Ouyang Yue said calmly, "Your master is the Holy King of Miao Jiang."
Fen Yan remained silent, only staring coldly at Ouyang Yue: "What's so good about you? You just have a pretty face. Your master's looks aren't inferior to yours, so why has he always paid so much attention to you? Even back in the General's Mansion, he told me not to hurt you. I hate it! From childhood to adulthood, my heart has only belonged to my master. But he's too outstanding, and all the women around him are too outstanding. He can't even see me. I often wonder what's wrong with us. My master has been celibate all these years, so why is he so attracted to you? I'm filled with resentment!"
Ouyang Yue said thoughtfully, "So that's why you asked Baili Cheng to disfigure me!"
"Yes! That's what I asked for! I want to ruin your face, then let's see if Master will still like you. With such an ugly face, what do you have left? I guarantee that any man who sees you will be disgusted and vomit. Even Baili Chen will leave you. If I can't have it, you can't have it either. Unfortunately, I failed, and failed so miserably! I'm not convinced!" Fen Yan shouted at Ouyang Yue, but the next moment her chest was heaving, her eyes were wide open, and a large amount of blood was flowing from her already dried-up body. After the miscarriage yesterday, Fen Yan did not rest properly, nor did she apply any medicine. Now, due to her emotional agitation, the miscarriage naturally recurred.
Fenyan leaned against the wall, her face completely pale; it would be normal to say she looked like a ghost. Fenyan's eyes were wide open, blood kept flowing from the corner of her mouth, but she kept shouting, "I'm not convinced! I'm not reconciled!"
Ouyang Yue sneered: "It's a pity you'll never have the chance to take revenge on me. And I should also thank you for giving me such a useful clue. You said you loved Yu Xiaoyao. Oh, you didn't know that Yu Xiaoyao was the name of the Holy King of Miao Jiang, did you? You didn't know, but I did. You didn't receive a shred of pity from him until your death. He had to tell you such a secret. Not only that, but you, who were so loyal, betrayed him before you died!"
Fen Yan suddenly glared at Ouyang Yue with resentment. Ouyang Yue was lying; she wasn't as certain as she had thought. She had been trying to trick her into revealing information, yet she hadn't denied her relationship with her master. She had been deceived. Had she betrayed her master?!
"puff!"
"Thump!"
Fen Yan's eyes widened, her body went limp, and she tumbled off the wooden bed with a thud. The sound caused the door to fly open instantly, and the person outside exclaimed anxiously, "What happened?!"
When they saw the scene inside the room, they all stared wide-eyed at Ouyang Yue with surprise and disbelief!
☆、244、A shocking secret is revealed!
Fenyan's eyes widened, her mouth gaped open, and her body convulsed uncontrollably. This sight was unsettling, for they all noticed something different about Fenyan. Although her face was contorted in a terrifying grimace, her eyes were expressionless, as if... as if she were about to breathe her last.
Furong walked over and placed her hand on Fenyan's nose to test it. She couldn't help but gasp. Just as she was about to speak, she glanced at Ouyang Yue, who was standing quietly to the side, and couldn't help but say, "Fenyan was seriously injured yesterday and miscarried. She didn't receive timely care, and her condition was very bad this morning. However, Princess Chen and Fenyan have a very good relationship. I wonder if Fenyan has anything to say to Princess Chen? Before she feels she is about to die, is there anything she wants to entrust to Princess Chen? I wonder if this servant still has the intention of serving Fenyan."
Although Furong didn't explicitly state her meaning, Ouyang Yue understood her true intention. In fact, Ouyang Yue had already suspected that there must be a reason why Furong was unharmed despite Fenyan's severe injuries. Furong was a smart woman, and at this point, even if there was something between Ouyang Yue and Fenyan's death, no one would investigate. Bringing it out would not benefit anyone. Moreover, Fenyan's death was probably not as simple as just being beaten by a few crazy women. Naturally, Furong would try to find a way to smooth things over.
