Mu Qingyao’s beautiful eyes looked at Mei Xin. Mei Xin was startled, not knowing what to say. Her eyes flickered and she saw the red apples on the bed. She immediately rushed over to pick one up and stuffed it into Mu Qingyao’s hand.
“How about, Miss, you eat an apple? Wait a moment, His Majesty will be here soon.”
“An apple?” Mu Qingyao glared fiercely at Mei Xin, her maid.
There was a table full of dishes, yet she was told to eat an apple. How could she eat it? Moreover, one apple wouldn’t fill her stomach. She hadn’t eaten anything since morning and was hungry enough to eat a cow. Besides, whether His Majesty would come was still a question. “Mei Xin.”
Mei Xin pouted, took back the apple, and sighed helplessly, “Alright, if you want me to eat it, I’ll eat it.”
Seeing Mei Xin compromise, Mu Qingyao got up from the bed and rushed to the dining table to eat.
The fine wines and delicacies in this imperial palace were truly much nobler than anywhere else. There were many dishes, and they were delicious. Many dishes had names she couldn’t even pronounce, but they were truly good.
The imperial chefs in the palace were indeed skilled. Mu Qingyao praised them while not forgetting to pour some heavenly nectar. This fine wine was also exceptionally fragrant, a top-grade vintage that flowed down her throat, its lingering fragrance long after.
Mu Qingyao quickly ate her fill. Because she had drunk some wine, her eyelids felt heavy, sticking together. She felt sleepy.
“Mo Chou, I’m going to sleep for a bit.”
Mu Qingyao swayed as she climbed onto the bed, intricately carved with dragons and phoenixes, and fell asleep comfortably. In her hazy sleep, she still reached out to touch the brocade quilt adorned with a hundred children, sighing as she touched it, truly feeling the comfort of imperial possessions.
In the distance, the palace maids waiting at the door were astonished. The Empress seemed as if she had descended from hell and was now sleeping so brazenly, completely disregarding His Majesty. Would His Majesty punish her?
Some worried, while others gloated.
“Miss, wake up, Miss!” Mei Xin’s face was extremely pale and unsightly.
Mo Chou, standing beside her, was unusually composed. With a calm expression, she instructed the palace maids at the door.
“Someone, clear these things away and set a new table.”
“Yes,” three or four palace maids dressed in ornate robes immediately stepped forward, bowed, and swiftly cleared away the leftover plates and cups. Soon, others entered in a procession, setting up a new meal.
The person sleeping on the large bed remained oblivious, deeply asleep.
And everything that happened in Fengluan Palace was quickly reported to the Empress Dowager’s Guangyang Palace.
Guangyang Palace was located in the western palace, in the northwest direction. It was an independent palace, the residence of retired Emperors and Empresses Dowager. It was surrounded by many flowers and trees, and the environment was quiet and elegant, suitable for elderly people to recuperate.
At this moment, in front of the tall and majestic palace gate, stood several eunuchs dressed in dark blue, and palace maids in elegant attire. Everyone was cautiously on duty.
Inside the main hall, incense smoke curled, red curtains hung, and on the phoenix couch sat a dignified and graceful woman with lingering charm – the current Empress Dowager.
Beside the Empress Dowager sat a woman adorned with delicate makeup. This woman was none other than the Empress Dowager’s own niece, Noble Consort Chu Yuyan.
She was clad in a soft smoke gauze skirt of yellow, embroidered with phoenixes, her sheer veils trailing on the ground. She was charming and graceful, but at this moment, her eyes were slightly red, and her head was bowed, making her expression unreadable.
The Empress Dowager patted her hand with heartache.
“Alright, don’t be sad anymore. Emperors have always been heartless since ancient times. Which man doesn’t have three wives and four concubines? Let alone an Emperor. This was bound to happen sooner or later, so just accept it.”
Chu Yuyan raised her head, her face ashen. She bit her lower lip lightly before finally speaking in a small voice.
“I’m not saying His Majesty shouldn’t take concubines, but who would have thought the Empress would be that infatuated woman Mu Qingyao? His Majesty is treating me like this.”
As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, seemingly about to fall, making her appear even more pitiable and delicate.
These words struck the Empress Dowager’s heart like a thorn.
Years ago, the Empress Dowager and Empress Li entered the palace at the same time, but one entered through Qian Jin Gate, while the other entered through Xuanwu Gate.
The difference in treatment was worlds apart. Her lifelong regret was that she could not enter through the Qianqing Gate with His Majesty, openly and honorably.
Unexpectedly, Yuyan missed the position of Empress again. Were their Chu family really so easily bullied? The Empress Dowager became angrier as she thought about it, her face turning green, her dark eyes sinister and eerie.
“Yuyan, don’t worry, your aunt is here for everything. That woman won’t be able to bully you. So what if she’s the Empress? She’s just an empty shell of an Empress.”
Chu Yuyan’s eyes widened at her aunt’s words, unsure of her aunt’s intention. As she was carefully pondering, an eunuch entered from outside the hall and said respectfully, “Your Majesty, Miss Xin Yue has arrived.”
“Good, announce her entry.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the eunuch retreated.
Chu Yuyan looked at him with a bewildered expression. She knew this Miss Xin Yue, the beloved daughter of General Ximen, Ximen Xin Yue.
This woman was shrewd and deeply favored by General Ximen. Why had her aunt summoned her to the palace at this time?
“Mother, why have you summoned Miss Xin Yue to the palace?”
The Empress Dowager tenderly took Chu Yuyan’s hand and said dotingly, “Yuyan, get along well with Miss Xin Yue from now on. She is a lady-in-waiting I have chosen for His Majesty. You entered the palace six months earlier, so take good care of her.”
“Mother, today is the grand wedding of His Majesty and the Empress. If His Majesty finds out that you’ve summoned Xin Yue…”
Chu Yuyan did not want the Empress Dowager to conflict with His Majesty. It was precisely because she was from the Chu family that His Majesty ignored her. Even though she had been in the palace for half a year, His Majesty had never allowed her to sleep in his chambers, which was enough to show His Majesty’s attitude.
Now, she was even bringing General Ximen’s daughter into the palace. What exactly did Mother intend?
Chu Yuyan felt she couldn’t fathom her aunt’s thoughts. She seemed to have some undisclosed secret. What could it be?
“Not only Xin Yue, but Mu Qingzhu and Mu Qingxiang have also entered the palace. Those two sisters are now residing in Xiuxiu Palace. You should look after them when you have the chance,” the Empress Dowager said gently and kindly, her tone leaving no room for refusal.
“Even the two sisters from the Mu family have entered the palace. It’s truly lively in the palace now.”
Chu Yuyan couldn’t say anything more. Since people had already entered, what was the point of saying anything else? Moreover, her aunt’s actions seemed to have ulterior motives. She hoped she wouldn’t find out what she was doing. She was definitely not a puppet to be manipulated.
A sharp glint flashed in Chu Yuyan’s charming dark eyes.
At the entrance of the hall, an eunuch led in a lovely woman.
Her posture was slender and graceful. She wore a rose-red gauze skirt, a white smoke gauze draped over her shoulders, and her hair was loosely pinned up in a bun, exuding an air of natural charm.