Thinking this, Long Yuqian's mood turned extremely bad. If subordinates made even a slight mistake, he would fly into a rage and severely punish them.
Those who liked to guess the Emperor's intentions had already calculated everything. Empress Chen Mengjiao paced in her palace, furiously berating her subordinates for their incompetence, criticizing that the tasks assigned had not yet begun.
All the servants knelt down, not daring to speak in the face of the Empress's fury. Only Yun Shuang, the first palace maid of Jinxiu Palace, stood beside Chen Mengjiao and respectfully said: "Your Majesty, this matter cannot be rushed. If we are to do something, we must prepare thoroughly to achieve the best effect." Seeing Chen Mengjiao's expression was still terrible, Yun Shuang added: "Li Desheng has already surveyed the terrain. As long as we provide support, we will have an opportunity soon."
Chen Mengjiao finally smiled: "We must make the Emperor completely disappointed in her, leaving her with no chance to rise again. Hmph, daring to compete for favor! Has that Su woman been up to anything these days?"
A kneeling palace maid saw an opportunity to curry favor and quickly responded: "Reporting to Your Majesty, Su Wanli, in an attempt to please the Emperor, actually dared to visit the Abandoned Palace to see Consort Jin. Isn't this courting death? The Empress Dowager found an excuse to punish her by making her kneel for four hours. Coming from the south with a delicate constitution, exhausted and angry, how could she possibly endure that? She's been ill for a month."
Yun Shuang calmly said: "Although the Emperor never goes to the Abandoned Palace, it doesn't mean he doesn't care about his birth mother. How did Su Wanli rise to her position? It was because she accidentally entered the Abandoned Palace while chasing a kite, and spent half a day in deep conversation with the Consort. The Empress Dowager wanted to execute her, but the Emperor, infatuated with her beauty, asked the Empress Dowager to spare Su Wanli, and she has been in favor ever since."
Chen Mengjiao vividly remembered that scene. Long Yuqian laughed heartily, the Empress Dowager laughed magnificently, they just laughed at each other like that. Her mind was filled with those eerie laughs. As autumn air arrived and a wind blew past, Chen Mengjiao shivered.
Conspiracy and Overt Schemes 3
