The palace doors of Kunning Palace slowly closed behind Su Jinxiu, shutting out the oppressive and sorrowful atmosphere inside.
The moment the door closed, the worry and concern on Su Jinxiu's face vanished instantly, like smoke blown away by the wind.
Instead, there was an barely suppressed, triumphant sneer, like that of a victor.
She slowly straightened up, her posture, which had been slightly bowed in a gesture of comfort, now becoming proud and upright. Her eyes, which had just been filled with "sisterly affection," were now filled only with cold calculation and utter contempt.
Lin Wanwan!
idiot!
It was just a little trick and a few sweet words that fooled you so much that you actually regarded me as a lifeline you could rely on!
Did she really think that just because she had received the emperor's favor for a few days, she could rest easy in the harem? After all, she was from a lowly family and couldn't stand up to anyone. When faced with the slightest trouble, she immediately lost her composure and revealed her true colors!
Su Jinxiu thought to herself with utter contempt, but unconsciously quickened her pace.
Qiuyue, the trusted palace maid following behind her, looked at her mistress's noticeably lighter figure and asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, do you think... the Empress will listen to your advice and go to Cixi Palace to 'confess'?"
“She will.” Su Jinxiu’s tone was full of confidence, as if she had everything under control. “She is now a frightened bird, and she has no choice but to listen to my ‘well-intentioned’ reminder.”
Qiu Yue's face showed an expression of admiration: "Your Majesty is truly a genius! Now, whether the Empress goes or not, the initiative is in our hands!"
“Of course.” A cruel smile curved Su Jinxiu’s lips. “However, to ensure everything goes smoothly, we must help her before she goes.”
She turned her head and instructed Qiuyue, "Let's go to Cixi Palace."
Her steps were almost "lightning fast," a stark contrast to her unhurried and elegant demeanor when she arrived.
She couldn't wait!
She couldn't wait to tell her dear aunt this wonderful news!
She wanted to watch with her own eyes as that bitch Lin Wanwan fell from grace and into the mire!
...
Inside Cixi Palace, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.
The Empress Dowager was resting with her eyes closed, while her trusted nanny gently massaged her shoulders. Since the incident at the last birthday banquet, she had been claiming to be ill, and the affairs of the harem had been temporarily managed by several high-ranking concubines, giving her an air of indifference to worldly affairs.
But everyone knew that this woman, who had been entrenched in the harem for decades, was only lying low temporarily, like a tiger waiting for its chance to strike again.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, Consort Xian requests an audience."
Upon hearing the announcement, the Empress Dowager slowly opened her eyes, a glint of shrewdness flashing in her seemingly cloudy eyes: "Let her in."
As soon as Su Jinxiu stepped into the hall, she immediately suppressed all her outward emotions, put on an anxious yet respectful expression, and quickly walked to the Empress Dowager, curtsied and said: "Jinxiu greets her aunt."
"Get up," the Empress Dowager said in a calm tone. "Judging from your flustered appearance, what has happened?"
Su Jinxiu stood up, her face displaying just the right amount of indignation and worry, and went straight to the point:
"Aunt! Something terrible has happened! The Empress... she has lost the 'Golden Phoenix Hairpin with Seven Treasures' that you bestowed upon her at her wedding!"
"What?!"
The Empress Dowager sat up abruptly, and the nanny massaging her shoulders slipped, almost losing her balance.
Her eyes narrowed instantly, shooting out a sharp, hawk-like glint: "Is this true?"
“Absolutely true!” Su Jinxiu immediately recounted her “sight and hearing” at Kunning Palace, embellishing the story and describing it vividly.
In her description, Lin Wanwan became a helpless woman who was terrified by the sudden change and could only cry and sob.
"...Aunt, you didn't see how distraught the Empress was. She was so pitiful." Su Jinxiu said, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief, as if she was truly saddened for Lin Wanwan.