Ouyang Yue sighed, "It's just that, based on Ju Tiji's words, I originally thought that after Consort Fen committed the crime, I would go to the Emperor to ask for a favor after her child was born, so that the child wouldn't have to stay here. But now it seems... alas, it's Consort Fen's fate."
Furong wiped away the non-existent tears from her face with her sleeve, and said sadly, "Pink Consort is truly pitiful, but now..."
Ouyang Yue sighed and looked at Fen Yan lying on the ground with her eyes wide open in death, saying, "I have a connection with Fen Fei, and I will not let her be buried in a mass grave no matter what."
Furong looked grateful: "I'll leave everything to Princess Chen."
Ouyang Yue looked at Furong with a half-smile: "With a loyal maid like you, Consort Fen would be very satisfied."
Furong stiffened, somewhat confused, yet extremely nervous. Given what Fenyan had done to Ouyang Yue, it was impossible for Ouyang Yue to have any feelings for Fenyan. However, Furong had arrived late and couldn't know everything about their affair. Could Ouyang Yue harbor other intentions towards Fenyan? She had played a decisive role in Fenyan's death, which meant Ouyang Yue was now a threat to her. Furong was incredibly anxious, but by then Ouyang Yue had already turned and left with her entourage. Before leaving, she went to the Empress Dowager's Chengxiang Palace, tearfully recounting Fenyan's current plight, which truly pained her.
The Empress Dowager sighed deeply and said, "I feel very sorry for Consort Fen. It's just a pity that she didn't respect herself and offended the Emperor. In this harem, you should all know your place and boundaries. No matter how much you are favored, it is still the Emperor's favor. If you can't find your position because you are temporarily favored, then you have seen the consequences." There were still some concubines who came to pay their respects in the Empress Dowager's palace at this time, so the Empress Dowager naturally took this opportunity to give them a warning.
However, judging from her expression, Ouyang Yue probably meant Consort Sun.
Since Na Yan became pregnant, Consort Zhang, Consort Sun, and two other concubines have all been favored by the emperor. However, in terms of age and family background, Consort Sun is superior, creating a three-way power struggle within the palace.
Now that Fenyan is dead and her unborn child is gone, although she was a decent person when she was favored, it would be strange if she could make true friends while enjoying such favor. Therefore, most people in the palace breathed a sigh of relief at Fenyan's death. After all, having another favored concubine who has given birth to a prince is not good for anyone in the palace. However, it is still uncertain whether the antagonism between the Empress and Consort Sun can be maintained with Fenyan's death. Judging from the Empress Dowager's intentions, she does not want the palace to continue fighting.
Consort Sun sipped her tea quietly, a cold smile playing on her lips. The Empress had held this position for years without receiving much favor from the Emperor; she had long since fallen out of favor. If it weren't for the Empress Dowager's protection and the presence of the Crown Prince, she would have been killed long ago. Consort Sun was young, but not stupid. She had always considered Fenyan the biggest obstacle in the palace. After all, the Empress's position wasn't something anyone could easily obtain, and with the Empress Dowager around, it was unlikely anyone could harm the Empress and remove her from the throne. It wasn't that she didn't want the position, but she had temporarily kept it in mind. Now that Fenyan was dead, Consort Sun was the most powerful woman in the palace, and the Empress Dowager was using her to put pressure on her—trying to create enemies for her.
Consort Sun wasn't afraid of the concubines in the palace, but she also didn't dare to let anyone harm her behind her back. She smiled coldly and remained silent. Speaking now would only make her look foolish and invite a slap in the face.
Ouyang Yue, sitting in the seat above Consort Sun, naturally noticed the subtle change in Consort Sun's face. The corner of her mouth merely twitched slightly before returning to normal. She then said, "Grandmother, although Consort Fen offended the Emperor and deserved her punishment, I, your granddaughter-in-law, had some connection with her. Now that she has died in that cold palace, she will only end up being thrown into a mass grave. She was, after all, a noble person. I wonder if Grandmother would allow me to request a proper burial for her?"
