Chapter 274: The Empress Goes To The Imperial Study Room
The Empress gave her a glance and beckoned her over. Liu Ye obediently stepped forward.
The Empress took her hand and looked at her swollen face with heartache.
“It must hurt, right? This Palace did it all for your own good. If this matter were known by others, This Palace wouldn’t have it easy, and neither would you.
You know what the situation is in the palace.”
The Empress analyzed the situation for her in this earnest tone.
Liu Ye’s body stiffened, but she also knew she was telling the truth.
“Empress, this servant knows.”
Seeing she had no rebellious spirit, the Empress immediately let go of her hand.
She picked up a handkerchief and rubbed it back and forth in her hands several times before placing it on the table.
Liu Ye’s eyebrows twitched.
Was this disdain for her?
But even knowing that, she didn’t dare show it.
“Pour a cup of tea for This Palace. I ate too many melon seeds just now and am a bit thirsty.”
Liu Ye obediently stepped forward and poured a cup into the teacup in front of her.
Then she stood to the side.
The Empress picked up the cup and took a sip, feeling her throat not so dry anymore.
Only then did she satisfactorily put down the teacup.
“Empress, His Majesty summons you.”
Before she could speak, Eunuch Li’s voice came from outside the door.
Interrupted by someone, the Empress was a bit displeased and was just about to scold when she looked up and saw it was Eunuch Li by Emperor Qin’s side. Her face froze in place, but she quickly recovered her usual kindly demeanor.
She smiled brightly at Eunuch Li. “Eunuch Li, you’ve come. Come in for a cup of tea.”
Eunuch Li hadn’t missed the sharp glint in her eyes just now. Seeing the slap mark on Liu Ye’s face beside her and recalling everything he’d heard in the Imperial Study Room, he felt no fondness for this friendly Empress before him.
Usually pretending to be dignified and virtuous, but so vicious in private.
“No need, His Majesty is still waiting for this slave to report back.” Eunuch Li said indifferently.
Seeing his serious demeanor without the usual flattery, the Empress vaguely had a bad premonition. She composed her emotions and showed a faint smile at the corners of her mouth.
“In that case, Eunuch Li, please wait a moment. This Palace will go change clothes and then go with you to see His Majesty.”
“Empress, His Majesty wants you to go immediately—come with this slave right away!” Eunuch Li directly refused, his face also turning sharp.
The Empress was stunned. Ever since ascending to the position of Empress, people in the palace had been outwardly very respectful to her, especially Eunuch Li by Emperor Qin’s side.
This was the first time Eunuch Li had given her the cold shoulder.
It seemed Emperor Qin summoning her wouldn’t be anything good.
She turned her head and gave Liu Ye a look, silently mouthing words to her, then stood up and walked toward the door.
Liu Ye understood her lip language, lowered her eyes, and showed no reaction.
On the way to the Imperial Study Room, the Empress felt various anxieties in her heart. She took out a piece of gold and secretly slipped it into Eunuch Li’s hand. “Eunuch Li, did something happen for His Majesty to summon me?”
Eunuch Li looked at the gold slipped to him. Normally, he would gladly accept it, but things were different now. He sidestepped, walking two steps to the side.
With a cold face, he said, “Empress, this slave doesn’t know.”
Seeing his ungrateful manner, the Empress’s face immediately darkened.
She cursed inwardly.
A mere eunuch daring to put on airs before This Palace—wait until she returned from the Imperial Study Room, and see how she dealt with him.
The Empress quickly reverted to her haughty attitude.
Soon the Empress arrived at the Imperial Study Room.
Upon entering, seeing Wei Chang kneeling, she breathed a sigh of relief inwardly and felt secretly smug.
She thought it was Wei Chang who had returned privately and was being punished by Emperor Qin.
As Wei Chang’s imperial mother, Emperor Qin in his anger had summoned her to warn her and make her discipline Wei Chang properly.
“Chang’er, when did you come back? Weren’t you in Lingnan?”
The Empress pretended to be surprised as she stepped forward to Wei Chang’s side.
Wei Chang didn’t even give her a glance, but her approach made his whole body emit an icy aura.
The Empress didn’t mind and knelt down as well. “Your Majesty, Chang’er has been away from this imperial mother too long, so he missed me and snuck back. I hope Your Majesty won’t blame him.”
Hearing her hypocritical acting, a mocking smile appeared at the corners of Wei Chang’s mouth.
Emperor Qin had also seen through this woman’s hypocrisy and said coldly, “Yu Shi, do you know your crime?”
The Empress was stunned. No matter how angry Emperor Qin had been before, he would always give her face, merely keeping a cold face and avoiding her in private, but he had never called her by “Yu Shi.”
Her heart sank.
But thinking Wei Chang was the Crown Prince and he had returned privately, it was reasonable for Emperor Qin to be angry—it was probably about her failing to teach Wei Chang well.
The Empress’s eyes immediately reddened, tears slowly flowing out.
“Your Majesty, this consort knows her crime. Please show mercy, Your Majesty.”
Seeing her tears, disgust flashed in Emperor Qin’s eyes. Seeing her admit without defending herself was also a bit unexpected.
Because it was something she had done for him, and her conscience was uneasy, she admitted it.
But for avenging the woman he loved, Emperor Qin didn’t want to waste more words with her and directly shouted angrily outside, “Come! Yu Shi is without virtue and unfit to be mother to the world. Effective immediately, depose her of the Empress position and send her to the Cold Palace, never to leave for life.”
Wei Chang was stunned and slightly raised his head to look at Emperor Qin, but Emperor Qin avoided his gaze, seeming guilty.
A cold smile tugged at Wei Chang’s lips.
The Empress sat dazed on the ground, looking at Emperor Qin with disbelief in her eyes, shouting loudly, “Your Majesty, what wrong has this consort done for you to treat me like this?”
It was Wei Chang who returned privately—what did it have to do with her?
Realizing it was all caused by Wei Chang, the Empress dropped the pretense, turned her head to glare at Wei Chang, and saw him giving Emperor Qin a cold smile.
The Empress grew even more doubtful.
The previous Wei Chang had only been outwardly indifferent but very respectful to Emperor Qin—how could he show such an expression now? Could she have seen wrong?
The Empress blinked and found the cold smile still at Wei Chang’s lips.
She hadn’t seen wrong.
Seeing her still pretending, Emperor Qin had spared her life only out of regard for her heaven’s mandate nobility, but she was still not content and he immediately grew angry.
He ruthlessly threw the document in front of her. “Take a look! Don’t say that I wronged you.”
The paper fluttered lightly to a meter in front of the Empress. She crawled over in disarray, her hands trembling as she picked up the paper.
Seeing the contents, the Empress’s eyes widened more and more.
Her eyes were full of fear.
How was that possible?
How could the matter have been exposed? What was written matched exactly the information brought back by the people she sent out.
That meant those people hadn’t all died—someone had been captured alive and betrayed her.
The Empress’s body began trembling too.
Like discarding a hot potato, the Empress’s face paled as she threw the paper away.
She shook her head forcefully, instinctively denying it.
“No, this isn’t true. This is slander. This Palace never did these things.”
