After leaving the Empress Dowager’s Cining Palace, Mo Xuetong went to the Empress’ Tianfeng Palace. Ever since something happened to the Empress, Consort Su and Imperial Noble Consort Wen were in charge of all matters in the harem. The Empress’ Tianfeng Palace was also very cold. When she saw Mo Xuetong coming from afar, her smile grew even more friendly and she was even more careful.
Those servants who used to serve the Empress had not forgotten how Consort Xuan fought back against the Empress. She fainted in the Empress’ Tianfeng Palace, which put the Empress in a very passive position all of a sudden.
What Mo Xuetong did not expect was that Imperial Noble Consort Wen was also in the Empress’ palace.
“How are you feeling? I heard from Old Eight a few days ago that you were so ill that you could not even get up. I thought that you were still young and wouldn’t suffer a tragic fate. So I prayed for you in front of the Buddha. Now I think back to it, I find that you are indeed blessed.” The Empress, who was on the high seat, was dressed plainly and looked at Mo Xuetong with a benevolent expression. She had never been so gentle before.
“Many thanks, Your Majesty!” Mo Xuetong said softly.
“Rise. You’re in poor health. Sit down and have a rest first.” The Empress was dignified and gracious, in line with her identity of a member of the royal family. There was also a hint of concern for Mo Xuetong on her face. She looked sincere.
It made Mo Xuetong wonder when the Empress became easy-going!
“Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell too? Your face looks too pale.” Since the Empress had expressed her kindness, Mo Xuetong could not do things that led to people attacking and criticizing her. Then, the haggard expression on the Empress’s dignified face was obvious. She recalled that when the imperial physician came to see her a few days ago, he had mentioned that the Empress was not feeling well. So, she brought it up as a topic of conversation.
“It’s not a big deal. I’m just a little weak. I’m fine.” The Empress’ voice was no longer high and mighty for the first time. She answered kindly as an elder, which immediately made people feel that she was much closer.
“Your Majesty, don’t be careless. You have to ask the imperial physician to examine you. Don’t put off a slight illness until it becomes a serious one.” Mo Xuetong’s smile grew even more sincere. She cast a glance at the Empress’ expression and there was a hint of worry in her eyes. Even though the imperial physician had told her that the Empress was ill, he knew nothing about it. It was said that the imperial physician in the palace wasn’t allowed to her carefully.
“It’s okay. Xuehe said it’s not a serious illness. It’s just the warm heat disease and I’m a little worried.” The Empress smiled.
“Xuehe, the Sixth Princess?” Mo Xuetong had a sudden thought.
“So many things have happened in the harem recently, and Consort Yu has lost the child in her belly. Her Majesty is worried about the Emperor’s child in the harem, and she has not been eating well these days. If the child is born, His Majesty will have four sons. But now, the child…” Imperial Noble Consort Wen took over the topic and sighed.
Consort Yu lost her baby because Consort Zhao had bumped into her. Fortunately, the relationship between Feng Yuran and the He family and Consort Zhao had already broken on Mo Xuetong’s birthday. Imperial Noble Consort Wen did not mean to slap her in the face when she said that. She was trying to explain why the Empress did not feel well.
Her smile was gentle, leaving a good impression on others. She sat across from Mo Xuetong. She was not as imposing as the Empress when she talked and smiled.
“Consort Zhao… how is she going?” Since Imperial Noble Consort Wen had mentioned Consort Yu, Mo Xuetong had to ask about Consort Zhao’s situation anyway. No matter what had happened, Consort Zhao was Feng Yuran’s aunt. Even though there was enmity between the two families, she had to ask about her on the surface.
“Consort Zhao is really… she usually is gentle. Why was she so angry? It seems that she wanted to destroy the child in Consort Yu’s belly by all means.” Imperial Noble Consort Wen sighed again, as if she was really feeling sorry for the two of them. However, there was no anger in her words, nor did she intend to add insult to their injury. It seemed that she really felt pity for the two of them. She was as calm and generous as usual. She was really the most popular imperial consort in the palace.
“How else is she going? She caused His Majesty’s child to die. Consort Zhao can’t make it clear. It’s inevitable for her to be sent to the Cold Palace. I just hope that His Majesty will think of her merits in a few days and then let her out of the Cold Palace. The Cold Palace is not a place for people to stay.”
“Yes!” Mo Xuetong did not know how to response and could only nod with a smile.
“I heard that Princess Caifeng of the Southern Barbarian Lands is not easy to deal with. How is she doing in King Xuan’s Manor recently?” The Empress did not seem to like to talk about this topic. She changed the topic and talked about Princess Caifeng and a pleased expression appeared on her face. It was not strange for her to care about this. As the King Yan’s mother, the Empress must have known about the matter between him and Princess Caifeng.
Princess Caifeng was considered to have a relationship with King Yan, and would definitely come to King Yan’s Manor in the future. It was normal for the Empress to care about Princess Caifeng.
“Since I’ve been ill recently, I’ve been lying on the bed. If it weren’t for His Majesty’s order, I would still be lying on the bed. I’ve entrusted all the matters in the courtyard to someone else, so I have no idea what’s going on. Anyway, no one is gossiping,” Mo Xuetong replied softly. Her voice was soft and weak. Coupled with her pale face, one could tell that she was really weak and did not mean to make excuses.
“I heard that a young lady from a noble family of the Southern Barbarian Lands has come with Princess Caifeng, right?” Even though the Empress looked a little displeased, she still kept her composure and asked. It was evident that she was very concerned about Hu Qianyue’s matters.