But she quickly shifted the focus, steering the discussion to another level.
She emphasized, "Jinxiu wanted to comfort her sister, saying that perhaps it was accidentally placed in the wrong place. But her sister said that she had turned the entire Kunning Palace upside down, even searching the mouse holes!"
The subtext of these words is self-evident—how carelessly Lin Wanwan stored that phoenix hairpin! It actually vanished into thin air in a small palace like Kunning Palace!
Then, she "casually" added a sentence, directly pointing the finger at Lin Wanwan's attitude.
"Jinxiu, look, although the Empress says she's afraid of your punishment, her panicked appearance suggests more regret than fear. She's actually annoyed at getting herself into trouble." Su Jinxiu carefully observed the Empress Dowager's expression and continued to stir up trouble. "To be frank, Jinxiu dares to guess that perhaps... perhaps the Empress doesn't really take your gift, Aunt, seriously. Otherwise, how could such a valuable item have 'disappeared' so easily?"
Her words were truly scathing!
She cleverly transformed what could have been a case of "dereliction of duty" involving the loss of an item into a serious act of "disrespect" towards the Empress Dowager herself, through detailed portrayals of Lin Wanwan's "panic" and malicious speculation about her "inner thoughts."
As expected, the Empress Dowager's face darkened instantly upon hearing these words, like the sky before a storm.
"Fine! What a way of showing no respect for me!" The Empress Dowager laughed in anger, the string of Buddhist prayer beads in her hand rattling loudly. "I thought that just because she won once at the birthday banquet, she had really gained some ability and could command the winds and rains in this harem! Turns out, she's just a useless piece of trash who can't even take care of her own things!"
At the last birthday banquet, she was forced to "execute Ma Su with tears in her eyes," losing a trusted confidant and losing face. She has been holding this grudge in her heart ever since!
Later, Lin Wanwan used the emperor's allergy as an excuse to remove the nails she had placed in the imperial kitchen, which infuriated Lin Wanwan even more!
However, due to the emperor's protection of that vile woman, she could not find a good opportunity to lash out.
And now, the opportunity has arrived!
Lin Wanwan herself handed this huge piece of leverage over her!
This is simply divine intervention!
The Empress Dowager looked at her eloquent niece with a satisfied expression. This pawn was much more useful than that fool, Consort Shu.
She believed this was the perfect opportunity to suppress Lin Wanwan's arrogance and regain control of the harem!
Once Lin Wanwan's "great disrespect" is confirmed, even if the emperor wants to favor her, he can't silence the public opinion! At that time, she can rightfully take back the Phoenix Seal and turn Lin Wanwan back into the tool for bringing good luck in the Kunning Palace!
Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager's anger was gradually replaced by cold calculation.
She looked at Su Jinxiu with an appreciative expression: "Jinxiu, you did a great job this time. You informed me of this matter in time, and you deserve credit for it."
Su Jinxiu quickly lowered her head, feigning humility, and said, "It is Jinxiu's duty to share Aunt's burdens. Jinxiu just... just felt sorry that Aunt's good intentions were being treated so lightly..."
Before she could finish speaking, the Empress Dowager raised her hand to interrupt her.
The Empress Dowager slowly rose from her throne, her eyes flashing with a cold yet excited light. Her aura suddenly surged, exuding the oppressive power of a superior.
"Since she doesn't know what's good for her, then I will personally teach her what manners are!"
The Empress Dowager immediately made a decision: she would personally go to Kunning Palace to "punish" them!
She's not only going, but she's also going to make a big fuss about it!
"Guards!" the Empress Dowager commanded in an icy voice. "Issue my decree to summon all the palace ladies to accompany me to Kunning Palace!"
She paused, a cruel smile playing on her lips, and added:
"I want to ask this arrogant Empress in front of everyone how she disciplines her servants and how she safeguards the gifts I bestow upon her! Today, I will teach her a lesson she will never forget!"
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