Chapter 107 Was Cuilan sent by the Empress?

Zijuan's heart softened, and she couldn't help but laugh at the little girl's cute appearance, thinking to herself, "The princess is so adorable."

Zijuan closed the door and went to the small kitchen to make ginger soup.

Xiao Hei warmed himself by the stove for a while, then asked repeatedly, "Xiao Hei, what's wrong?"

Little Black rubbed his hands together, then nimbly climbed up the table leg and jumped onto the tabletop.

"Guess what I found?"

"What?" Sheng Sheng's eyes darted around, and she boldly guessed, "You found out who poisoned Cui Lan?"

"How did you know?" Xiao Hei excitedly spun around on the table. "Do you remember the Empress in the bright yellow dress sitting at the head of the table in the Golden Palace tonight? I recognized her voice immediately when the maid next to her spoke! I was afraid I was mistaken, so I secretly slipped over to her side to confirm. The scent was right too, a faint pear fragrance!"

Sheng Sheng was taken aback: "A palace maid serving the Empress?"

Sheng Sheng recalled the last time she was in Kunning Palace, with Caiyun, the head palace maid by the Empress's side.

How did it get involved with the Empress?

Sheng Sheng hesitated slightly: "Are you sure?"

"Of course, but judging by the scent alone, the Empress seems to have this fragrance as well. However, the maid's voice is exactly the same as the one I heard that day, there's no mistake."

Seeing her conflicted expression, Xiao Hei asked, "What's wrong? Is it because she's the Empress's person and you can't afford to offend her?"

Sheng Sheng shook his head: "That's not it, it's mainly..."

The main problem was that she didn't understand why the Empress wanted to kill her.

Because the Empress and Consort Rong were at odds?

But surely it's not necessary to send her to heaven...

Sheng Sheng's mind was a bit confused. After thinking about it, she felt it was best to confirm it.

Sheng Sheng lay on the table and came up with a solution.

...

The next morning, as was customary, all the concubines in the palace were required to go to Kunning Palace to pay their respects to the Empress on the second morning of New Year's Day.

Apart from Consort Jing, who was under house arrest, and a few other concubines who were feeling unwell, everyone else had arrived.

Since Xie Yunjia had just returned from accompanying the Empress Dowager in her meditation retreat at Putuo Temple, the Empress instructed Consort Xia to bring Xie Yunjia along to inquire about her experiences and the Empress Dowager's condition.

Since the eldest princess has come, the second princess must also come.

Since winter started, Sheng Sheng has always loved to stay in bed, and even a little less sleep makes her sleepy. Today, however, she got up very early and was full of energy.

No matter how much Empress Zheng disliked Consort Rong, Consort Rong was the highest-ranking concubine in the harem besides the Empress. She calmly and composedly embraced Sheng Sheng and sat in the seat in front of Empress Zheng.

It was Sheng Sheng's first time attending such a "tea party," and she seemed very curious, her big, round eyes searching every corner of the hall.

Xie Yunjia remained relatively honest in this situation and answered all questions truthfully.

Xie Yunjia had been eating vegetarian food at Putuo Temple and had lost a lot of weight. When the Empress saw this, she praised her, "Yunjia looks much thinner. It must be hard for Yunjia, a child, to endure such hardship."

Consort Xia glanced at Xie Yunjia and replied, "How can it be a hardship? The Empress Dowager is still praying for the country at Putuo Temple. It is a blessing for this child to be able to cultivate with the Empress Dowager for half a year. She is just doing her part."

Empress Zheng smiled and said, "I have noticed that Yunjia has calmed down quite a bit since her trip."

One of the concubines joked, "The eldest princess used to be restless in the palace, but now she has a calm demeanor. Could it be that she received enlightenment from the Bodhisattva at Putuo Temple?"

Xie Yunjia held back for a long time before she managed to suppress her impulse to confront the Empress and the concubine who had spoken up. She just rolled her eyes inwardly in annoyance.

Yesterday, she was publicly exposed for arguing with someone, and today they're talking about Jing.

They probably laughed to themselves when they said that!

Xie Yunjia knew that these were just polite words from the concubines; they couldn't very well tell her to her face that she hadn't made any progress. But Xie Yunjia just hated their pretentious manner.

Everyone laughed. Xia Fei gently stroked the teacup with her fingertips, concealing the undercurrent in her eyes as she lowered her gaze.

Empress Zheng picked up the gilded teacup and took a sip of tea. The smile was still on her lips, but the smile in her eyes was ambiguous, making it impossible to tell whether it was real or fake: "Sincerity brings results. It is indeed the Empress Dowager's teachings that are effective."

After saying that, he casually glanced at Sheng Sheng in front of Consort Rong, then quickly looked away.

Even that brief glance was enough for someone with a keen eye to notice.

Consort Ning always followed the Empress's lead. With just a glance from Empress Zheng, Consort Ning immediately understood.

Ning Cairen first smiled and praised Xie Yunjia a few times, then subtly steered the conversation toward Sheng Sheng.

"Speaking of which, not only has the eldest princess changed quite a bit, but our second princess has changed quite a bit too. Her cheeks have gotten fuller, and she looks rounder and cuter than before."

The topic shifted away from her, and Xie Yunjia breathed a sigh of relief, involuntarily glancing at Sheng Sheng.

With a smile on her face, Sheng Sheng sat obediently beside Consort Rong. When she heard others talking about her, she seemed a little shy and snuggled closer to Consort Rong.

This action made the other concubines laugh, all amused by the little dumpling's shyness.

Xie Yunjia also smiled, her expression softening.

The Empress, however, maintained her dignified and elegant demeanor despite her complex emotions, and the angle of her mouth never changed.

Consort Rong smiled very lightly: "This child doesn't have any other hobbies, just love to eat. The other day she was thinking about making some kind of spicy and sour grilled fish, with plum sauce on top, it smells so good. She even specially sent it to me to try the new flavor, and you know what, it really has a unique taste."

Consort Li smiled and said, "Spicy and sour grilled fish? That sounds novel. The Second Princess is young and cute, but she is also very clever and full of ideas. Even I like her. No wonder my Qi'er always likes to play with his little sister."

After yesterday's incident, Consort Li was completely relieved that Xie Yunqi and Shengsheng were getting closer.

She and Consort Rong already had a good relationship, and now, because of their two children, they have grown even closer.

After everyone laughed for a while, Empress Zheng noticed that Sheng Sheng was secretly looking around as if searching for something, so she asked, "What is the Second Princess looking at? I've been watching her for quite a while."

Empress Zheng spoke in a gentle tone and smiled. She was a graceful and beautiful woman. Although she was not as young and beautiful as the other concubines, her elegance was still undeniable.

When Empress Zheng asked this question, it truly sounded like a loving and warm elder caring for a child.

All the concubines' eyes fell on Sheng Sheng. Sheng Sheng looked up at Consort Rong, like a nervous child asking her mother if she should speak at this moment.

Consort Rong patted her back reassuringly, leaned closer to her, and said gently, "With your mother here, don't be afraid even if the sky falls."

Speaking the toughest words in the gentlest tone, each word touched the heart.

In fact, Consort Rong really had the confidence to do so.