That night, there was indeed a heavy rainstorm, with thunder and lightning. The water level at the lakeside rose very high, and the craftsmen moved the things overnight and piled them on the corridor of the elegant room. Madam Linglong got very angry, and the craftsmen had no choice but to move them to the bamboo forest.
Zi'an didn't know about these things. The craftsmen didn't come to tell him. After piling up the materials, they left.
The rain continued until noon of the next day. Murong Jie's carriage arrived at almost noon. He was delayed by some things and was originally scheduled to meet in the morning.
Nanny Yang also followed into the palace.
When she left the palace, she promised the queen that she would return to the palace to report every few days.
Last night, Murong Jie sent someone to the palace to inform the Empress Dowager that he wanted to bring Zi'an into the palace.
The Empress Dowager naturally knew what the matter was, so before they entered the palace, she summoned Concubine Linggui to enter the palace.
The noble concubine did not want to go, but the Empress Dowager issued a strict order that she must be present.
As a last resort, she had to go into the palace early in the morning.
When the noble concubine entered the palace, it was still raining heavily. The empress dowager sat in front of the corridor of the main hall, watching the heavy rain pouring down in the yard. The splashing water wet her clothes.
The Empress Dowager looked much more haggard. Eunuch Bao came today to report some situations, which made her very worried.
As for what's going on outside the palace, she has always been paying attention to it. With the Prime Minister's Mansion as the center, it can be said that things are very complicated and turbulent, with all kinds of fights breaking out, which really makes her heartbroken.
Also, her sister's relationship with the Regent had always been a major source of pain for her.
Summoning her into the palace today is a last-ditch effort.
She watched as Concubine Gui and Aunt Sizhu came over holding an umbrella. In the heavy rain, the umbrella seemed particularly weak. Aunt Sizhu got half of her body wet, but she managed to protect Concubine Gui.
The noble concubine walked up to the corridor, wearing a blue brocade dress embroidered with a pattern of golden chrysanthemums with golden claws. Her hair was tied up in a bun like clouds, her makeup was exquisite and flawless, and she was wearing blue high-soled embroidered shoes with pearls embroidered on the toes. The shoes were wet and the gold thread was dim.
"Your concubine pays respects to the Empress Dowager. May the Empress Dowager be in good health." The noble concubine performed the ceremony according to the rules. Her manners were considerate but distant.
The Queen Mother looked at her for a long time before pointing to the chair next to her and saying, "I've prepared a chair for you. Sit down and have a good chat with me."
"Yes, I will follow the Empress Dowager's order." The noble concubine said, moving to the side of the Empress Dowager and sitting down. Her brows did not move, but she felt very unwilling in her heart. It has always been like this, and she was always the one sitting next to her.
"Today," the Queen Mother looked at her sideways, "Ajie will bring Xia Zian into the palace. You know why, right?"
The noble concubine lowered her eyebrows and spoke respectfully, "Your Majesty, please tell me clearly. I don't know."
The Queen Mother sighed softly, "Are you angry with me?"
"I dare not!"
The Queen Mother looked away from her face and rubbed her brows with her hand, looking very tired. "I have kept many things in my heart and never told anyone. I have been like this since I was a child. My sister and I have the same interests and hobbies since we were young. I never thought that maybe you also like to keep things in your heart like me."
The noble concubine looked at the rain in front of the corridor and said quietly, "No, I have nothing to hide in my heart."
"When Ajie was seriously injured, you said to me what you had said over the years. You think that you should have been the queen back then, and now you should be the queen dowager in this palace, right?"
"I dare not." The noble concubine was already calm, without any emotional ups and downs, just like a clay figure.
Aunt Sizhu stood aside, listening quietly, with a sad look on her face.
"Don't dare?" The Queen Mother laughed, and her laughter was filled with indescribable fatigue. "I actually know more or less what you are thinking. What's the big deal? In the past, besides you, how many concubines wanted to sit on this throne? But who knew that sitting on this throne, what was pressed on your shoulders was not a lifetime of wealth and glory, but the vast territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty."
The noble concubine's eyes moved, "Millions of miles of rivers and mountains? What a beautiful word."
"Yes, how beautiful it is. Our ancestors of the Murong family paid for it with their blood. We have experienced several dynasties of peace and prosperity. What is the situation now? It is not an invasion by foreign enemies, nor is it the ambition of the ministers who are scheming. It is our own descendants of the Murong family who want to fight to the death."
"If those in power were iron-fisted, the imperial power was centralized, and orders were strictly enforced, there would be no such thing. All the problems are that those in power lack courage." The noble concubine said indifferently.
The Queen Mother stared at her, "Are you talking about the Emperor or the Regent? If you were to rule the country, what do you think would be a bold and iron-fisted approach?"
The Empress Dowager was horrified. Although she knew her ambition, the words that came out of her mouth were frightening.
The noble concubine raised her head, looked at the empress dowager and smiled. The smile was very sinister, and the arrogance in her eyes was fully exposed.
At that moment, a trace of murderous intent flashed through the Queen Mother's mind. She could not stay.
But, it was only for a moment. She was not someone who could accomplish great things, so she couldn't bring herself to do it.
The Empress Dowager also understood in her heart that the reason why the Noble Concubine was so unscrupulous in exposing her ambition in front of her was because she knew that her sister was soft-hearted and could not do it.
Changing the subject, the Queen Mother said, "Ajie brought Xia Zian into the palace this time to arrange a marriage. Ajie is not young anymore, so this matter should be handled as soon as possible."
"The Empress Dowager is his mother, and I am just his consort. You can handle this matter as you wish. There is really no need to summon me into the palace for this matter." Concubine Gui said coldly.
The Queen Mother was furious. "He is your son. Are you so indifferent to his most important life event?"
"Whether it's indifferent or not, the final decision is not in my hands, so why should I be enthusiastic about it?"
"So what do you want?" the Queen Mother asked angrily.
The noble concubine stared at her and said, "I don't want Ajie to marry her. Will you listen to me and not grant the marriage?"
"This time it's not just my opinion, it's also Ajie's opinion. Can't you respect your own son?"
The noble concubine smiled nonchalantly, "Respect? As a mother, I respect my son. But when has he, as a son, ever respected me as a mother?"
"That depends on what the mother has done and whether she really deserves his respect!" the Queen Mother shouted angrily.
The noble concubine stood up and said coldly: "It seems that the Queen Mother summoned me to the palace today just to scold me. If so, as a concubine, I should kneel down and listen to the Queen Mother's instructions."
After saying this, she knelt down and raised her arrogant and cold face, "Is the Queen Mother satisfied with this?"
(End of this chapter)