In the original story, Zi Ling also successfully became one of the palace maids serving Zhou Yu through this incident. Behind the scenes, she indulged her in everything, making full use of the art of flattery to kill.
It was precisely because of this that after Zhou Hao ascended the throne, Zhou Yu, after being slightly instigated by Zi Ling’s people, dared to rush directly to the Golden Palace and curse Zhou Hao for being heartless, ruthless, cold-blooded, and cruel.
The consequence, naturally, was that she angered Zhou Hao.
…
Seeing that Mu Yunge was completely ignoring her, Zi Ling became somewhat anxious, but her hand still tried to reach out and hug Mu Yunge’s small body.
She must win the favor of the Ninth Princess in order to act more effectively in the palace.
Just then, the nearby guards rushed over, followed by the Emperor and Empress, who had come upon hearing the news.
Seeing Mu Yunge, both of them looked extremely anxious.
“My darling, are you alright? Father1*父皇, fùhuáng: 父 (Father) + 皇 (Emperor); term used by an emperor’s son or daughter to address him. Precisely, it should be Emperor Father, but I simplify it as Father. is here!”
Seeing the Emperor rushing toward her, Mu Yunge immediately cried out to the Empress, “Mother2母后, mǔhòu: 母 (Mother) + 后 (Empress); (historical) form of address used by an emperor or imperial children for their mother (the empress dowager or the empress) Precisely, it should be Empress Mother/Empress Dowager, but I simplify it as Mother.!”
She didn’t want to be held by the Emperor!
Hearing Mu Yunge’s cries, the Empress immediately rushed to her side and hugged her tightly, tears welling in her eyes, saying, “My Xiao Jiu’er3*小, xiǎo: small / tiny / few / young.
九, jiǔ: nine / 9.
儿, ér: child / son. Adding “儿, ér” to the end of a Chinese name is usually an affectionate and cute nickname suffix, a phenomenon known as “erhua” (儿化音). It expresses affection, closeness, or makes the name sound softer and more lively (e.g., Bao’er, Yue’er), and is often used by elders to younger generations, partners, or in nicknames. In ancient times, it also referred to a young woman or a person’s form of address., Mother almost lost you!”
Seeing the mother and daughter embracing, the Emperor’s face immediately darkened with anger. He coldly swept his gaze over the kneeling eunuchs and palace maids around him.
He said, “Every one of you will be punished by a hundred strokes of the cane! Investigate this matter thoroughly immediately! If you can’t find the truth, you can forget about your heads!”
He finally had this daughter, but she almost drowned in his own imperial garden!
Xiao Jiu’er usually had more maids and eunuchs serving her than he and the Empress, so how could she have suddenly fallen into the water?!
Afterward, the Empress personally carried Mu Yunge’s body all the way to Weiyang Palace.
After the imperial physician examined her and prescribed medicine, Mu Yunge closed her eyes and fell asleep like a frightened child.
That night, the culprit who caused Zhou Yu’s fall into the water was found.
The perpetrator was a concubine who had given birth to a stillborn child. Every time she saw Zhou Yu being treated like a treasure by the Emperor, she couldn’t help but think of her own daughter, who had died shortly after birth.
She firmly believed that the Empress, fearing her daughter would steal the Emperor’s favor, had ordered her daughter strangled. Therefore, she sought revenge, wanting the Empress to also experience the pain of losing a daughter!
The concubine was naturally executed by the Emperor, but apart from Mu Yunge, no one knew the aftermath of Zhou Yu’s fall into the water.
…
The next day, Mu Yunge slept until noon.
Upon waking, she saw the Empress’s haggard face.
Mu Yunge’s heart stirred. Then she smiled sweetly at the Empress and said, “Mother.”
In the original story, the Empress died of illness ten years later, by which time the princes had all come of age, and the struggle for the throne was at its most chaotic.
It was also at the Empress’s funeral that several princes were reported for drinking alcohol and eating meat, angering the Emperor, which led to their demotion.
Of course, the heroine played a part in this; after all, no prince would be foolish enough to eat meat during the Empress’s funeral—a matter of common sense even among ordinary people in ancient society that emphasized etiquette.
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Maria Lian On CFRFGC Chapter 110