Chapter 890 A Trip to Wei (Part 12)

The Empress gestured for someone to clear away the teacups, then poured the Emperor a fresh cup herself before sitting down beside him to offer words of comfort.

"You're right, we really need to stay calm."

Bai Moqin took a sip of tea before looking at the Empress, "Luckily you reminded me, otherwise I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to keep my composure."

The Empress did not respond to the Emperor's words, but silently poured him more tea.

In fact, if the Empress were to follow her own heart, she would never want Bai Moqin to go against the court officials and Yun Yichen like this.

Now that he has become emperor, it is his mission to properly attend court, handle state affairs, and seek the well-being of the people. Why does he insist on making such a fuss?

But she also knew that Bai Moqin was doing this for their sake. As the rulers of a country, they had too much to bear. She longed for life outside, to see the vast sky she had never seen before, but as long as she remained in this position, all of this would never be possible.

Her inner conflict, along with her love and indulgence for Bai Moqin, ultimately made her an accomplice in helping Bai Moqin do absurd things.

Of course, another accomplice was the retired emperor. He had had enough of being emperor and wanted his son to take over. His son didn't want to be emperor, so he gave his son advice and tried to trick his nephew by copying his methods.

To say this was a trap set by the retired emperor is an understatement. He ruined his son and nephew. I wonder if his elder brother, if he knew about these things in the afterlife, would come to have a good talk with him.

Both sides continued to persist. In order to prevent the emperor from closing the palace gates and stopping them from delivering food, Gu Shuyan took her maids and noblewomen and bought up all the vegetables and fruits for the whole day, and secretly transported them to the palace by carriage.

Of course, in order to take care of everyone's meals, Gu Shuyan also left several ladies with high official positions and titles to oversee things.

In a single day, the news that the Regent's wife and the officials' wives had gone grocery shopping for vegetables spread throughout the capital. When asked why, Gu Shuyan naturally had already prepared an explanation, saying that the officials were staying in the palace to work and that the grocery shopping was to prepare meals for them in the palace.

This statement has sparked debate, with some saying the emperor was so stingy he didn't even feed his officials, while others say the officials of Wei were diligent and responsible. In any case, the point is to annoy the emperor without making him too upset.

Of course, this was only Gu Shuyan's first move. While ensuring that the officials had the strength to kneel and wait it out with the emperor, Gu Shuyan also unveiled her second move.

This second move is closely related to sending Mingyu and Xu Feng to Wei in advance, which is to develop their own people and their own shops.

A day earlier, dozens of families had gathered outside the capital's government office, beating drums to appeal their grievances. Their cases were not particularly serious, but they happened to require the involvement of the Dali Temple in the investigation.

Now, all the heads of the Dali Temple are kneeling in the palace, and no one can manage all these matters, which will soon pile up.

In addition, Gu Shuyan had a third plan, which was to fulfill the promise she had made to Zhen Meiniang.

In order to get Zhen Meiniang to come and help Mingyu and her husband, Gu Shuyan told Zhen Meiniang about the enemy who killed her family, and told her that she could not only help her take revenge, but also tell her where her only missing sister was.

The first two grievances vanished with the fall of the Sun family.

However, Gu Shuyan had not yet taken her to find her lost sister. But knowing that Gu Shuyan was coming to Wei, Zhen Meiniang returned to Wei after being brought to justice in the Sun family, waiting for Gu Shuyan to take her to find her sister.

Gu Shuyan went to the brothel where Zhen Meiniang worked that night. After exchanging a few words with her, Zhen Meiniang burst into tears.

The next day, Gu Shuyan and Zhen Meiniang met on the street as agreed. However, in order to avoid being seen, Zhen Meiniang specially wore a trench coat that covered her whole body.

Even after boarding the carriage, Zhen Meiniang still couldn't quite believe it and asked, "Your Highness really didn't lie to me?"

"Miss Zhen, do you think I have any reason to lie to you?"

They met in the disaster area. Gu Shuyan never laughed at her background and later even helped her get revenge. What else could she not believe in?

Zhen Meiniang also felt that her question was unnecessary. She had been working under Gu Shuyan for so long, how could she not know the princess's character?

"I'm sorry, I was just too nervous."

Gu Shuyan glanced at Zhen Meiniang's stunning face; it was normal for her to feel nervous.

The carriage slowly drove towards the palace. Since it was the Regent's carriage, none of the people dared to stop it.

Gu Shuyan led Zhen Meiniang through the palace for a long time before finally stopping in front of a palace.

"Phoenix Palace!"

Zhen Meiniang gazed at the palace plaque, a tear sliding down her cheek.

"Go in!"

Gu Shuyan waited until the palace maid who came to announce her arrival before speaking to Zhen Meiniang.

Zhen Meiniang quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, lowered her head, and followed Gu Shuyan into the palace.

Although the palace was large, Zhen Meiniang longed to see the woman she had cherished for many years.

"What brings the Princess Consort here?"

As soon as the Empress learned that Gu Shuyan had come, she immediately had the Emperor taken to a side hall.

After all, so many people from the previous dynasty are still kneeling. What if Gu Shuyan came looking for the emperor?

Gu Shuyan first bowed to the Empress before saying, "Actually, I didn't come here today to see Your Majesty, but rather because an old friend of mine wishes to meet with you."

"Oh? You want to see me?"

The Empress narrowed her eyes. She knew how clever and capable Gu Shuyan was, and perhaps this was just an excuse.

"Who is this person?"

After pondering for a moment, the Empress finally asked about the identity of that old friend.

Gu Shuyan glanced at the group of palace maids beside her, and the Empress immediately understood her meaning. So she raised her hand, and everyone in the room immediately withdrew.

The woman who was following Gu Shuyan, who looked like a maid, did not move an inch.

The Empress immediately understood that this person was probably the old friend Gu Shuyan had mentioned. However, she wondered why this person kept her head down, as if she was afraid of being seen by others.

“You, lift your head.”

The Empress looked at Zhen Meiniang and gave her instructions.

Zhen Meiniang's tears were already flowing. Hearing the Empress's words, she slowly raised her tear-streaked face.

The Empress had a period of amnesia; it all began in the Sun family residence. Looking at this face, she felt she didn't recognize it, yet for some reason, it felt incredibly familiar.

"Who are you?"

The Empress felt a headache coming on and quickly touched her forehead, asking Zhen Meiniang.

Zhen Meiniang, who had suppressed her emotions for a long time, could no longer hold back her tears after the Empress asked, "Who are you?"

"Qianruo, don't you recognize your older sister? I'm your own older sister!"