"Mm."
Wei Sinian glanced at her complexion. After hearing her inner thoughts, he nodded and said, "Go quickly and come back quickly."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Wen Fuyue's movements were a bit hasty, yet she still maintained her dignity. She lifted her rather long skirt and quickly got up, then rushed out through the back door of the palace.
To avoid attracting attention, she gave Wen Yu a look and only took her with her.
"Is Your Ladyship feeling unwell?"
Seeing Wen Fuyue in a hurry, Wen Yu furrowed her brows and asked with concern as soon as they stepped out of the door.
"I need to relieve myself."
Wen Yu was rarely at a loss for words. She looked at Wen Fuyue with a rather complicated expression.
Many concubines hardly ate or drank during the Mid - Autumn feast for fear of making a blunder in front of the Emperor. But Her Ladyship was quite the opposite. What did she see Her Ladyship eat just now?
A bowl of abalone soup and a whole bunch of snacks. It seemed that the Emperor didn't mind either and even picked a lot of dishes for Her Ladyship.
Wen Fuyue met Wen Yu's gaze, smiled at her, and urged her in a relaxed manner, "Let's go, let's go."
Wen Yu: "..."
Halfway there, Wen Fuyue suddenly felt that her stomach didn't hurt anymore.
It was amazing. The feeling came and went quickly.
What should she do then?
Wen Fuyue thought for a moment and decided to take a break nearby before going back.
There were still too many people at the feast. She really didn't like the feeling of being stared at by everyone. It was a rare opportunity. It was better to be lazy outside and enjoy the breeze.
"Let's go to the pavilion to take a break." Wen Fuyue said to Wen Yu.
The people following secretly were overjoyed. When Wen Fuyue and Wen Yu sat down, they quietly sneaked behind them.
...
Ci'an Palace.
The candles flickered, and the palace was dim. The shadows of the pillars were cast on the ground, swaying menacingly, making the atmosphere in the palace even more solemn.
The Empress Dowager's face was hidden in the darkness, which made Nanny Wang, who had served her for many years, feel inexplicably frightened.
"So, Wen Fuyue can't swim?"
"Give the order to intercept her on the way and then throw her into the lake."
What!? Weren't they just supposed to teach her a lesson? Why did the Empress Dowager suddenly change her mind?
Nanny Wang and the people kneeling below suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. They were extremely frightened, and their eyes showed shock.
Was the Empress Dowager crazy! How dare she try to kill the imperial concubine? This was openly going against the Emperor! Moreover, the imperial concubine was from the Wen family, one of the most prominent noble families. How could she do this!
The Empress Dowager just raised her eyebrows and laughed, "Originally, I just wanted the imperial concubine to make a fool of herself. But now it seems that I underestimated her position in the Emperor's heart. Since that's the case, I'll give her a special 'gift' and let her become the number one person in the Emperor's heart."
After all, the dead are the irreparable regrets. No matter what the imperial concubine was like before, after her death, no one could surpass her.
As if thinking of something unpleasant, the Empress Dowager's face suddenly darkened. Her eyes were as sharp as knives, and her voice was so cold that it sent shivers down one's spine. "Go."
She was completely crazy!
Nanny Wang thought of An Ling'er, who had left Ci'an Palace to attend the feast not long ago, and couldn't help but sigh.
Trying to gain benefits from a tiger would surely end badly. It seemed that Concubine An was doomed to be the scapegoat for this incident.
...
The Mid - Autumn Feast.
After Wen Fuyue left, Wei Sinian felt bored. He watched the performance in front absent - mindedly and occasionally glanced at An Fu and the others behind him.
An Fu and the others were sweating nervously under his gaze. They stood there, not knowing what to do.
When would the imperial concubine come back! The Emperor seemed to be getting impatient!
An Fu and the others groaned inwardly. Their eyes when they looked at each other couldn't help but show a bit of resentment.
An Ling'er had been sitting restlessly. Her uneasiness was overflowing, and even the maid Yun'er who served her could feel her true emotions.
"Is Your Ladyship feeling unwell?" Yun'er leaned forward gently and asked.
"Nothing." Realizing that her emotions were too obvious, An Ling'er tried hard to suppress her uneasiness.
"How has the Empress Dowager's temper been over the years?"
After a while, Yun'er was startled by An Ling'er's sudden question. Her eyes showed a bit of confusion. Why did Her Ladyship ask this question?
She carefully chose her words and replied respectfully to An Ling'er, "The Empress Dowager's temper has not been very good over the years."
An Ling'er stared at her for a long time. Just when she thought An Ling'er wouldn't say anything else, An Ling'er whispered as if muttering to herself, "What if the Empress Dowager goes against the Emperor?"
Yun'er's eyes widened instantly. She looked around and anxiously reminded An Ling'er, "Your Ladyship, be careful."
Unexpectedly, she was quite loyal.
An Ling'er glanced at her again. A hint of hatred flashed in her eyes. Then she turned to look at Wei Sinian sitting in front and was in a daze for a while.
The Empress Dowager wouldn't let her go. She knew that the woman said she just wanted to teach Wen Fuyue a lesson, but in fact, she must have done something secretly.
She had heard that the Emperor and the Empress Dowager were on bad terms for a long time. She was just a tool. Wen Fuyue had a conflict with her last time. According to the Empress Dowager's character, she would never just teach Wen Fuyue a lesson as she said.
Once something happened, she would definitely not be spared. Instead of waiting for death, she might as well fight for a chance.
Thinking of this, An Ling'er, who was sitting at the back, got up and stepped forward. She knelt respectfully in front of Wei Sinian and said anxiously, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
Huh?
Wei Sinian came back to his senses and looked at An Ling'er coldly. "Speak."
Something was wrong. What on earth was this woman going to say? He remembered that this was the Concubine An who had tried to scheme against the imperial concubine last time.
Wei Sinian's face darkened. His eyes looking at An Ling'er were full of scrutiny and coldness, like a waking beast.
An Ling'er met Wei Sinian's gaze. Her heart was full of fear, and tears welled up in her eyes involuntarily. She looked extremely pitiful.
The palace instantly fell silent. The ministers immediately hushed and looked at the woman kneeling on the ground with a tear - stained face.
"Who is this person?"
"Judging from her clothes, she should be a concubine. All the concubines in the harem are here. Who is this?"
"She is Concubine An."
Hearing the whispering in her ears, An Ling'er only felt colder and colder in her heart.
No, she had forgotten. What if Wei Sinian didn't really dote on the imperial concubine but just needed a pawn to compete with the Empress Dowager? Then she would have no chance of survival at all. Who would care about the life and death of a pawn? And she was even less important than a pawn. How could anyone notice her?
Despair involuntarily filled her eyes. Her fingernails dug tightly into the tender flesh of her palm, and a trace of blood oozed out.
"May I step forward to speak?"
She tried to calm herself down, but her voice was filled with uncontrollable fear and tremors.
"An Fu, go."
Wei Sinian's expression was calm. His eyes looking at An Ling'er were like looking at a dead object.
When would the imperial concubine come back?