"Have you heard? It is said that Concubine De has been released again." A palace maid whispered to another palace maid. Lianyun who was standing nearby happened to hear it. She wanted to go over to ask, but thinking of the relationship between Concubine De and her master, she left immediately.
The news that Concubine De was placed under house arrest and then released had spread widely in the palace, and even Xiao Shushen was no exception.
"Damn it!" The angry curse showed the unrest in her heart.
Nanny Gui tried to persuade her while dodging the broken pieces of the teacup thrown by the Queen, "Queen, calm down!"
The queen glared at Aunt Gui beside her, but soon calmed down and asked, "Aunt Gui, do you have any opinion?"
She really didn't expect that after trying to assassinate her several times, she was still alive and well. She also tried to frame Concubine De but failed. All these things were a blow to her.
"In my opinion, it is better to get rid of this virtuous concubine as soon as possible, otherwise she will ruin the master's plan sooner or later." Nanny Gui's eyes were cold and the words she uttered made people shiver, but fortunately, there were only the two of them in the room.
Xiao Shushen nodded when she heard this. This virtuous concubine was now becoming more and more out of her control. If she was not removed quickly, she would probably become a thorny stumbling block for her in the future.
"You're right, we absolutely cannot keep this person here any longer." Xiao Shushen's expression became increasingly cold, and the viciousness in her eyes could no longer be concealed.
The word "De Fei" is now taboo in the palace. De Fei was placed under house arrest and then released, and in the end Fu Yuheng did not give anyone an explanation, so many people were dissatisfied, including the Queen Mother.
"Your Majesty has good intentions." The Queen Mother turned her head away, not even looking at Fu Yuheng. "You will even let go of those who want to commit suicide." Her tone became even more off-color when she said this.
Fu Yuheng was shocked. He knew that he was talking about Concubine De, but he couldn't explain the reason for the matter, so he had to keep silent.
But the Queen Mother had no intention of letting him go. "Why? Your Majesty, do you think what I said is wrong?" This sounded like a question.
"I have already thought about this matter. Please rest assured that I will handle the affairs of my harem myself." Fu Yuheng frowned, but tried to make his tone softer.
"Hmph, Your Majesty, do you mean to say that I am meddling in other people's affairs?" The Queen Mother's originally calm expression suddenly became disturbed, and the look she gave him showed a hint of displeasure.
She had watched him grow up since he was a child. He had always been respectful and filial to her, but she didn't expect that he would rebel against her now. She felt a little uncomfortable for a moment.
"The Queen Mother, just rest assured and stay here. I will take care of my affairs." Fu Yuheng was impatient and his tone was a little tough. If he let her go, one day she would think that the world belonged to her.
The Queen Mother opened her mouth, but felt her throat choke. She swallowed back the words she was about to spit out. Finally, she could only sigh, "Well, I am old and can't control you now. You are the emperor who is high above you, and I am just a woman."
If it were before, Fu Yuheng would definitely step forward to comfort her, but now there is really nothing left to say.
"I have official business to attend to, so I won't disturb you." After he finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves and left.
Xiao Shushen felt uncomfortable in the yard and wanted to go out for a walk. As a result, she happened to run into two palace maids gossiping there.
When I walked in and listened, I was shocked.
"The Emperor was actually disrespectful to the Empress Dowager because of Concubine De!" The palace maid spoke to herself, not noticing that someone else was listening nearby, and that person was the Empress!
"You know, our emperor has always been filial. This is really a disaster caused by beauty."
Xiao Shushen was shocked. It was definitely not that easy for the emperor to let Concubine De go. Perhaps her scheme had been discovered, so the emperor concealed it. It might be okay once or twice, but if it continued for a long time, the emperor would probably have a grudge against her sooner or later.
"Aren't you afraid of having your tongues cut off?" Xiao Shushen stepped forward and shouted. The viciousness in her words frightened the two palace maids so much that they knelt on the ground.
They didn't notice when the Empress came behind them. Now that they heard them talking about this, if she was jealous of Concubine De, they might...
"Queen, please spare me! Queen, please spare me!" She kowtowed on the ground, even with blood stains on her face. "I just can't stand how good the Emperor is to Concubine De, and I feel unfair, so I said a few extra words. Please forgive me, Queen." This maid had been in the palace for a long time and was quite smart. She knew how to make her calm down.
"You guys know that you are just talking nonsense!" Xiao Shushen snorted coldly, "Madam Gui, take this man down and give him ten big slaps each. If he does this again, you will be thrown out of the palace!"
Upon hearing this, the two palace maids kowtowed and apologized immediately. Ten strokes of the cane were considered light. According to the palace rules, talking about the master would result in the tongue being pulled out.
"Remember not to do it again!" After saying this, Xiao Shushen no longer looked at them, as she felt they were an eyesore.
As soon as Shen Lihan was released from house arrest, he went straight to Shen Qingwan's yard. He knew that if it weren't for his help this time, he would probably have to spend the rest of his life in prison, or even worse, his entire clan might be executed.
What Shen Qingwan really cares about is not what happened to Concubine De. In comparison, she wants to know more about why the emperor is so partial to the queen and even wants to suppress the matter despite the rumors from everyone.
"Your Majesty, I've brought someone to you. This palace maid said that she used to work for the Queen, and she knows why the Emperor treats the Queen so special." Lian Yun came in with a palace maid who looked quite old.
"Oh?" Shen Qingwan didn't expect to find someone who knew the truth so quickly. She thought it would take some time.
"Your servant greets the queen." The maid bowed, and when Shen Qingwan asked her to stand up, she stood up and continued, "I was originally the queen's maid, but later I made a mistake, so I was demoted to a rough maid."
Shen Qingwan nodded in understanding.
The maid continued to explain, and it was not until late at night that Shen Qingwan let her go back, but she already knew the whole story.
The reason why Fu Yuheng was so special to the queen can be traced back to when the queen first entered the palace. At that time, an envoy came to pay tribute, but he accidentally shot the arrow while hunting, and the arrow went straight to him. In order to save him, Xiao Shushen blocked the arrow with her body, and he always remembered this incident. However, after a long time, there were not many people in the palace who knew about it, and many people had been replaced, so there were not many people who knew about it.