As the protagonist of the story, Mu Ruoling is instructing the palace servants to throw away all the strange and unusual clothes in her palace.
The second princess, Ruoyin, was curious about her relationship with Wei Zixiao and came to ask her about it. Her tone was a bit casual, and she inadvertently touched a nerve with the female lead, who was angered by her sharp retort and ran away.
The Empress treated both children well. However, because the Emperor favored his eldest daughter and often visited her palace because of Ruoling, she also doted on this child. After comforting her younger daughter, she sent someone to teach Ruoling to be harmonious with her sisters, only to be met with another scolding.
In Mu Ruoling's eyes, the Empress was the murderer who killed her biological mother, the culprit who corrupted her, and later even joined outsiders in a rebellion, killing her beloved father, the Emperor. She interpreted the words of the people around the Empress with malice; she was unhappy, and naturally, she didn't want others to be happy either.
The Empress tossed and turned all night, unable to figure out the reason. She woke up the next day with a headache and excused the concubines from paying their respects. However, Consort De insisted on seeing her.
The Empress was dressed neatly, and her maidservant massaged her temples with gentle, moderate pressure before she summoned Consort De to enter.
She adopted a friendly demeanor and asked, "Sister Consort De, what brings you to my palace today?"
Consort De smiled slightly, and one could vaguely see the beauty and radiance of her youth. However, time waits for no beauty, and despite her diligent care, fine lines still appeared at the corners of her eyes. Furthermore, the hardships of the deep palace had tinged her with sorrow.
"Hearing that you excused yourself from morning greetings, I couldn't help but worry, so I came to visit you. Is something troubling you, sister? You don't seem to have slept well."
The Empress assumed she was there to gloat, so she remained expressionless, though her eyes turned slightly cold, and she said nothing.
Consort De abruptly changed the subject, her face now filled with worry, her gaze both anxious and affected: "Sister, is it possible that another new concubine will be added to the palace?"
Seeing the Empress's calm expression, she became even more sorrowful, clutching her chest with a dazed look in her eyes: "When I came here, I passed through the Imperial Garden and saw a woman in red. She looked unfamiliar yet familiar. It wasn't until I came here that I realized she looked exactly like Consort Chen when she first entered the palace. She was as bright as fire, so dazzling that it hurt my eyes."
Upon hearing the name "Consort Chen," the Empress's pupils trembled violently for a moment. She quickly composed herself, engaged in a brief exchange of pleasantries with Consort De, and after sending the woman away, immediately ordered an investigation, only to receive a result that astonished her.
"Your Majesty, the woman in red in the Imperial Garden just now was the eldest princess."
"Go and summon the eldest princess."
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