Empress Sun's words were so powerful that the palace maids and eunuchs, who were already trembling with fear, did not dare to breathe and just knelt there obediently.
Concubine Dong refused to give in. She stood up in a panic, looked at Empress Sun fiercely, and said word by word: "Sister Empress, this is my territory of Zhuoyao Palace, and I am the head of the palace. She stole my antidote, and I will never let her leave even if I die."
Concubine Dong knew that she had been poisoned by Zui Beichun, and in A'man's hand was the only antidote.
Now, it's either she or Murong Kai, it's a fight to the death.
She had worked hard in the palace for many years, but she had not yet obtained what she wanted. She still had a bright future and life ahead of her, so she was unwilling to die like this.
So, even if she wanted to be the queen, she would still fight for it.
"Dong Guifei, you may have forgotten that this harem was entrusted to me by the Grand Empress Dowager before she left. According to you, this harem is my territory."
Empress Sun's voice was sonorous and intimidating without even getting angry. When she looked at Concubine Dong, her face was full of pride, which made people feel submissive.
Seeing the queen's fearless look, Ah Man felt deeply moved. After she knew Murong Kai was poisoned, she went to the palace to find the queen, and the two of them made a deal. She thought that was the limit of what the queen could do, but she didn't expect that the queen, who looked gentle and loving, would be so domineering.
"Huaizhi, send this girl to the Third Prince's Ruyi Palace. I'll be here. Let's see who dares to stop her." Empress Sun instructed the maid behind her. After she finished speaking, she looked at Concubine Dong provocatively with a determined look on her face.
"Queen, I know you want to kill me. If I die, the Emperor will never forgive you."
When Concubine Dong saw Ah Man leaving with the Queen's maid, she became extremely anxious. She shouted at the Queen with an arrogant and domineering look, not at all like her previous gentleness and charm. She looked more like a shrew.
"I'm tired. Go get a chair." Empress Sun told another maid behind her, then took two steps towards Concubine Dong before speaking, "Sister, you're overthinking. If you die, the Emperor will at most reprimand me, and he won't even change my position as Empress."
Concubine Dong's lips trembled, and she wanted to fight back, but she didn't know how to start.
"You just rely on the Grand Empress Dowager's support, but you don't know that the Emperor doesn't like the Grand Empress Dowager. So the more the Grand Empress Dowager supports you, the more the Emperor dislikes you. You are the Queen, the mother of a country, but the Emperor will not visit your bedroom except on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month and during festivals."
With her life at stake, Concubine Dong no longer cared and shouted to the Queen everything she should and shouldn't say in front of the servants kneeling on the ground.
The late emperor and the Empress Dowager were a story of filial piety and loving mother. The late emperor treated the Empress Dowager better than his own biological mother. On his deathbed, the late emperor entrusted the emperor to the Empress Dowager, who was also devoted to the emperor. However, she was too strict in her discipline, which caused the emperor and the Empress Dowager to become estranged. Later, the emperor favored Concubine Dong, and Concubine Jin asked to be locked up in the palace because of the third prince. The Empress Dowager tried to persuade her many times but to no avail. She became discouraged and took Aunt Ase to Hanshan.
From then on, the Empress Dowager became a thorn in the emperor's heart, who could not be removed, let alone mentioned.
After the Empress Dowager left, the Emperor and the Empress were only respectful to each other. All the Emperor's true love was spent on Concubine Dong, while the Empress acted indifferent and worked diligently to take care of the Emperor's harem, without any resentment or deep affection.
This was something that everyone in the palace knew. Now that it was spoken out by Concubine Dong, it was like a slap in the face of the queen.
At this moment, everyone was waiting for the Queen's reaction. At this moment, the Queen, who should have been angry and embarrassed, suddenly laughed softly, and then slowly said: "Fourteen years ago, the Emperor issued an order that anyone in the court, the military and the palace, who criticized the Queen Mother, would be put to death."
(End of this chapter)