Chapter Thirty-Eight: Schemes
"Your Majesty, please calm down. Chao'er caught a chill last night, so I gave him medicine and put him to rest. That's why he didn't come."
"If I hadn't confined him to his quarters, he would have eagerly come to find Yin'er long ago, showing absolutely no disrespect to Your Majesty."
The Empress steadied herself and spoke flawlessly, leaving no room for doubt.
The Empress Dowager put down her jade cup and gave a barely perceptible "hmm," her expression so inscrutable that even she couldn't see through it.
But for Yuan Siyin, none of this mattered.
"Since the Crown Prince is concerned, and the banquet is over now, I should be able to get to the Eastern Palace if I hurry."
Before the Empress could refuse, Yuan Siyin turned around and looked at the Empress Dowager with a smile: "Aunt, I only took a quick look at my brother the Crown Prince before I came back."
"Alright, go ahead and take a look for me as well."
The Empress Dowager rested her head on her hand, her brow slightly furrowed, but her face showed a hint of satisfaction that was not easily discernible to outsiders.
Once outside the main hall, Yuan Siyin disregarded the Empress and rushed straight to the East Palace.
"Yin'er, Yin'er!"
The Empress's beautiful eyes were filled with anxiety. Unable to catch up with her, she could only have her personal maid run forward to stop her.
Yuan Siyin suppressed her smile, looking at her with an innocent expression: "What's wrong, Your Highness? Did Yin'er walk too fast?"
The Empress choked up, unable to speak for a moment.
"I won't go today. How about I visit your Crown Prince brother another day?"
She forced a smile, her slender body appearing somewhat unsteady under the weight of the magnificent phoenix crown.
"Why can't I go? My aunt instructed that Yin'er must go."
"You're a good boy... I'm begging you."
She crouched down, covering her face with her hands, tears streaming down her face as if she were on the verge of collapse. If it weren't for the palace maids supporting her, she probably would have already fallen to the ground.
"Chao'er made a mistake in a moment of confusion... she made a mistake!"
The nearby sleeping quarters were brightly lit, and amidst the solemnity, faint cries could be heard from time to time.
Seeing that the matter was no longer in doubt, Yuan Siyin withdrew her gaze and stopped pressing the issue.
"Alright, Yin'er won't go."
Hearing that she was willing to compromise, a glimmer of hope immediately appeared in the Empress's eyes. "Yin'er, I have always liked you, how about..."
"Your Majesty the Empress."
She suddenly turned around and smiled enigmatically.
The Empress looked at her curved eyes and shivered for no reason.
"It's getting late, Yin'er should go home now."
The Empress was speechless and could only watch helplessly as her figure disappeared into the boundless night.
"Your Highness... what should be done with the young lady beside His Highness?"
The palace maid hurriedly took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, squatted down, and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"What is her identity?"
The Empress's eyes were lifeless, as if she had suddenly lost her composure, and her voice was weak and listless.
"She called herself Shen Ruolan, from the Shen family of Grand Tutor Shen, but she was just a concubine's daughter."
"A concubine's daughter... what an audacious concubine's daughter!"
Her chest heaved with anger, causing the hair ornaments on her head to become disheveled. Her dark red fingernails clenched her handkerchief tightly as she angrily exclaimed, "This child is utterly outrageous! To fall for the trick of an illegitimate daughter in front of everyone at her coming-of-age banquet..."
So be it! After all, she is a member of the Shen family. Since things have come to this, tomorrow I will request an imperial decree to bestow upon her the title of concubine.
"But her, daring to scheme against my Chao'er... Fine, it's one thing to be a vixen at home with no one to control her, but once she enters the palace, does she really think she'll be left unchecked?!"
"Your Majesty is right. She'll get what's coming to her later. Right now, we shouldn't get too upset and ruin our health."
Even though the Empress was extremely unwilling, she could only glance at the bedchamber before angrily turning her sleeves and quickly leaving.
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