Chapter 33 Watching the Show

***

The Queen's bedroom.

Deep in the inner room, there is only a carved rosewood screen separating it from the outer hall, ensuring absolute privacy of the conversation.

The queen's eyes were half closed, with a bright yellow silk ribbon wrapped around her fingertips. Her expression was lazy, yet there was a hidden sharpness in it.

Xiao Jingren sat below her, his slender fingers unconsciously stroking the slightly cool edge of the celadon teacup, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Mother."

Xiao Jingren's voice was low, with a hint of imperceptible urgency.

"Chen He, this chess piece, now has the intention of turning against the person who holds it."

Upon hearing this, the queen slowly opened her eyes, a cold glint of sarcasm flashing across her eyes.

"Oh."

She uttered a very light sneer, as if she had heard some huge joke.

"Does she think that she can turn the world upside down by relying on that idiot Xiao Jingchi?"

Xiao Jingren's brows did not relax, but became even tighter.

"Mother, even so..."

"But the Emperor chose to have her preside over the Jade Bracelet Case at this very moment!"

There was clear irritation in his voice.

"It's clear that they're trying to use her to make us and the Crown Prince fight to the point of mutual destruction!"

The queen's lips curled up in a cold arc, and her fingertips tapped lightly on the smooth table, making a light sound.

"Since Father wants to watch a show..."

The Queen's voice carried a certainty that she was in control of the situation.

"Then let's make this fire burn brighter!"

There was a glint of ruthlessness in her eyes.

"——It's time to move that hidden chess piece that has been laid long ago."

A gleam of light flashed in Xiao Jingren's eyes, and he immediately understood what his mother meant.

But he then showed a hint of doubt and leaned forward slightly.

"The Queen Mother is talking about... Xue Minglan?"

He narrowed his eyes, his tone searching.

"But from what I know, he seems to still be obsessed with Shen He."

"Using him, will it be..."

The queen sneered even more clearly, as if she had heard something extremely ridiculous.

She casually took out a sealed letter from the secret compartment under the desk and threw it lightly onto the table in front of Xiao Jingren.

"Never forget?"

The Queen's voice was full of disdain and ridicule.

"His mother's life is still firmly in my hands!"

"A son pays his mother's debts. How dare he disobey?"

The queen paused, watching the doubts in Xiao Jingren's eyes gradually disappear, and a meaningful smile appeared at the corner of her lips, with a hint of cruel pleasure.

"What's more..."

Her voice lowered even more, like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue.

"Ren'er, you think..."

"The 'good stuff' in the jade bracelet..."

"Who did it, mixing it in personally?"

Xiao Jingren's pupils suddenly shrank, and the last trace of doubt on his face turned into shock, and then turned into cruel understanding.

In the inner room, the scent of ambergris was still lingering, but it seemed to have a hint of blood.

The mother and son looked at each other, their eyes filled with cold calculation and determination.

***

The Queen Mother's bedroom.

Deep in the dim Buddhist temple, only the eternal lamp flickers with a dim light, reflecting the mottled shadow of Buddha on the wall.

In stark contrast to the extravagance and luxury of the queen's bedroom, here there is only the tranquility of sandalwood and the solemnity of scriptures.

The low and continuous sound of chanting in the air was like a thick curtain, isolating all the conspiracies inside from the outside world.

Crown Prince Xiao Jinghuan took off his bright yellow court robes that symbolized his status as the crown prince, and only wore a simple and elegant green casual dress, kneeling upright on a bright yellow cushion.

With trembling hands, he carefully held a cup of steaming Rain-Predated Longjing tea and presented it to the empress dowager who was sitting in front of the Buddhist shrine.

"Grandmother, your grandson greets you."

The prince's voice was slightly hoarse, but in this overly quiet Buddhist temple, it sounded particularly clear and heavy.

The empress dowager sat upright on a carved rosewood chair, wearing a dark brown brocade robe with a lotus pattern. Her silver hair was meticulously tied up, with only a simple jade hairpin inserted in it.

Her eyes were lowered, and she was twisting a string of dark sandalwood Buddhist beads in her hand, her fingertips sliding slowly and rhythmically across each bead.

The vicissitudes of life have not completely erased the sharpness and majesty deep in her eyes, but have cleverly concealed them with a layer of compassionate Buddha's light, making her look more like an old man devoted to worshipping Buddha, rather than the iron-fisted figure who once dominated the harem.

