ng Qianqian went to the Black Armor Army’s encampnt, and upon returning to the Kunning Palace, she found the Empress sitting in the room sipping tea.
"Sister-in-law, why have you gotten out of bed?"
ng Qianqian asked with concern.
The Empress gave a weak smile and said, "I woke up and didn’t see you. Yuan Yang ntioned you went to the military camp. Is there any news of your Imperial Brother?"
ng Qianqian sighed deeply and said in frustration, "Not yet. Imperial Brother went missing in the Cold Palace. I visited the dried-up well in the Imperial Palace. I suspect there’s a chanism there that allows entry but not exit."
The Empress turned pale with fright, tightly holding ng Qianqian’s hand: "If it allows entry but not exit, then Your Majesty could be... in grave danger?"
ng Qianqian lowered her head, her eyes slightly reddening.
The Empress quickly patted the back of her hand, comforting, "Look at , how could I say such things to you? You had the best relationship with Your Majesty. If sothing happens to him, it’s more painful for you than for ."
ng Qianqian choked up and said, "Sister-in-law’s affection for my Imperial Brother is no less than Fengyin’s for him. Fengyin is very worried about Sister-in-law and doesn’t want you to do anything foolish no matter what happens."
The Empress paused for a mont.
ng Qianqian wiped away her tears, her gaze resolute, "Sister-in-law, Fengyin plans to go down the dried-up well herself and rescue my Imperial Brother."
The Empress grabbed her hand, "But... didn’t you say that place allows entry but not exit?"
ng Qianqian hesitated for a mont, "Actually, Fengyin has a bold guess about the hidden tunnel beneath the well. Fengyin suspects it’s an entrance to an underground palace."
"An underground palace?" The Empress was utterly shocked.
"Yes."
ng Qianqian continued, "Since it’s an underground palace, there must be an exit. Fengyin returned to the city this ti with a force of twelve thousand, including ten thousand elite Black Armor soldiers. Besides, I’ve also invited a Gu Master from Miaojiang who will use Gu Worms to track my whereabouts. As long as I find my Imperial Brother in the underground palace and lead him to the exit, the Black Armor Army will be there to et us."
The Empress took a sip of tea, "Thus... it’s a foolproof plan. But in case anything happens to you, how will I explain to our ancestors?"
ng Qianqian solemnly replied, "But if Fengyin doesn’t go to find my Imperial Brother, I’m afraid Sister-in-law will do sothing foolish. Sister-in-law hasn’t been eating or drinking these days; it’s truly worrying Fengyin."
The Empress’s eyelids trembled slightly.
She gently started coughing.
ng Qianqian hurriedly raised her hand to pat her back, "Sister-in-law, are you alright? Please don’t think about doing anything rash. With my Imperial Brother away, Sister-in-law is the closest person to Fengyin."
Clatter.
The sound of porcelain shattering ca from the doorway.
The Empress raised her eyes and looked toward the source along with ng Qianqian.
Prince Fu stood at the doorway, flustered and full of worry in his eyes.
ng Qianqian asked irritably, "No manners. Can’t you even hold a bowl of dicinal soup properly?"
Prince Fu looked toward the Empress.
The Empress gently patted ng Qianqian’s hand, "Prince Fu is dutiful. He has been attending to my illness beside my bed these days. I initially said that these matters should be handled by a Palace Attendant, but he insisted on doing everything himself."
ng Qianqian snorted.
The palace maid beside the Empress astutely stepped forward, starting to clean up the shattered porcelain and dicine residue on the ground.
Prince Fu stepped inside, full of concern, "Mother, you..."
ng Qianqian said coldly, "You stamr, can’t hold dicinal soup steady, and can’t speak clearly? I warn you, take good care of the Empress. If the Empress suffers even the slightest loss, the days of Fu Prince Mansion won’t be good!"
Prince Fu, looking every bit the timid junior, replied, "Understood, Aunt."
