The emperor's favoritism towards the imperial concubine made the empress dowager's already weak appetite even more desolate.

The Queen Mother reluctantly picked up the silver chopsticks, ate for a while with no taste in her mouth, then put them down with a listless look.

The servants were well-trained and immediately understood the Queen Mother's thoughts. Two eunuchs promptly pushed out a finely carved red lacquered wooden platform from the back of the hall, on which stood a one-meter-high leafless golden branch of Bodhi tree.

According to the annual process, after collecting all the Bodhi leaves in the venue, the Queen Mother will personally fill the golden branches with leaves to make a whole golden branch Bodhi tree.

The Queen wanted to step forward to help to show her filial piety, but she saw Concubine De stood up first and walked past her.

Concubine De took out a clay bowl from somewhere, walked around the long table, and picked up the bodhi leaves scattered in front of each guest's table.

Every time she picked up a leaf, Concubine De would murmur "Amitabha" and throw the leaf into the mud bowl.

This series of actions was smooth and fluid, leaving no room for the queen to intervene.

The queen slowly sat back in her chair, her expression hard to tell whether she was happy or angry.

The emperor whispered to the queen to comfort her: "Mother is used to the company of Concubine De and didn't notice you for a while. Don't take it to heart."

The Queen lowered her voice even lower than his.

She shook her head gently and whispered to the emperor, "I feel uneasy because I can't hear Concubine Ji's voice. I always feel that something will happen today, so I want to help my mother."

"The Defei is thoughtful and considerate. She will surely be able to serve the Queen Mother thoroughly and properly. Besides, didn't we get through safely before even without Concubine Ji?" said the Emperor.

The Queen sighed slightly and said hopefully, "May everything go smoothly and peacefully as Your Majesty said."

…

After Concubine De collected all the Bodhi leaves, she placed the clay bowl on the wooden platform.

She took a jade bottle with a willow branch in it from the nanny's hand, and then imitated the compassionate gesture of Guanyin, flicking her fingers and sprinkling clear water into the empress dowager's hands.

There was silence in the Cining Palace.

Whether out of sincerity or courtesy, everyone gave the Empress Dowager and Concubine De enough respect.

Behind the long table on the right, the eldest and second princes were quite uncomfortable. They turned their heads and scratched their ears, pretending to be busy to cover up their inner embarrassment.

[What a poor cosplay.] Wu Qing silently complained to the female ghost, [I feel like Big Bear and Little Bear can't help but laugh.]

The ghost explained: [The appearance of Concubine De is very similar to the image of the Bodhisattva treasured by the Queen Mother, so the Queen Mother has always regarded her as the incarnation of the Bodhisattva in the mortal world.]

[If it weren't for the shocking decision to depose the first wife, the Queen Mother would have made Chang the Empress of this dynasty.]

Wu Qing rubbed his face and said, "Please, Madam Defei, return the image rights of the Bodhisattva free of charge..."

After washing her hands reverently, the Queen Mother began her DIY journey.

The Queen Mother believed that only the Bodhi tree she made by herself could make the Buddha feel her sincerity.

She had obviously forgotten a lot of things: the gold was dug by miners, the golden branches were made by craftsmen, and the leaves were collected by servants.

None of this has anything to do with her.

The Queen Mother only had to embed the petiole into the gap on the golden branch that the craftsman had already reserved.

This action didn't take her much time. While twisting the leaves, the Queen Mother was thinking about how to deal with Concubine Ji next.

Soon, the lower part of the Bodhi tree was filled with leaves.

The upper part was slightly higher and the Empress Dowager could not reach it, so Concubine De brought a footstool for the Empress Dowager to use.

The female ghost reminded Wu Qing: [Did you see that little eunuch in the corner? ]

[He is the elite assassin among tonight's assassins. He will use his light skills to attack the Queen Mother in a moment. Keep an eye on him and find the right moment.]

Wu Qing nodded.

The Queen Mother stepped onto the stool and continued decorating her Bodhi tree.

When it came time to stick the last leaf on, the Queen Mother’s hands were no longer able to reach the surface.

She frowned, not wanting to show her old age, so she stood on tiptoe and raised her hand with some difficulty.

At the same time, Fang Rong'an was standing outside the palace, watching the patrol routes of the imperial guards.

On the other side of the hall, Noble Lady Mu was concentrating on observing Concubine Shu's profile.

They were all a beat slow.

Some people found the opportunity.

At the critical moment, a dark figure appeared from behind the long table on the right like a ghost. He was agile and fast as lightning, holding a dagger and flew towards the Queen Mother.

Defei's mouth opened slightly. She subconsciously turned aside and let the other party pass by her with the weapon.

If she could block it, maybe she could buy time for the Queen Mother to get down from the stool.

Delayed screams rang out everywhere.

The Queen Mother's pupils suddenly contracted and she forgot to breathe for a moment.

The gleaming silver dagger was only half a person's length away from her.

At the critical moment of life and death, countless Buddhist names flashed through the Queen Mother's slow brain. But how could the Buddha in the Western Paradise hear her calls in time?

Where is Concubine De? Isn't she right beside me? Why is she gone?

Where is the emperor? Where is the queen?

The weapon silently penetrated into the body, causing a sense of stagnation.

The young eunuch who had successfully carried out the assassination raised his head, and the smile on his lips suddenly froze before it could bloom.

His gaze passed through the cold light of the sword tip and fell on the incredible scene before him.

——Noble Lady Ji stood in front of the Queen Mother.

She used her body as a shield, stepped forward and blocked the knife for the Queen Mother.

Wu Qing endured the pain in his chest and greeted the assassin with a smile: "Hi?"

assassin:"……"

How could there be such a person in this world who could laugh after being stabbed? Could it be that he met a madman?

And Wu Qing was even crazier than he thought.

Under the other party's horrified gaze, Wu Qing pulled out the knife buried deep in his chest, turned his wrist, and accurately cut the other party's trachea.

In an instant, a ball of blood exploded between the two of them, turning the empress dowager into a bloody person.

Prince Li and Prince Luo were so frightened that they fell off their chairs.