She did not reach out to take the tea immediately, but just made a soft "hmm" sound through her nose as a response.

Xiao Jinghuan maintained the posture of serving tea. His arms felt a little sore, but he did not dare to slack off at all. Fine beads of sweat even oozed out of his forehead.

He took a deep breath, his voice tinged with a deliberately constructed note of worry and vulnerability.

"Grandmother, my grandson has been feeling uneasy lately."

He raised his head, with just the right amount of confusion in his eyes.

"I had the same nightmare over and over again at night. It was an extremely dark dream. In the dream..."

He paused, as if the dream was too horrible for him to talk about.

"I dreamed of my father standing high up, looking coldly at his grandson..."

"They said my grandson was lacking in moral character and was narrow-minded. He was not worthy of inheriting the throne or being crown prince! I dreamed that my father said he would depose me."

The Queen Mother twirled her Buddhist beads with her fingers, and paused for an almost imperceptible moment.

She slowly opened her eyes, and her seemingly cloudy eyes revealed a glimmer of insight that fell on the prince's slightly pale face like an eagle.

"The Emperor has been really confused lately,"

Her voice was not loud, but it carried a kind of pressure that had accumulated over the years, as if every word carried a tremendous force.

"I was clouded by some people and things, and I'm not sober anymore. I'm not sober in my actions."

The Queen Mother suddenly changed the subject, her tone showing obvious displeasure and coldness.

"I actually let the girl from the Shen family stir up trouble."

Xiao Jinghuan immediately showed a perfectly bitter smile on his face, as if he had found a resonance, and took over the conversation.

"Grandmother, you are wise enough. This is more than just stirring up trouble."

He straightened his back slightly and lowered his voice, with a hint of urgency and resentment.

"What my grandson is really worried about is..."

"It's from Third Brother's side!"

A hint of gloom flashed in his eyes.

"I'm afraid the memorial impeaching my grandson for his involvement in Mr. Yan Qingxiu's death has already been drafted, waiting for the right moment to be submitted to the emperor's desk!"

“Snap!”

An extremely slight yet unusually clear sound suddenly rang out in the silent Buddhist hall.

The string of the red sandalwood Buddhist beads that the Queen Mother had been holding for many years suddenly broke!

A dozen round, smooth beads emitting a faint glow suddenly scattered, like tears that had broken off their strings, and rolled onto the dark carpet, making a few dull rolling sounds.

The Queen Mother's expression turned extremely ugly in an instant, and an extremely complicated light flashed across her eyes, showing shock, anger, reminiscence, and even a subtle hint of murderous intent!

"Yan Qingxiu?"

She repeated the name slowly, each word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth, with biting coldness and strong sarcasm.

"Oh……"

A short and cold sneer echoed in the Buddhist hall.

"Back then, he relied on the emperor's little trust and stretched his nose too far. What he found out..."

The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes slightly, and a cold light flashed in the depths of her cloudy pupils.

"But there is far more than just this one!"

Xiao Jinghuan's heart felt like it was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand and was almost about to stop beating!

He raised his head sharply, his eyes filled with shock and a hint of unbelievable fear.

He leaned forward involuntarily, and lowered his voice to an almost inaudible level, like a ghostly whisper.

"What does the Empress Dowager mean?"

The last bit of warmth in the Queen Mother's eyes disappeared, replaced by a calmness that was almost cruel.

The corners of her mouth slowly curled up into a cold, calculating smile, and that expression was exactly the same as the ruthlessness that the mother and son had shown when they were conspiring in the Queen's bedroom just now!

The Queen Mother snorted even louder, as if she had heard something extremely ridiculous.

She bent down and picked up a Buddhist bead that had rolled to her feet with two fingers. She rubbed the cool and smooth surface with her fingertips so hard that she almost crushed the bead.

"Then let her check it out!"

The Queen Mother's voice suddenly rose, with a determination and ruthlessness of burning the boats!

"Doesn't the emperor enjoy watching drama? Doesn't he enjoy seeing his sons fighting to the death for the throne, getting bloodied and bruised?!"

"good!"

The Queen Mother slammed the armrest of the chair, making a dull sound.

"Ai Jia, let him see enough!"

"Let him see a big one! A big show that no one can stop!"

Inside the Buddhist temple, the incense of sandalwood still filled the air, and the sound of chanting still echoed softly, but they could no longer conceal the icy murderous aura and the impending storm that instantly filled the air.