That day, the news that the Empress, overwheld with grief, wanted to follow Your Majesty spread like wildfire, reaching the entire Imperial Palace within half a day.
"She wants to die for her cousin?"
Consort Hu sat in the small garden of her bedchamber, scoffing disdainfully, "Just putting on a show, does she think I don’t know her?"
"Your Grace, be careful of eavesdroppers."
Her personal female official reminded.
Consort Hu snorted coldly, "With cousin gone, should I fear her? My son is about to ascend the throne, making the legitimate Empress Dowager. She will have to bow before !"
According to ancestral customs, both the Empress and the Emperor’s birth mother could be titled as Empress Dowager, with the forr’s status being more respected. However, in practice, due to the Emperor’s favoritism, the latter often gained more prestige and power.
Therefore, Consort Hu now feared the Empress no longer.
She smiled faintly, "Let’s go see the Empress."
At the entrance of Kunning Palace, Consort Hu, Princess Consort Chen, and Consort Jiang unexpectedly t.
She looked at the two of them haughtily, asking in a lukewarm tone, "Why have Princess Consort Chen and Consort Hui also co?"
Consort Jiang chuckled, "Is Kunning Palace sowhere we’re not allowed to be?"
Consort Hu, reminded of the tis she was humiliated by Consort Jiang, felt a painful sting on her cheek.
She mocked, "So can’t even take care of themselves, yet they wade into muddy waters. One day, they won’t even know what hit them."
Princess Consort Chen smiled, "Consort Hu is right. If you can’t take care of yourself, you should stay in your bedchamber lest you fall and never get up."
"You!"
Consort Hu’s eyes flashed with anger.
Consort Jiang patted Princess Consort Chen’s hand, "If you have sothing to say, say more."
Princess Consort Chen laughed, "Alright."
The two entered Kunning Palace hand in hand.
Consort Hu was left seething once again.
She coldly watched the backs of the two, sneering, "Let’s see how long your arrogance lasts! Once my son ascends the throne, each of you will have to grovel at my feet!"
Inside Kunning Palace, Princess Consort Chen and Consort Jiang inquired after the Empress’s well-being with kind words and persuasion.
"Your Majesty is rely missing," "With fortune favoring the virtuous, Your Majesty will surely return safely," "The Empress mustn’t think anything foolish," and so on.
"Though there have been precedents for posthumous unions in the previous dynasty, our current dynasty does not require it. The Empress must take care."
This was said by Princess Consort Chen.
Consort Jiang was too lazy to act; she was just a spectator.
The Empress gazed directly into Princess Consort Chen’s concerned eyes, suddenly realizing that this woman, who had been humble for most of her life at the Prince Mansion, was not as simple as she appeared.
She even ntioned posthumous union.
Should there be an untily end for herself in the future, it would beco an already "predicted" event.
Princess Consort Chen gently said, "Take care of yourself, Empress. Hui and I will not disturb you further."
Leaving Kunning Palace, Consort Jiang said to Princess Consort Chen, "I never knew you were so clever before. It would have been better if you were like this earlier."
Princess Consort Chen shyly smiled, "Pardon for making you laugh."
Consort Jiang suggested, "Co, let’s play a few rounds in my chambers."
Princess Consort Chen responded, "You better not cheat."
Consort Jiang retorted, "I told you I miscounted last ti!"
Consort Hu stood behind the flowers, watching the two converse happily, rolling her eyes in anger.
Kunning Palace.
The palace maid Yuan Yang served the Empress dicinal soup.
The Empress waved her hand.
"Yes, Your Grace."
Yuan Yang took away the dicinal soup.
The Empress quietly gazed at the copper mirror, gently removing the earrings from her ears and dropping them with a clatter into the jewelry box.
Having put away her things for the journey to the underground palace, ng Qianqian lay down to rest.
The night was dark and windy.
A venomous snake with a flickering tongue quietly slithered through the window, crawling onto ng Qianqian’s bed.
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