. This was after being reduced, as the Ye family's army had once been one hundred and fifty thousand strong. Because of his youth, his forces had been downsized.

This was precisely why the Liaos chose to break through from Ye Zhe's side. A young general in his twenties would be easier to deal with than the older veterans.

But this time, the Liaos seriously miscalculated.

Ye Zhe had been preparing for them these past few days.

He was well aware of his lack of experience and absence of military achievements, knowing full well that the Liaos might see him as an easy target. So, he had ordered all his soldiers to remain on high alert at all times.

Thus, when the Liao Kingdom's army suddenly attacked in the middle of the night, the Ye family's forces were only momentarily thrown into disarray. As soon as Ye Zhe lit the signal fire, they immediately sprang into action.