Late at night.
Inside the Golden Phoenix Hall of the Yaotai, Nanny Dou served the Queen Mother with her toiletries and hair-dressing. After everything was done, she helped the old lady towards the bed.
"Ah Qin, do you think Concubine Zhao is a smart girl?"
"Your Majesty, with your unfailing foresight, it's nothing but a wild dream for Concubine Zhao to try to rise to power by stepping on the Cining Palace. Moreover, the pain when that strange poison flares up is beyond what an ordinary person can bear!"
The Queen Mother looked calm, with a false kindness that seemed almost pitiful:
"Yes. I only hope that girl is smart enough not to ruin her own future for some insignificant person and that laughable bit of affection."
Seeing this, a flash of vicious hatred passed through Nanny Dou's dull and cloudy eyes.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Even if Concubine Zhao is so ungrateful and insists on going against you and the Wang family, it only proves that some people are good-for-nothings even if they manage to rise to high positions. They're not worth your Majesty's trouble."
However, the Queen Mother gave Nanny Dou a sidelong glance, which made the latter stiffen.
"That's not how it should be put. If that girl is up to the mark, my plan and the Wang family's plan can be accomplished effortlessly. It wouldn't be a problem to spare her a life then. But if she's not..."
The Queen Mother's eyes, hidden in the candlelight, darkened, and a cold smile curled up on her lips.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. This time, this old servant will surely send people to keep a close eye on the Jiuzhou Qingyan. There won't be any more mistakes!"
"I naturally trust you to handle things."
Looking at Nanny Dou's still somewhat rigid movements, the Queen Mother gently patted the back of her hand with an apologetic tone.
Nanny Dou's eyes welled up with touched tears.
As the Queen Mother gradually fell into a deep sleep, she didn't see that the touch in Nanny Dou's eyes instantly turned into a twisted sense of resentment as the latter tucked in the quilt and turned to leave.
The weak candle flames flickered from time to time, and the entire Golden Phoenix Hall of the Yaotai was deathly silent.
In the darkness, countless black dots were moving stealthily. The guards hidden in the shadows didn't even have time to react before they were slit across the throat by a cold blade.
Low grunts occasionally broke the silence of the night. The closed palace gate had somehow been opened.
In the darkness, a slender and hesitant maid let go of her hand and stood there silently with her head bowed.
The Cining Palace's elite guards, whom the Queen Mother trusted so much, died silently, and danger was creeping closer to her in her sleep.
The night-watchman seemed to hear something, but soon fell back into a deep sleep.
Nanny Dou, who was qualified to guard on the small couch outside the inner chamber, had a startling glint in her eyes. Lying flat on the couch, hatred and malice were constantly brewing in her heart.
Suddenly, there seemed to be a faint sound in the silent night. Her ears twitched.
Who is it?
Nanny Dou was about to get up and scold the careless maid, but for some reason, she felt a chill down her spine. She somehow closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
Creak.
It was very soft.
Nanny Dou's back tensed up, and her heart began to pound violently. A strange, unbelievable but exciting thought spread in her mind.
Someone walked in. The steps were very light but steady, approaching her step by step.
Nanny Dou subconsciously slowed down her breathing. Her heart was pounding so hard that she couldn't tell what she was feeling.
Who could it be?
A sneaky maid?
Or a ferocious enemy?
Thump, thump, thump...
With each heartbeat, Nanny Dou heard that the person didn't even glance at her and walked straight towards the bed. Her heart felt even more complicated.
Will something happen to the Queen Mother?
Should she call for help now?
No, no. If it was really a villain or a killer, wouldn't she just be throwing away her own life if she made a sound?
The Queen Mother is blessed by the gods. How could something happen to her?
...
All these complicated emotions intertwined. Nanny Dou pricked up her ears and felt as if time in the hall had slowed down.
She didn't hear any more sounds for a long time. Gradually, she didn't even know how long had passed.
The whole hall seemed to be deathly silent. Apart from the Queen Mother's long breathing, there was no other sound at all?
Could it be that that "person" had left?!
Just left like that?
Didn't sleep in the middle of the night, managed to sneak into the inner chamber with great difficulty, and did nothing?
Was that person just bored?
Nanny Dou couldn't tell what she was feeling in her heart, but she was very curious. She couldn't help but slowly open one eye a crack.
Her head also slowly turned towards the direction of the Queen Mother on the bed.
Ah—
As soon as she opened her eyes, she suddenly came face to face with a cold face that looked like a little ghost from the underworld.
In panic, she subconsciously wanted to scream, but couldn't make a single sound.
She could only stare with wide eyes and watch as the vitality in her body gradually faded away.
Before she finally closed her eyes, her heart was filled with regret:
Why did I act so stupidly and pretend to be asleep, just thinking about getting revenge for the beating I got that day?
In the darkness, a serious face slowly showed a fleeting smile.
Outside the Golden Phoenix Hall of the Yaotai, in a remote corner, two figures were standing.
"Here are the travel permit and silver. Someone will send you out of the palace later. From now on, the road ahead is long. With a new identity, take good care of yourself."
"Yes, thank you, Nanny. This servant... this commoner thanks Your Majesty for his grace!"
——
"Something terrible has happened!"
"Help!"
"Come quickly! Something has happened to the Queen Mother!"
Early in the morning, before dawn, the entire Yuhua Palace was in an uproar.
It turned out that something extraordinary had happened last night!
Nanny Dou, the Queen Mother's confidant, and a maid named Zhiju somehow got into a fight in the middle of the night.
The maid Zhiju accidentally killed Nanny Dou, the most important person beside the Queen Mother. Filled with fear, she didn't know where to flee.
Moreover, before she fled, she ransacked all the valuable things in the Golden Phoenix Hall. When the Queen Mother woke up and received one bad news after another, she was so angry that she spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted.
The imperial doctors gathered in the Golden Phoenix Hall for diagnosis and treatment. It was said that the Queen Mother's condition was not looking good.
Jun Wuyuan didn't sleep all night. If it weren't for his concern for Ling Shan and his staying by her side all night, he would have taken action himself last night.
Not only did something happen in the Golden Phoenix Hall of the Yuhua Palace, but an urgent secret letter was also sent to the imperial palace.
While the Queen Mother was still in a coma and the Grand Tutor Wang hadn't reacted yet, the secret agents and forces of the Wang family in the imperial palace were being purged.
The purge was carried out vigorously and without any fear of letting the Queen Mother and the Grand Tutor Wang know who was behind it.
Finally, the imperial doctors managed to revive the Queen Mother with their miraculous skills.
One setback after another came. The Queen Mother spat out another mouthful of blood. Her chest felt as if it was being crushed by a mountain, and it hurt. Then, even her breathing became difficult, and her bones began to itch...
Her face was ashen, and her face was full of intense hatred. She gritted her teeth and said, "Bitch! How dare you?!"