Just then.
A palace maid hurried in and said, "Empress Dowager, His Majesty and Crown Prince Heng have come to pay their respects."
Instantly.
Feng Anxue's mood was completely off, and panic was evident in her eyes. She glanced at Mu Chenshuang and suddenly tightened her fists under her sleeves.
Xiao Qingyu wasn't much better off; the person who framed her was Mu Chenshuang, but did she really hear it or was she just bluffing?
Feng Guche and Fu Junheng entered the main hall.
The crowd worshipped and prayed.
Feng Guche asked, "Cining Palace is so lively today. Is everyone here to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager, or is there something else going on?"
The Empress Dowager had concealed the solemnity in her eyes, and her brows and eyes were full of smiles. She said, "What could possibly happen on the first day of the Lunar New Year? Of course, everyone is here to keep me company and have some fun. It's been a long time since there have been so many people in Cining Palace."
Feng Guche walked toward the Empress Dowager.
Fu Junheng walked directly to Mu Chenshuang's side and stood there. Mu Chenshuang glanced at him with a cold look, but quickly looked away.
Fu Junheng said in a low voice, in a voice only the two of them could hear, "It seems everything is alright."
A concerned statement.
Mu Chenshuang remained silent with a sullen face.
But to outsiders, their relationship seemed suspicious.
Feng Anxue gritted her teeth even more.
Shen Nanzhi's eyes darkened slightly. He had naturally heard Fu Junheng's concerned greeting. Although Mu Chenshuang had a sullen face, it still filled him with a sense of crisis.
Feng Guche sat down next to the Empress Dowager and said, "Once Your Majesty is well, you can have as much fun as you like."
"It is a blessing from heaven that I can still spend the Spring Festival with the Emperor and his grandsons."
"May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and longevity; we will accompany you every year from now on," the Empress chimed in from the side.
The Empress Dowager smiled, her face kind, completely devoid of the somber mood she had just displayed.
Amidst the pleasant conversation, it was as if nothing had happened.
Today at 9:00 AM, the royal family will hold a sacrificial ceremony. As the time approaches, all members of the royal family must go to the sacrificial altar.
Therefore, the emperor and empress dowager did not continue their conversation.
"We have already paid our respects to the Empress Dowager, so let's prepare for the sacrificial ceremony later," Feng Guche said.
As everyone prepared to leave.
The Empress Dowager suddenly said, "Shuang'er, you stay."
Mu Chenshuang stopped and gave a slight curtsy. "Yes."
Everyone left.
The Empress Dowager gave the order, saying, "You may all leave!"
The nanny and the palace maid then left the main hall.
Only Mu Chenshuang and the Empress Dowager remained in the hall.
The Empress Dowager looked at Mu Chengshuang with a serious expression and asked, "Did you do the things that happened to Consort Xiao, Shuang'er?"
Since the Empress Dowager asked this question, she naturally already knew the answer in her heart.
Mu Chenshuang saw no need to hide anything and replied, "It was made by this humble woman."
The Empress Dowager's expression remained largely unchanged as she stated directly, "Because you know she framed you."
"Yes, since she wanted to ruin my reputation, I was just giving her a taste of her own medicine. Besides, I didn't actually do anything to her."
There was only time constraints at the time, but if there were a next time, she would never give Xiao Qingyu a chance to turn things around.
The Empress Dowager saw the ruthlessness in Mu Chenshuang's eyes. Now, she realized that Mu Chenshuang had truly changed. Her eyes were no longer as pure and innocent as before, but instead held a deep and unfathomable quality.
But this did not puzzle the Empress Dowager. After all, what woman who marries into the palace can remain as innocent as before?
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