"What do you think, sister? This is the best blooming pot in the courtyard this year. Why don't you take it back and put it by the window to add some beauty?" The Empress smiled, though logically, with Zhao Yan dead, the palace should have quieted down by now.

Even as the empress, she shouldn't be able to laugh.

Hao Shumei glanced at the Empress, then gently placed a handkerchief to her nose. "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. However, I am allergic to this fragrance and cannot enjoy such a beautiful scent."

The Empress's face showed regret, but in her heart she was extremely happy. The peony is the national flower, the king of flowers. In the entire palace, who else but her is worthy of it?

Hmph, at least Hao Shumei has some sense.

The silent contest between the two women had already revealed the winner, and now the Empress was becoming increasingly impatient.

"To be honest, I also feel very sorry for Consort Ning, but she brought this upon herself. The elder sister should thank the younger sister, without anyone knowing..." The Empress hesitated before continuing.

Hao Shumei chuckled, but her eyes held a cold glint, and her tone was several degrees colder than before. "Your Majesty overestimates me. I am foolish and have no such skills. I dare not take credit for Your Majesty's work."

Upon hearing this, the Empress frowned and looked at Hao Shumei, but Hao Shumei had already stood up and gracefully bowed, "Your Majesty, I take my leave."

Before the Empress could speak, she turned around, still as arrogant and domineering as ever, even though she was no longer a favored concubine.

The Empress was both annoyed and jealous of Hao Shumei's arrogance. Throughout her life, as Empress, she had never been as disdainful of others as Hao Shumei.

"Your Highness, this wasn't her doing?" Bai Yue asked. "Could it have been Consort De?"

The Empress came to her senses. Yes, the most important thing now is to find out who did this. If it wasn't Hao Shumei, then who could it be? She also thought it was Consort De who did it, and she even suspected that Consort Yi had orchestrated it herself.

"Your Majesty, why don't we ask Consort De to come and inquire?" Lu Fushou suggested.

The Empress raised her hand to stop them, saying, "Don't panic."

"Yes," the group replied, bowing their heads.

About half an hour later, Zhiliu returned from outside, looking panicked. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"

"What kind of behavior is this, all this panic? Let's talk things out." The Empress was annoyed, and her words were full of impatience.

Zhi Liu paused, calming her panic, and organized her thoughts, saying, "Your Majesty, it's being said in the palace that the Empress Dowager dotes on Princess Jun. However, it was only because the Xiongnu prince intended to marry Princess Jun that the Empress Dowager flew into a rage, frightening the Tenth Prince into hanging himself."

"What!" The Empress stood up abruptly. "Quickly, arrest all those gossiping people!" Her heart pounded, and she instantly understood that Zhao Yan and Consort Ning were nothing more than expendable pawns, used to bring down the Empress Dowager.

A sudden fear rose in her heart. What if the Emperor was behind this? What should she do?

The same message was also received by the Cining Palace: "Your Majesty, this servant cannot control them. Those people seem to be out of control. What should we do, Your Majesty?"

The Empress Dowager snorted coldly, threw down the prayer beads in her hand, and everyone in the hall fell silent.

Just as Jiyun finished reporting, Hongxia entered. Before she could even speak, the Empress Dowager asked, "What bad thing has happened this time? Tell me all at once!"

Everyone in the hall knelt down with a thud, and Hongxia trembled. "Reporting to the Empress Dowager, Lin Daxue, Prince Hui, Lord Guan, Lord Gu, and the Marquis of Huainan are kneeling outside the Taihe Hall to petition... to petition..." She swallowed her words several times before they came out.

"Speak!" the Empress Dowager roared.

Hongxia shuddered and fell to the ground, trembling with fear. "I beg Your Majesty to... to confine you to the Cining Palace, saying... saying that you are a hen crowing at dawn... that you want... to emulate Empress Dowager Xuan of Qin and rule as emperor..."

"What did the Emperor say?" The Empress Dowager did not fly into a rage as expected, but asked coldly.

"The Emperor didn't say anything. Prince Hui requested the execution of the vassal kings who raised the army, and then..." Hongxia was so frightened that her lips were trembling and she could barely speak.

The Empress Dowager's patience was running out. She slammed her hand on the low table and shouted, "Speak!"

"The eldest prince of the Xiongnu is going to marry a princess..."

"Insolence!" The Empress Dowager was truly furious this time. She stood up abruptly, strode out of Cining Palace, and just as she reached the door, she saw Liang Yunsi approaching with his men.

"This servant greets the Empress Dowager. Your Majesty is unwell and should rest in the palace. The Emperor will handle the affairs of state, so please rest assured." Liang Yunsi's heart trembled as he spoke, but his master was Emperor Mingde, and he had no choice in the matter.

The Empress Dowager glanced at the dozens of burly eunuchs, sneered, and turned back into the main hall. Even Ji Yun and the others were not allowed to leave.

The news of the Empress Dowager's illness spread quickly. Anyone with a brain understood that the Empress Dowager had been stripped of power and imprisoned, and at the same time, she had come to a new understanding of Emperor Mingde.

The Empress Dowager's reign was short-lived, and he couldn't even accept such a short period of time; he was truly not a filial son.

However, there have been many empress dowagers who usurped power throughout history, and it was not uncommon for emperors to seize power. Those with insight would only sneer, and no one stood up to say that Emperor De was unfilial.

After all, the Empress Dowager was the first to act like a hen crowing at dawn.

With the Empress Dowager imprisoned, Xie Yun, Yan Shiren, and others naturally could not sit idly by. Although they did not want a hen to crow at dawn, they could not watch the Empress Dowager be locked up, so they all submitted memorials to speak on her behalf.

These words put Zhao Shu in a terrible predicament. Emperor Mingde promised to spare the Empress Dowager, but at the same time, he intended to send Zhao Shu to marry a foreign ruler.

When the Empress Dowager learned of the news, she was so angry that she smashed all the precious things in the room. Helpless, she sent a message to Yan Shiren and others, telling them not to speak up for her.

"Your Majesty's actions in this matter are unethical," Yan Shiren said.

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