The Empress was overjoyed and subtly glanced at her trusted palace maid beside the imperial carriage.
The palace maid understood immediately and silently led the people carrying the Buddhist scriptures away.
At this moment, Mo Shaoqing, wearing a black veiled hat, was angrily watching from a nearby teahouse.
Unbeknownst to him, the Empress had already persuaded Mo Yunzhao that he could return to court once the imperial tombs were returned.
His eyes were now only on Mo Shaoze, who was surrounded and worshipped by hundreds of officials.
Hearing the people below discussing who would become the future crown prince, he was filled with even more hatred.
"That damned bastard, he doesn't deserve it."
The advisor beside him whispered a reminder, "Your Highness, you are still under house arrest. If anyone finds out that you have left the house, it will be considered as disobeying the imperial decree. You must not be careless."
Mo Shaoqing gripped the railing tightly.
"Most of the officials in the city have left, making this the perfect time to act. Give the order to solidify all the evidence for me, and do not allow any objections. I want Mo Shaoze to be condemned to hell after he returns to the capital and never be able to rise again."
The advisor bowed slightly.
"Don't worry, his mother's identity alone is enough to ruin him forever."
Upon hearing this, Mo Shaoqing's expression softened.
After the officials finished their kowtows, Mo Shaoze went to the imperial carriage to report. After receiving permission, he mounted his horse and led everyone in a grand procession toward the city gate.
According to rank, Zhou Tao, the deputy director of the Court of Judicial Review, was also among those accompanying him.
He glanced silently at the kneeling people beside him.
One of them seemed to sense something and slowly looked up to meet his gaze.
The woman was dressed as a woman, and the face was none other than Luo Ruyan, except that her skin tone was deliberately darkened, unlike when she was with Zheng Qing.
At first glance, they look like completely different people.
The two looked at each other and nodded slightly.
Zhou Tao withdrew his gaze and followed the others out of the city.
Luo Ruyan quickly disappeared into the streets along with the scattered crowd.
At this moment, inside the palace,
With most of the Imperial Guards gone and the Emperor absent, the palace felt even more desolate and lonely.
Consort Su's personal maidservant brought in a bowl of dark, medicinal soup, curtsied, and said, "Your Highness, it's time to drink your medicine."
The bitter taste of the medicine spread with the rising steam.
Consort Su frowned, clutching her handkerchief, and retreated in disgust.
Over the years, she has taken too many medications.
I feel like throwing up just from the smell right now.
The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, and her eyes welled up with tears. In a fit of anger, she raised her hand and swept the object away.
"Why should I drink anything more? The Emperor hasn't come to my palace in so long. What's the use of drinking more medicine? Do you think I can conceive a royal heir on my own?"
The palace maid quickly knelt down to tidy up.
"Your Majesty, the doctor said that this medicine must not be stopped and must be taken continuously to replenish one's vital energy so that when the Emperor visits again, one can succeed in one fell swoop. This servant will go and brew another bowl."
She started to walk out as she spoke.
At this moment, the eunuch outside bowed and reported.
"Your Highness, Consort Wan requests an audience."
"Consort Wan?"
Consort Su's expression changed slightly.
In this palace, she disliked concubines who had children the most.
Consort Wan was one of them.
Although the sixth prince is of mediocre talent, he is not even qualified to establish his own residence.
But she still has children to rely on. No matter who ascends the throne in the future, she can move out of the palace with her children to the royal residence to enjoy a life of luxury as a concubine.
Unlike her, if a new emperor were to ascend the throne, she would be left to grow old alone in the palace for the rest of her life.
"I am feeling unwell and will not see her. Let her go back."
She had barely finished speaking when Consort Wan's voice rang out in the courtyard.
"Your Highness, you must do justice for me!"
With the Empress Dowager gone, the Empress became the most powerful woman in the harem.
Now that the Empress has left the palace, she, as a Noble Consort, cannot shirk her duties.
Although he was displeased, he still waved his hand and let the person into the inner hall.
Consort Wan, clutching her handkerchief, left the maidservants outside and entered herself.
Upon entering, he was immediately struck by the strong smell of medicine filling the room. His eyes flickered, and he bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Your Highness the Imperial Concubine."
Her appearance was far inferior to that of Consort Su, and coupled with her lack of favor and her advanced age, she already had many fine lines around her eyes and lips. If it weren't for the presence of the Sixth Prince, an heir to the throne, she would probably have been lost in the harem and wouldn't have even been able to achieve the rank of concubine.
Consort Su felt even more upset at the thought that her future might not even be as good as this person's.
His eyes and brows looked tired and impatient.
"What do you need me to decide for you?"
Consort Wan glanced mysteriously at the palace maids inside the hall.
Consort Su raised her hand in annoyance to dismiss those around her.
"Can we talk about it now?"
Consort Wan then took two steps forward and knelt down on the ground with a thud.
"Your Highness, I am utterly incompetent in managing my subordinates. As the head of a palace, I have allowed two palace maids to climb into the Emperor's bed. I am furious about this. If I do not bring them here and teach them a lesson about manners, who knows how many people in the harem will become ambitious and dream of gaining favor and becoming superior to others? Such a trend must not be allowed to continue."
Consort Su was no fool.
Hearing this, she sneered, "When the Empress was here, why didn't you cry foul? Now that the Emperor and Empress have just left, you come to me with this complaint. What are you trying to do?"
Consort Wan looked anxious.
"Your Majesty, now is the best opportunity. If the Emperor and Empress hadn't left, I wouldn't have dared to mention the Zhongluan Palace."
The words "Zhongluan Hall" deeply pierced Consort Su's heart.
The Zhongluan Hall was not a palace for the imperial concubines at all, but a side hall behind the Imperial Study.
The name "Zhongluan Hall" wasn't bestowed by the emperor, but rather by the women of the inner palace.
Its meaning is even more lewd and dissolute, making it difficult to speak of.
Seeing the change in her expression, Consort Wan spoke again.
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