The Empress Dowager, annoyed by the crying, scoffed sarcastically. "I’m old now, useless! What’s the use of crying to me about court affairs!"
The Empress wiped away her tears. "Your servant..."
The Empress Dowager interrupted her, her voice laced with resentment and anger. "There’s no need for you to cry. Who does the Emperor favor in his heart? For whom would he do such absurd things? As a mere woman of the household, you have no say in the matter! You’d best attend to the selection of the concubines diligently; bringing in a few good ones to distribute his favor more evenly is the proper thing to do!"
She had a distaste for the Empress, the Empress Dowager thought. Yet, the Shih family girl’s entrance into the palace would ultimately go through the Empress’s hands. I have to leave her a shred of dignity and not speak too harshly.
The Empress then stood up and curtsied respectfully. "Thank you for your guidance, Mother."
The Empress Dowager glanced at her but said no more.
After leaving Ningshou Palace, the Empress was in a relatively good mood. Of course, she did not expect the Empress Dowager to stand up for her, but a little crying and fussing were still essential. As for the rest... The Empress smiled sinisterly. "Naturally, there are others to take care of her!"
Sister Ji was somewhat worried. "What about the matter of the Second Lord? I’ve heard that the Emperor has arrested him and locked him up in the Ministry of Justice!"
The Empress scoffed disdainfully. "My mother spoiled my two brothers to be like this; what can I do about it! Just as the Empress Dowager said, I am but a woman of the inner palace, ignorant of everything!"
Her second brother was always troublesome, she thought. Surely he must have caused some incident. Being confined for a few days as punishment might do him good! It wasn’t really a matter of life or death!
「Meanwhile, at Noble Concubine Shih’s residence」
Noble Concubine Shih exploded upon receiving the news. Instantly, she smashed the cup in her hand to smithereens. "Look! I said we should kill her, but you all kept stopping me! She’s practically a vixen who has bewitched the Emperor! And to think the Xia family is nothing! She continuously seduces the Emperor, demanding this and that! Calling for the Crown Prince’s establishment and for her own people to be promoted heavily—she truly is a vixen!"
Furious, the Noble Consort flung several flower pots to the ground before commanding, "Go! Tie up Lady Xia and bring her here! I shall teach her a lesson myself!"
Ying Yue risked her life to intervene. "Your Highness, you mustn’t! The veracity of the matter is still unknown, and there’s been no word from the Empress yet! If it were true, the Empress should be the most anxious!"
Noble Concubine Shih sneered. "You’re relying on the Empress to handle Lady Xia? I’d be waiting until my hair turns white!" She went on to mock, "Aside from crying and wailing, what else can she do, that useless thing!"
Noble Concubine Shih always felt an inexplicable sense of superiority over the Empress.
Finishing her rant, she again clamored to have Lady Xia bound. Ying Yue had no choice but to plead persistently, "Your Highness, if you truly wish to deal with her, do so quietly. Otherwise, how will you explain it when the Emperor returns?"
Mention of the Emperor brought some sobriety to Noble Concubine Shih. Yes, she knew her cousin’s temperament well. That was his Favored Consort, after all, she thought, becoming increasingly agitated. "Then I shall think carefully about how to make her die without anyone ever knowing!"
Seeing that her mistress had finally relented, Ying Yue felt a wave of relief, and her whole body weakened. Only then did she realize her knees were soaked in blood; she hadn’t noticed earlier that she had been kneeling on shards of porcelain. Now, the blood had seeped through her clothes, and her complexion grew paler and paler.
Noble Concubine Shih glanced at her and impatiently ordered someone to take her away. "Call in a female doctor to look at her. Don’t delay my plans!"
"Yes, Noble Consort!"
Ying Yue was led away. She closed her eyes, a little disappointed. After serving her mistress for so long, how could there not be even a single word of concern? Although she was indeed just a servant, her heart still felt cold.
「Qingya Residence」
By the well in the back courtyard, Xia Ruqing sat in a soft chair padded with a wool blanket. She wore a large cloak of fox fur, holding a hand stove in her arms. Her gaze was chilling as she looked at Qiu Tong, who was kneeling on the ground.
"You have served me for nearly three years, Qiu Tong. I haven’t mistreated you, have I? And this is how you betray me?"
Qiu Tong had been stripped down to her undergarments. Cold and hungry, her lips trembled. "You haven’t mistreated me?" she stammered. "By letting... letting me... sweep the floors for three years?"
Xia Ruqing sneered. "Then shouldn’t you think about why? I haven’t mistreated you, but you chose to betray me!"
Having said that, she stood up and slowly took a few steps forward. "From the moment I entered the palace, you never had good intentions! Back then, when the Noble Consort ordered a kneeling punishment and I accidentally fell ill, you wanted to spread the news far and wide! With no power or influence, were you trying to get me killed?"
Xia Ruqing flung her sleeves. "Zi Yue, bring the needles!"