The Empress, who wore a delicate magenta gown decorated with dragons and phoenixes, looked more gorgeous than other guests dressed in a similar fashion.
Lin Mengya knelt to salute Concubine De.
Watching the red hem sweeping by, Lin Mengya suddenly had a confusion.
‘Why does the Empress wear such formal imperial gowns, no matter what occasion she goes to?’
“Arise, everyone.”
The Empress did not say that until she had taken the main seat.
From those kneeling at the moment, no one dared to complain.
Lin Mengya knew clearly that, the Empress was dealing Concubine De a head-on blow.
No matter who held that banquet, and no matter how glorious Concubine De was, only the Empress had the right to sit there.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
It became less lively in the Liuxin Courtyard. Everyone was feeling uneasy.
The Empress did not show up at the beginning of this banquet, but did so halfway. She might have made an appearance with a purpose.
“I’ve heard that, Princess Yu arranged this banquet alone?”
The Empress scanned every guest, and seemed to be satisfied with everyone’s extremely deferential attitudes. She did not keep a straight face, and instead, she smiled slightly.
“Your Highness, you are right. I am responsible for this banquet. Please forgive me if there is something wrong.”
As a matter of fact, Long Tianhao had invited the Empress and the Crown Prince. However, they refused to be condescending.
Now, their unrequested arrival warned Lin Mengya to stay alert.
“Something wrong? I didn’t see anything wrong. I think that this banquet is the most interesting banquet I’ve ever been to.”
The Empress’s words sounded like a praise.
However, Lin Mengya didn’t think so. The Empress wouldn’t simply visit just for the purpose of phrasing her.
“Thank you, Your Highness. I don’t deserve it.”
The Empress’s face didn’t present extra expressions.
Perhaps because the Empress was there, all the ladies and Misses took off their masks.
The noisy ‘Guessing riddles with masks on’ party turned into silence at the moment.
A flicker of pride appeared on the Crown Prince’s face.
“Mother, I find myself in an uncomfortable position while in the female guest area. Should I go to my third brother’s yard? What do you think?”
Lin Mengya thought that the Empress and the Crown Prince were increasingly disgusting as time went on.
Everyone was enjoying themselves, but both of them ruined the banquet by means of their high status.
And the worst was that, she could do nothing to them.
“Okay, go now.”
No excitement or pride were seen on the Empress’s face.
It seemed as if she didn’t care about what was happening then.
Baiji presented a cup of scented tea for the Empress. The Empress just glanced at her, and then, gracefully drunk the tea.
Nobody knew whether to keep standing or to sit.
They had to stand still, shivering in their hearts.
A disaster would come at them if the Empress had a grudge against them.
“Why are you still standing there? I find that guessing riddles is very interesting. Go on. I want to be part of it.”
After making a show of authority, the Empress said this.
However, the female guests all stood still. No one dared to speak.
“Oh, I might have scared you. Don’t be scared. I came here for fun. I will feel sorry if I spoil the banquet.”
“It is not like that, Your Highness.”
Concubine De immediately came to the rescue. She had been mingling with the Empress for many years. She knew clearly that the Empress line of thinking was the most difficult to guess.
Since it was so, it was a matter of just doing what the Empress wanted. Perhaps she could escape from trouble.
“Ya’er, go to do your things. I’ll be here.”
Concubine De determinedly pushed Lin Mengya aside.
She and the Empress were sworn enemies. Lin Mengya would take a beating if she was confronted by the Empress.
It was better to let Concubine De face the Empress. The Empress would not dare do something to her because of her status.
“Okay, be careful, mother.”
A feeling of concern rose in Lin Mengya’s heart.
Someone had an allergy, and now the Empress and the Crown Prince were present. No matter what, Lin Mengya thought that there was something abnormal in there.
Concubine De nodded, composed herself, and approached the Empress.
On second thought, Lin Mengya decided to look at how the Qinwu Courtyard was like at the moment.
Hiding in the corner, Lin Mengya found that it had a similar situation as in the Liuxin Courtyard.
The worse was that, the Crown Prince was jeering at Long Tianhao for no reason.
And he rebuked everyone overtly or covertly.
That differentiated him from the Empress. The former would only mount the high horse while the latter would obtain an object by underhand means.
What both of them had in common was their disgusting personalities.
“Follow me, little girl.”
All of a sudden, Qinghu grabbed Lin Mengya’s hand when she was thinking hard about how to solve the problem.
Lin Mengya was taken by Qinghu to a store room in the backyard, with no one noticing them.
“What do you take me here for?”
Lin Mengya lowered her voice, and asked that.
