Chapter 136 The Divorced Heiress—Leaving

The person on stage looked displeased, while the people below trembled with fear.

The gift-giving segment ended quickly.

Next came the lively singing and dancing segment, with many dancers performing in the center of the hall, while the emperor and his ministers drank and chatted.

However, because of what Consort Liu had said earlier, the Emperor's expression remained gloomy.

Few people know that when the emperor was young, his birth mother was disliked by him and stripped of her title as a concubine, and was demoted to live in a remote temple.

The emperor's birth mother then hanged herself.

The birth mother's experience was very similar to that of Su Huan's daughter; one was divorced by her husband's family, and the other was banished from the palace by the emperor.

However, their fates were different; one persevered to this day, while the other couldn't bear it and chose to commit suicide.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Liu Zhaoyuan's words must have reminded the Emperor of his birth mother's fate.

When the emperor was angry, no one dared to provoke him further.

The exquisite dance floated before their eyes, and the ministers and their families dared not smile as they watched, but silently lowered their heads to sip their wine or ponder.

Xiao Heng noticed the restraint of his ministers and knew that it was inappropriate for him to maintain a stiff expression. However, his anger was already at its peak. He was already saving face for the Empress Dowager by not ordering the execution of Consort Liu on the spot!

Don't think he doesn't know that Liu Zhaoyuan is by the Empress's side, and the Empress is the Empress Dowager's niece. The reason why Liu Zhaoyuan dared to confront Su Huan was to support the Empress's niece and the Empress Dowager's grandniece!

However, neither the Empress Dowager nor the Empress expected that Liu Shuyuan would say such things and anger him.

"Mother, I have some matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first."

After speaking, before the Empress Dowager could say anything, Xiao Heng gave the Empress a cold look, then turned and left.

Empress He Qingyu was frightened by the Emperor's emotionless gaze.

He was secretly annoyed and cursed Liu Zhaoyuan in his heart for being brainless!

As the crowd below the stage saw the Emperor leave, they were about to get up and kneel down to see him off when they realized that the Emperor had left through a side door and his figure had disappeared behind the curtain.

Just when everyone was awkwardly unsure whether to kneel or not, there was another movement from above.

Faced with the Emperor's disrespectful behavior, the Empress Dowager's expression darkened further. She looked at the Empress with displeasure in her eyes. Why did he have to cause trouble at her birthday banquet of all times?

The Empress had no way to explain herself, as she herself did not know how Consort Liu could be so bold!

"I'm tired too, Empress. You stay here and entertain the ministers on my behalf," the Empress Dowager said to He Qingyu with a forced smile.

The Empress could only swallow her bitterness and forced a smile, saying, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will do my duty."

"Hmm." The Empress Dowager only said this one sentence, without even glancing at the Empress, and left with the help of the palace maid beside her.

The crowd below the stage realized what was happening and immediately knelt down, shouting in unison, "Respectfully bidding farewell to the Empress Dowager."

*

As the most important hostess at the banquet, the Empress naturally could not leave. She smiled and said to the crowd below the stage, "His Majesty has important matters to attend to, and Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is feeling a little tired. Ministers and ladies, you do not need to pay attention to me for the rest of the time. You are free to do as you please. As long as you do not violate the palace rules, I will not punish you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress." Everyone rose again to bow and express their gratitude.

On the surface, Yaoyao's adherence to the rules was flawless, but in her heart, she had already complained about them all. Since entering this hall, she had knelt down many times, and her knees were aching!

Since the male and female leads entered the main hall, Yao Yao hadn't glanced in that direction once. It wasn't fear, but disdain. She'd let those people be smug for now; once she successfully won over her target, they'd all be kneeling before her!

Just thinking about that scene makes Yaoyao's heart race!

After the Empress finished speaking, fireworks were set off again outside. Many young girls wanted to go out and see, but because the Empress was there, many dared not move.

The Empress naturally saw through this and reiterated that everyone should not be restrained and could have fun freely.

At this point, some people dared to go outside, and gradually, more and more people went out, wanting to see the fireworks.

Yao Yao remained firmly seated in her place, showing no intention of leaving.

The Empress glanced in Su Yaoyao's direction, a hint of surprise in her eyes; she hadn't expected her to be so calm.

Turning her gaze away, the Empress glanced at the head palace maid beside her. The head palace maid nodded, and then quietly left when no one was looking.

"Your Majesty, I am feeling a little tired. May I return to the palace to rest a little earlier?" Consort Zhao asked with a smile as she got up. Although it was a question, her posture suggested that she was about to leave at any moment. Asking for permission was just a formality.

Although the Empress was very dissatisfied, she put on a kind expression and replied gently, "Since you are not feeling well, you should return to the palace to rest as soon as possible. You should take good care of yourself for a few days, and the plaque can be taken down for now."

"You..." Consort Zhao was so angry that she called him "you," but realizing her slip of the tongue, she immediately stopped, though her face was very ugly.

"Your Majesty, I take my leave!" Subservience always brought no benefit, and Consort Zhao's heart was bleeding, yet she dared not show any disrespect on her face. After uttering those four words, she hurriedly departed.

The tea on the tables was almost gone, and the palace maids began to refill the tea at each table.

"ah!"

"I'm sorry, Miss Su, I'm so sorry."

The scalding hot tea spilled onto Yaoyao's clothes, but luckily she dodged in time, and only a small amount of it splashed onto her clothes, with very little skin contact. The maid who served the tea apologized repeatedly.

While checking her arm, Yao Yao said good-naturedly, "It's okay, don't worry about it."

Su's mother quickly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her daughter's clothes, which caused quite a commotion, and people around looked in this direction.

The head maidservant beside the Empress hurriedly came over, first scolding the junior maidservant, and then calmly looked at Yao Yao and said, "Miss Su, please come with me, I will take you to change into clean clothes."

Yao Yao recognized the man as someone from the Empress's side. She wasn't sure if the Empress would try to sabotage her again, but given the current situation, she had no choice but to agree.

"Okay, thank you," Yao Yao said with a smile, her expression showing no impatience whatsoever.

This was Su Yaoyao's first public appearance since being divorced. Her gentle voice and calm demeanor left a good impression on those around her, and many people changed their opinion of her as vicious.

When faced with something bad, a person's first reaction is the most genuine. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Yao Yao's expression and handling of the situation were flawless.

This made the Empress feel very aggrieved. She wanted to teach Su Yaoyao a lesson and tear off her well-concealed mask in front of everyone, but who knew that Su Yaoyao would turn the tide!

In the end, the Empress had no choice but to have a palace maid help her change her clothes; at least for now, she was behaving like the mother of the nation.

As for Su Yaoyao, the Empress could only plan to deal with her later when the opportunity arose. She couldn't allow anything else out of her control to happen at this birthday banquet!