Chapter 42 Chapter 41 The Queen Mother sits in the Buddhist Hall...

Gu Shiyan simply smiled indifferently, his tone sounding unconcerned: "We've come this far over the years, it doesn't matter whether there's an antidote or not."

If she had seen Gu Shiyan smiling before, she would have definitely shown off to Hong Ting. After all, such an opportunity was very rare. But in this situation, how could she not care? Gu Shiyan still looked indifferent.

Although Hua Ling was anxious, emphasizing this matter too much would be of no use. Instead, it would only add pressure to Gu Shiyan.

After the two returned to the courtyard, Gu Shiyan fell asleep. Liang Qiulan was preoccupied with how to meet the Queen Mother the next day, so he didn't come for lunch or dinner. This made things much easier for Hua Ling. If Liang Qiulan had come, she wouldn't have known how to wake Gu Shiyan. Since Liang Qiulan didn't come in person, she only needed to bring in the food, no explanation needed.

Gu Shiyan slept soundly until the next day. As soon as he woke up, Hua Ling came in and helped him wash up while saying, "The Madam sent someone to tell you early this morning that she has to go to the palace today and will not be dining with you."

"Going into the palace? Did mother tell her what she was going to do today?" Gu Shiyan's tone was a little puzzled. Although the current queen mother was Liang Qiulan's aunt, Liang Qiulan had been staying indoors all these years and had not gone into the palace to see her. Why did she suddenly go into the palace today?

"The maid who came didn't say anything, but only said that Madam was going to the palace today. Now Madam should have changed into the court dress for ladies to meet the emperor and got on the carriage to the palace." Hua Ling replied. She was also a little confused about this.

Fortunately, the current Queen Mother is Liang Qiulan's aunt. With her around, nothing should go wrong when Liang Qiulan enters the palace this time.

Liang Qiulan was dressed in a cyan court gown, the sleeves much wider than those of ordinary clothing. The luxurious garment was embroidered with lotus patterns, and the most dazzling feature was the nine-tree flower hairpin on her head, which made her look elegant and graceful. As she stepped from the carriage engraved with the emblem of the Duke of Yingguo, she caught the attention of the surrounding servants. After all, Liang Qiulan was the most beautiful woman in the capital back then, and it seemed that she had not changed much now.

She was accompanied by only one maid, Furong. When the two of them arrived at the palace gate, they were blocked by the surrounding soldiers.

Seeing the visitor dressed in jewels and with extraordinary manners, the soldier spoke very politely: "Madam, did you deliver the memorial to the Empress Dowager when you entered the palace today?"

The current emperor's harem is empty, and the Empress Dowager is devoted to Buddhism, so women of high rank are exempted from attending court. Over the years, many have sought to see the Empress Dowager, and invitations have poured in like snowflakes, but only a handful have been summoned by the Empress Dowager.

Liang Qiulan glanced sideways at Furong behind her. Following her gaze, Furong walked up to the soldier, took out a token from her sleeve, and said, "This is the token bestowed by the Empress Dowager. With this, you can enter the palace."

The soldier respectfully accepted the token, carefully checking the authenticity of the markings. At this moment, an elderly general approached, patted him on the shoulder, and scolded him, "You don't even recognize the Duke of England's wife, so this token must be genuine." He then looked at Liang Qiulan with a flattering smile, "Madam, please come in. It's been a long time since I last saw you. You're still as elegant as ever."

Liang Qiulan smiled faintly and said, "Thank you for your hard work, General." Then he walked towards the palace gate.

After Liang Qiulan left, the soldier asked, "General, why have I never seen this Lady of England?"

The older general sighed, "More than twenty years ago, this lady often visited the palace to see the Empress Dowager. You didn't even know where she was back then. Unfortunately, her health declined, and she never returned to the palace again, not even leaving her mansion. It's understandable that you haven't seen her. I wonder what serious matter must have brought this lady out for a walk today."

In a blink of an eye, Liang Qiulan arrived at the Cining Palace. She had walked through this palace countless times, but Shangguan Jing was not yet the Empress Dowager at the time, and this was her first time there. She was not familiar with the way to the Cining Palace, but fortunately she met a young eunuch who led the way, and she was able to find the place smoothly.

There were not many palace servants in the Cining Palace. Because the Empress Dowager liked quietness, there were only a few palace maids sweeping the fallen leaves on the ground. They were all stunned when they saw Liang Qiulan. Firstly, Qingyan, the head aunt beside the Empress Dowager, did not tell them that a noble lady would come here today. Secondly, no outsiders had visited the Cining Palace for a long time. The last time was during the Spring Festival when the Princess of Prince Cheng came to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager.

A braver maid spoke first, "This lady has come to see the Queen Mother. I will go in and report to her."

Liang Qiulan smiled slightly, her tone gentle: "In that case, thank you very much, aunt."

The palace maid was stunned when she saw the woman's smile, and ran into the Cining Palace with a red face.