The Empress said calmly, "Seventh Prince's wife, it's not that your mother doesn't want to agree, but the royal mausoleum is not a place that ordinary people can enter. Historically, it has always been reserved for one Empress, one Noble Consort, and four Consorts, and even that is decided by the Emperor. According to past practice, with only one Empress and one Noble Consort, even the four Consorts are not qualified. Not to mention that although Consort Fen is a Consort, she is not yet among the four Consorts. Moreover, she not only contradicted the Emperor but was also banished to the Cold Palace. This is probably against the rules."
The Imperial Mausoleum is naturally inhabited by the most esteemed members of the Great Zhou royal family. When the emperor and empress die, they will be buried there. According to custom, each emperor is buried alongside him in the mausoleum, with only the empress, one imperial concubine, and four consorts accompanying him. Ordinary princes are only buried with their principal wife and two secondary wives. This is only after the emperor and princes have officially recognized these women's status; otherwise, take Baili Cheng for example. Two of his crown princesses and one secondary wife died when he was crown prince. Could they all be buried there? The Imperial Mausoleum isn't so vast that just anyone can enter. Only those granted a title by imperial decree after death are eligible. Xuan Yue and Ning Xihe wouldn't be eligible, and as a concubine who committed a mistake, it's even less likely.
Ouyang Yue sighed and said, "Mother is right. I know this is a difficult matter. I didn't mean it that way. I just felt that Consort Fen was a good friend of mine. I hope she won't die in a mass grave and become a wandering ghost who can't even be reincarnated. At least I hope she can find a grave and have a memorial tablet."
The Empress Dowager thought for a moment and said, "You are a kind and compassionate person. This is not a big deal. In a sense, being banished to the Cold Palace means that you are no longer the Emperor's person. It is acceptable to send you away and bury you under any pretext. However, you are pregnant now and cannot accept this. If it offends you, even Consort Fen will not be able to rest in peace in the afterlife."
Ouyang Yue said quietly, "Grandmother is right. I will trouble Your Highness to take charge of this matter."
After talking for a while, Ouyang Yue thought for a moment and then sent a message to Emperor Mingxian, warning him that if he disagreed with the matter and she made the decision halfway through, he might blame her later.
Emperor Mingxian naturally did not disagree when he heard this. Since Fenyan had already been banished to the Cold Palace and the prince was gone, he had no further connection with her. Death was death, and the burial place was not the royal mausoleum, so Ouyang Yue could do whatever she wanted with her.
On the contrary, the atmosphere in the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace became somewhat tense upon hearing the news of Fenyan's death.
Baili Cheng sat in the study of the East Palace, his expression cold and gloomy. His brows were furrowed, his heart pounding. His complexion was poor, with dark circles under his eyes. Ever since Emperor Mingxian discovered his affair with Fenyan, Baili Cheng had never been able to sleep soundly. He would always have a dream as soon as he lay down, in which Emperor Mingxian saw him having an affair with Fenyan, stripped him of his title as crown prince, and even killed him. Every time, Baili Cheng would wake up in fright.
Although he knew as soon as he woke up that he had scared himself, he also knew that it was definitely not the kind of fear that he had been thinking about during the day and dreaming about at night.
Leaving aside how Emperor Mingxian would feel about this, even an ordinary man like Baili Cheng, seeing his wife having an affair, would want to kill the couple. And if his son were among them, he would likely be even more furious. And that's just as a man; for someone like Emperor Mingxian, who can have anything he wants, who is a powerful figure in the Great Zhou Dynasty, who dares to disrespect him, he can devise a hundred or more ways to make them wish they were dead. He truly couldn't imagine how his father would deal with him.
He gradually sensed something was amiss. Two days had passed since Fenyan was discovered, yet Emperor Mingxian had made no move, merely ordering him to return to the Eastern Palace. It seemed he had no intention of punishing him. While this was understandable—Emperor Mingxian would feel ashamed and not want others to know about his daughter's affair with his son—no one could swallow such an insult. Emperor Mingxian hadn't said anything at the time, and two days had passed without any punishment being handed down, leaving Baili Cheng even more anxious.
