Chapter 15: Masters Duel
The Queen Mother's cold gaze slowly swept across the Queen's face, which was so pale that it was almost transparent.
However, she did not show her anger immediately, but just raised her hand slightly with an almost indifferent reserve.
Her voice was steady and deep, and every word carried an unchallengeable royal majesty: "Come here."
Outside the palace gate, the eunuchs standing by were startled when they heard this, then they bowed respectfully and replied, "Your servant is here."
"Pass on my order and summon Liu Mingyuan, the deputy director of the Imperial Medical Service, to come to the audience immediately." The empress dowager's tone was calm, but it revealed an unquestionable power.
After a brief pause, her voice rang out again, still clear and powerful: "Send the Deputy Chief of the Imperial Household Department, Li Dequan, to come along."
After the words were spoken, the hall returned to silence for a moment, with only the occasional sound of wind coming from outside the window.
As soon as these words were spoken, the air around them seemed to freeze, and even the queen herself was stunned involuntarily, like a lost person who suddenly grasped a glimmer of hope in despair, but was instantly drawn into a deeper coldness, her heart as cold as ice.
Her pupils suddenly shrank, and she calmed down instantly. She quickly judged the Queen Mother's intentions at the moment and responded, "Mother, why did you only send a deputy?"
"Inspecting the poison is a very serious matter, it concerns the reputation of the royal family, and its importance is self-evident! It should be supervised by the highly respected judge of the Imperial Hospital, Mr. Zhang, and the experienced chief steward of the Imperial Household Department, to show their importance!" At this moment, the queen had gotten rid of her previous panic and looked at the empress dowager with calm eyes.
Their eyes were like swords.
Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother's eyes flashed with an almost imperceptible sneer.
She looked at the queen and spoke slowly:
"Oh? The Queen thinks I should summon Judge Zhang and Steward Wang?"
The Queen Mother's voice was very soft, but it was like an ice-hardened awl, piercing deeply into the Queen's heart!
"The two of them," the Queen Mother paused, her eyes half-smiling. "Having followed the Queen for so many years, it's only natural that they handle matters..."
She dragged out the last syllable, and the meaning in her eyes made the queen feel cold all over!
“…very appropriate.”
The queen's face suddenly turned paler!
She subconsciously wanted to step back, but was held tightly by Aunt Gui.
The Empress Dowager continued in that calm, yet heart-piercing tone, "As for Deputy Court Judge Liu and Deputy Chief Steward Li, they were personally promoted by the Emperor."
!!!
Promoted by the emperor!
These four words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the queen's ears!
The Queen Mother looked at her face, which had suddenly turned pale, and slowly uttered the last few words:
"How to behave in the world,"
"always……"
"Fair."
boom--!
The queen was struck by lightning!
She staggered a step, and if Aunt Gui hadn't held her tightly, she would have collapsed!
The blood color on his face completely faded!
I can't say a word!
A bone-chilling chill rushed from the soles of my feet to the top of my head!
The air between the two of them seemed to crackle.
At this moment, a loud shout came from outside the palace: "The Emperor has arrived——"
The voice echoed in the palace like a huge bell, and everyone who was originally on the verge of a fight started to shudder.
Immediately afterwards, a tall and upright figure slowly walked into the hall.
He is Emperor Xuanhe Xiao Chengze. Although he is already middle-aged, the years have not left too many vicissitudes on him. Instead, they have added a bit of depth and majesty to him.
He was dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe embroidered with a lifelike golden dragon, which shone brightly in the candlelight inside the hall.
Around his waist was a black jade belt inlaid with round gemstones that shimmered with a mysterious luster. On his head was a crown with tassels, the dangling jade beads swayed gently with his steps, yet it did not affect his calm aura in the slightest.
Everyone knelt on the ground and shouted, "Long live the emperor!" The voices were uniform and loud, and echoed in the palace for a long time.
Emperor Xuanhe raised his hand slightly, signaling everyone to stand. His gaze was like a deep cold pool, sweeping over everyone in the hall, and finally landing on the Empress Dowager and the Empress.
He did not say a word, but just stood there quietly, emitting an irresistible aura, as if there was an invisible force that made the entire palace quiet.
The Empress Dowager and the Queen's originally tense expressions froze slightly at this moment, and even the palace maids and eunuchs around them dared not breathe.
He frowned slightly and scanned the hall with sharp eyes.
At a glance, he saw the queen kneeling on the ground, her face pale and shaky.
He also saw the empress dowager sitting on the throne, with a cold expression and a bit of fatigue.
And those... jade bracelet fragments scattered on the carpet?
"Everyone, get up."
Emperor Xuanhe's voice was low, with a hint of barely perceptible majesty.
Everyone stood up to express their gratitude, but they all kept their heads down and dared not breathe.
Emperor Xuanhe walked slowly to the Empress Dowager, bowed slightly, and said in a gentle and respectful voice: "Your son has come to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager. I wish you a long and healthy life."
After the ceremony, he slowly straightened up, his eyes inadvertently swept over the queen, and his brows involuntarily frowned a little deeper.
"What's going on?" he asked softly, with a hint of confusion in his tone.
Then, he turned his gaze to the Queen Mother again, his eyes full of concern: "Mother, is there something that makes you unhappy?"
The Queen Mother slowly raised her eyes. Those deep, piercing eyes seemed to see through people's hearts. They were calm and unruffled, yet they concealed boundless wisdom and experience. She gently parted her red lips and exhaled a long, drawn-out breath. Her voice was as steady as ever, her expression unwavering.
"The Emperor arrived at the perfect time." She said calmly, her tone calm, "It's nothing serious."
The Queen Mother stretched out her well-maintained hand and gently pointed at the fragments on the ground.
"It's the bracelet I gave to the Queen. It just broke accidentally."
Emperor Xuanhe looked in the direction of her finger, his eyes slightly fixed.
The Queen Mother continued, her voice calm and straightforward, as if she were talking about a trivial matter:
"When the palace servants were picking up the fragments, they discovered that they seemed to be stained with something not very clean."
"I think this is my intention for the Queen, not to mention that this is the engagement reward the Queen planned to give to Chen He..."
She paused and glanced at the queen vaguely.
The queen trembled again!
"This is a matter of royal dignity, so it cannot be unclear."
"So, I summoned Deputy Chief Judge Liu from the Imperial Hospital and Deputy Chief Steward Li from the Imperial Household Department to come over and conduct an inspection."
She briefly recounted the cause of the incident.
No oil or vinegar added.
She even brushed aside the Queen's fierce defense and questioning:
"The Queen feels that this matter is of great importance and involves her reputation. It would be more prudent for Judge Zhang and Chief Steward Wang to personally investigate it."
Master! Absolutely a master!
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