Chapter 467 Intimacy
The Empress Dowager's anger, which had just subsided, flared up again instantly.
Although she exempted Meng Lingge from paying her respects, Meng Lingge had never overstepped the bounds of etiquette in the past. Now that she had coaxed the emperor to abdicate, she dared to completely disregard her and even dared to have someone invite her, an elder, over.
Even Wen Woyu looked somewhat surprised, unable to believe that his mother would make such a basic mistake.
She stood beside the Empress Dowager and looked at Zhimei.
"Is it because the Empress Dowager has acquired something new and doesn't dare to enjoy it all by herself, so she invited the Imperial Grandmother to come and share it with her?"
Zhi Mei didn't know why Meng Lingge would suddenly act so rudely, and honestly shook her head.
"This servant does not know. Her Majesty the Empress only said that there was an important matter and asked the Empress Dowager to come."
"Very well..." The Empress Dowager nodded with a cold smile. "I will follow her orders and go to see what important matter she has to discuss."
And so, with Zhimei leading the way, the Empress Dowager, holding Wen Woyu's hand, and the servants, changed their route and went to Fengyi Palace.
As soon as they entered the gates of Fengyi Palace, Meng Lingge immediately came out to greet them.
Before she could speak, the Empress Dowager looked at her and said, "I wonder what important matter the Empress has summoned me for? Is there anything she instructs you on, or does she require me to pay my respects?"
These two sentences were extremely harsh; if they were to spread, Meng Lingge's reputation for benevolence and filial piety would be completely ruined.
Meng Lingge had anticipated this, and upon hearing it, she not only wasn't angry, but instead affectionately put her arm around the Empress Dowager's shoulder.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. I was just dealing with some important matters and couldn't spare the time to ask to see you. I was worried that Your Majesty wouldn't come to see me, so I had Zhimei resort to such an impolite tactic."
The Empress Dowager snorted coldly.
She was in a hurry to see the Emperor. If Zhimei had politely advised her otherwise, she would not have stopped or changed her route. Everything else had to be discussed after seeing the Emperor.
It was precisely because Meng Lingge was so impolite that she was so angry that she changed her mind at the last minute. This daughter-in-law looked honest, but in reality she was shrewd and had many ideas, and she had figured out her personality perfectly.
The two were extremely close, and the feeling of intimacy that came naturally despite having no blood relation caused her cold and stern expression to soften.
The Empress Dowager recalled the year Meng Lingge first arrived at the Prince of Anshun's residence, and the nearly three years she spent in the palace. Her relationship with Meng Lingge was not like that of a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, but rather like that of a mother and daughter.
There are very few royal mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law who can get along to this extent.
This is not only because she considers her daughter-in-law's feelings, but also because Meng Lingge is filial and sensible, fulfilling her responsibilities as a daughter-in-law and making up for her regret of not having a daughter.
If it weren't for her bad idea last time, her relationship with Meng Lingge should have remained harmonious. These days, without Meng Lingge's meticulous care, she pretended to be indifferent, but deep down she always felt like something was missing.
Now that she has regained this wonderful feeling, she feels an urge to burst into tears.
But remembering what happened today and Meng Lingge's intentions, she immediately straightened her face, rubbed her reddened eyes hard, but did not push Meng Lingge away.
The Empress Dowager coughed, and the words she was about to say, which were filled with questioning and reprimand, inexplicably carried a sense of grievance and heartache.
"If you truly cared for me as your mother, how could you act this way? You and the Emperor didn't tell me about such a momentous matter as abdication. Did you think I was greedy for power and would hinder you? Or did you feel that I wasn't worthy to know because of what I said to you last time?"
"Your Majesty, you are too kind. Please calm down and scold me later. Please come inside with me first; I have something to give you."
Meng Lingge held her daughter's hand with one hand and affectionately put her arm around the Empress Dowager with the other as they walked inside.
Seeing the servants following behind, she turned around and instructed them, "You all stay outside. The Empress Dowager, the Princess, and I have something to say."
"yes."
All the servants waited outside.
The Empress Dowager didn't want to listen to Meng Lingge, but she couldn't resist Meng Lingge's good attitude. She wasn't one to hold a grudge, so after a while, she was invited inside by Meng Lingge and Wen Woyu.
With Meng Lingge's help, the Empress Dowager sat down on a carved chair and realized that this room was not the main hall of Fengyi Palace, but a side room next to the main hall. It was full of chests and cabinets, with several ornaments placed on them and covered with soft silk.
This must be where Meng Lingge keeps her personal belongings.
The Empress Dowager was puzzled.
Could it be that Meng Lingge was trying to bribe her with something?
This is to excuse them for acting first and reporting later, and for accepting Wen Zhiming's abdication.
She was once a princess and then an empress dowager; she's seen all sorts of good things. If Meng Lingge really thinks that way, then she's miscalculated.
"You went to great lengths to invite me here, only to show me your hidden treasures? I'm not so easily dismissed. If you had discussed this with me beforehand, I might have agreed. But you disregarded me before, and now you expect me to nod in agreement? Not so fast. Unless I swallow my pride, the Emperor's abdication will never succeed!"
The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth and uttered harsh words. It was one thing for them to make decisions on trivial matters, but they didn't even consult her on such a momentous matter. It was something that made her feel resentful and unable to shake off her anger.
Knowing that the Empress Dowager was genuinely angry, Wen Woyu immediately followed the example of an adult, poured a cup of tea from the teapot on the table, and presented it to the Empress Dowager.
He turned to Meng Lingge and said.
"Mother, this matter is your fault. You and Father should have discussed it with Grandmother. I know you are busy, but no matter how busy you are, you should have taken some time to explain things to Grandmother."
Seeing the Empress Dowager accept the tea she poured, the little girl immediately smiled.
"Grandmother, Mother knows she was wrong. You are kind and magnanimous, please don't hold it against Mother, okay?"
The Empress Dowager was displeased to see Meng Lingge busy moving the ornaments over. What time was it? She was still wasting her time.
Just as she was about to speak, Meng Lingge turned around with a smile, squatted down, and lay on her lap.
"Your Majesty, it is indeed my fault in this matter, but Your Majesty and I had this plan three years ago. Your Majesty has always had trouble sleeping at night and is easily startled and has many dreams. If I had told you a day earlier, you would have worried for a day longer. If I had told you three years ago, I'm afraid you would not have been able to sleep peacefully for the past three years."
"Not only you, but also my family members, I have not uttered a single word. When you find out on the day of the incident, you will be shocked and find it hard to accept, but you will mostly be angry at me and the Emperor for concealing the truth. At most, you will scold me or even hit me a couple of times. This outcome is far better than making you worry for many days."
"Nonsense! It's all nonsense!"
The Empress Dowager raised her hand high, then gently lowered it.
Finally, the hand landed on the back of Meng Lingge's head, gently stroking her hair.
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