Actually, if Emperor Mingxian were to punish Baili Cheng, it wouldn't be so bad. He has the Empress and Empress Dowager above him, and the Lin family behind him. He has cultivated considerable influence over the years. If Emperor Mingxian wanted to punish him, he certainly wouldn't use Baili Cheng's affair with Fenyan as a real pretext. Baili Cheng could use other excuses to suppress the truth and change Emperor Mingxian's decision. But now, Emperor Mingxian's complete silence only intensifies his anxiety. Is his father truly indifferent, hence the silence? Or does he feel the matter is too shameful and want to selectively forget it? Or is his father currently devising a way to severely punish him, which is why nothing has been decided yet? And when that time comes, there will be no escaping his fate.
The more Baili Cheng thought about it, the higher the possibility seemed, and the more restless he became. Although Emperor Mingxian had been quite lenient with him over the years and had shown considerable affection, Baili Cheng didn't believe that Emperor Mingxian could maintain this fatherly love in this matter. He had absolutely no confidence in the situation, and he was afraid.
After pacing back and forth in the room for a while, Baili Cheng suddenly said, "Prepare the carriage to go to Anle Palace to see the Empress Dowager."
The palace officials had just returned from Chengxiang Hall. Upon hearing that Baili Cheng had arrived, they laughed and said, "Your Highness, what brings you here today? ... Oh, why do you look so pale? How are those damned servants taking care of you?"
Baili Cheng knelt down in front of the Empress with a thud, and said urgently, "Mother, please save your son!"
Upon seeing this, the Empress noticed a look of fear and worry on Baili Cheng's face. If something was truly troublesome, she waved her hand at the group of servants in the room and said, "All of you, leave. I need to have a private conversation with the Crown Prince."
"It's the Empress and the Crown Prince." A group of servants immediately filed away.
The room was now empty except for the Empress and her two trusted confidantes, as well as Baili Cheng. The Empress looked down at Baili Cheng and frowned: "What exactly happened? Tell me quickly. What made you look so disheveled?"
Baili Cheng glanced at Granny Bai and Lan Ni beside the Empress, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Mother, I can only tell you about this matter." In fact, Baili Cheng knew that Granny Bai and Lan Ni were trustworthy. Granny Bai was even Baili Cheng's wet nurse, who had taken care of him for a long time when he was a child. However, this matter was indeed of great importance, and he was too ashamed to let others know. It was a huge scandal, so the fewer people who knew, the better. If these servants knew, Baili Cheng felt that he could not hold his head up in front of them.
Granny Bai and Lan Ni were taken aback, but they tactfully withdrew from the scene. The Empress remained silent for a while before saying, "Have you caused a huge disaster?" How could Baili Cheng, who had grown up so much, never make mistakes like an adult? The Empress had cleaned up Baili Cheng's messes many times since he was a child, but she could still handle those things. Looking at Baili Cheng's current state, she vaguely felt that this matter was no small thing.
Baili Cheng froze, but finally gritted his teeth and said, "Mother... Your Majesty saw me making love with a woman..."
The Empress frowned, but didn't think much of it. She did, however, consider it embarrassing that Baili Cheng was seen with a woman by his elders. But then she realized something was amiss. The Emperor had been with countless women throughout his reign, and Baili Cheng's lecherous nature was likely inherited from Emperor Mingxian. His intimacy with a woman shouldn't be a big deal, just an embarrassing situation. Why was it described as a life-saving act by Baili Cheng? The Empress looked at him suspiciously. Baili Cheng's expression had already changed drastically. He opened and closed his mouth for a long time before finally gritting his teeth and saying, "That…that woman is…is Fenyan…"
"What!" The Empress suddenly jumped up as if she had sprung up. Her whole body trembled upon hearing the news, and her face changed drastically, turning even whiter than if she had applied powder. She raised her finger tremblingly and pointed at Baili Cheng for a long time before she finally blurted out, "You...you really have a lot of nerve! Are you looking for death? You...you..." The Empress was so angry that she couldn't even find the words to curse. What Baili Cheng said immediately terrified her, and she broke out in a cold sweat.
