"Wait!"
Just as the King of Dongning was about to leave his seat, he suddenly heard the Empress stand up and raise her voice to stop him.
Upon hearing this, everyone present stopped in their tracks and turned their astonished gazes toward the Empress Dowager.
Then, supported by the old nanny, she slowly walked to the side of the King of Dongning, stopped and carefully examined Yi Shangyun, who was following closely behind, from head to toe.
Then, he felt more and more that the woman in front of him looked so much like the Empress Dowager from many years ago, the one who had once been his thorn in his side.
Finally, she asked, "What's your name? You look unfamiliar to me. When did you come to the palace to serve me?"
As he spoke, he glared fiercely at the young guard who followed the King of Dongning all day long.
The guards quickly lowered their heads to avoid his gaze when he suddenly looked at them with coldness.
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun was stunned for a moment, thinking to himself, "It's over, it's over, I've finally been targeted by this vicious woman."
For a moment, there was an awkward silence around them, and the large furniture all stared silently at Yi Shangyun's face.
Perhaps the performance on stage at night was too captivating, for it was only when the Empress Dowager questioned them that people noticed the presence of Yi Shangyun.
Just then, the King of Dongning, seeing her standing there speechless and looking troubled, assumed she was intimidated by the Empress's imposing presence. He spoke up to defend her, rebuking the Empress instead: "Empress, she is a distinguished guest whom I have specially invited. She is not some maid or servant in the palace. You should not treat her like this..."
Before he could finish speaking, the Empress Dowager, seemingly unconvinced, retorted sternly, "Your Majesty is mistaken. The female spy lurking in the palace, whose intentions remain unknown, has yet to be discovered. Therefore, I cannot afford to be careless with any unfamiliar face appearing in the harem. If my negligence allows that treacherous spy to achieve her goal, then as the mistress of the harem, wouldn't I be undeniably culpable and deeply sinful?"
Upon hearing this, the King of Dongning felt a sudden jolt in his heart. How could he not know that there were no spies in the palace?
The so-called spy story was merely a fabrication to appease the Empress Dowager's advice, a lie concocted to find a scapegoat in order to quell the "prophecy of national ruin." It even resulted in the death of the Grand Astrologer, Lord Zhang.
If he disagrees, soon there will be widespread panic and unease throughout the palace and beyond.
If this continues, it is feared that all the forces that have been lurking in various places for many years will emerge to take advantage of the situation, plunging the country into dire straits and putting it in a dangerous situation where it is on the verge of collapse.
In that moment, with so many people in the palace and so many pairs of eyes questioning him, how could he possibly let himself expose this lie?!
And clearly, the successor then set the blame on Yi Shangyun.
He absolutely could not agree; he had to protect her.
With this thought in mind, he no longer wanted to explain or argue with her. He simply looked intently into the Empress's eyes and said very seriously, "Empress, I can tell you with absolute certainty that I guarantee she is not some wicked female spy. Moreover, I am the Emperor. If I say she is not, then she is not. It is not up to any of you to believe or disbelieve, or to make unwarranted comments."
After saying that, he glanced around at the crowd whispering and discussing among themselves, and then said to Yi Shangyun, "Yun'er, hurry up and come back to Qingxin Palace with me."
Yi Shangyun remained silent throughout, only bowing respectfully to the crowd, and inwardly expressing his deep gratitude to the King of Dongning, said, "Yes!"
Watching the departing figures of the King of Dongning and his entourage, the Empress Dowager raised her voice and said, "Your Majesty will surely regret this in the future!"
But in her heart, she secretly plotted: "Hmph, you think you can fight me? No way! No matter who you are, I will make you wish you were dead! There's plenty of time, we'll see how things go!"
At the same time, Mei Zhixuan and Xuan Yuan Yue, whose hearts had been pounding in their throats, withdrew their gazes, exchanged a glance, and finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
Before the Empress Dowager could discover them, the two quietly slipped out and left the theater.
The sedan chair finally came to a stop along the dark, dark passageway leading back to the palace.
Xuan Yuan Yue, who had been silent the whole way, slowly got out of the sedan chair with the help of her maid Jin Lan. When she passed by Mei Zhi Xuan, she suddenly stopped and did not look at his face, as if she still looked at him with some disdain.
Xuanyuan Yue said, "Your Highness, is your purpose in offering her to the Emperor to win his favor? Could it be that everything you've orchestrated from beginning to end was actually a honey trap?"
"Yue'er, I..." Mei Zhixuan had a lot to say, but he couldn't get the words out.
Xuan Yuan Yue waited for a long time, but in the end she received no explanation, because at this point she could no longer figure out what Mei Zhi Xuan was planning to do with Yi Shang Yun.
