"Mei'er, I'm planning to open a clinic called Baojitang. I'd like you to oversee it. Is that alright?"
Hailing, remembering the matter of setting up Baojitang, immediately became interested. She looked at Shimei, who was taken aback for a moment, but quickly recovered and respectfully accepted the order: "This servant obeys. Your Highness, rest assured, this servant will definitely handle this matter well."
"I trust you."
Hai Ling smiled and nodded, and Xi Liang and Nalan Mingzhu both nodded in agreement. Being able to do something for the people was a happy thing.
Just as the conversation was getting lively, Fu Yue led several palace maids and eunuchs into the main hall.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, there are guests at Cixi Palace!"
It wasn't unusual for the Empress Dowager to have guests at Cixi Palace, so Hailing didn't seem to care. She raised an eyebrow and said, "What's wrong? So what if guests are here? Why are you so nervous?"
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has sent someone to invite you over. I heard that the guest is very much favored by the Empress Dowager."
Fu Yue frowned, feeling uneasy, because the young eunuch who had come to report earlier had secretly told her that the Empress Dowager really liked that guest.
I wonder what kind of guest it is that the Empress Dowager likes him so much.
Fuyue was still somewhat affected by the recent developments in the palace. It seemed that the Empress Dowager had a problem with the Emperor because the Emperor had not given important positions to the west family. The Empress Dowager was likely blaming the Empress for this, but in reality, it was all the Emperor's doing and had nothing to do with the Empress.
However, the Empress Dowager might not think so. Now that someone has come to Cixi Palace, the Empress Dowager is so happy. I really don't know what kind of guest this is.
The Empress Dowager has not been happy lately.
"Very well, since there are guests in Cixi Palace, I'd like to see what kind of guests they are?"
After Hai Ling finished speaking, she stood up and glanced at Nalan Mingzhu and Xi Liang: "Would you like to go and pay your respects to the Empress Dowager together?"
Nalan Mingzhu and Xi Liang nodded, partly out of curiosity about who the people in Cixi Palace were, and partly because they thought they might be able to help Hailing. They had heard that the Empress Dowager had a lot of opinions about Hailing, and since they were good friends, there was no reason not to help.
The group got up and headed towards Cixi Palace.
Today, Cixi Palace was different from its usual cold and desolate atmosphere; it was filled with joy. Before Hailing and the others even entered the hall, they could hear cheerful laughter coming from inside.
The Empress Dowager's voice was the loudest, something that had never happened before. Hai Ling's brow twitched involuntarily, and she felt somewhat uneasy.
The Empress Dowager is currently very dissatisfied with her because she did not say anything during the Emperor's appointment, so the Empress Dowager has taken note of her.
Now that someone from Cixi Palace has come, she hastily ordered someone to invite her over, clearly with ulterior motives. But who exactly is this person?
As the group entered the main hall of Cixi Palace, the first thing they saw was a beautiful and radiant woman, as if made of water. She was described as such because her bright eyes seemed to be shrouded in mist and rain, creating a hazy and dreamlike atmosphere. She had two small dimples on her cheeks, and when she smiled, she was incredibly endearing. At that moment, she was nestled in the Empress Dowager's arms, enjoying the Empress Dowager's affection.
As soon as Hai Ling and the others entered, the two who had been talking so animatedly stopped abruptly, and the hall fell silent.
The Empress Dowager and the woman looked over together. Hai Ling stared straight at the woman, who in turn stared back at her. The woman then struggled to get up and bow to Hai Ling, but the Empress Dowager held her down.
"Alright, you're not feeling well, there's no need for these formalities."
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."
The woman thanked the Empress Dowager and sat obediently without moving. Hai Ling didn't mind and led Nalan Mingzhu and Xi Liang forward to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty."
"Nalan Mingzhu greets the Empress Dowager."
Inside the main hall, several voices rang out simultaneously. The Empress Dowager, her face full of smiles, waved her hand to signal everyone to stand up: "Sit down. I am very happy today, so I called the Empress over to meet our guests."
Hai Ling nodded, led Nalan Mingzhu and Xi Liang to sit on one side of the main hall, and then spoke gently.
"Your Majesty specially sent someone to invite me here. May I ask who you wish to see?"
Although she knew that she had been summoned to see someone close to the Empress Dowager, Hai Ling pretended not to know and casually asked...
The Empress Dowager, holding the hand of the bright and lovely woman beside her, introduced her with a smile: "This is Wanxing. When she was little, she loved to stick to Feng'er and even said that she would marry Feng'er when she grew up."
As soon as the Empress Dowager finished speaking, the woman named Wanxing blushed and quickly lowered her head, protesting in protest.
"Your Majesty, this happened so long ago, why are you bringing it up again?"
Inside the main hall, Hai Ling's expression was somewhat cold. It seemed that the Empress Dowager was truly dissatisfied with her, which was why she had brought this woman into the palace. She was the one who had accompanied Ye Lingfeng when he was a child. Wasn't it said that he had been studying martial arts on the mountain when he was young? How could she have time to play with a little girl? However, she nodded without showing any emotion.
"So it's Miss Wanxing. May I ask how Miss Wanxing came to the palace?"
The Empress Dowager smiled and patted Wanxing's hand, then looked at Hailing with a barely perceptible cold light in her eyes. She said indifferently, "It was I who sent someone to find her. The palace is very quiet. I have always liked this little girl, so I ordered someone to find her and bring her into the palace to keep me company."
"Oh, then Miss Wanxing, please keep Mother company."
Hailin didn't take it to heart. In fact, it was because she had made the Empress Dowager unhappy that the Empress Dowager was now trying to make her unhappy.
Although Wanxing was Ye Lingfeng's childhood friend, and he felt a little jealous, he wasn't furious enough to be embarrassed. So, the Empress Dowager's wishful thinking had backfired.
Inside the main hall, Nalan Mingzhu and Xi Liang both stared at Hai Ling. The two women appeared peaceful on the surface, but their relationship was actually quite turbulent. The Empress Dowager was clearly using Wan Xing to control Hai Ling. Could it be that the Empress Dowager wanted Wan Xing to enter the palace?
This seemingly random, seemingly random, persona, though appearing delicate and evokes a desire to protect her, is probably not a kind-hearted individual.
Nalan Mingzhu and Xi Liang were thinking to themselves, staring at Wanxing. They saw that despite being stared at by so many people, she was not flustered at all. She remained calm and smiled, glancing at Hailing and Nalan Mingzhu before speaking eloquently.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured, Wanxing will take good care of the Empress Dowager."
"That's good."
Hai Ling nodded, and outside the main hall, a eunuch's voice rang out: "His Majesty has arrived."
Hai Ling led Nalan Mingzhu to sit up, looked towards the palace gate, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on her lips. She wanted to see how others would acknowledge their childhood friendship.
Ye Lingfeng was unaware of what had happened inside Cixi Palace. The Empress Dowager sent someone to invite him over, and he came. As soon as he entered the main hall, he saw Hai Ling, Nalan Mingzhu, and others there. His radiant face was adorned with the beauty of a phoenix soaring and a dragon flying, which made many people in the hall sigh in their hearts, thinking that the Emperor was indeed a handsome man.