She thought to herself, "I'm so confused. How could Fenyan, who's so favored, be so easily offended by Emperor Mingxian? Even if she was, there's no way she couldn't be appeased, especially since she's pregnant with his youngest child. Even if we disregard the emperor's feelings, Emperor Mingxian wouldn't send her to the Cold Palace at this time. Everything about this seems illogical." Although the Empress felt it was unreasonable, such an opportunity to get rid of Fenyan was too rare. If she missed this chance, she might not get another one. The Empress would cut off anything that could affect Baili Cheng's ascension to the throne. So, suppressing her suspicions, she sent a message to the people in the Cold Palace: she wanted Fenyan to miscarry, to never rise again, and to die!
Now the Empress realized how ridiculous her son's actions were. Her beloved son had actually slept with his own father's woman—the Emperor's most favored concubine, who was pregnant. Even the Empress herself couldn't help but wonder if the child was actually the Emperor's, let alone the Emperor himself. This was a humiliating blow, utterly disgracing the Emperor. The punishment of Fenyan had caused widespread panic and speculation, but who would have thought of this connection? Even the Empress felt a chill run down her spine, waves of fear gripping her heart. The potential consequences of this were far too severe.
Seeing this, Baili Cheng's eyes reddened as well. Although his eyes weren't visible, he still looked pitiful. In truth, Baili Cheng was even more afraid than the Empress. He was terrified. From birth, he had been the prince of everyone's attention, no one more noble than him. As long as he grew up safely, virtuous, and loved his people, and didn't make any major mistakes, the throne would surely be his. Over the years, he had been invincible. But who knew this offense would be so serious, so serious that it would cost him his position as crown prince? He feared he might not be able to keep it. A lifetime of glory and half a lifetime of honor—that was what Baili Cheng had dreamed of since childhood. If it were to be thwarted like this, he truly felt like dying.
"Mother, I have been wronged!" Baili Cheng finally squeezed out two tears because he was too angry. These were tears of grief and indignation, tears of pent-up frustration, and tears of fear.
"Injustice? What exactly happened? Explain yourself!" Having initially been angry and fearful, the Empress had now regained her composure. She thought to herself, Baili Cheng couldn't possibly be so foolish. While Fen Yan was a rare beauty with a unique and outstanding temperament, she lacked the refined and elegant aura of Ouyang Yue, and was by no means one of a kind. Baili Cheng was willing to sacrifice even Ouyang Yue for the throne. The Empress knew her son well; he was indeed lustful, but not without restraint. Even if he liked someone, what he liked even more was the throne. For the throne, he would do anything, no matter how beautiful a woman. Why was he so impatient with Fen Yan?
Baili Cheng was furious: "Mother, your son and Fenyan were indeed set up. Actually, your son didn't have much contact with Fenyan. It was Lin Yingying who first went to Fenyan, wanting to conspire to harm Ouyang Yue. Afterwards, Fenyan felt that Lin Yingying's status and strength were not enough, so she took the initiative to see your son. For the sake of our future cause, the Chen Prince's Mansion is indeed a source of trouble. The sooner we get rid of it, the sooner we can eliminate this great threat in your heart. Fenyan is also ambitious. From what I've observed, she has probably already confirmed that she is carrying a prince, so she has the idea of vying for power. Our target is naturally the Chen Prince's Mansion. Your son and I hit it off immediately and cooperated."