After coughing slightly and covering her mouth with her handkerchief, Mo Xuetong looked up with tears in her eyes and answered softly, “I do know about this. I heard that Miss Hu Qianyue is the cousin of the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands, the niece of the Empress of the Southern Barbarian Lands. Her father is the general of the Southern Barbarian Lands and is in charge of strong troops.”
“The general of the Southern Barbarian Lands?” The Empress’ eyes lit up and automatically turned to look at Imperial Noble Consort Wen. However, Imperial Noble Consort Wen did not seem to notice it and continued to look at Mo Xuetong with a smile.
If her father was really the general of the Southern Barbarian Kingdom and was in command of strong army, Hu Qianyue was more useful than Princess Caifeng although her status was a little low. How could the Empress not be interested in her? If both of them married into Feng Yulei’s manor, it would be of great help to Feng Yulei.
“I heard it. I don’t know if it’s true!” Mo Xuetong smiled slightly and said in a casual manner.
This was what she heard originally, and she didn’t know if it was accurate!
“Princess Caifeng’s face was injured. She bumped into Marquess Mingguo’s wife on her way back from King Yan’s Manor. I heard that Princess Caifeng was very dissatisfied with this, and even wanted to rush to Mingguo Manor to vent her anger. It’s understandable. How important is a girl’s appearance? Furthermore, she is unmarried.”
The Empress’ face darkened when she heard that. Ling Mingyan always did things without thinking. However, she had already done it and offended Princess Caifeng. It seemed that she a restless person. It was a little troublesome. “Has the wound on her face healed? Wasn’t it said that it would not leave scarring? Isn’t it alright?”
“It’s said that it would be alright, but it depends on the reaction in this month. If it can be healed soon, maybe Princess Caifeng won’t care about the mistake of His Excellency’s wife,” Mo Xuetong replied.
“If it can be healed soon?” The Empress thought about it for a while. Then, she turned to Imperial Noble Consort Wen, who was sitting by the side. Her eyes lit up and she said, “Imperial Noble Consort Wen, what about Xuehe…”
“Your Majesty!” Before she could finish her words, Imperial Noble Consort Wen interrupted her loudly, and then explained in a soft voice under the two people’s surprised eyes, “Your Majesty, as for Xuehe, the Southern Barbarian Lands… is too far away. Please do me a favor, Your Majesty. Don’t let Xuehe marry far away!”
The subject changed too fast and too brusque!
A hint of suspicion flashed across Mo Xuetong’s eyes as she looked at Imperial Noble Consort Wen up and down. Just now, they were talking about Princess Caifeng. Why did she suddenly mention the Sixth Princess’ marriage? It was said that the palace had not decided if the Sixth Princess or the Seventh Princess would marry Crown Prince Xieyue. The two princesses’ dates of birth differed by only two months, so it was possible for either of them to go.
This matter had not been decided yet, which meant that it still needed to be thought over. Why did Imperial Noble Consort Wen, who had always been calm, suddenly panic, as if the Sixth Princess was going to get married soon? Moreover, these words were mentioned in front of Mo Xuetong when it had nothing to do with her. In short, these words were extremely inappropriate!
“Your Majesty, I was lost in thought. Upon hearing you mention Xuehe, I thought that…” Imperial Noble Consort Wen also felt that she had forgotten herself just now, so she stood up in a hurry and explained to the Empress.
“Forget it. Never mind!” The Empress waved her hand kindly and gestured for Imperial Noble Consort Wen to sit down.
Mo Xuetong stood up and bade farewell to the Empress. The Empress did not ask her to stay. Her attitude was as calm as ever and she was so kind that Mo Xuetong could not believe it that the person in front of her was really the Empress who had always been at odds with her. The woman seemed to have changed. Could it be that the Empress had changed her character over the past few plain days?
However, mountains and rivers could be moved, but man’s nature could not be moved.
The Empress’s actions made Mo Xuetong feel strange. Imperial Noble Consort Wen had always been gentle and calm, and had not interacted much with the Empress and had not even gotten involved in the matters of the Empress Dowager. She did everything according to the rules. However, what was going on now? Since when had Imperial Noble Consort Wen and the Empress gotten along so well?
The Empress could bear to be interrupted by Imperial Noble Consort Wen, and there was not a trace of displeasure on her face!
Every time Imperial Noble Consort Wen was in a hurry to interrupt the Empress, it seemed to have something to do with the Sixth Princess Feng Xuehe. Even though she was worried that the Sixth Princess would marry off to the Southern Barbarian Lands, and she had to please the Empress, Mo Xuetong still felt that something was wrong!
Because it was still early, Mo Xuetong lay on the couch in Anhe Palace while she closed her eyes and silently recalled what they had said and every movement of the Empress and Imperial Noble Consort Wen in Tianfeng Palace today. She felt that there was a certain mystery behind it. Their harmonious coexistence may have been for the Emperor’s sake on the surface.
But what did Mo Xuetong see? She really couldn’t believe it. The two of them got along so well that they looked as if they were a family!
Lying on the bed silently for a while, Mo Xuetong suddenly stood up. Mo Lan, who was sitting beside, was startled and hurriedly looked up at her.
“Go and call Mo Ye!”
“Yes, I will go right away.” Mo Lan stood up and looked at Mo Xuetong, whose eyes shone brightly. She knew what her mistress was thinking and did not dare to delay. She walked to the door and called Mo Ye in. The two maidservants usually followed Mo Xuetong into the palace, and one guarded inside the palace while the other guarded outside.
When Mo Ye entered the palace, Mo Xuetong pulled her over and whispered a few words in her ear. Mo Ye hesitated for a while, but she still nodded and went out according to her plan. She asked Mo Lan to take good care of Mo Xuetong and went deep into the palace alone. On the way, she knocked out a palace maid and put on her clothes.