Shangguan Jing was in the Buddhist hall at the time, dressed in a simple white robe, yet her aura was undiminished. The palace maid, in her haste, had stumbled in. Before Shangguan Jing, who was kneeling on a cushion, could speak, Qingyan spoke first, "This Buddhist hall is the Empress Dowager's place of retreat. You are not allowed in. Have you forgotten even this rule?"

The maid was usually a little afraid of Qingyan, the rather dignified head aunt, and now she was even more so. She quickly knelt on the ground and stammered, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I...I didn't mean to do that. It's...it's because there's a lady outside who wants to see you."

Shangguan Jing slowly opened her eyes and glanced at Qingyan, who was standing beside her. Qingyan shook her head, and both of them looked puzzled. Qingyan asked, "Whose wife is this? Do you know her?"

Normally, a lady of noble birth should submit a memorial to the Cining Palace before entering the palace, and can only enter the palace after the empress dowager agrees, unless she has received the emperor's favor to enter and leave the palace at will. Unfortunately, His Majesty has never bestowed such favor.

The maid didn't dare to look up, and buried her head deeply in the ground, her voice trembling: "I don't know that lady."

Qingyan knew in her heart that this person couldn't be the wife of Prince Cheng. The princess had come to the Cining Palace to pay her respects during the Spring Festival last year. The maid would know her, but apart from her, no one else could enter the Cining Palace without the Queen Mother's consent. "If that's the case, then you should ask that lady to go back and tell her that the Queen Mother is not seeing guests today."

She had been with Shangguan Jing for many years and knew that she must not want to see guests at this time, so she refused on her behalf.

But Shangguan Jing stood up at this moment. She hurried forward to support the other person. The Queen Mother only heard a sigh, "Well, since she's here, let's meet. Go and invite her to the side hall and serve her well."

After receiving the order, the maid quickly retreated. Qingyan asked with some confusion, "Since the Queen didn't want to see him, why didn't she let the maid refuse him?"

Shangguan Jing didn't know why she suddenly wanted to see that person, but the thought suddenly occurred to her. "Since she entered the palace without submitting any memorials, it must be something important. However, we should send someone to investigate how she entered the palace. I am in charge of the harem now, and if something goes wrong, even if the emperor doesn't say anything, I'm afraid he will have some concerns," Shangguan Jing instructed.

Qingyan on the side quickly agreed. When Shangguan Jing was the queen, she had dealt with many restless people for her and was familiar with such things. She felt in her heart that this lady was really capable and could even enter the palace without the queen mother knowing.

She sighed in her heart, this lady is quite resourceful, but it's a pity that this little cleverness was used in the wrong place and violated the Queen Mother's taboo. Although the Queen Mother was usually kind and amiable, if someone plotted against her, she would definitely not tolerate any sand in her eyes.

In a side hall, Liang Qiulan sat down on a nearby chair at the hand of a palace maid. The maid brought her a cup of fine Biluochun tea, and she thanked her. She took a sip and set the tea down, her hands resting on her knees. Her manners were impeccable, and she didn't have the usual nervousness of entering the palace; instead, she felt a sense of anticipation.

Ever since she was forced to separate from Gu Shiyan, her health hadn't improved. Her aunt had sent messages several times, sent many supplements, and even sent the imperial physician, but it was a pity that a heart disease was difficult to cure. So, she hadn't seen her aunt in a long time.

After waiting for a while, Shangguan Jing finally arrived. She originally wanted to give this person a warning, but when she saw who the person was, she actually lost her composure.

When Liang Qiulan saw Shangguan Jing coming, she quickly stood up and rushed into her arms, tears streaming down her face. Shangguan Jing's face was full of heartache. She gently stroked Liang Qiulan's hair with her old hands, saying as if coaxing a child, "Lan'er, be good, Lan'er, be good."

Over the years, she understood that Liang Qiulan was in poor health and knew that she needed to rest, so she did not let her come to the palace to see her. However, although Liang Qiulan did not come to the palace, she often sent people to deliver letters.

She pulled Liang Qiulan to a chair nearby and coaxed her, just as she had when they were little. Aunt Qingyan, beside her, was also a little excited. She had watched Liang Qiulan grow up and had been delighted that she had married the Duke of England, Gu Cheng. The Gu family was a prominent and distinguished family, and Gu Cheng himself was handsome and, more importantly, devoted to her. Both she and the Queen Mother were very pleased with the match.

When news of Liang Qiulan's pregnancy reached her, Shangguan Jing, then the Empress, personally made numerous baby clothes and even had the Imperial Household Department make several sets of small items, including longevity locks. However, news eventually surfaced that Liang Qiulan had given birth to a stillborn baby. Shangguan Jing personally visited Liang Qiulan outside the palace, and she discovered that her former bright smile had vanished. She spent her days in tears, feeling depressed.

She was extremely distressed, but there was nothing she could do. The late emperor had shown his kindness by allowing her to leave the palace once in a while. From then on, she could only send people to deliver some supplements from time to time.

But it was better than nothing after all. When she saw Liang Qiulan again today, he looked much better, and she was quite happy to see him.

Liang Qiulan cried for a while, then looked around and whispered in Shangguan Jing's ear, "Aunt, please send everyone away."