Kunning Palace, its vermilion gates tightly closed, was heavily guarded.
The chill of late autumn seeped through the thick palace walls into the hall, bringing with it a deathly, gloomy atmosphere.
Empress Lin sat before her dressing table, the bronze mirror reflecting a face still exquisitely made up, yet unable to conceal her haggardness and venomous nature. Confined for a month, she was like a caged bird. She couldn't step outside the palace gates, and her contact with the outside world was strictly monitored. Every day, she listened to the palace servants' cautious reports about how favored the concubine in Qiwu Palace was, how she participated in court affairs, and how pleased His Majesty was… Every word was like a poisoned needle, piercing her heart!
She clutched a warm, smooth jade pendant tightly in her hand, her knuckles turning white from the force. It was a keepsake given to her by Xi Linghao when she was young.
Now, everything has changed. The woman in the mirror no longer burns with the tenderness and affection of the past, but with overwhelming resentment and a raging inferno.
“Xi Lingyuan…Xiao Chengkang…” She spoke to the mirror, her voice like a viper's hiss, cold and venomous, “You think you can bring me down by removing one of my maids and confining me for a month? You're dreaming!” She slammed the jade pendant onto the dressing table with a dull thud. Confinement? Perfect! It gave her time to carefully weave an even more venomous and insidious net in her undisturbed cage!
On the day her confinement ended, the gates of Kunning Palace reopened. Empress Lin wore an elegant moon-white palace dress, her hair adorned only with a plain silver phoenix hairpin, her makeup light, and her brows carrying a just-right hint of weariness and the serenity of "repentance".
She personally went to Xi Linghao's palace to pay her respects and express her gratitude. She was extremely humble and spoke earnestly, never mentioning the grievances of being confined. She only said that she had failed to discipline him properly and felt deeply ashamed. She promised to restrain herself and return to propriety in the future, and to serve His Majesty wholeheartedly.
Looking at her meek and submissive appearance, and recalling her gentle nature in the past, coupled with the fact that A Yuan had been busy with state affairs and had spent less time with him recently, the annoyance he felt due to the scandal of Lin Mama lessened a bit. He simply said, "It's good that the Empress knows her mistake and can correct it."
Empress Lin sneered inwardly, but her outward appearance became even more submissive. In the days following her release from confinement, she indeed behaved unusually "well-behaved." She no longer interfered in any palace affairs and showed no resentment towards A-Yuan's "temporary management" of the harem. Her days consisted solely of chanting scriptures, copying sutras, and "praying" for Xi Linghao, appearing completely serene.
Inside Qiwu Palace, A Yuan put down the report in her hand, her delicate brows furrowing slightly: "Kang Kang, it has been five days since the Lin family was released from confinement, and Kunning Palace... is far too peaceful."
Xiao Chengkang was carefully weighing several medicinal herbs with a small silver scale. Upon hearing this, he didn't stop, his voice calm and even: "Still waters run deep. The calmer she is, the stronger the undercurrents are. Is there anything unusual with the Shadow Guards?"
A Yuan shook her head: "The report says that Madam Lin has a regular daily routine. Apart from going to the Buddhist hall to chant scriptures, she also copies scriptures. She has even become much gentler when speaking to the palace servants. However, her personal maid named Xi Yu is a bit strange. Recently, she has been absent-minded and pale."
“Xi Yu?” Xiao Chengkang’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Investigate her. Lin’s trusted confidants have all been lost. This Xi Yu might be a breakthrough, or perhaps… she’s just a smokescreen deliberately thrown out by Lin.”
“I’ve already had the Shadow Guards keep an eye out.” A-Yuan walked to the window, looking at the gloomy sky outside, her unease growing stronger. “The calm before the storm… I have a feeling she’s brewing something.”
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