Dongfang Yi heaved a huge sigh of relief. After a short while, she left the Qianqing Palace. By the time she stepped out, her whole body was drenched in cold sweat.
She never expected that He Lianqi, who had always been gentle and courteous to her, could also have such a terrifying side.
So even though He Lianqi said he believed her, Dongfang Yi didn't dare to take his words at face value. She was really unsure. What if He Lianqi had other motives in mind? As the saying goes, the heart of an emperor is unfathomable. It was truly the case!
Concubine Chu! She never thought Concubine Chu could be so ruthless and decisive. It might not be easy to bring her down...
Lost in these thoughts all the way, Dongfang Yi didn't even notice that she had reached the palace gate. Only after getting off the sedan chair did she notice some unfamiliar and unfriendly faces at the gate. It seemed that they came with ill intentions.
Dongfang Yi strode in and saw Concubine Chu sitting on the main seat at the front gate. She hadn't seen Concubine Chu for a long time. Concubine Chu was sitting upright on the main seat, as if she were the mistress of the harem.
Looking coldly at Concubine Chu's knee wrapped in gauze, Dongfang Yi finally showed a hint of a smile on her face. "It seems that sister's leg is almost healed. So, did you miss the sandalwood in my palace?"
But Concubine Chu seemed to be holding back her anger. Instead of scolding Dongfang Yi back, she endured it for a while and then said, "Empress! You are so audacious! First, you sent someone to assassinate the emperor but failed. Now you are still showing off your arrogance here. Are you crazy?"
Presumably, Concubine Chu thought Dongfang Yi was doomed this time and came here to add fuel to the fire. Dongfang Yi understood what was going on. All the shock and anger she had felt in the Qianqing Palace just now welled up inside her. She strode forward and pulled Concubine Chu off the main seat.
Since Concubine Chu's knee hadn't fully recovered and she couldn't exert much strength, she was easily thrown to the ground by Dongfang Yi. "Ah!"
"Does it feel good?" Dongfang Yi looked coldly at Concubine Chu's slow movements as she tried to get up. She felt no pity at all. Whenever she saw Concubine Chu's face, Dongfang Yi could recall every single thing about how Concubine Chu had bullied her since childhood. "Your leg injury hasn't healed yet, but you can't wait to come here and fan the flames? Do you really want me to beat you again? So that you can spread the word that I'm the one who harmed you? You said I tried to assassinate He Lianqi. Don't you know who the real culprit is?"
Concubine Chu was instantly enraged and shouted, "How dare you call the emperor by his given name! You are really crazy!"
Dongfang Yi scoffed. She had even called He Lianqi by his name in front of the emperor himself, let alone in front of Concubine Chu. She walked closer to Concubine Chu step by step and smiled eerily. "So what if I call his name? Besides, we both know very well who really tried to harm the emperor!"
But Concubine Chu seemed to be acting out of character. Her hysterical look disappeared completely. Instead, she shed a few tears, looking extremely pitiful. "Sister... I know you've always been jealous of me because the emperor dotes on me. You've even beaten me, and I don't mind. But you can't take your anger out on the emperor! The emperor is the lord of the country! Sister, I can leave the emperor as long as you don't harm him!"
Dongfang Yi was a bit confused by what she said. She tilted her head and looked around. This was indeed her palace, and there were only some palace servants around. Who was Concubine Chu acting for?
Maybe she was addicted to playing the victim. Well, Dongfang Yi would grant this white lotus her wish.
Dongfang Yi took off her shoes and slapped Concubine Chu's face with the thick heel of her shoe again and again. "What's the use of saying these pitiful words? Do you think I'll show mercy to you because of them? Concubine Chu, there's no one here who will listen to your pitiful words. Behave yourself and stop saying things that make me sick!"
From behind the screen embroidered with golden phoenixes came an angry voice. "Empress! You are really audacious!"
Dongfang Yi was stunned by this sudden shout. When she looked at Concubine Chu again, she was already lying on the ground, sobbing without any regard for her dignity. She turned her head and looked at the screen. Among several older maids stood a woman dressed in gorgeous clothes.
The woman's expression was extremely bad, and she didn't even try to hide her disgust for Dongfang Yi.
Dongfang Yi suddenly felt extremely unlucky. In the entire palace, the only one who could call herself "I, the bereaved one" was the Empress Dowager, right? Concubine Chu, the Empress Dowager, and the act of playing the victim. The whole sequence of events became clear in her mind. Concubine Chu really had good tricks!
"Arrest the empress!" Before Dongfang Yi could say anything, the Empress Dowager spoke up.
As soon as the words were out, the maids beside the Empress Dowager rushed over and grabbed Dongfang Yi. They were so fast that Dongfang Yi didn't even have time to dodge.
Although the maids were old, their strength was incredibly great. No matter how hard Dongfang Yi struggled, she couldn't break free. "Empress Dowager, you've misunderstood me!"
The Empress Dowager didn't listen to Dongfang Yi's words. She just thought Dongfang Yi was trying to excuse herself and said coldly, "Beating and scolding Concubine Chu and making her injury worse, calling the emperor by his given name, and dressing inappropriately. Where do you look like an empress?"
"Empress Dowager, it's really not like this! I dared to call the emperor by his given name only because the emperor allowed it!"
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager became even more furious. She never thought this empress would be so ignorant of the rules of etiquette. She was supposed to be the eldest daughter of the prime minister's family!
"I won't listen to your absurd words. Even if I don't care about these things, you tried to assassinate the emperor, which is a crime that would implicate your whole family. You deserve to die. Now you still dare to talk back to me. How can you be worthy of the position of empress!" the Empress Dowager said sternly. "You're far less dignified and polite than other concubines. You're really disgracing the royal family! But don't worry. After you're deposed, the position of empress will still belong to the Chu family!"
Hearing these words, Dongfang Yi's eyes gradually turned cold. Did they really think she was easy to bully? The Empress Dowager, a high - ranking figure in the palace, wanted to kill her and depose her without even bothering to find out the truth, and then support Concubine Chu to be the empress. It was absolutely impossible! She, Dongfang Yi, was not a soft - hearted person who could be easily manipulated!
Dongfang Yi exerted all her strength and finally managed to break free from the maids. She looked coldly at the Empress Dowager and shouted, "If you want to kill me, it's impossible! Show me the emperor's imperial edict!"
The Empress Dowager was so angry that her voice couldn't stop trembling. In all her years of life, she had never met a woman as rude and unruly as Dongfang Yi!
"Empress, you're being disrespectful! Don't forget who I am! I'm the emperor's biological mother, the Empress Dowager!" The Empress Dowager was enraged, and her well - maintained face was now bright red.
"So what if you're the Empress Dowager? Can you just take people's lives casually? Can you decide someone's life or death without knowing the truth? You've been through so much in the harem, but I think you've been a useless Empress Dowager!" Dongfang Yi's voice was a bit hoarse from shouting. "If you want to kill me, fine! Find out the truth. If it was me who sent someone to assassinate the emperor, I'm willing to be torn apart by five horses and never reincarnate!"