Huangfu Yu walked up to Huangfu Mi: "Seventh Brother, what exactly happened? Have you found out anything?"
Huangfu Mi had finally calmed down. He knew he couldn't rush things. Since the Empress dared to scheme against his father, she must have made thorough preparations. So he needed to stay calm and discuss things properly with his fifth brother.
"Hmm." She nodded slightly, glanced up at Huangfu Yu, then pushed the paper bag on the table in front of him before recounting what she had found out.
Huangfu Yu didn't think much of it at first, but as he listened to Huangfu Mi's explanation, he became more and more astonished and incredulous. In the end, he almost cried out, "Mother, how could Mother do such a thing?"
"Yes, how could someone do such a thing?" Huangfu Mi was also puzzled.
Over the years, although the Emperor did not favor her, he was still quite polite to her, and she had always been very respectful to the Emperor. How could she suddenly start to scheme like this?
Did she intend to kill the Emperor?
Thinking this way, the two became increasingly uneasy, yet they knew that at this moment, anyone could be uneasy, but the two of them needed to remain calm and composed.
So after discussion, they decided that they must see the Emperor first, no matter what.
Not daring to delay for even a moment, the two immediately entered the palace. Although the emperor had said that he would not see anyone, if they informed him, there might still be a chance. Moreover, there was Eunuch Li, and they could only ask him for help at this moment.
They thought this, but to their surprise, they were stopped at the gate of Zhengyang Palace. Li Desheng was nowhere to be seen, and only a few unfamiliar guards were there.
Upon seeing Huangfu Mi and Huangfu Yu, he immediately stopped them and said, "Your Highnesses, His Majesty is resting inside. Please return!"
The guards of Zhengyang Palace were always arranged by Meng Junheng, and Huangfu Mi recognized most of them. However, these guards were all unfamiliar to him, and he couldn't help but frown: "Were you newly transferred? Were you arranged by Lord Meng?"
The group exchanged glances, then nodded, remaining silent.
The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat strange. Huangfu Mi glanced at Huangfu Yu and also noticed the oddity. If these people were not Meng Junheng's people, then there was only one possibility: they were the Empress.
She even took it upon herself to replace the guards at Zhengyang Palace! This is truly intolerable.
Huangfu Mi narrowed his eyes, then said to one of them, "I must see my father today. If anyone tries to stop me, don't blame me for being impolite!"
The sharp tone startled the man, but at this moment he could only grit his teeth and stand there.
Huangfu Mi grew increasingly angry and drew his sword from one of the men's waists, ready to strike. Just then, a eunuch announced loudly, "The Empress has arrived!"
Huangfu Mi was stunned, and his hand froze there.
---
The Empress came after hearing the news, knowing how difficult Huangfu Mi was to deal with. She knew that the guards would not be able to handle him if she did not personally intervene.
At this moment, ten pairs of palace maids on each side followed behind, walking over in a lavish manner. Looking at Huangfu Mi's angry face and then at the sword in his hand, she couldn't help but curl her lips and sneer: "Seventh Prince, weapons are not allowed to be displayed in the palace. How could you forget again? You've been back in the palace for so long. When will you be able to adapt to the rules of the palace?"
She still had that vain look on her face, but Huangfu Mi was too lazy to even bother with a polite response. He decided to tear off the mask altogether, since he had already seen through the Empress's true colors.
"Empress, I need to see my father! I don't care what you want, get your men out of the way right now, or don't blame me for turning my back on you!"
He didn't even call her "Mother" anymore, clearly furious to the extreme. Seeing this, the Empress's face darkened for a moment, but only for a second before she said, "His Majesty has ordered that no one be seen. Seventh Prince, go back!"
"Don't give me that. I know you're the one pulling the strings behind the scenes. Before things get out of control, you'd better stop now, or I won't let you off the hook!"
v80
"Don't give me that crap. I know you're the one pulling the strings behind the scenes. Stop now before things get out of control, or I won't let you off the hook!"
The Empress's expression darkened further, her phoenix eyes fixed on Huangfu Mi. Looking at his handsome face, she thought of Consort Wen again, and hatred surged into her mind. She clenched her fists.
"Seventh Prince, don't go too far. I am the Empress. Watch your tone!"
"Attitude?" Huangfu Mi sneered. "Don't pretend in front of me. I know all your tricks. You want to control Father Emperor, so you use that woman who looks exactly like my mother? Empress, you really have a lot of ulterior motives!"
One sentence caused the Empress's expression to change slightly. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Huangfu Mi. After a while, she raised her eyebrows, leaned close to Huangfu Mi's ear, and said, "Yes, I want to control the Emperor. What can you do about it? If you're so capable, go and find the Emperor and see if he'll listen to you now!"
Huangfu Mi trembled, almost unable to contain himself, wishing he could punch the Empress in the face. Huangfu Yu, who was watching from the side, saw this clearly and grabbed Huangfu Mi's wrist before Huangfu Mi could make a move.
Seeing the Empress's barely perceptible frown, he whispered in Huangfu Mi's ear, "The Empress is using reverse psychology. Don't fall for it. If you hit her, you will be committing a great act of treason. And since you don't have Father Emperor's support right now, you will definitely suffer."
Huangfu Mi was taken aback, and then quickly put his hand down.
"Mother, since Father does not wish to see us, then I shall take my leave. Please take good care of Father. When I arrived just now, all the ministers were gathered outside Desheng Gate, as if they had something to discuss with Father. If it is convenient, please go and persuade Father to take some time to meet with the ministers."
Huangfu Yu's tone was calm, but his hand was still tightly gripping Huangfu Mi's wrist. The Empress narrowed her eyes slightly, not expecting Huangfu Yu to be so calm.
Not only did he see through her provocation, but he also used the ministers to threaten her.
So what if she's threatened? The palace is full of people she's placed there. Even the imperial guards under Meng Junheng's command have been sent out of the palace under some pretext. Who is she afraid of?
She curled her lips into a smile and said, "I will handle the matter of admonishing the Emperor. You may all leave."
Huangfu Yu clenched his fists, turned his head to look at Huangfu Mi, and saw that his eyes were blazing with anger, as if he wanted to devour the Empress alive. Huangfu Yu's heart sank a little.
Now that the facade has been torn off, the Empress remains so calm. It seems that everything is under her control. Is she planning to seize power?
When they left, the ministers were still waiting outside Desheng Gate. When they saw the two brothers, they all came forward to ask them questions. At this time, they should tell everyone what the Empress had done. However, they had clearly seen that all the guards in Zhengyang Palace had been replaced. They were worried that if they made a big fuss, the Empress would be detrimental to the Emperor.
After some deliberation, the two men said nothing more, but instead called Prime Minister Meng aside and told him the whole story.
Prime Minister Meng is Meng Wan's father. He is a trustworthy person and an important minister of the court. He has followed the emperor for many years and has made immeasurable contributions to the country. That's why the two younger generations wanted to get his help.
Prime Minister Meng listened quietly, but the more he listened, the more shocked he became. "You mean, the Emperor has been imprisoned by the Empress?"
--
Meanwhile, the Empress stood outside Zhengyang Palace, watching Huangfu Mi and Huangfu Yu disappear from sight. She narrowed her eyes and said to Yueji beside her, "Go and invite General Gu to Chonghua Palace. Also, have someone keep a close watch on Zhengyang Palace and be careful that they don't sneak in."
Rose stepped back in response, and the Queen stood there, her gaze slightly narrowed, her fists clenched.