The Empress frowned: "This time, when Xuanyuan Yue was arrested, you used the evidence to try and implicate Baili Chen, wasn't that it?" Baili Cheng nodded without hiding anything. The Empress sneered, "So your cousin became a stumbling block, so you killed her, which conveniently became the prelude to this whole affair. You even had the heart to do it. She was carrying your child, and you couldn't even protect this one, nor that other beauty. You're really good at scheming!" The Empress's thoughts differed slightly from the Crown Prince's. Ouyang Yue was too prominent, mainly because she was pregnant. The child was the key. The Empress thought Baili Cheng shouldn't have gotten involved. As long as he quickly gave birth to a son, even if it wasn't Emperor Mingxian's first grandson, it wouldn't be a big problem. After all, he was the Crown Prince, while Baili Chen was just a prince. The difference was huge. Yet, in order to deal with the Chen Prince's Mansion, he had now caused the Crown Prince's Mansion to lose two children. The Empress was also angry with Baili Cheng.
Baili Cheng looked displeased, but admitted his mistake, saying, "Mother, I know I was wrong. At that time, I had just learned that a beauty in the manor was pregnant, but Fenyan demanded that Lin Yingying and her unborn child be provided in exchange for Ouyang Yue's handwriting. I knew at the time that there was more than one pregnant woman in the manor, and that it wouldn't have too much of an impact on my grand plan, so I agreed. I even thought that after the matter was settled, the first thing I would deal with was Fenyan. Who knew... From then on, I had contact with Fenyan. However, after this incident, I made sure that we didn't have any contact in our rooms to avoid being discovered. But that night, I suddenly received an urgent letter from Fenyan. I was afraid that the matter had been exposed, and I was just about to consult her on a solution when I fell into her trap, was drugged with aphrodisiacs, and then this happened."
The Empress's face was ashen. Baili Cheng said urgently, "Mother, you must help me this time! If you don't help me, I really don't know what to do. I have absolutely no feelings for that Fenyan. I was really drugged and lost my mind. Besides, how could Father have come by so coincidentally? I found out afterwards that Father was originally in the Imperial Study and didn't even choose any of the other concubines. In the end, he just happened to go to Liuhua Palace. This is clearly a scheme to harm me."
The Empress glanced at Baili Cheng with a somber expression: "If you hadn't been so blinded by greed and cooperated with that vile woman, Fenyan, none of this would have happened. Do you think I would have allowed the Chen Prince's Mansion to grow so powerful? Do you think you had the ability to kill Fenyan afterwards? Let me tell you the truth, Fenyan had already cooperated with me long ago. Otherwise, do you think I would have allowed her to live in the palace for so long, and even become pregnant with the Emperor's child? Fenyan seems to have some extraordinary background. The death of Consort Sun was actually her scheme. And the substance under the blue lotus did indeed have a miscarriage-inducing effect, only..." However, that substance needs to be combined with other things, which cannot be detected by examining spices. At that time, Fenyan secretly sided with me, and Xuanyuan Yue was still foolishly thinking that Fenyan was protecting him. In this matter, even Xuanyuan Yue was schemed against by her, and I was merely reaping the benefits. And this Fenyan was able to maneuver so smoothly between Consort Sun, Ouyang Yue, and me without arousing suspicion. What kind of person is she? You are truly confused. You didn't discuss such an important matter with me, and now that a major blunder has occurred, you come to me. How could I possibly come up with a solution?"
The Empress's face was grim. She scolded Baili Cheng for being momentarily blinded by greed, but she wasn't entirely wrong. Now that things had come to this, she truly couldn't think of any better solutions. The Emperor had initially allowed Baili Cheng to return via the underground passage and then banished Fenyan to the Cold Palace, without punishing Baili Cheng. This matter was unlikely to be punished then; not only would Emperor Mingxian not punish him, but he would likely keep it a secret. Having been with the Emperor for so many years, the Empress knew Emperor Mingxian quite well. This man was exceptionally arrogant. When Emperor Mingxian first ascended the throne, the court was unstable, and his situation was difficult, yet he persevered step by step. His audacity in bestowing upon himself the title of Emperor Mingxian demonstrated his persistence and ambition. Although some major border issues hadn't been fully resolved in recent years, it was undeniable that under Emperor Mingxian's rule, the lives of the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty were somewhat better than under the previous dynasty. Would such a person allow such a scandal to occur, especially one so disgraceful that it would be ridiculed by the world? Emperor Mingxian would not do it, he would not let it spread. Even if he harbored deep resentment towards Baili Cheng, he could only suffer in silence and would never mention it to others.
