Hearing his own father join in the criticism, Nangong Tianci had no choice but to suppress the anger in his chest, though he felt extremely aggrieved.
"Father, we should go to the emperor immediately and settle this matter," Nangong Yunze said.
Nangong Tianci beside him quickly echoed the sentiment.
The old man Nangong lowered his long and narrow eyes in deep thought. If they could take on the task of renovating the imperial mausoleum, it would surely bring them nothing but benefits. However, he always felt that there was something fishy about it. How could the always shrewd Helian Qi do such a thing that would harm the people's hearts at the beginning of a new dynasty? It was really suspicious.
"This matter requires further consideration before I make a decision," the old man Nangong said.
Nangong Tianci, getting a bit impatient, blurted out, "Father, what are you still thinking about? This is such a great opportunity! We should go see the emperor quickly!"
But a glare from the old man Nangong silenced him instantly. Yunze quickly pulled him up and said, "Father, we'll take our leave first." Then, nodding to the old master Nangong, he pulled the person beside him out of the meeting hall.
"Why did you pull me, Nangong Yunze?!" As soon as they were out of the meeting hall, Nangong Tianci stared at the person beside him, his eyes full of anger.
"Didn't you see that Father was angry?" Nangong Yunze replied.
"So what? What does it matter to you? You're just a low - born wretch. Do I need you to teach me?!"
He narrowed his long and narrow eyes, exactly like his father's, and said venomously. The fleshy parts of his face were distorted by his expression, making him look extremely ugly.
After saying that, he shook his fat body and strode away.
Nangong Yunze, who remained where he was behind him, didn't say a word. Instead, he clenched his hands even tighter, and his eyes glinted with a more vicious light.
He admitted that his mother was just a low - ranked maid in the mansion. After his birth, his biological mother was executed by his father.
He had known since he was a child that he was different from Nangong Tianci. His identity was always a scar. Even the mother who raised him looked down on him. However, he still survived and even became the most trusted son of his father.
Thinking of this, he looked at the distant fat figure with even more venom in his eyes, his teeth grinding audibly.
It was too early to say who was noble and who was low - born. Those who had bullied him would eventually be trampled under his feet, even his father.
With this thought in mind, he looked back at the banquet hall behind him.
At such a close distance, the old man must have heard what Nangong Tianci said just now, but he did nothing. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.
Everyone thought he, Nangong Yunze, was low - born. One day, he would show them who the truly low - born one was.
With that thought, he strode away.
On the other side, in the palace.
The Queen's Palace
Recently, the matter of making fruit juice had put Dongfang Yi in a great mood. It had been more than a month since her last injury, and the wound on her foot had almost healed. She just had to wait for the scab to fall off completely, and then she could be like an ordinary person.
Although she could walk now, she couldn't walk long distances.
Every morning, Dongfang Yi would go to the small kitchen in her palace to make some of her favorite food.
Occasionally, Concubine Dong, Concubine Shu, and Concubine Jia would come to her palace to play. Dongfang Yi would let them taste the new things she had made, and they would all exclaim at the queen's ingenuity after tasting them.
Dongfang Yi was very happy to hear that, and the queen's palace was filled with joy. Since then, Concubine Chu hadn't come to cause trouble. Maybe she had believed the rumors in the palace and thought that Helian Qi had completely abandoned Dongfang Yi, so she didn't bother to oppose her anymore.
This had achieved Dongfang Yi's goal. However, at the thought of Helian Qi, she would still be in a daze for a moment.
Since that night, she really hadn't seen him again. He seemed to have never appeared in her world...
A few days later, an old nanny suddenly came outside the palace gate. She said to Xiao Qian in front of the palace gate, "This servant is Nanny Chang from the Empress Dowager's palace. Our Empress Dowager would like to invite the queen to come over."
Hearing her words, Xiao Qian quickly went into the bedroom and told Dongfang Yi, who was sitting on a chair eating fruit.
As soon as she heard that the Empress Dowager wanted to see her, her eyebrows couldn't help but frown tightly. She still remembered that the last time she saw the Empress Dowager, the old woman almost forced poisoned wine down her throat.
In Dongfang Yi's mind, the Empress Dowager was a real old venomous woman. But unfortunately, the Empress Dowager was the most noble person in the entire harem, and she couldn't disobey the order.
So she told Xiao Qian to go out and reply, "Our queen will arrive soon."
Only then did Nanny Chang leave with a satisfied look on her face.
"Your Majesty, your foot hasn't fully healed yet, and the Empress Dowager's palace is not close. We'd better go there in a palanquin later," Donghua said.
Dongfang Yi had never ridden in a palanquin before. She had only seen Concubine Chu strutting in a palanquin in front of her palace several times to show off, so she didn't have a good impression of it.
But since her foot was still not fully healed, she agreed to Donghua's suggestion.
Soon, a grand palanquin procession stopped in front of the door. After Dongfang Yi finished getting ready, she got on the palanquin and headed towards the Empress Dowager's palace.
Since the Empress Dowager liked tranquility, the Cining Palace was built in the most remote part of the harem. It took a whole stick of incense to get there from the queen's palace.
As soon as she entered the palace gate of the Empress Dowager's bedroom, she could smell a strong scent of burning incense. Dongfang Yi thought that the Empress Dowager was a Buddhist, but she could so easily force poisoned wine on her. What was the point of believing in Buddha?
Of course, she didn't dare to say this. When she lifted the beaded curtain and saw the noble woman sitting on the grand chair, she still said respectfully, "Greetings to the Empress Dowager."
The old woman, who was twirling the prayer beads with her right hand, slowly opened her turbid but shrewd eyes.
"Get up," the old woman said coldly, with no good will in her tone.
Dongfang Yi got up and sat down beside the Empress Dowager. With a smile that she thought was the most brilliant on her face, she said, "Empress Dowager, did you call me here for something? I brought the iced watermelon juice that I made myself for you. Would you like to have a taste?"
The old Empress Dowager just let out a cold snort, as if the sound came from her throat.
"I won't drink it. I just want to see if our Empress of the Dongsheng Kingdom still has me, the Empress Dowager, in her eyes!"
The old Empress Dowager said sternly, with a look of displeasure in her eyes.