Before leaving the palace for Prince An's residence, Zhang Zhongwei went to Physician Jiang's residence, which is why he missed the carriage carrying Consort Duan to the palace.
Meanwhile, Consort Duan, along with Zhang Mama and a large entourage, headed towards the palace.
At this moment, they were stopped by the Imperial Guards at the front gate of the palace.
The Imperial Guard Commander, Xiao Song, dressed in light armor, stood in front of Consort Duan's carriage with a chill running down his spine. He explained, "Your Highness, please don't make things difficult for us. I am only acting on imperial orders. Without the Emperor's and Empress Dowager's decrees, I truly cannot let you in."
Consort Duan, her face grim, sat in the carriage, staring intently at Xiao Song: "Xiao Song, how dare you! I am an imperial concubine, how can I not be allowed to step into my own home! In this world, is there any reason for a master to be stopped at the door by a servant when returning home!"
Xiao Song had no words to express his suffering; could this palace be an ordinary home?
Granny Zhang walked up to Xiao Song and quietly slipped a bulging purse into his hand.
"Lord Xiao, please make an exception. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager have never issued an edict forbidding Her Highness from entering the palace. After all, Her Highness is a concubine of the Emperor and the birth mother of Prince An."
"His Highness has just recovered from his serious injuries, and I'm sure His Majesty and the Empress Dowager are worried about him. Besides, today is the fifteenth, and Your Highness, as a daughter-in-law, should also pay her respects to the Empress Dowager. It's not right for you to stop him."
Outside the palace gates, a few passersby curiously peered in this direction. They dared not discuss the affairs of the imperial family in the street, but what they thought in their hearts and how they would spread the word after leaving this place was another matter entirely.
Xiao Song remained unmoved upon hearing this. He withdrew his hand and took a step back, causing the purse that Zhang Mama had half-stuffed to fall to the ground with a thud. "Zhang Mama, it's not that I'm being unreasonable, it's just my duty, and I dare not be negligent in the slightest."
Zhang Mama bribed him with money and threatened him with Prince An's presence. How could he not understand the meaning behind her words? But he was the commander of the Imperial Guards in the palace, and he would only ever obey the Emperor.
Moreover, the only one who could be considered the Empress Dowager's daughter-in-law was the Empress.
The passersby widened their eyes, then pretended not to know anything and hurriedly left.
Zhang Mama panicked. If someone found out that she dared to bribe the commander of the Imperial Guards and reported it to the Emperor or the Empress Dowager, she would lose her life. She hurriedly picked up the purse on the ground.
Seeing this, Consort Duan's face turned even uglier. Her face darkened, and she said coldly, "Commander Xiao, so you're saying you're impervious to reason? Will I not be allowed to enter this palace today?"
"Please forgive us, Your Majesty." Although Xiao Song apologized for his lack of manners, he stood ramrod straight, neither humble nor arrogant.
Consort Duan clenched her fists tightly, suppressing her anger as she said, "If I insist on entering the palace today, does Commander Xiao dare to stab me with his sword?"
“Then please step over my dead body, Your Highness.” Xiao Song said, and then knelt in front of Consort Duan’s carriage.
The dozens of imperial guards protecting the palace knelt down in unison: "Your Majesty, please step over our corpses!"
Seeing this, the people became even more curious, but they hurried away.
Seeing this, Zhang Mama turned deathly pale. She looked at Consort Duan in the carriage and said timidly, "Your Highness, perhaps... perhaps we should go back..."
Consort Duan shot a sharp glint in her eye, and Granny Zhang immediately shut her mouth.
"Very well, very well indeed! The Emperor and Empress Dowager haven't even done anything to me yet, and you subjects dare to bully me to this extent!"
Consort Duan took a deep breath and said sternly, "If you want me to stay away from this palace today, that's fine too. Then please ask Commander Xiao to ask the Emperor for a letter of divorce on my behalf! Once I get the letter, I will leave immediately and never set foot in this palace again!"
Her voice was loud and clear, and the people passing by, who were already listening intently, naturally all heard what Consort Duan said.
Xiao Song pursed his lips and knelt upright in front of Consort Duan's carriage.
Consort Duan remained seated in the carriage, coldly observing the group of people kneeling before her. Her palms were almost bleeding from her fingernails. She had only been away from the palace for a few days, yet even a lowly commander of the Imperial Guards dared to humiliate her.
This is absolutely outrageous!
Consort Duan's face was ashen, like shattered snow and frost: "If it weren't for my son..."
"Your Highness, Consort Duan."
Just as Consort Duan was about to utter some more nonsense, Granny Liu, who was by the Empress Dowager's side, hurried out of the palace. She seemed not to have seen the group of people kneeling in front of the palace gate. She came to the carriage, curtsied to Consort Duan inside, and said with a smile, "The Empress Dowager knows that Your Highness has come to pay your respects, so she specially ordered me to come and take you to Cisui Palace."
Granny Liu said, "It's all my fault. I knew that Your Highness would be coming to the palace to pay your respects today. The Empress Dowager had already instructed me to come to the palace gate to meet you. I just got the time wrong, which made Your Highness wait in the cold wind for so long. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
After Liu finished speaking, she glanced at Zhang.
Zhang Mama was so frightened by Consort Duan's sudden words that her legs trembled and her back was already soaked with cold sweat. She had served Consort Duan for decades and knew what she was about to say. Consort Duan dared to say it, but they, as servants, dared not listen.
That could cost you your head!
Now that Granny Liu had come out and silenced Consort Duan, she breathed a huge sigh of relief. If the situation hadn't prevented it, she would have loved to kowtow to Granny Liu a few times to thank her for coming at just the right time.
Consort Duan gave a light snort, and without getting off the carriage, she simply instructed Granny Liu in a low voice, "In that case, Granny Liu, lead the way."
Granny Liu was an old servant of the Empress Dowager. She entered the palace with the Empress Dowager and even the Emperor treated her with great respect.
Granny Liu was not annoyed, and still had a smile on her face: "Yes, Consort Duan, please come with me. The Empress Dowager has been waiting for you for a long time."
The carriage rumbled into the palace, and Xiao Song and the others stood up to make way for it.
As the carriage passed in front of Xiao Song, Consort Duan gave him a cold look: "Commander Xiao is truly a loyal and dutiful dog of the Emperor."
Xiao Song: "Thank you for your praise, Consort Duan."
The group entered the palace without further hindrance.
After an incense stick had burned, at the entrance of the second gate, Consort Duan alighted from her carriage and entered Cisui Palace with Granny Liu and others.
The Empress Dowager, her eyes half-closed, heard the noise and squinted to see Consort Duan, dressed in a palace gown, slowly entering under the guidance of Granny Liu. The pearl hairpins on her head made a soft clinking sound as she walked.
The Empress Dowager frowned slightly and sighed softly. Although he came from such a background, he did not grow up in that place and always had the petty air of a merchant.
She made such a scene in front of the palace gates, wasn't she afraid of embarrassing her son? And wasn't she afraid of being humiliated if it got back to those with ulterior motives?
In Feixue Garden, Lu Xiaoyun watched as Zhu Yu, adorned with jeweled hairpins, sat before his dressing table, angrily pulling out each hairpin one by one. In his fury, he even plucked out several strands of hair, causing him to wince in pain.
After running a few steps away, Li Feng seemed to realize something. He hurriedly turned back, glanced meaningfully at the large bed, then fearlessly gestured to Lu Xiaoyun before quickly closing the door.
Zhu Yu: "..." Can he just get rid of this stupid girl?
Lu Xiaoyun: "..." It's like she's always trying to sleep with Zhu Yu. Is she really that desperate?
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