Li Wanming couldn't help but feel nervous.
The cold air of borneol mixed with the fragrance of dragon's saliva incense in the palace crept up along her embroidered shoes. For no reason, she thought of the ever - present ice and snow on Yuzhu Mountain in Min region, and her heart sank.
"Kneel down!"
The shrill announcement cut through the silence in the room.
The Kang family hurriedly knelt down. The jade pendants around her waist jingled. "Your servant, Mrs. Xiao Kang, pays respects to the Empress Dowager..."
Li Wanming immediately knelt down too. She pressed her hands against her forehead and prostrated herself on the ground, not daring to raise her head. "Your servant, Mrs. Xiao Li, pays respects to the Empress Dowager."
There seemed to be dragon patterns faintly carved on the gold - paved floor. The exquisitely drawn patterns spread out layer by layer before her eyes, glinting with a strange greenish light in the morning sunlight.
There came the rustling sound of clothes in front of the palace. Li Wanming quietly lifted her eyes and saw that in front of the great hall, a pair of bright - yellow embroidered shoes with coiled dragon patterns were hidden under the phoenix - embroidered robe decorated with South China Sea mermaid pearls.
She quickly lowered her eyes and didn't dare to look anymore.
"Princess of the Heir Apparent..."
The Empress Dowager spoke. Her voice was not particularly harsh, but it carried an irresistible majesty.
"Lift your head and let this old one have a look."
Li Wanming replied, "Yes," and slowly raised her head.
A gorgeously dressed middle - aged woman was sitting on a brocade couch with peony - twining patterns.
She wore a nine - phoenix bead - crowned headdress, and her face was solemn and cold. Only the East pearl hanging from her forehead was right on a cinnabar mole between her eyebrows, adding a unique charm to her otherwise ordinary - looking face.
Li Wanming had long heard that the current Empress Dowager was not in favor during the late Emperor's reign. She only relied on the reputation of "virtue" and her father, who was the Marquis of Xuanping, to retain the position of the Empress in the final turmoil and became the Empress Dowager Kang who held the reins of power behind the curtain.
However, the late Emperor probably never thought that the once - renowned virtuous Empress would act with thunderous force when he was seriously ill. She ascended to the supreme position as the Empress Dowager and then immediately ceded six southern border cities. Now she even wanted to get her hands on the military power...
Truly, one cannot judge a book by its cover, Li Wanming thought to herself.
Just looking at the Empress Dowager's appearance, one would only think she was an ordinary woman, with even faint smile lines at the corners of her eyes.
Who could have thought that she had the face of a Bodhisattva but the heart of a demon?
The Empress Dowager stared at her for a long time and suddenly let out a soft laugh. "You are truly a beauty. No wonder the young man Jingnan tried every means to plead with this old one to bestow the marriage and insisted on marrying you as his principal wife."
Li Wanming's heart sank, and she felt at a loss, not knowing how to respond.
Both she and the Empress Dowager knew very well how she became the Princess of the Heir Apparent.
On the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month last year, the Prince of Ning, Xiao Jingnan, the Prime Minister Fang, the Grand Tutor Lu and others gathered in Yonghe Palace. They almost begged on their knees to quell the dispute that had swept through all the civil and military officials in the court.
The Xiao family even exchanged the list of their disciples and old acquaintances to save Li Wanming's life and get her into the mansion.
The Empress Dowager's first words when they met showed her hostility.
Before Li Wanming could reply, the Empress Dowager continued to ask, "I heard that you are from Min region?"
Her voice floated down from above the great hall, mixed with the clear and strong fragrance of dragon's saliva incense, like the sudden frost on a winter night, making Li Wanming's scalp tingle for no reason.
"Yes," she quickly composed herself and replied. "Your servant came to the capital with her father four years ago. Before that, I had been in the military town in Min region."
"There is one prefecture, four sub - prefectures and three military towns in Min region. Which one are you talking about?"
The voice from the great hall was calm and indifferent, but it made a thin layer of sweat break out on Li Wanming's back.
She looked at the Empress Dowager and gritted her teeth, straightening her back. "Tangli Town. My father has always been stationed with the army in Tangli Town."
Tangli was the largest military town in Min region and was closer to Dayi Mountain.
Precisely because it was closer to the vast mountains, Tangli Town bore the brunt and became the strongest barrier between the seventy - two bandit strongholds in Dayi Mountain and the one prefecture, four sub - prefectures and three military towns in Min region.
Over the years, Tangli had never been peaceful.
Every time the bandits wanted to rob the caravans and common people, the government would recruit soldiers from the garrison in Tangli.
Even now, when Li Wanming said the words "Tangli", she seemed to still smell the salty and humid air always mixed with the smell of gunpowder and see the bloodstains on her parents' armors that could never be washed away.
"Tangli..." The Empress Dowager's gilded armor lightly tapped on the rosewood armrest. "I often see this place in the military reports."
At this moment, Li Wanming noticed that the Empress Dowager's question was a bit strange.
As far as Li Wanming knew, the Empress Dowager was good at playing mind games and was most proficient in the art of power balance in the court, but she had no interest in real people's livelihood, military administration or the landscape.
In other words, she was just an inner - courtyard woman sitting on the supreme throne, only concerned about her own immediate interests, with neither the patriotism nor the care for the common people in the world.
But why did she ask about the military town in Min region first?
Did she really want to know about her past and have a casual chat with her?
No, it didn't seem so.
The Empress Dowager's tone was rather cold, not at all like someone interested in Min region.
Then why did she ask about Tangli?
Li Wanming felt something was wrong in her heart, and the string in her heart tightened even more, as if it was about to break at any moment.
In fact, the Empress Dowager hadn't even asked the two of them to get up until now, which already said a lot...
In a daze, she caught a glimpse of the Empress Dowager's lips curving slightly, as if with a faint sneer.
That smile was like that of a god looking down on all sentient beings from the Buddhist niche, cold and aloof. "I heard that your mother was from the Yuan Family's Water Stronghold and later surrendered to the court. That's how your father was able to wipe out the seventy - two bandit strongholds in Min region within half a year and make such great achievements?"
The Empress Dowager's voice suddenly rang out, in a low tone. For no reason, Li Wanming thought of the kites hovering over the river outside Tangli Town. They always filled the river surface in a dark mass before a storm, like dark clouds threatening to crush the city.
"Your servant..."
She was just about to speak when the Empress Dowager's armor suddenly knocked heavily on the table, making the blue jade teacup rattle and the purple bamboo shoot tea splash out.
"Speak!"
The Empress Dowager's voice suddenly turned cold and shrill. "The Yuan Family pretended to surrender but secretly colluded with the bandit strongholds. They used such a great achievement as wiping out the seventy - two bandit strongholds to secure a fourth - rank general position for Li Rusong. What on earth were their intentions?!"
Li Wanming's heart suddenly rose to her throat, as if being tightly grasped by an invisible hand.
However, her mind became extremely clear at this moment, as if the fog had been suddenly dispelled.
So that's it.
The Empress Dowager's mention of the things in Min region was indeed not out of concern for the families of the officials, nor to understand the local people's livelihood, but to set the stage for framing and slandering!