But whether or not they will hold him accountable later is anyone's guess. And even if they don't do it now, Emperor Mingxian might hold a grudge someday when he's in a bad mood and thinks about what Baili Cheng did today. If the Empress is going to do it, she needs to come up with a solution that will solve the problem once and for all, but such a solution is not so easy to come up with.
The Empress was racking her brains, while Baili Cheng remained safely on the sidelines, saying nothing.
"So, who do you think is plotting against you?" After a while, the Queen broke the silence.
Baili Cheng gritted his teeth: "Who else could it be but Xuanyuan Yue and Baili Chen?"
The Empress sighed, "It is precisely because of them that we cannot act rashly now. You previously presented evidence that Baili Chen was plotting a rebellion, but the Emperor did not pursue the matter because he knew that nothing would come of it. Now that this has happened again, if we make any further moves at this time, I'm afraid the Emperor will find it difficult not to take action."
Baili Cheng was shocked: "Mother, are we just going to do nothing and let Baili Chen and Xuanyuan Yue, those two vile women, live happily ever after? Just thinking about this makes me furious."
The Empress glared at Baili Cheng: "Suppress your anger for me. It's not wise to act rashly now. We need to find an opportunity. Now is the time for you to bide your time and not make any rash moves. Only when there is a real opportunity in the future can you deliver a heavy blow to them."
Although Baili Cheng was still somewhat apprehensive, he understood that what the Empress said was true. Some things cannot be rushed. For example, this time he wanted to frame Baili Chen for treason. If it had taken longer and he had acted more carefully, the situation would probably be very different now.
Baili Cheng was being groomed to be the crown prince. Although he had acted inappropriately out of fear before, he calmed down after the empress's guidance: "Mother, I understand. I know what to do."
"Alright, behave well these days." The Empress patted Baili Cheng on the shoulder. If the Emperor didn't mention this matter, they certainly couldn't, lest they incur Emperor Mingxian's displeasure. At this moment, the Empress was also thinking that it was fortunate that Emperor Mingxian was, after all, an emperor. The palace was never short of beauties. Although Fenyan was pregnant and thus different from others, she was also favored by the Emperor. However, the Emperor could get rid of Consort Sun as he pleased. In this palace, love was utterly laughable. Before long, Emperor Mingxian might forget about Fenyan. If Baili Cheng behaved well then, gradually fading Emperor Mingxian's anger, perhaps he wouldn't blame Baili Cheng.
The Empress was also confident. Although Emperor Mingxian had caught Baili Cheng and Fenyan in the act, he wouldn't reveal it for the sake of his reputation. Moreover, the Crown Prince hadn't made any major mistakes during his many years in office, so there was no reason for him to depose him. This was probably one of the reasons why he didn't punish Baili Cheng. As long as Emperor Mingxian could get through this phase, everything would be fine.
The Empress even thought that now that Fenyan was dead, the three-way balance of power in the palace was broken. Consort Sun was not enough to compete with her. Perhaps she should try to promote another concubine or make concessions to Consort Sun a few times. She probably couldn't do nothing about it.
Putting aside the matter of the Empress and the Crown Prince, Ouyang Yue returned to the Prince Chen's residence by carriage after leaving the palace. However, as soon as she turned a corner on the Imperial Street, the carriage suddenly stopped.
Dongxue immediately jumped down to check, and soon came over with a strange expression, saying, "Your Highness, it's Zi Er from the Miao Jiang Holy King's side. She said that the Miao Jiang Holy King is waiting for Your Highness at the restaurant at the street corner, and has important matters to discuss."
Ouyang Yue frowned: "What could he possibly want from me?" Ouyang Yue had never had a good feeling about this Miao Jiang Holy King. He was too mysterious and too strange. She always felt that she had a great deal of defensiveness towards this man, it was an instinct. And this man seemed to want to get something from her. Of course, Ouyang Yue was not referring to her body, but something else.