But Qinghu returned a ‘shut up’ hand signal to Lin Mengya. Both of them hid themselves in the dark.
Lin Mengya opened her eyes wide, and watched what was going on in front of her.
In a while, a woman under a black cloak was seen secretly appearing in front of the store room.
Lin Mengya narrowed her eyes. Under the dim light, she still managed to recognize her. She was obviously Jiang Ruqin.
“Get out now. I’m here. Then, your hiding is meaningless!”
Lin Mengya’s nerves joggled. She thought that Qinghu and her had been found out.
However, another slim figure walked out of the store room before she took action.
“Miss Jiang, you are really outspoken. Then, I will stop playing double games. I did what you asked me to. Then, has Miss Jiang gotten everything ready?”
Lin Mengya was silently overwhelmed. Her accent and tone apparently belonged to Princess Ming Yue who had been named the first gossip girl.
It was said that, King Ming was so irritated by her, that he didn’t send anyone to take part in that banquet.
Then, why would she be here? Even ganging up with Jiang Ruqin?
“I thought the Empress and the Crown Prince would refuse to come here. Don’t worry. I have arranged everything well. That bitch will not escape easily this time.”
Jiang Ruqin sounded cruel and proud.
Lin Mengya understood immediately that, Jiang Ruqin had been showing weakness in front of her in recent days, for the purpose of murdering her!
“Well then. Lin Mengya has ruined me. She made a laughing stock out of me. Now, what we have prepared for her can be used well.”
Ming Yue bore grudges against Lin Mengya. The moment she woke up in the Crown Prince’s room, Ming Yue realized that she had fallen into Lin Mengya’s trap.
Without Lin Mengya, she would have already married Long Tianhao. Perhaps she would have been Prince Yu’s vice wife.
‘It was Lin Mengya’s fault! That bitch did this to me!’
“But there is a question. You have had a relationship with the Crown Prince. Even though you successfully framed Lin Mengya, you are unlikely to become my cousin’s wife. Then, why do you help me?”
Jiang Ruqin was clever.
But Ming Yue’s answer was more cunning.
“I will not become his vice wife. But I still hate Lin Mengya. I will feel uncomfortable as long as Lin Mengya is alive! Don’t worry. I will not bring harm to you, nor to Prince Yu.”
No one would believe Ming Yue. Such a selfish, vicious woman was unlikely to be kind.
Lin Mengya suppressed her urge to rush out, and watched both of them sounding each other out.
“You may sound reasonable, but I will not believe you completely. Remember, it is okay to kill Lin Mengya, but if my cousin is involved, I will disclose what you have done. Then, don’t blame me for being heartless.”
Lin Mengya was surprised at Jiang Ruqin’s stupidity. ‘Didn’t she realize that Ming Yue was tricking her by all means?’
‘It is really hard for Ming Yue to try to frame her with such a silly partner.’
‘But what are they planning?’
Lin Mengya was waiting for both of them to reveal everything.
However, they let her down.
They left in a hurry after just a few words.
‘It seems that they are still cautious enough.’
“Little girl, do you want me to get them caught, and grill them about their plan?”
Qinghu’s eyes were filled with coldness.
‘How brave the two bitches are. How dare they plot against my little girl. They must have gotten tired of living.’
“Don’t act rashly. We still know little about their plan. Let’s go back first. I believe that there is a relationship between them and those infiltrators.”
Qinghu nodded, and carried Lin Mengya back to the Liuxin Courtyard at a high speed.
Thanks to Concubine De’s mediating, the riddle-guessing party could go on smoothly.
Lin Mengya invisibly stayed with the crowd.
When she returned to her room, everything was normal. Her maids looked nervous though.
Even Lin Mengya doubted herself whether they had heard it wrong just then.
Unexpectedly, at the moment, a noise attracted everyone’s attention.
“Something is wrong! Something has gone wrong! The demon, the demon demands a life!”
After a frightened scream, an old maid ran in a flurry out of the guest room.
Lin Mengya rushed out of her room, leaving her maids still in her room.
“Someone may sneak in during the chaos. Baisu, protect them!”
Baisu nodded. Lin Mengya disappeared in her maids’ concerned sights, and rushed through the crowd to that guest room to ask some questions.
That old maid, looking deathly pale, crumpled on the floor instantly, after she rushed out.
“There’s… there is a demon inside! An evil being! The lady… the lady… she was killed by the demon!”
Lin Mengya was silently overwhelmed. When she was about to enter the room, a woman, who had just entered, rushed out screaming.
“Ah! Ah! Academician Wang’s wife is being possessed by a demon!”
