As soon as Luo Peiyu left Yong'an Palace, her brain began to work at lightning speed.
She was not only a professionally trained embroidered messenger, but also the leader of a tribe.
Her mind far surpasses that of ordinary people.
At least, the Empress Dowager Ashina's schemes were nothing to her.
Luo Peiyu quickly guessed what was going on and came up with a solution in the shortest possible time.
She didn't go straight back or look for Xie Yuan, but instead went around to Yongshou Palace.
"What did you say? A palace maid named Luo Peiyu is requesting an audience?"
Empress Dowager Xiao sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, fiddling with her prayer beads, her thoughts drifting elsewhere.
Just then, a young palace maid ran in to announce the news.
Empress Dowager Xiao was taken aback for a moment.
Clearly, she had forgotten the arrangements made a few years ago, and the name Luo Peiyu was only vaguely familiar to her.
"Let her in!"
Since it wasn't entirely unfamiliar, Empress Dowager Xiao became somewhat curious.
"yes!"
The young palace maid agreed, bowed, and withdrew.
A short while later, she led Luo Peiyu in.
"This servant, Luo Peiyu, greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!"
Luo Peiyu bowed respectfully.
"No need for formalities!"
Empress Dowager Xiao put away her prayer beads and stared intently at Luo Peiyu. "Raise your head!"
Luo Peiyu obediently raised her head, revealing another beautiful face.
Empress Dowager Xiao frowned slightly; she seemed to recognize this face.
However, it didn't leave a deep impression.
"What business do you have with me?"
Empress Dowager Xiao suddenly had a bad feeling.
She was too lazy to waste words and simply asked a question.
"Your Majesty, you...you don't remember me?"
Luo Peiyu feigned surprise and grievance.
Empress Dowager Xiao: ...
“This servant is Luo Peiyu! Three years ago, Your Majesty, you missed the Emperor who was far away in Yuezhou, so you specially selected this servant and a few other palace maids to be sent to Yuezhou.”
As Luo Peiyu spoke, she winked at Empress Dowager Xiao.
Empress Dowager Xiao suddenly remembered; oh, there really was such a thing.
At that time, the late emperor was still on the throne, and she had the Third Prince, the emperor's beloved son, by her side.
She didn't take her son Helian Jue seriously at all.
Meanwhile, Xie Ze's wife, Cui, tried every means to establish a relationship with the Empress Dowager Ashina next door, intending to give her daughter Xie Rou to Helian Jue as a concubine.
Although Empress Dowager Ashina wasn't very clever, she wasn't completely stupid either.
She knew that Helian Jue was in Yuezhou and still needed Xie Yuan, his capable wife, to help him.
Furthermore, if Helian Jue were to take a concubine, he could make the decision himself.
When Lady Cui went to the palace to plead her case, she was likely turned away by Helian Jue.
Empress Dowager Ashina still needed to rely on her adopted son Helian Jue, so naturally she wouldn't do anything to make him dislike her.
Therefore, Empress Dowager Ashina refused, and Lady Cui then turned to Empress Dowager Xiao.
The late emperor disliked Helian Jue. Others might not know this, but Empress Dowager Xiao, who knew him best, was aware of it.
Over the years, Empress Xiao's coldness towards Helian Jue stemmed not only from a genuine lack of affection and a desire to express her feelings to Empress Ashina, but also from her concern for the late emperor.
Empress Dowager Xiao was the late emperor's confidante and his confidante.
He loved what he loved and hated what he hated, taking the late emperor's preferences as his guiding principle in everything he did.
Empress Dowager Xiao was not only very cold to Helian Jue, but sometimes she would treat him as an enemy.
In order to maintain her image in front of the late emperor, Empress Dowager Xiao not only agreed to Cui's request, but also deliberately told the late emperor about it.
On a whim, the late emperor decided to bestow beautiful women upon Helian Jue.
Empress Dowager Xiao then instructed the palace steward to randomly select a few young and beautiful palace maids.
Before those palace maids left the palace, Empress Dowager Xiao gave them a special audience.
It was probably around that time that Empress Dowager Xiao glanced at Luo Peiyu in the crowd.
but--
"Oh, it's you."
Empress Dowager Xiao suppressed her suspicions, nodded, and asked in a normal tone of greeting, "The Emperor has returned to the capital, and all of you have returned as well?"
Where are you working now?
Empress Dowager Xiao did not overlook Luo Peiyu's attire, which was the dress of a low-ranking female official.
Not a concubine or secondary consort.
Therefore, Helian Jue did not take these women as his concubines, but treated them as ordinary palace maids.
"Your Majesty, have you... have you forgotten everything? The Lanling Trading Company?!"
Seeing that Empress Dowager Xiao was still pretending to be stupid, Luo Peiyu pretended to be indignant and roared.
"Lanling Trading Company?"
Empress Dowager Xiao raised her eyelids slightly.
This was a business that the late emperor opened in her name.
On the surface, it was a trading company, but in reality, there were imperial guards mixed in with it.
Of course, the Lanling Trading Company was not a purely internal security outpost, but merely a place for gathering intelligence.
Many of the Imperial Guards or spies developed by the late emperor would send the news to the Lanling Trading Company first, and then report it to the late emperor through the Imperial Guards.
Although the Lanling Trading Company had no real relationship with Empress Dowager Xiao, it was still affiliated with the Xiao family.
Over the years, members of the Xiao family have been involved to varying degrees.
Originally, Empress Dowager Xiao thought that with the passing of the late emperor, many secrets would also be buried in the imperial mausoleum along with him.
Empress Dowager Xiao could secretly keep many of the late emperor's underground forces.
After all, the late emperor did not entrust the inner guard to Helian Jue.
When Empress Xiao went to see Helian Jue last time, she took the initiative to mention the matter of the Imperial Guard. This was both a gesture of goodwill and a test.
According to her observation, Helian Jue did not seem to have found a commander for the inner guard.
Even if those people are found, Helian Jue may not be able to bring the entire Inner Guard under his control in a short period of time.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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