The Phoenix Palace, as its name suggests, is the Empress's exclusive domain. The fact that Hong Xiaoduo is entertained here is enough to demonstrate the Empress's high regard and sincerity towards her.
Inside the Fengyi Palace, there was only one round table. Looking at the third chair that the palace maid had just moved over and set out, Hong Xiaoduo looked at the Empress with some uncertainty. Was she planning to eat at the same table with her and Kaiyang?
"Please sit down. There's no one else here today, just the two of us," the Empress said with a smile, and then sat down first.
Then, seeing Hong Xiaoduo and Kaiyang sit down without the slightest hesitation, the Empress seemed to understand why the Emperor had been smiling when he mentioned her these past few days.
When this girl saw the Empress, she showed no fear, tension, or caution whatsoever, yet it wasn't disrespectful at all. She just felt very comfortable and didn't feel offended in the slightest.
The dishes were served and quickly filled the table.
"Alright, no need for anyone to serve you, you may all leave," the Empress said.
Upon hearing this, the palace maids and eunuchs all headed out, except for one senior maid and two nannies who hesitated and didn't want to leave.
"What, does my word have no effect before His Majesty issues a decree?" the Empress said to the group.
The head nanny quickly said, "We should at least be allowed to stay and serve you."
"No need. I know you are worried about me, but what is there to worry about? This young lady Hong is my benefactor. She won't do anything to harm me. You may leave." The Empress spoke again, and seeing her resolute attitude, the men had no choice but to leave.
In the vast Fengyi Palace, there were only three people: Hong Xiaoduo, Empress Kaiyang, and the others.
The Empress pointed to a row of wine jugs on the table behind Hong Xiaoduo and said that she didn't know what kind of wine Hong Xiaoduo liked to drink, so she prepared a jar of each. She scooped a jug for each of them first. The front row was the wines that she had asked the other concubines to recommend, which were suitable for women to drink, such as peach blossom wine, osmanthus honey, gardenia wine, rose wine, and so on.
“Young Lady Hong, after I was discharged from the Cold Palace and treated by the Imperial Hospital, I regained some consciousness and learned that you were my benefactor. I wanted to thank you in person, but you had already left the capital by then.”
"I regret not having the chance to thank you in person, but unexpectedly, Heaven has given me this opportunity. My body still has poison that hasn't been completely cleared, so the imperial physician advised against drinking alcohol. I will thank you, Lady Hong, with tea instead." The Empress's emotions were relatively stable at first, but then she thought about how she had been framed—not only falsely accused of having an affair with the head of the Imperial Guards, but also had her own son switched, and to make matters worse, she was given a slow-acting poison.
So, towards the end, the Empress began to sob.
"Your Majesty, I am not really your benefactor. The person you should really thank is His Majesty. If it weren't for his feelings for you, he probably wouldn't have come to me."
Rather than saying he believed me, it would be more accurate to say that he actually believed you. Therefore, upon hearing that I possessed the secret technique for identifying blood relatives, he personally went to the Wei residence to find me.
Although he was only trying it out, he didn't want to miss this opportunity.
Your Majesty, the hardships you have endured are unfortunate, but you are also fortunate, because that person cares about you; otherwise, the position of Empress would not have remained vacant for seven years.
I am not speaking well of His Majesty because I received a thousand taels of gold from him. I heard from Prince Mu that His Majesty instructed someone to secretly take care of you in the Cold Palace, but he does not know that the person has been bribed by Consort Yun's father's men.
Before the truth is found out, His Majesty does not dare to openly visit you in the Cold Palace. He visits you in secret. However, when he goes to visit you, the people arranged by the other party know in advance and make preparations. Therefore, the emperor does not know that you are being mistreated.
I suspect that it was His Majesty's actions that made Consort Yun uneasy, which is why she poisoned you.
But Your Majesty, look, you're sitting here perfectly fine now, and those who harmed you ultimately met a bad end. I'll say it again, Your Majesty, you've overcome your great calamity, and good days are ahead." At this point, Hong Xiaoduo couldn't help but gently pat the back of the Empress's hand.
If the Empress were to act like one and only offer polite words of thanks when she met her, Hong Xiaoduo would simply go through the motions without taking it seriously.
However, Empress Gao was not like that. In front of Hong Xiaoduo, she expressed more than just gratitude and thanks. Apart from referring to herself as "this palace," she acted as a woman who had been wronged and had nowhere to turn.
So, Hong Xiaoduo naturally responded sincerely and said a lot more.
Hong Xiaoduo was deeply moved by this trip to the capital. For example, before she met the emperor, she learned from her first meeting with Lord Wei that Lord Wei was disappointed with the emperor and was considering resigning. Hong Xiaoduo already had a bad impression of the emperor.
However, after only a few encounters, Hong Xiaoduo felt that this emperor was actually quite nice.
She didn't think the emperor was an unfaithful jerk. To expect a monarch in ancient feudal society to have only one empress and one woman, based on modern monogamy, is simply too unrealistic!
Hong Xiaoduo's words calmed the Empress down a bit, and she invited Hong Xiaoduo and the other woman to eat.
"Let's skip the wine. We might have important business to attend to this afternoon, and it wouldn't be good to smell of alcohol," Hong Xiaoduo said with a smile, glancing at the row of wine jugs.
"Drinking a little won't hurt. Even if someone has a problem with it, it's fine. His Majesty will protect you," the Empress assured her. Hong Xiaoduo thought for a moment and then chose a wine pot marked "Rose Fragrance."
Because it wasn't like a formal breakfast, Hong Xiaoduo and Kaiyang were much more at ease, tasting each dish one by one and even appreciating their flavors as they ate.
The Empress watched and listened, and before she knew it, she had eaten quite a bit, her eyes filled with undisguised envy.
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