Xiao Yunying was surprised that the other party could guess her identity so easily, and nodded, saying, "Yes, I am."
"It really is you, the one who stabbed my sister..."
"Miss Qingzhi, this servant should go see the Empress Dowager."
Zuo Qingzhi stepped aside: "Indeed, we cannot keep the Empress Dowager waiting any longer. You may proceed."
After saying that, he turned to Xiao Yunying and said, "Let's talk again when we have the chance."
Xiao Yunying was completely baffled, so she could only nod slightly and follow the nanny away.
On the way, she pondered that the girl's unfinished words must have been about how she had stabbed Zuo Lanzhi.
Qingzhi and Lanzhi sound like sisters.
Strange, since she and Zuo Lanzhi are sisters, why did she not show any anger or hatred towards me when this matter was mentioned earlier? Instead, she seemed a little excited.
Could it be that the sisters are at odds?
She followed the old woman for a long time. When they approached a palace courtyard, the old woman spoke up: "When you see the Empress Dowager later, remember not to look around like you did before. Keep your head down and your eyes lowered. Do not look directly at the Empress Dowager's face."
Xiao Yunying then felt a little nervous and obediently agreed.
The moment she stepped into the palace courtyard, she became extremely alert, keeping her head down and staring intently at the ground.
After following the nanny into the main hall, the nanny told her to kneel down, and she could only obediently kneel down.
After kneeling for a while, she didn't hear anyone call her to get up, and she didn't dare to look up casually, so she could only roll her eyes and look ahead.
There was no one sitting there!
Then why the hell are you kneeling?!
Even though she was kneeling in an empty spot, Xiao Yunying didn't dare to ask a question, let alone move.
The old woman who brought her had already left, probably to report. The maids on both sides stood like wooden sculptures, and Xiao Yunying could feel that many people were watching her without even looking up.
It's oppressive, this environment is so oppressive.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Xiao Yunying's legs began to go numb.
Even if you've never eaten pork, you've seen pigs run. This is someone deliberately keeping themselves out of the loop; it could be punishment or a warning.
As a modern person, she had never knelt for so long before. Her legs were sore and numb, and the heat in the hall caused her to break out in a sweat in no time.
Fifteen minutes later, she couldn't resist the urge to stretch her legs by supporting herself with her hands on the ground, but was scolded by the maid next to her: "Don't move around, kneel properly."
Xiao Yunying had no choice but to straighten up again.
He couldn't help but curse inwardly, "This damned feudal society, this damned oppression of power!"
Fortunately, it wasn't long before someone loudly announced that the Empress Dowager had arrived.
Xiao Yunying quickly straightened her back and lowered her head to wait for the question.
She only heard several light footsteps approaching, which made the hall much cooler. Then she felt a gaze fixed on her from above, which soon moved away.
Xiao Yunying dared not move and gritted her teeth to keep kneeling.
After waiting a while, a sound came from above.
"Are you the woman Luo Yong asked the emperor to marry? Raise your head."
Xiao Yunying obediently raised her head, her gaze involuntarily looking upwards. Before she could even see what the Empress Dowager looked like, she heard the nanny's loud reprimand.
"How dare you! You must not look directly at the Empress Dowager's face."
Xiao Yunying lowered her head subconsciously, but remembering that the Empress Dowager had told her to raise her head, she could only close her eyes and raise her head again.
She was indignant. Why could the Empress Dowager see other people's faces, but other people couldn't see the Empress Dowager? What kind of ridiculous rule was this? If you have a face and you can't let others see it, then you shouldn't go out at all.
She heard a soft laugh from the high position and knew that the Empress Dowager was mocking her ridiculous behavior.
Xiao Yunying dared not show any emotion on her face, and kept reassuring herself in her heart, "Just bear with it, just bear with it."
"You do have a handsome face; no wonder General Luo refused my bestowed marriage for you."
That's it.
Xiao Yunying nervously clenched her hands on her lap, guessing that the Empress Dowager had probably come to settle scores with her.
He didn't know why the Empress Dowager had summoned him.
Could it be that the younger generation of her maternal family liked Luo Sheng, but Luo Sheng refused the arranged marriage, and she came to avenge the younger generation?
That's how it's usually portrayed in TV dramas.
"Xiao Yunying." The Empress Dowager slowly uttered her name: "I heard that you are exceptionally intelligent. You not only came up with a convenient way to irrigate the land, but also figured out how to purify refined salt, and even know how to modify various weapons, is that right?"
Xiao Yunying instantly understood the Empress Dowager's meaning.
A bead of cold sweat rolled down his cheek, dripped onto his collar, and disappeared.
She thought and thought, but she couldn't figure out that it was because of these things.
It's because I'm narrow-minded; I keep thinking about useless, trivial things.
The method of irrigating the land is nothing, and the reward is already in my hands. But I only told Luo Sheng about improving the weapons. Luo Sheng supports the orthodoxy and will not tell the Empress Dowager's faction that wants to seize power. How could the Empress Dowager know?
There's also the method for refining salt. Chen Yuancheng said it was a major matter concerning people's livelihood and told me not to reveal it easily. How did the Empress Dowager find out?
She doesn't believe Chen Yuancheng revealed it; she believes Chen Yuancheng isn't that kind of person.
But only he and Ling Qi knew about this. Could it be Ling Qi?
The young man doesn't seem like that kind of person.
However, Ling Qi doesn't seem that smart, and it's possible that someone with ulterior motives could trick her into revealing information.
The old nanny beside the Empress Dowager, seeing that she had not spoken for a long time, shouted, "Why don't you answer the Empress Dowager's question?"
Xiao Yunying broke out in a cold sweat again.
Unable to think of a good way to fool her, and fearing that she might make things worse, she could only admit: "I only stumbled upon some methods by accident, and I can't be considered clever."
The Empress Dowager sat on top, looking at Xiao Yunying kneeling below: "So you're admitting that you figured all these things out yourself."
Xiao Yunying lowered her head: "Yes."
She can't deny it even if she doesn't want to; she can't shift the blame for these things onto anyone.
The Empress Dowager seemed to suddenly notice that she was still kneeling and said, "Why are you still kneeling? Quickly help Miss Xiao up. Someone, bring her a seat."
A maidservant brought over a stool, and another maidservant helped her to her feet.
Xiao Yunying couldn't help but curse this pretentious old witch in her heart.
She remembered, but her legs felt like they didn't belong to her. The moment she gritted her teeth and stood up, the tingling and stinging pain in her legs made her fall back down.
The maid didn't lift her up with any force, but simply gently supported her arm and let her sit back down on the ground.
Just then, an announcement came from outside the door: "The Emperor has arrived!"
Xiao Yunying felt that the emperor had come at the worst possible time, and she didn't know how much longer she would have to kneel.
The maid who was supporting her had already knelt down, so Xiao Yunying could only use the stool for support to adjust her posture and kneel down again.
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