Chapter 396 Serving Tea

"Really, it's not necessary. I was just a little nervous last night because it was my first time keeping watch for Her Majesty, and it might also be because it was too cold at night, which caused my stomach upset. I'm much better now," Yinling explained. "If it's still like this in a while, I'll go to the Imperial Hospital myself. Thank you, Sister Bihui!"

Bihui stared at her small face, revealing a half-smile: "Alright then, you know your body better than I do. It's getting late, go to sleep."

"Hey!" Silver Bell responded with a laugh and fled into her room.

Bihui returned to her room, completely unable to fall asleep.

There must be something wrong with this silver bell. She was close by just now, and with her keen sense of smell, she immediately caught a whiff of the silver bell's scent—a very faint sandalwood fragrance, the kind that people who frequently worship Buddha would have.

However, the scent is not reliable evidence, as it will naturally dissipate over time. Nevertheless, she could inquire around to find out which places in the palace were frequently incense-burning, which might provide some clues.

She planned to ask first, and then tell the Empress about it later when she returned to the palace.

Although the Empress is a newcomer, she is also the mistress of this half of the palace. If there are any people under her command with impure intentions, it is better to kill the innocent than to let them go.

Thinking this, Bihui listened to the wall for a while until there was no sound from next door, then quietly opened the door and went out with very light footsteps.

The Empress Dowager now resides in Kunning Palace, which was originally the Empress's residence. However, since the Emperor and Empress both reside in Changle Palace, the Empress Dowager has not moved her palace.

Since the Empress Dowager fell ill, although she regained some of her spirits after the Crown Prince returned, she was always listless and unwilling to see Princess Min-young and the Seventh Prince, nor did she want to see the newly enthroned Emperor.

Today is the day for the Emperor and Empress to pay their respects as a newlywed couple. The female officials around the Empress Dowager persuaded them with great effort and finally convinced them to allow the Emperor and Empress to enter Kunning Palace.

Qi Yuxuan and Qi Jun walked in side by side, and were shocked when they saw the state of Kunning Palace.

She had visited Kunning Palace twice before and knew that it was the residence of the Queen Mother of Qi, the ruler of the palace. The decoration was not only magnificent and grand, but it also exuded the majesty of an empress.

But now, the palace before her, with its withered flowers and plants, fallen leaves and cobwebs everywhere, is it really the Kunning Palace?!

The lady-in-waiting leading the Emperor and Empress, surnamed Tao, noticed the astonishment in the Empress's eyes. Somewhat embarrassed, she said, "It's not that we servants didn't clean carefully; it was all at the Empress Dowager's instruction..."

As for why she gave such an instruction, Aunt Tao did not explain.

Qi Yuxuan thought for a while but couldn't figure it out. The young emperor beside her snorted and comforted her, saying, "She's asking for trouble. We don't need to pay attention to her."

Upon hearing this, Qi Yuxuan suddenly understood.

But she's already the Empress Dowager, second only to the Emperor. Is it really worth it to play the victim and humiliate herself like this?

Unbeknownst to her, ever since the late emperor dealt with the Bai family, leading to the entire Bai clan's defeat, and Qi Jun's complete falling out with the Empress Dowager over his desire to marry Qi Yuxuan, the Empress Dowager had been devastated. She constantly clung to her former glory, unwilling to reconcile with the late emperor or bow down to Qi Jun. She had become extremely obsessive and was no longer the graceful, dignified, and elegant empress that Qi Yuxuan had once known.

Time and profit will turn all composure and privilege into hysterical rage; the Empress Dowager is now practically insane.

As they approached the main hall entrance, just as the palace servants finished announcing their arrival, before the Emperor and Empress could even enter, a shrill shout rang out from inside: "You wretch!"

What followed was a loud slap, and a suppressed cry of pain.

Qi Jun frowned, but thinking that his mother was inside and his wife was beside him, he could only suppress his dissatisfaction, take Qi Yuxuan's hand, and walk inside step by step.

"Xiuyuan..." Qi Yuxuan hesitated for a moment, which was rare. She was worried that the Empress Dowager was in a bad mood and not in a good state. What if they started arguing?

"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything." Qi Jun squeezed her hand and whispered to her in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

As soon as they entered, they saw a palace maid covered in wounds hurrying past, with a clear handprint on her face, indicating that she was the one who had just been slapped by the Empress Dowager.

Qi Yuxuan had sharp eyes and could tell in a flash that the young palace maid was pretty and charming, and that she vaguely resembled the late emperor's concubine in her features.

Could it be that the Empress Dowager punished this palace maid for this reason?

She dared not think any further and stood still in the hall. Aunt Tao immediately stepped forward and explained the rules for serving tea.

In traditional Chinese weddings, the newlyweds are expected to serve tea to their parents-in-law the day after the wedding; this custom was also observed for emperors and empresses.

Filial piety is the most important thing. As long as the emperor wants to keep his position, he has to pretend to be filial and respectful.

Qi Jun and Qi Yuxuan presented the hot tea offered by the palace servants to the Empress Dowager.

First, the Empress Dowager took the drink from Qi Jun's hand, but instead of drinking it, she poured it directly onto the ground!

The change came too quickly, and everyone in the hall was filled with fear.

How could the Empress Dowager do that?!

Lanxin and Chunyue exchanged a glance, both seeing unease in each other's eyes.

It's just a tea ceremony, yet the Empress Dowager is already showing such disrespect to the Empress. Who knows how difficult things will be for her in the future?

The Empress Dowager spilled the tea, then laughed twice: "Well, well, you two dare to serve me tea?"

"Qi Jun, how could I have given birth to such a shameless wretch! The Bai family is your maternal family, yet you have the heart to do such a thing. The day before you ascended the throne, your maternal grandfather and your uncle died from endless labor! Are you satisfied now?"

"And you!" She pointed at Qi Yuxuan's nose, wishing she could stand up and yell, "You're shameless too! The emperor is your brother on the family tree! You share the same clan and surname, yet you two have no scruples about intermarrying. What will the people think of you? He's blinded by lust, and you're no better!"

"Empress Dowager!" Aunt Tao felt her blood run cold. The Empress Dowager had clearly promised that she would never make things difficult for the Emperor and Empress, so why was she cursing now, just as she was about to offer tea?!

Others might not know, but how could she, as the personal lady-in-waiting, not know?

The imperial physician has said that the Empress Dowager's delirium is getting worse. Sometimes she can't distinguish right from wrong when she speaks. As long as she's loud enough and venting her anger, she'll just shout nonsense.

She immediately knelt before the Emperor and Empress, trembling with fear: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is delirious; she is ill, which is why she speaks incoherently. What she says is not what she truly thinks. Imperial Physician Zhang and the others are already treating the Empress Dowager. She has been taking medicine these past few days and will surely recover..."

Before she could finish speaking, the Empress Dowager kicked her hard in the back, causing her to fall forward. If the Emperor hadn't reacted quickly and taken a step back while holding the Empress, Aunt Tao would have almost fallen onto her skirt.