Xiao Anzi entered the dining room, bowed to Junxuan and the Empress Dowager, and then explained what was on her mind.

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has brought Miss Lu to request an audience."

Shen Yunxi's lips curled into a mocking smile. It seemed that Lu Wanqing had been dealt with by her yesterday and had come to the palace today to beg the Empress Dowager for help, probably hoping to use the Empress Dowager to deal with her.

Another point is that she might want the Empress Dowager's help to eliminate the negative impact that yesterday had on Lu Wanqing.

The Empress Dowager glanced at Junxuan and said, "Please invite the Imperial Concubine and Miss Lu in."

Even if she didn't like Lu Wanqing, the Empress Dowager would still give Junxuan face, especially since the Imperial Concubine was also there. Out of respect for them, she had to let them in.

Junxuan's expression remained unchanged. He picked up a cup of tea and took a sip, seemingly unconcerned about the arrival of Lu Wanqing and the Empress Dowager.

Soon, the Empress Dowager and Lu Wanqing appeared before Shen Yunxi.

Lu Wanqing's expression was not good at the moment. She lowered her head as she entered. Shen Yunxi was not in a hurry and waited to see what they would do next.

After exchanging greetings, the Imperial Concubine sat down next to the Empress Dowager, smiling as she looked at Shen Yunxi.

"Sister, yesterday Wanqing hurt Yunxi, it was her fault, so today I had her come to apologize. Originally, I was going to the Yong'an Marquis's residence, but I heard that Yunxi came to Cining Palace, so after dinner I brought Wanqing here instead." The Empress Dowager looked at the Empress Dowager with a gentle expression.

The Empress Dowager was unaware of what had happened yesterday. She had a headache yesterday, and even if she had heard something, Granny Tian did not tell her.

Therefore, the Empress Dowager looked at the Imperial Concubine with surprise, "What happened yesterday?"

The Empress Dowager was taken aback, seemingly not expecting that the Empress Dowager was unaware of this matter. She immediately smiled and sighed, "Sister, you may not know this, but yesterday the Jiang family held a wedding, and Yunxi and Wanqing both attended. The two were fine at first, but then they had a quarrel and some physical contact, and Yunxi fell."

According to the Empress Dowager's words, although Shen Yunxi fell, the problem was not only Lu Wanqing's fault, but also Shen Yunxi's.

It takes two to tango, so Shen Yunxi must have done something to make Lu Wanqing take action.

Shen Yunxi found it somewhat amusing. The Empress Dowager was indeed the Empress Dowager; she didn't say that the matter was a misunderstanding, but instead downplayed it, saying it was just a quarrel between two maids.

In fact, she knew exactly what was going on. Perhaps Lu Wanqing did this because the Empress Dowager taught him to.

Junxuan subconsciously looked at Shen Yunxi. In fact, one of his purposes in coming today was to see if Shen Yunxi was alright, as he had heard that she had rolled down the steps yesterday.

However, Junxuan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Shen Yunxi hadn't changed much, and he couldn't ask her in front of the Empress Dowager.

Now that the Empress Dowager had said it, Junxuan's heart tightened again.

He was fine after falling elsewhere, but if he had hit his head, it could have been life-threatening. He subconsciously looked at Lu Wanqing and found that she was really very different from the little girl in his memory. Sometimes he even doubted whether he had mistaken her for someone else.

How did that innocent and kind little girl turn into this?

The Empress Dowager also looked at Yunxi, "Yunxi, are you alright? If I had known this would happen, you should have stayed at home and rested properly today, instead of coming to the palace to serve me."

Shen Yunxi smiled gently, "It's nothing, I just hurt my back a little when I fell on the steps, but thankfully I didn't hit my head."

Originally, the Empress Dowager only wanted to downplay the matter, but Shen Yunxi deliberately said this to make things worse, so that the Empress Dowager would feel sorry for her and thus dislike Lu Wanqing even more.

On the surface, it was said that he was injured in the back, but in reality, it makes people think that Lu Wanqing pushed him directly face to face. If he had hit the ground headfirst, he might have died on the spot.

The Empress Dowager had naturally considered this, and her face paled slightly. She looked coldly at Lu Wanqing, her brows furrowed with hostility. "I didn't expect Miss Lu to be so audacious. Back then, she reprimanded Yunxi here and even fell into the flower field herself, trying to frame Yunxi. If she's like this in the palace, she's even more audacious outside the palace, actually directly attacking Yunxi!"

Junxuan's eyes also turned colder, and he still felt a little upset.

It wasn't because of Lu Wanqing, but because he felt the little girl disappointed him. She shouldn't have acted this way; she was a kind girl.

Lu Wanqing also felt the Empress Dowager's gaze. She pursed her lips slightly and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Wanqing did not do it on purpose. I just had a quarrel with Miss Yunxi at the time."

"Yunxi, you heard it too. Wanqing didn't do it on purpose. So please forgive her, okay?" the Empress Dowager said.

She knew that the Empress Dowager cared a lot about Shen Yunxi. As long as Shen Yunxi said it didn't matter in front of Jun Xuan in order to make a good impression, the Empress Dowager would not really punish Lu Wanqing. No matter what, she would still have to give face to her and Jun Xuan.

This is why the Empress Dowager personally brought Lu Wanqing over, ostensibly to apologize, but actually to force Shen Yunxi to accept it so that the Empress Dowager wouldn't pursue the matter.

It must be said that the Empress Dowager's plan was quite shrewd; at least in the past, her ideas would not have been flawed.

Unfortunately, she learned some things too late.

Shen Yunxi pursed her lips, glanced at the Empress Dowager, and then lowered her head, seemingly hesitant.

Seeing this, the Empress Dowager naturally knew that the Empress Dowager's words were intentional, meant to make Shen Yunxi forgive Lu Wanqing and not hold it against her.

"Yunxi, just speak your mind. I'm here, so you don't need to feel wronged. With me backing you up, you don't need to care about anything else. Just follow your heart," the Empress Dowager said.

Junxuan remained calm and showed no displeasure at the Empress Dowager's words.

On the other hand, the Empress Dowager looked embarrassed. She really didn't expect the Empress Dowager to be so disrespectful to her. She had clearly done her best to give birth, but not only the Empress Dowager, but even the Emperor didn't say a word.

Shen Yunxi felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words. She understood that the Empress Dowager would always stand by her side, and her gratitude was beyond measure.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, but with the Emperor here, Yunxi dares not offend you."

Immediately, Shen Yunxi turned her gaze to Jun Xuan.

Upon hearing Shen Yunxi's words, the Empress Dowager nearly ground her teeth to powder. She never expected Shen Yunxi to say it so casually, and her hesitation clearly indicated she was harboring a wicked plan.

Junxuan hadn't paid attention to the Empress Dowager, but upon hearing Shen Yunxi's words, he immediately understood that she wanted a statement.

"Miss Shen, there's no need to worry. I won't be angry because of your words, nor will I hold you accountable. How about that?"