"What happened?" Emperor Mingyang asked, glancing at Qin Su, wondering if she was involved. After all, it was so late and she still hadn't gone home, and she must have been exhausted from her journey.
Qin Su ignored Emperor Mingyang's gaze and continued peeling the kidney beans in her hands. They were from Shacheng, and she had brought some back with her. The Empress Dowager had told her that kidney beans were called peanuts in her hometown, and they could be roasted, boiled, or made into a paste... there were many ways to cook them.
The meat she was peeling was freshly roasted by the servants, and it definitely tasted better than boiled.
It smells good.
Why should she care about these things when she has kidney beans to eat? She can wait until the Empress arrives.
...
Phoenix Palace.
The Empress had already washed up and was about to rest, but she felt uneasy, as if something was about to happen. Before she could even dry her hair, someone else arrived.
"Your Majesty, Chief Steward Deng has arrived."
The Empress frowned immediately. "What is he doing here?" Then, a sparkle returned to her eyes. "Is it His Majesty?"
The servant shook his head, shrinking back in fear.
"This servant will go out and take a look." Jinxiu, the Empress's dowry maid, gently pinched the edge of her bedding to comfort her.
The Empress nodded slightly. "Go and take a look, and find out what happened."
Just then, Deng Quan actually came in. Eunuch Xi tried to stop him, but to no avail.
The Empress was truly displeased with Deng Quan's behavior. But what good was her displeasure? Deng Quan was the chief eunuch of the harem, a favorite of Emperor Mingyang, and even she dared not openly offend him.
Jinxiu walked over quickly, her face beaming, "Is there something important that you're in such a hurry, Eunuch Deng? Her Majesty the Empress was feeling unwell today and is resting now."
Jinxiu was the Empress's dowry maid and had been with her for many years. Her words carried considerable weight in Fengqi Palace.
Deng smiled slightly and nodded to Jinxiu. The two had worked together for many years, but each served their own master.
"Aunt Jinxiu, has a royal physician been arranged for Her Majesty to be on the move?"
Jinxiu hurriedly replied, "I'm just about to go."
She thought that her words would extinguish Deng Quan's thoughts. After all, their mistress was the Empress, the mother of the nation. Without concrete evidence, they dared not do anything to the Empress.
"I see. Well then, since both the Empress Dowager and His Majesty wish to see the Empress, I will personally invite the imperial physician. He will then go to Cining Palace to examine the Empress."
Jinxiu clutched the inside of her sleeve; she understood what Deng Quan meant.
This is something that the Empress absolutely must do, no matter what.
Even if you're genuinely sick, you still have to go, let alone pretend to be sick.
"What if I don't go?" Upon hearing Deng Quan's words, the Empress immediately came out from the inside. She had long disliked Deng Quan. He was just a servant, yet he acted arrogantly every day, making her have to be subservient to him.
On what grounds?
Deng Quan lowered his head, as if he dared not look directly at the Empress. "This servant is just a servant, and I am only acting on orders. Please, Your Majesty, do not make things difficult for me."
He spoke respectfully, but his tone was completely different.
Deng Quan's master was Emperor Mingyang. Apart from the Empress Dowager, who required him to be respectful, he could be disrespectful to everyone else in the palace.
Of course, this is not a direct confrontation.
"Please, Your Majesty, come with me." Deng Quan gestured for the Empress to follow.
The Empress took a deep breath and said, "Allow me to freshen up."
Deng Quan thought for a moment and agreed, but he couldn't go too far. After all, she was still the Empress.
After Deng Quan left, the Empress immediately summoned Eunuch Xi and said to him in an extremely serious tone, "Now you must leave the palace immediately and find the Imperial Brother-in-law. Be quick!"
She was worried that what happened today would be exposed.
If it's true, even the Empress couldn't bear the stigma of murdering the imperial heir.
Grandpa Xi hurriedly went out.
Not long after, the Empress accompanied Deng Quan to Cining Palace.
It was already quite late, and normally Qin Su would have already planned to wash up and rest. But she absolutely wouldn't leave the palace until she got an explanation for this matter.
Although Yu Shuo still didn't know what had happened, he had always indulged Qin Su. Even if Qin Su didn't give a reason, he wouldn't forcibly take her away.
The Empress arrived, and her gaze swept over the room discreetly, recognizing familiar faces everywhere. A sudden unease crept in when she saw Yu Shuo and Qin Su still present, but she forced herself to remain calm.
She stepped forward and bowed to Emperor Mingyang and the Empress Dowager. Yu Shuo and Qin Su both nodded slightly as a form of greeting.
It's reassuring that members of the Daean royal family don't have particularly strict etiquette in private.
The Empress coughed lightly and said gently, "I wonder what Your Majesty and Mother have summoned me here for at this hour?"
She gently covered her mouth with a handkerchief, seemingly indicating that she was indeed feeling unwell.
Emperor Mingyang said, "You'll have to ask the Empress Dowager; I don't know either."
Yes, he was summoned here for no apparent reason. He has to attend the morning court session tomorrow, but his mother won't let him leave.
Something big must have happened.
"Mother?" the Empress called out tentatively.
The Empress Dowager's angry and cold gaze fell on her, and the Empress shivered slightly.
Could it be... that they've really discovered something?
"Do you recognize this person?" The Empress Dowager gestured for the trembling man to raise his head.
Of course the Empress didn't recognize him; how could she possibly know him?
Jinxiu recognized her, and her expression changed slightly as she carefully clutched the Empress's robe.
The Empress then noticed and understood the situation.
She smiled and said, "I don't know this person."
The Empress Dowager sneered, "But she said that you gave her money to secretly take the little princess away."
Upon hearing this, both Emperor Mingyang and Yu Shuo looked over.
Being described like that is definitely not a good thing.
What does she want to do?
Yu Shuo, who was helping Qin Su peel the kidney beans, stopped at this moment.
They all knew who the young princess was referring to.
What exactly does the Empress want to do?
The Empress smiled slightly and said, "How can Your Majesty accept this person's one-sided story? Perhaps someone is framing me."
The Empress Dowager sneered, "Is that so? Then tell me, who would frame you?"
The Empress said, "Mother, this harem is not just for me. What wouldn't these concubines do to compete for the Emperor's favor?"
"I am the Empress. Ordinary methods cannot harm me, but plotting against the imperial heir is." She lowered her eyes, then looked at Qin Su, asking with concern, "How is the young princess now? Has she been frightened?"
She knew, of course, that the man hadn't taken Yuanyuan away, but she had to put on a show.
Qin Su did not eat the kidney beans; instead, she placed each kidney bean in the jade plate.
"Yuanyuan is very good, but she has disappointed Your Majesty."
Emperor Mingyang remained silent throughout, but his cold, deep eyes revealed how much he valued this matter.
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