If, as she had initially suspected, Mei Zhixuan had grown tired of her and fallen in love with her instead, then why had he gone to such lengths to send her to the side of the King of Dongning?
This doesn't seem to be simply about finding a safe haven for Yi Shangyun in this vast palace.
Looking at the frequent exchanges and eye contact between King Dongning and Yi Shangyun during the banquet, and his domineering defense of the Empress even in front of everyone, it is clear that King Dongning is now quite fond of her.
But for some reason, every time I look at Yi Shangyun's expression, there's something inexplicably off.
Completely baffled, she finally offered only one word of advice: "Regardless of Your Highness's purpose, she is no ordinary woman. Therefore, whether she is in my Western Qin, your Eastern Ning, or anywhere else, no one can overshadow her brilliance. This is her unique advantage, but it is also her fatal weakness, easily attracting jealousy and enemies. What should you do next? I hope Your Highness will think carefully!"
After saying that, he turned and left without looking back, leaving Mei Zhixuan standing there alone in the howling north wind, his heart filled with mixed feelings...
That night, the Qingxin Hall was brightly lit.
Ever since the King of Dongning returned from the theater in a huff, he had been throwing a tantrum, and everyone in the palace was trembling with fear, serving him with utmost care and caution.
Having just cleaned up the mess, only Yi Shangyun remained in the hall to serve.
Standing at the palace gate, she looked at the King of Dongning, who was sitting on the warm couch with his brows still furrowed. Feeling a deep sense of apology, she pursed her lips, mustered her spirits, and stepped forward to thank him, saying, "Thank you for protecting Yun'er just now, Your Majesty. Yun'er is extremely grateful."
The King of Dongning seemed unable to quell his anger, and said indignantly, "This Empress, I've seen her become more and more disgraceful over the years. Tonight she actually contradicted me in front of everyone. It seems I can no longer turn a blind eye to this. Since I made her my queen in the first place, I can depose her tomorrow!"
Yi Shangyun hurriedly spoke up to stop him, saying, "What are you saying, Your Majesty? The Empress is the mother of the nation, how can she be deposed so easily? Besides, as the saying goes, 'harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things,' and the family is a small part of the country, the country is made up of countless families, and the royal family is also a family. The affairs of the royal family must be handled with utmost care!"
Upon hearing this, the King of Dongning looked at Yi Shangyun's face and was surprised to find that she was so young yet so concerned with the big picture. Even though she had almost been treated as a spy just now, she still had such a magnanimous heart.
The room was silent. Their eyes were fixed on each other, and neither of them uttered a word.
Just then, a voice announced from outside the door: "Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"
The King of Dongning, who had just calmed down a bit, seemed to be provoked again. But when he saw Yi Shangyun shake her head at him, he suppressed his anger and asked the Empress who was stepping in, "It's late at night. Why has the Empress come?"
The Empress smiled and stepped forward to greet him, bowing slightly. She said, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten that you promised me a few days ago that you would take the nourishing soup that I personally prepared for you every day?"
The King of Dongning suddenly remembered something and said in a cold voice, "Even so, there is no need for you, Empress, to personally deliver it to Qingxin Palace!"
The Empress Dowager continued to smile and said, "Serving and taking care of Your Majesty's health is my most important duty. No matter how busy I am, how could I be negligent! Your Majesty should drink this soup while it is still hot, otherwise it will harm your health if it gets cold!"
As she spoke, she took the soup bowl from the tea tray held by the maid who had come in with her and walked step by step toward the King of Dongning.
Unexpectedly, the King of Dongning immediately ordered her to be stopped: "Yun'er, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and take the soup bowl from the Empress's hand and present it to me."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun quickly stepped forward, grasped the other side of the soup bowl, and said, "Your Majesty, please be careful to scald it. Let me help you!"
Then, she immediately raised her face in disgust, and a gold-rimmed porcelain soup bowl jumped up and down in the two people's hands as they secretly fought over it.
Seeing that Yi Shangyun was secretly shaking her head at her, the Empress Dowager finally smiled and let go of her hand first. Then she praised, "This young lady seems very clever. No wonder the Emperor likes her so much."
Yi Shangyun handed the soup bowl in her hand to the King of Dongning, who took it and slowly drank it.
The Empress Dowager suddenly apologized, saying, "It was all my fault in the theater just now. I shouldn't have spoken so disrespectfully to His Majesty. But I was also eager to expose that treacherous spy hiding in the palace, and in my haste, I offended both His Majesty and this young lady. I heard that this young lady saved His Majesty outside the palace, so she couldn't possibly have harmed him. It seems I was truly overthinking things!"
Even though she had humbled herself to this extent, the King of Dongning still ignored her.
At this moment, the Empress Dowager suddenly...
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