After what had happened in the imperial palace, the Empress had given all the power to manage the imperial harem to Consort Su, and she herself had gone to the Buddha Hall to pray for the dead palace servants and sent most of the rest servants in her palace to other palaces. She looked as if she were completely dedicated to the Buddha and would no longer care about what was happening in the palace.
Once this news came out, everyone got excited.
King Chu was in charge of court affairs, and even though King Xuan would participate in it from time to time, everyone could tell that King Chu was in charge. King Xuan was just an idle prince who would work occasionally. Now Consort Su was in charge of the imperial harem.
King Yan was grounded in his manor, and the Empress no longer meddled in affairs of the imperial harem…
What did this mean? It was worth studying. Countless pairs of eyes in the court were watching these changes!
The Empress Dowager’s Cining Palace was wreathed in smoke. The benevolent Empress Dowager sat in front of the Buddha and muttered something with a string of beads in her hands. The hall was very quiet, and the Jade Buddha consecrated above appeared quieter. He looked at the noble Empress Dowager in front of him calmly, as if he had not seen the agitation on the Empress Dowager’s face that she could not suppress at all.
In the past, the Mind-clearing Incantation was very effective. Even if there were more troubles in her mind, her anger would be suppressed as soon as the Empress Dowager read the Mind-clearing Incantation once. But today, she really could not calm down. She recited the Mind-clearing Incantation again and again, but the agitation in her heart still rushed up again and again, and she could not suppress it even if she wanted to.
In the end, the Empress Dowager suddenly opened her eyes. She turned to Eunuch Yu who was standing by the door and asked, “Is Consort Yu here?”
“Your Majesty, Consort Yu is already here and is resting in the quiet room behind, but…” Eunuch Yu paused, looking a little hesitant.
The Empress Dowager figured it out when she thought of that. Immediately she snorted and asked, “Did Zhen’er come as well?” In her eyes, Consort Yu was a bitch. She was pregnant, but she still tried to seduce Zhen’er. If something would go wrong with the baby in her belly, how could she think of a way to get pregnant again?
“Yes, yes! His Highness has been in the room for a while,” Eunuch Yu said fearfully. He lowered his head and did not dare to say anything else. He had been working for the Empress Dowager, so he naturally knew what the Empress Dowager hated the most. If not for the child in Consort Yu’s belly being useful, the Empress Dowager would not have spared her.
“Get Zhen’er out of the palace as soon as possible. He’s here to visit me, so he can’t stay too long,” the Empress Dowager said coldly, a little dissatisfied with Feng Yuzhen. Although she wanted him to coax Consort Yu, it should not take long. Now, Consort Su was in charge of the imperial harem, and that woman was not easy to get along with.
“Yes, I will urge him,” Eunuch Yu said helplessly. As a matter of fact, he had listened on the sly just now, but the two people inside were making out passionately, and he did not dare to disturb them. Now that he got the Empress Dowager’s order, he could only go over to urge them.
When he arrived at the quiet room at the back of the Empress Dowager’s palace hall, Eunuch Yu could hear a woman’s charming voice and the man’s heavy breathing coming from inside. He really did not know what to say. The two inside were still not over. No wonder the Empress Dowager grew angry. They should be aware of their situation. One of them was pregnant, so it could be said that they were addicted to having a love affair stealthily!
Eunuch Yu knocked on the door and said, “Your Highness, Your Highness, it is getting late. Her Majesty asks you to leave the palace.”
After a while, the two inside the room stopped. Feng Yuzhen straightened out his clothes and walked out with a comfortable look on his face, his hands behind his back. His robe was crumpled, and it was obvious that they were passionate just now, but he didn’t show it on his face. Looking at Eunuch Yu, he nodded as if nothing had happened and said, “Did Grandmother have anything else to tell me?”
“Her Majesty wants Your Highness to be careful. Consort Su is in charge of the imperial harem now.” Eunuch Yu laughed dryly. In the past, the Empress, who was the daughter of Ding General Manor, would maintain the decency of Ding General Manor and would not fight with the Empress Dowager openly no matter what happened. But now, things changed. King Chu had a great advantage in the court and Consort Su would help him in the imperial harem. He was really powerful.
“Alright, I will be careful.” Feng Yuzhen nodded and turned to stride out. After a few steps, he suddenly said to Eunuch Yu, “Consort Yu is still inside. It is not convenient for her. Go and help her.”
“Yes,” Eunuch Yu replied, lowering his head.
Feng Yuzhen walked out. He did not dare to come to the palace often recently, and it had been a long time since he had seen Consort Yu last time. He did not have a first consort in his manor. In order to gain a good reputation and win the hearts of the people of the Wang family, he didn’t make out with women after the death of Wang Yueyue. As such, he did not take concubines into the manor.
It could be said that his King Ning’s Manor was now clean, which, of course, was done for others to see. But for the sake of his reputation, King Ning did not dare to take women to his manor. So it could be said that King Ning had not made out with a woman for a long time. Therefore, when he saw the charming Consort Yu in front of him, he immediately got passionate and forgot everything else. Of course, he woke up at this time and disdained Consort Yu very much.
“That bitch was so horny! Does she often make the Emperor a cuckold?”
He had already decided that he would get rid of Consort Yu, the slut, after he ascended the throne in the future. Since she dared to have an affair with him, she would definitely do the same with another man. “She is a slut, and she might have had something to do with the guards of the imperial harem long ago.”
When Eunuch Yu helped Consort Yu put on her clothes and arrived at the hall, the Empress Dowager’s face had already darkened. As she looked at Consort Yu who could not hide her lustful expression, a hint of coldness flashed in the Empress Dowager’s eyes. Then, a gentle smile appeared on her face. She pointed at a chair by the side and gestured for Consort Yu to sit.
