Riding in a sedan chair to Fengyi Palace, Zhong Muyu remained relatively calm. Since the Emperor intended to take action against Lu Ziyuan, perhaps she could subtly obtain some information to take precautions.
As for herself, she was also eager to know their purpose in keeping her in the palace.
"My sister-in-law greets Your Majesty the Empress."
After Zhong Muyu bowed, the Empress greeted him with a smile and said, "Seventh sister-in-law, you've finally arrived! I was worried you'd be bored, so I specially invited you to Fengyi Palace to chat. Have you been settling in well these past few days?"
"Your Majesty, everything is fine."
"That's good. However, Jing'an Palace is in a remote location. I heard that you like lively places, so you can stay at Fengyi Palace for the next few days."
“Well…Grandmother was a little lonely when we came here, so I’d like to spend more time with her.”
"It's just for two or three days, no problem, please don't refuse."
The Empress's smile faded. Although she appeared quite gentle, there was no smile in her eyes, making her look strange.
Zhong Muyu readily agreed, "In that case, I shall respectfully comply."
Staying a few more days is fine; it's a good time to check things out.
Next, the Empress said some random things, which Zhong Muyu just went along with, and before she knew it, evening had arrived.
Smelling the food, Zhong Muyu frowned slightly; eating here was the most troublesome thing ever.
Although her morning sickness wasn't severe, the women in the palace were so clever, and the Empress, who had given birth to princes, would surely have noticed.
Suppressing her discomfort, Zhong Muyu silently walked over. Just then, she heard a cheerful voice outside: "It smells so good! What delicious food has the Empress made today?"
"Your Majesty, why didn't you send someone to announce your arrival?"
Lu Ziying said, "It's troublesome to have to announce my presence just to have a meal. I didn't expect my seventh sister-in-law to be here this time."
As she spoke, Lu Ziying glanced at Zhong Muyu.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
Zhong Muyu bowed respectfully.
Lu Ziying waved her hand: "Since you're here, let's eat together."
The Empress said, "I originally intended to have dinner with my seventh brother's wife, but I didn't expect the Emperor to come as well. This has made my seventh brother's wife quite uncomfortable."
"Don't feel awkward, we're family after all."
After Zhong Muyu sat down, she felt uncomfortable all over.
They're having a meal together, so what am I doing here?
Besides, she really had no appetite for the food in the Empress's palace.
Seeing that she wasn't eating much, the Empress asked, "Why is Seventh Sister-in-law eating so little? Are you feeling unwell, or is the food not to your liking?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I simply ate too much at noon and had some snacks in the afternoon, so I didn't have an appetite in the evening. Besides, it's not good for your health to eat too much at night, and it's also easy to gain weight."
Lu Ziying nodded: "That's true, the imperial physician also said so."
"I see. Seventh sister-in-law is indeed meticulous."
Seeing that they were no longer pursuing the matter, Zhong Muyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The Emperor and Empress didn't seem to mind this strange three-person gathering at all. In order to get information out of him, Zhong Muyu endured it, but unfortunately, after chatting for a long time, she didn't hear much useful information.
For the next two days, Zhong Muyu carefully dealt with the two of them. Occasionally, concubines would come to visit. Although the Emperor and Empress did not say anything, she still managed to get some information from some of the more talkative concubines.
Lu Ziying seemed to intend to punish Lu Ziyuan, but kept her in the palace because she was useful.
usefulness?
Thinking of what had happened before, and then of her space and various technological products, Zhong Muyu realized that Lu Ziying must have been paying attention to them all along. Once Lu Ziyuan was punished, she would force her to hand over the formulas for these things or something else.
...
That day, the Empress held a small gathering, inviting high-ranking concubines from the palace to get together. Since Zhong Muyu lived there, she was naturally among them.
She coughed occasionally these past few days, using her illness as an excuse to decline the wine, and the Empress didn't seem very happy.
Having finally escaped the banquet, Zhong Muyu felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.
At this moment, all she wanted to do was tell Lu Ziyuan everything so he could take precautions, but she was also afraid that he might get distracted during the battle and hurt himself, so she was in a dilemma.
Just then, the door opened.
"Xiao Cui?"
Zhong Muyu peeked out, but saw no one.
Xiao Cui was a palace maid assigned by the Empress to serve her, but in reality, she was there to monitor her.
Zhong Muyu was very puzzled. She walked over cautiously, only to see a bright yellow figure suddenly appear.
"Princess Consort of Ling".
Zhong Muyu was startled by the sudden appearance of the person. Upon realizing it was Lu Ziying, he composed himself and bowed respectfully: "Greetings, Your Majesty. What brings Your Majesty here?"
"What? Can't I even come to see you?"
Lu Ziying stepped forward, and Zhong Muyu smelled the alcohol and frowned.
"No, it's just that His Majesty is in Fengyi Palace, so he should spend more time with His Majesty the Empress."
Upon hearing this, Lu Ziying sighed: "I have been spending a lot of time with the Empress, but she is, after all, the Empress. She is in charge of the harem and is rigid and serious. I inevitably find it boring and want to find someone lively to talk to."
Zhong Muyu immediately distanced herself from him: "Besides the Empress, the Emperor has other concubines. There are always interesting people among them. There's no need for him to come looking for me."
"But I find you the most interesting, and I want you. Zhong Muyu, please don't refuse me, okay?"
Lu Ziying's pretentious tone disgusted Zhong Muyu. She slapped away Lu Ziying's outstretched hand and said righteously, "Your Majesty, please have some self-respect! I am Your Majesty's sister-in-law. The Prince is still fighting on the border, and you are thinking of making advances on your sister-in-law. This is simply unethical! It is the behavior of a tyrant!"
"Ethics? A tyrannical ruler?"
Lu Ziying sneered: "There have been countless such things throughout history, what's the big deal? As for whether he is a foolish ruler, it depends on how much he has sacrificed for the country and for the administration of state affairs, and I have no shame in this regard."
"You shameless person!"
Zhong Muyu cursed.
The two had now completely fallen out, and Lu Ziying's true colors were revealed. Zhong Muyu ran outside, but the door had been closed at some point, and no matter how much she kicked or pounded on it, she couldn't open it.
So that's how it is. At this moment, Zhong Muyu finally understood the purpose of keeping him in the palace.
Isn't this sudden act of taking over his brother's wife a bit too risky?
Lu Ziying continued to press on, and perhaps because he had been drinking, he became increasingly unrestrained: "Zhong Muyu, if you do not submit to me, I will make you wish you were dead."
"Lu Ziying, haven't you thought about what will happen when the Prince returns? They are fighting bloody battles on the border, and you treat me like this. Doesn't that make the Prince and the soldiers feel disheartened?"
Just after Zhong Muyu finished speaking, Lu Ziying suddenly swung her hand and slapped her across the face. Zhong Muyu felt dazed from the blow, her face burning with pain, and she swayed for a moment, but she was not knocked down.
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