"Competing with the bright moon?"
In Kunyuan Palace, Queen Qiao sat upright, listening to the report from the palace maid below, her eyes calm, without a trace of sha or anger.
She gently murmured, seemingly contemplating its aning.
"Empress, that Consort Li is truly audacious to say such a thing. Isn’t she implying..."
The old nurse beside Queen Qiao, who was also her wet nurse, was seething with anger, almost gritting her teeth as she spoke.
Queen Qiao smiled faintly, lightly flicking the rouge on her fingertips: "Consort Li is naturally beautiful, indeed, she has that capability."
"Tsk, tsk, it’s a pity that her face is already disfigured!"
The old nurse added tily, her tone full of sarcasm.
"Empress..."
The palace maid delivering the report shivered slightly, her teeth chattering as she looked up at Queen Qiao who was smiling gently.
"Speak quickly if you have sothing to say!"
The old nurse seed impatient.
The palace maid stamred, "His Majesty sent a box of dicine to Consort Li, and now... she has regained her appearance!"
"What did you say?"
The old nurse shrieked, her eyes bulging as if they might pop out at any mont, extrely frightening.
The palace maid, terrified, collapsed to the ground: "A few days ago, His Majesty sent Eunuch Chen to visit Consort Li and gave her a box of dicine. Now Consort Li has regained her looks and... looks even more beautiful than before..."
"Slap! Nonsense, drag her out, drag her out and beat her to death!"
There were palace maids and eunuchs all around, yet this little minx dared to be so tactless, saying such things, isn’t this embarrassing for her master?
The old nurse decisively ordered to have her dragged out and beaten to death.
"Spare , Empress, spare , every word I said is true..."
The palace maid’s panicked cries were stifled as the old nurse personally gagged her mouth.
"Beat her to death!"
Soon, a response ca back saying that the palace maid was dead beyond reviving.
Many palace maids die in the Imperial Palace every day, and even palace concubines mysteriously et their end, nothing surprising about it.
Queen Qiao still wore a faint smile on her face, but her eyes were very cold.
The old nurse dismissed everyone, and upon turning around, saw that Queen Qiao’s face was already contorted!
"That bitch!"
Queen Qiao shrieked, hardly able to believe it. Burned to such an extent by the fire, how could she possibly recover?
"Such important news, why wasn’t it reported earlier?"
"Empress, it is my negligence, failing to manage these wenches properly."
Zhen Shu, the old nurse, quickly knelt to plead guilty.
Queen Qiao waved her hand, motioning her to rise quickly. After all, she was her wet nurse, raised on her milk, naturally sharing a deep bond.
"That bitch, I’ve known ever since she returned to the capital that she wouldn’t remain silent. For the past half year, she seed to dwell in seclusion at the Lingjiang Imperial Mansion, not stepping out, I thought she had restrained herself after being disfigured. Who knew... hum, a dog can’t change its ways..."
Queen Qiao paused at this point.
She, after all, is the mother of the country, and even at this mont with only her wet nurse present, still needed to maintain her image.
"Don’t worry, Empress, the way we drove her out back then can be repeated now, can’t it?" Zhen Shu coldly chuckled, her eyes full of calculation, "Don’t forget, His Majesty is about to go to Nanyuan Palace for sumr retreat!"
Queen Qiao nodded lightly: "Yes, I did forget about that!"
"Empress, there’s an urgent matter to report..."
At this mont, a hurried voice ca from outside.
Zhen Shu frowned, impatiently: "What are you panicking for? Speak up if you have sothing to say!"
"Empress, His Majesty has issued an edict, saying that Lady Li Fei is to return to the palace!"
In an instant, it was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky!
Queen Qiao’s eyes flickered, while Zhen Shu directly said sharply: "Got it, leave now!"
After saying that, she quickly turned: "Empress, this Consort Li... is rekindling her old fla!"
"It seems, for this trip to Nanyuan Palace, there’s no need for to plan. The Emperor will surely take her with him."
"Empress, Nanyuan Palace, is very close to Taia Mountain! The Taia Temple there is not inferior to Xiangguo Temple!"
Queen Qiao picked up a glass cup, sipped tea lightly, but said nothing, yet everything was clear without words.
...
The news that Consort Li had regained her appearance dropped like a stone into a lake, causing great waves, with the Emperor directly ordering her to enter the palace, making many perceive the unrest returning to the previous and the harem.
Zilan Palace.
Yu Pin paced back and forth inside the palace, beside her sat another concubine, Yi Pin.
Yi Pin appeared petite, yet her eyes were keen, her title derived from "as dependent as a small bird".
Watching Yu Pin pace, she gently rubbed her brows and said, "Sister Yu Pin, could you stop pacing? You’re making my head spin."
"How can I not be anxious? Consort Li is actually entering the palace, and being welcod with open gates. What does that an? It ans the Emperor’s favor for her! The Emperor plans to favor her again, and that’s bad news for all of us!"
"Sister Yu Pin, you’re wrong. The Empress isn’t worried! With her holding the fort, how can those petty villains stir up any trouble?"
Yu Pin’s words hit the mark, gradually calming her down.
Indeed, if the sky falls, isn’t the Empress there to hold it up? What should she fear?
"Thank you, sister, for the reminder. Earlier, it was my lack of decorum!"
"Hehe!"
Yi Pin chuckled, picking up the tea cup from the table, sipping it lightly.
But in the instant she bowed her head, a trace of ridicule flashed in her eyes.
After all these years, one would think staying in the Zilan Palace to cultivate oneself would make one wiser, yet she remains as she was back then.
But precisely because of this, the Empress favored her, letting her do all the dirty and tiring work.
Fortunately, she managed quite well over the years, saving the Empress a lot of effort.
So, upon learning she was to be sacrificed, Yi Pin felt a bit surreal.
But the Empress is the Empress, her decisions, no one dare question.
This Yu Pin, she is probably in for it!
...
As soon as Li Qingmu returned ho, Long Yue hurriedly ca to him.
"Don’t worry, Master is fine!"
Li Qingmu said with a gentle smile, noticing that his young wife seed darker, thinner, his face imdiately turned grim.
"What’s going on?" He focused on Long Yue’s swollen belly, frowning, "She’s pregnant, shouldn’t she be gaining a bit of weight?"
"Husband, so ti ago, Madam went outside the palace gate to seek an audience with His Majesty, hoping to plead for Mr. Duanmu."
A servant answered foolishly, receiving a fierce glare from Long Yue: "Don’t talk nonsense, no such thing happened!"
Well, no need to explain, that’s exactly what happened.
Li Qingmu wore a grim expression, spoke in a muffled voice: "No more next ti, or I’ll keep you tied in this courtyard!"
What... such harsh words?
Long Yue innocently blinked her big eyes, looking at the man in front of her. How co he seed different after returning from Guyang County?
The previous scent of a scoundrel had faded, replaced with a fiercer aura.
Strong against the strong, weak against the weak, Long Yue felt that after the man beca stronger, she herself beca more dependent, softly nodding: "Oh..."
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