When it was time for lunch, Ushiha had seen most of his room. Lanqin had the maids feed Goger and Sasar, and then went to the main courtyard to eat.
With the Fourth Prince absent, Lanqin had lost her appetite. "Cui Niang, sit down and eat with me!" Cui Niang exclaimed in alarm, "Your Highness, what are you doing? How can a servant eat with her master!"
Lanqin had anticipated that Cui Niang would refuse. This was one of the downsides of feudal times: you couldn't even find someone to accompany you to a meal.
"Your Majesty, are you worried about the Emperor?" Cui Niang noticed that Her Majesty's mood had been low these past few days, and she often had no appetite. She was sure that Her Majesty was worried about the Emperor's expedition.
"Yes, His Majesty is ignoring all advice and insists on going on the expedition. I am truly worried." Lanqin knew that the Fourth Prince was unwilling to admit that he was getting old and his health was not as good as before. But his health was indeed much worse than before.
"Your Majesty, please don't worry! The Emperor is the Son of Heaven, and the gods will surely protect him!" Cui Niang clasped her hands together, as if praying for divine protection.
Lanqin chuckled, "What gods are there? The Emperor is just a mortal!"
Cui Niang was shocked. Although the Empress Dowager sometimes said strange things, it was common knowledge that the Emperor was the Son of Heaven, and it was not something to joke about.
Lanqin saw Cui Niang's surprise and knew that she, a person from the feudal era, could not understand it for a while. Moreover, such things were deeply rooted, and she was too lazy to explain it.
"Cui Niang, how's the spies you've planted around the Empress doing?" Lanqin thought that since the Emperor was preparing to go to the Northwest, she should hurry up with her investigation.
"Your Majesty, according to our informants, the Empress has been inactive lately and spends her days in a daze at Jingren Palace!" Cui Niang reported the situation truthfully to Lan Qin.
Lanqin frowned; this was not like the style of the Ulanara clan.
“Cui Niang, we must be wary of the Empress and Hongshi. Hongshi disappeared half a year ago, and although the Empress seems to be completely useless now, she may be making some moves in secret,” Lanqin said.
Cui Niang felt that Lan Qin's words made sense. After all, the Empress was currently powerless and out of favor, so she would certainly not give up easily.
"Your Majesty, there is only one informant in Jingren Palace right now. I will place more people there to keep an eye on Jingren Palace's every move, in case the Empress makes any further moves." Lanqin nodded and instructed Cui Niang to make the arrangements in secret.
Jingren Palace.
With nothing to do each day, the Empress, dressed in plain clothes, fed a flat-billed bird that had fallen from Jingren Palace a few days earlier. Perhaps because it had been kept in a cage, the bird refused to eat the food from the Empress's hand.
"Do you want to leave? I advise you not to even think about it. Now that you've entered my Jingren Palace, you'd better stay put..." The Empress thought that her fate was no different from this bird's. Once inside the deep palace gates, she was just as powerless as the bird.
Lingxiu rushed in, "Your Majesty, the Emperor is preparing to personally lead the expedition." The Empress had not left the palace for a long time, and the news was relayed entirely by Lingxiu.
Upon hearing Lingxiu's words, the Empress's hand trembled as she fed the birds. "Should we let the Second Prince know about this?" Lingxiu asked. The Empress whispered in Lingxiu's ear, "Hongshi must know about this, but there are many spies in Jingren Palace, so you must be careful." After receiving the Empress's words, Lingxiu withdrew.
After Lingxiu withdrew, the Empress sat on the stone bench in deep thought—Hongshi, this is our last chance!
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