"Your Highness, perhaps we should decline?" Dongxue also desperately didn't want Ouyang Yue to go, but she couldn't make the decision for Ouyang Yue.
Ouyang Yue thought for a moment and said, "No, let's go and see what he's going to do."
Dongxue was a little worried. The Miao Jiang Holy King didn't seem like a good person, and the way he looked at the princess was very strange. Baili Chen had also said to be very careful with this person. Ouyang Yue thought for a moment and said, "Send someone to tell the prince that if I don't come back in half an hour, he should send someone to pick me up. Also, have someone keep an eye on the restaurant."
Dongxue nodded and went to tell Zi Er. Then the carriage changed direction and went to the restaurant where the Miao Jiang Holy King had arranged to meet. After entering the restaurant, Zi Er did not linger and directly led Ouyang Yue upstairs. When they arrived at the innermost private room on the second floor, Zi Er gestured for Ouyang Yue and Dongxue to go in, while Zi Er stopped outside the room.
There were two people in the room. One was Yu Xiaoyao, dressed in a striking red outfit, and the other was Zi San, who was quietly standing to the side, occasionally pouring wine for Yu Xiaoyao. Ouyang Yue raised her eyebrows slightly and said, "I wonder what brings the Holy King of Miao Jiang here to invite this princess?"
Yu Xiaoyao raised his head, and a bright red totem on his fair face seemed to flicker slightly, as if it had come to life. Ouyang Yue felt a little strange. The shape of the totem was very strange, so she had observed it before when she saw it. Although she couldn't figure out what it was, she felt that the totem today was different from the usual ones. But Ouyang Yue wisely didn't pay too much attention to it and looked straight at Yu Xiaoyao.
Yu Xiaoyao raised her red lips slightly and looked at Ouyang Yue thoughtfully: "Princess Consort Chen just came out of the palace. I wonder if she has any troubles?"
Ouyang Yue did not answer. She had already let Dongxue check her over. After confirming that there was no problem, Ouyang Yue sat down in the chair and quietly looked at the Miao Jiang Holy King, but there was no emotion between them.
Yu Xiaoyao quietly drank his wine, and the time it took for an incense stick to burn passed between them. The two of them then fell silent, which made the two maids, Zi San and Dong Xue, feel very strange. The atmosphere in the room was somewhat chilling, and even Dong Xue, who was an assassin, felt a chill creeping over her.
After a while, Yu Xiaoyao put down his wine cup and said with a smile, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Princess Consort. I don't like to talk when I'm drinking, otherwise I would have wasted the good wine. This strange habit of mine is quite a headache."
Ouyang Yue didn't take it seriously and said indifferently, "Everyone has some minor flaws, which are all normal. Why should the Holy King make such a fuss about it?"
Yu Xiaoyao looked at Ouyang Yue with a deep gaze and sighed, "If you were born a man, you would probably be my greatest rival."
Ouyang Yue said calmly, "Can't a daughter be like that? Let alone me, even my prince is probably no less capable than you, Holy King."
Yu Xiaoyao smiled and smiled, "You really are protecting Baili Chen. It seems you're deeply in love with him." Ouyang Yue didn't speak, but raised an eyebrow at Yu Xiaoyao, who said, "Feelings are the most difficult thing to talk about in this world. Since you're so sure, you might be the first to keep your promise in the future."
"How do you know?" Ouyang Yue asked, squinting her eyes.
Yu Xiaoyao stared intently at Ouyang Yue: "Because it was I who said that you will definitely betray Baili Chen in the future."
Ouyang Yue sneered: "Oh, really? So the Holy King can tell fortunes. I thought someone of such noble birth as the Holy King was incomparable to those charlatans. Perhaps I overestimated the Holy King."
Zi San's face darkened, and his hands clenched tightly. However, seeing that Yu Xiaoyao showed no reaction, he held back. But Ouyang Yue's expression did not improve. Yu Xiaoyao, on the other hand, was not angry at all: "Princess Consort Chen, would you like to make a bet with me?"