The baby in her belly was of utmost importance.
“Consort Yu, do you think what happened yesterday was really done by the Empress in order to plot against Consort Chu?” She had specially asked Consort Yu to come because Consort Yu was present then and must have witnessed it clearly. The Empress Dowager did not believe that the Empress would be so stupid that she fought Ling Rui’er. They were both from Ding General Manor, so they could be considered to belong to the same community of shared destiny. If something like that happened to Ling Rui’er, it would implicate the reputation of the girls of Ding General Manor.
The Empress Dowager did not believe that the Empress didn’t know this. It was okay for family members to fight in secret, but when it came to interests, the Empress was still able to distinguish them.
“Your Majesty, it seems that it was really done by the Empress. At that time, the lead palace maid of the Empress had been standing behind her and trembling. She looked at the Empress desperately several times. She even hid behind the Empress. But at that time, the Empress seemed not to know what was wrong with her, and only found out about it when Consort Su pulled Yan Miao out.”
Consort Yu calmed down and took the cup of tea from Eunuch Yu. She took a sip and pondered with a frown. She did not say much after what happened yesterday. Even though she saw it, she did not say because no matter who won or lost, it would only be beneficial to her. So she hoped that they would fight every day. In her eyes, it would be better for her if they were dead.
The Empress did not know about it? That meant that the Empress did not mean to hurt Ling Rui’er. Perhaps, it was because someone had secretly set the trap. It seemed that the Empress was too stupid. She had allowed others to listen carefully to her plans. Someone had set up a trap to wait for her. The idea behind the scenes was not simple.
“What were King Xuan and Consort Xuan doing then?”
Consort Yu stuck out her belly and answered, “Because of what happened before, Consort Xuan felt uncomfortable, so King Xuan took her to a room to have a rest. When the whole thing happened, they were not there.” The chair was a little small and she felt very uncomfortable sitting there. It was better not to sit. The Empress Dowager was sitting high, so she didn’t dare to be presumptuous even though she felt rather uncomfortable.
Then it could not be the two of them. After all, anyone who tried to plot against the Empress would not relax. They would be afraid that an accident would happen, so they would definitely stay in the palace and deal with the sudden situation. Furthermore, they were in the palace. Feng Yuran was an idle person and no one in the palace would help him. He would not be able to do anything like that. His aunt, Consort Zhao did not seem to be someone who would help him.
Then the Empress had a eureka moment, and asked solemnly, “Could it be Consort Zhao?” She had been locked up for 10 years, and after she was released, it was hard to see through her.
“I don’t think so. After all, she just got into trouble. She might not dare to make trouble again,” Consort Yu felt that this guess was a little funny. According to Consort Zhao’s situation back then, she would not dare to do anything else. Consort Yu thought that the Empress Dowager had stayed in the palace for too long and was old.
“Tell me everything in detail.” The Empress Dowager stopped guessing, her eyes half-closed. She twirled the beads in her hands even faster.
Consort Yu did not dare to go against the Empress Dowager, so she told her everything in detail.
When Consort Yu was done, the Empress Dowager did not look up. The whole hall quieted down and only the sounds of prayer beads twirling in the Empress Dowager’s hands could be heard. It was so monotonous and dull that it almost drove one mad.
Consort Yu automatically swallowed and rubbed her belly with her hand. The baby had moved in her belly recently. This made her even happier to be a mother while she plotted against others. As long as her son was born, she would have goals to fight for him.
“Alright, off you go. You have to be more careful in the future. Consort Su is not the Empress. Be careful in case you fall into someone’s trap and don’t even know how you die.” The Empress Dowager finally looked up and said lightly to Consort Yu.
Consort Yu did not dare to say anything else. She stood up hurriedly to answer, “Yes.” She was called to the Cining Palace early in the morning and then made out with Feng Yuzhen in a passion. Now she was very tired. The atmosphere in this hall was especially uncomfortable. She immediately stood up and left when she heard that she could leave.
Watching Consort Yu’s figure disappear at the entrance of the palace, the Empress Dowager ordered Eunuch Yu in a low voice, “Go tell His Majesty later that I am guilty as well. I failed to manage the imperial harem well. After this incident, I will request to accompany the Empress. I can’t let her bear the responsibility alone.”
“Yes, I will tell the Emperor immediately,” Eunuch Yu answered carefully as his gaze landed on the beads that the Empress Dowager was twirling anxiously. He knew that the Empress Dowager was really worried.
In Mingguo Manor.
You Yuecheng frowned as he read the new intelligence that he had received. His pretty and cold brows were furrowed tightly. He had failed to go to the palace last night. It was not because he did not want to, but his wife had made a fuss to stop him. Learning that the ladies who had been taking a fancy to You Yuecheng had all entered the palace, Ling Mingyan had not allowed him to enter the palace on any account.
She claimed that it was a festival for unmarried young men and women. Why did he, a married man, go there? Did he want to have a private meeting with someone? Ling Mingyan said it in front of Duke Mingguo, and You Yuecheng was so angry that he left. In this case, he had lost a chance to find out the truth in person. At this time, he read the information and analyzed it slowly.
“Somebody, send a message to King Yan to tell him not to be anxious. The Empress has already taken actions and told him to wait for the right timing.” He rubbed the spot between his brows.
“Yes!” A shadow flashed out of the room.
That day, almost all the young masters of the noble families did not go out to fool around. They were locked up at home in case they should make trouble at the critical moment. Everyone was trying to figure out whether the Empress was retreating for the sake of advancing or just retreating. Of course, the most important thing was the Emperor’s attitude. What did the Emperor mean? Was he interested in King Chu?
