Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Zhen Huan Chronicles – An Ling Rong

“Your Highness…” Senior Maid Ruo Lan carefully studied her mistress’s calm expression. “This time-” “Enough.” Li Si Qi waved her hand. “I already knew it would end like this. As long as that woman makes a move, whether it’s the Emperor or the Empress Dowager, they’ll cover for her. Everyone knows it.”

Senior Maid Ruo Lan forced a small smile. “Your Highness, no matter what, the Emperor will protect the Sixth Prince and Princess Wen Ning!”

“Of course. He’s their father. Protecting his children is only right.” Li Si Qi smiled as well. “But the people the Emperor wants to protect aren’t only my two children. There are too many people he wants to protect. I still have to work harder.”

“Your Highness is right. We have to protect the little masters properly.”

That afternoon, the Emperor personally went to Kang Shou Palace. After mother and son sat down, neither of them spoke first.

“Emperor,” the Empress Dowager finally had to speak. “It’s over. If you stir it up again, people will only laugh at us. In a moment, I will give Consort Xian and the twins generous rewards to comfort the three of them.”

“I won’t interfere with your decision, Imperial Mother.” The Emperor’s expression was flat. “I’ve said it before. The royal dragon-and-phoenix twins cannot come to any harm. This time, for Imperial Mother’s sake, I won’t pursue it. If there is a next time, I hope Imperial Mother won’t blame me for taking action.”

“What ‘taking action’?” The Empress Dowager bristled at once. “If she did wrong, I will discipline her. This time, she truly handled it improperly. Fortunately, the Fourth Prince is fine, and it hasn’t affected the twins. Everything should prioritize the legitimate heir. Emperor, don’t concern yourself with this matter.”

“Imperial Mother, no matter what, the Fourth Prince is still my son.” The chill around the Emperor grew heavier. “Please tell her this. If one of my children dies young, I want two children of the Ula Nara clan to die. My child must have companions in death. If anything happens to the twins, I will wipe out the Ula Nara clan.”

“Emperor!” The Empress Dowager flew into a rage and shouted. “Do you mean I should be buried with them too?”

“Empress Dowager, don’t get it wrong.” The Emperor stood. “Your clan is Uya. It has nothing to do with Ula Nara. The two clans have no blood relation either. Please remember this, Imperial Mother. I’m not joking. I still have matters to attend to. I take my leave!”

Ignoring the Empress Dowager’s furious face, the Emperor swept his sleeve and walked out.

“That infuriates me!” The Empress Dowager was rarely this angry.

With her rage still boiling, she immediately gave an order. “Go. Summon the Empress here. As long as she isn’t dead, bring her to me.”

“Yes!”

Senior Maid Zhu Xi quickly sent someone to fetch the Empress. After receiving the Empress Dowager’s decree, the Empress felt uneasy, especially after learning the Emperor had just left Kang Shou Palace. The Empress vaguely understood that she had likely been exposed. So what if she was exposed?

A mocking look flashed in the Empress’s eyes. Even if the Empress Dowager knew she had made the move, the Empress Dowager wouldn’t do anything to her. Because she was the Empress of the Ula Nara clan. The Empress knew it well.

She went openly to Kang Shou Palace.

“Empress Dowager, I pay my respects.” The Empress wore a smile. “May the Empress Dowager be well.”

“Be well?” The Empress Dowager’s anger could no longer be suppressed.

She sprang to her feet and slapped her across the face. Smack! The sharp sound echoed through the great hall, and it knocked the smile right off the Empress’s face. Her eyes went wide, disbelief written all over her features.

She had been struck. The Empress Dowager had actually hit her!

“Kneel!” The Empress Dowager’s fury still hadn’t cooled. She pointed at her and barked, “I never knew that you, Ula Nara Yi Xiu, have never taken my words to heart. Since that’s the case, kneel and clear your head properly!”

“Empress Dowager, this isn’t right!” Jian Qiu dropped to her knees and begged. “Her Majesty is pregnant. I’m afraid her body can’t endure it!”

“She can’t endure it?” The Empress Dowager looked at her. “Guards, drag this lowly maid out and cane her fifty times.”

“Empress Dowager, no!” Yi Xiu was startled out of her wits.

Forgetting the burning pain on her cheek, she cried out, “Empress Dowager, fifty strokes will kill her!”

“She deserves to die!”

Not much news from Kang Shou Palace spread outward, but everyone knew that the Empress’s Jian Qiu had been caned thirty times. As for the Empress Dowager’s rewards, not only did Li Si Qi and Senior Maid Ruo Lan shake their heads when they saw them, even a third-rank palace maid would probably show disgust at that pile of junk. The Empress Dowager’s dislike of Yong Shou Palace was not concealed at all. In the blink of an eye, another month passed.

Then, rumors of ghosts suddenly spread through the once-calm rear palace. At first, it was a night-watch maid who claimed she saw a white shadow. After that, it was a eunuch getting up in the night who said he saw a white shadow flash past. In just a few days, the entire rear palace knew there were ghosts.

Whether people believed it or not, it still threw everyone into panic.

“A ghost!”

A piercing scream jolted all of Sui Yu Pavilion awake. First Attendant Fang had just changed clothes and was about to go back to sleep when her maid’s shriek startled her. Her eyes jerked toward the window. A white figure suddenly appeared at the half-open window, and she froze in shock.

A few seconds later, she screamed too. “A ghost! There’s a ghost!” With that scream, her eyes rolled back and she collapsed to the floor, frightened into a faint.

Sui Yu Pavilion quickly became a commotion, but in the middle of the night, no one had any interest in going to Sui Yu Pavilion. The next day, everyone learned that Sui Yu Pavilion was “haunted.” Seeing First Attendant Fang’s pale face and sickly look, many people showed her sympathy.

“Noble Consort Hua, Consort Jing, Consort Xian, is this how you manage the rear palace?” the Empress immediately went after the three of them. “Something this serious happens in the palace, and you’ve been utterly derelict.”

“There’s never been any ghosts before.” Noble Consort Hua looked disdainful. “It’s just someone deliberately playing tricks and pretending to be a ghost. I don’t believe some audacious thing would dare come scare me. If they’ve got the guts, they can go scare the Empress instead. Then we’ll see whether it’s a person or a ghost.”

“Noble Consort Hua, stop being unreasonable,” the Empress said, displeased. “If this spreads outside, won’t people laugh at us? Since Noble Consort Hua thinks someone is pretending to be a ghost to frighten people, then within three days, solve this problem and catch whoever is doing it.”

“I sleep at night.” Noble Consort Hua looked annoyed. “Who goes out in the middle of the night to catch ghosts? Just bring in some eminent monks or shamans to catch them.”

“Noble Consort Hua, you said it’s a person pretending to be a ghost. Why bring in priests?” the Empress said coldly. “You, Consort Jing, and Consort Xian hold palace authority. I don’t care what method you use. You must catch whoever is pretending to be a ghost. Three days from now, if the entire rear palace is still living in fear, don’t blame me for punishing you.”

“My palace authority was granted by the Emperor.” Noble Consort Hua stood, pride on her face. “Your Majesty should worry less. Take care of your pregnancy. Don’t let something happen, then frame it on me. I have other matters. I’ll be leaving!”

Without waiting for anyone, she turned and left. The Empress’s expression grew even uglier.

“Your Majesty, I need to go back and take care of the children,” Li Si Qi said as she rose. She gave a salute. “I take my leave first.”

“Go.”