"Thank you, Empress, for planning for me."
"As long as you strive to win Yan Xi's heart and give birth to a fair and plump legitimate grandson for this palace soon, it will not be in vain for my planning, nor will it weaken my Liu family's century-old foundation."
The Empress's eyes were filled with calculation and a thirst for power. It was just that in this generation of their Liu family, there were no particularly outstanding men, and if they wanted to maintain the Liu family's current status, they could only rely on women.
She had schemed many times to try to place the women of the Liu family into the backyards of various princes, but unfortunately, that wretched Imperial Consort was too wary of her.
She had cried and begged His Majesty to agree to her son's marriage, allowing her to decide, and forbidding anyone else to interfere.
Originally, she had planned to bestow Wang Qin upon Prince Jing as his primary consort. Although Prince Jing had a leg ailment, he was still a prince, and it was not an insult to Wang Qin to make her his primary consort.
She never expected that the Empress Dowager would directly decree a marriage for Chu Chenyi, with the legitimate daughter of Marquis Pingyang as his primary consort.
Moreover, the Empress Dowager had always advocated for Chu Chenyi to be made Crown Prince. It was only because of his leg injury that this idea was temporarily abandoned, allowing her third prince to begin to shine.
However, the Empress Dowager had been seeking out famous physicians for years, trying to cure Chu Chenyi's leg. If she had not been prepared early on and ensured that Chu Chenyi would never be able to stand again, the position of Crown Prince would never have fallen to the third prince.
His Majesty had long favored making the third prince the Crown Prince, but for some reason, he had changed his mind again.
She had hinted and implied multiple times, but His Majesty still did not bring it up, which made her anxious and impatient. She had rushed to give Wang Qin to Prince Jing as a secondary consort, only to find that she was useless. Within such a short time, she had been so easily manipulated. The Empress had no desire to manage her anymore.
"Yes, Han'er has noted it all down."
The Empress nodded with satisfaction. "You may go down now. I am a bit tired. Granny Wang, help me to rest."
"We respectfully escort Her Majesty the Empress."
After the Empress's figure disappeared, Liu Meng Han's gentle smile gradually faded from the corner of her lips, replaced by a look of pure malice.
"Miss, let's go back. We still need to practice our singing and dancing."
"Let's go back. This is my only chance to turn my fortunes around. I must grasp it firmly."
On Liu Meng Han's beautiful face, there was a greedy ambition for power.
...
"You two really have guts. You really told off the Empress so satisfyingly. You didn't even see the Empress's expression; it was as ugly as it could get."
The Imperial Consort, holding the hands of the two women, discussed the Empress's disgrace without any reservation, as if she wanted everyone in the palace to know.
"Thank you, Imperial Consort, for intervening for us just now," Feng Jin said as she stepped forward.
"I should be thanking you. You made the Empress lose so much face. If the Empress is unhappy, then I am happy."
The smile on the Imperial Consort's face could not be concealed. After all, the Empress had always wanted to marry Liu family daughters to her son as primary consorts. This time, she had painstakingly secured a secondary consort position, who would have thought that her plan would not only fail but also result in her losing so much face.
"Imperial Consort, Princess Jing, and County Princess Jianing, why are you all here together?" Granny Yun saw the three figures and stepped forward to bow.
"Greetings, Granny Yun. The Empress summoned them to the palace today, and I saw they were quite constrained there, so I brought them along to pay respects to the Empress Dowager."
"Has the Empress Dowager woken from her nap yet? I specially asked the Imperial Kitchen to prepare some pastries that the Empress Dowager loves."
The Imperial Consort's face held a gentle smile, appearing very sincere, without any hint of deliberate flattery.
"Thank you, Imperial Consort. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has just risen. Please come in with me."
The Imperial Consort had come to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager every day for years, without fail, accompanying her, entertaining her, and bringing her novelties to cheer her up.
Granny Yun could see that the Imperial Consort genuinely cared for the Empress Dowager, and she truly respected the Imperial Consort in return.
"Thank you, Granny."
Granny Yun led the three women into the inner chamber.
"Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, the Imperial Consort, County Princess Jianing, and Princess Jing have arrived."
"Let them in," the Empress Dowager's dignified and benevolent voice rang out.
"We pay our respects to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager."
The three spoke in unison.
"Rise, all of you," the Empress Dowager said, waving her hand.
"I wondered why the magpies were chirping incessantly. So, it's the three of you coming to see this old woman."
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, I have prepared some of your favorite pastries. Please taste them to see how they are?"
The Imperial Consort placed several plates of pastries on the table before the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager picked up a piece and took a small bite. "The taste is good. You are thoughtful."
Then, the Empress Dowager's gaze turned to Feng Jin and the other woman. "Why did the two of you come to the palace together?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, it was Her Majesty the Empress who summoned us to the palace to speak," Feng Jin replied as she rose.
The smile on the Empress Dowager's face instantly faded. She put down the pastry and said with an unfriendly tone, "Is she really so kind as to summon you to speak? I fear she has found another way to make things difficult for you."
Feng Jin and Lin Yuwei lowered their heads together, remaining silent. After a pause, Lin Yuwei replied, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, the Empress was merely… teaching us."
"Teaching? She uses the guise of teaching to make things difficult for you." The Empress Dowager was well aware of the Empress's temperament. She usually turned a blind eye to her mistreatment of consorts, as long as it wasn't too excessive. She had never blamed her, but now she wasn't even sparing the younger generation.
"Tell me, what exactly did the Empress do?"
The Empress Dowager turned her gaze to the Imperial Consort and inquired.
"Her Majesty the Empress merely…" The Imperial Consort recounted the entire incident to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager let out a cold snort and slammed her palm on the table before her. "How dare she! To bestow Wang Qin upon Chenyi as a secondary consort, this is a clear disregard for me!"
Earlier, the Empress had hinted at wanting to bestow Wang Qin upon Chu Chenyi as his primary consort, but she had refused.
It was precisely because she feared the Empress would not give up that she had hastily arranged a marriage for Chu Chenyi. An early marriage would also dispel the Empress's intentions. Who would have thought that today, she would forcefully make Wang Qin Chu Chenyi's secondary consort?
These minor troubles caused them to enter the palace together, merely to use her position as Empress to oppress Feng Jin and the other woman.
With such conduct and such a narrow-minded disposition, how could she be worthy of being the Empress?
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, please calm your anger. Do not harm your health over these matters. It is all my fault. I should not have told you about this. I deserve to die. I beg Your Majesty the Empress Dowager to punish me."
The Imperial Consort panicked instantly and quickly knelt down to admit her fault.
"Get up. This is not your fault. You are merely telling the truth." The Empress Dowager waved her hand, and Granny Yun quickly helped the Imperial Consort to rise.
The Empress Dowager sighed and said, "If the Empress is not virtuous, how can the harem be peaceful? If she continues to meddle for the Empress, the reign of the empress's relatives will not be far off."