After the man's footsteps had completely faded away in the palace chamber, Dongfang Yi finally turned her head to look in the direction he had left, and couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
"Ah—don't even know what I've been running away from."
Not long after, Donghua rushed in. Out of breath, she looked at Dongfang Yi and asked, "Your Majesty, are you all right?"
She looked so nervous that an uninformed person might think something terrible had happened to Dongfang Yi.
On her way to the Qianqing Palace, Donghua had heard that the emperor had come to the queen's palace. She had originally intended to tell the emperor the truth about what had happened on the city tower, but at that moment, a sense of panic welled up inside her.
If she remembered correctly, every time the emperor and the queen met, something that hurt each other would happen. So she rushed back in a hurry.
Dongfang Yi found it rather amusing to see the woman in front of her looking so worried. She said, "What could possibly happen to me?"
After saying that, she rolled her eyes at Donghua, as if to say that Donghua had underestimated her as the queen.
Hearing this, Donghua let out a long sigh of relief. Then she asked again, "Your Majesty, why did the emperor come here...?"
But the woman on the bed didn't respond. Seeing this, Donghua didn't ask further but shifted the topic to another matter.
"Your Majesty, I've already found out. It was indeed Nanny Dong, the personal maid of Consort Shun, who was responsible for the incident of the chair on the city tower. Someone saw her go up the tower and didn't come down until a quarter of an hour later," Donghua said.
Hearing this, Dongfang Yi narrowed her eyes slightly. She thought to herself that it was indeed that woman. Her saintly appearance was surely a disguise.
Thinking of this, she threw off the quilt and got out of bed. She said to Donghua beside her, "Go and invite Consort Shun over."
Hearing this, Donghua bowed and said yes, then turned around and walked out of the palace gate.
Dongfang Yi walked straight to the dressing table and said to Xiaoqian, "Let's do my makeup."
After the makeup was done, Dongfang Yi looked brand - new. Her haggard look before was just a pretense. After putting on makeup, she looked radiant. She changed into a water - blue long dress and looked extremely delicate.
In less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Consort Shun was invited over by Donghua. Nanny Dong, Consort Shun's personal maid, also came along.
As soon as she entered the palace, Consort Shun quickly walked up to Dongfang Yi, knelt down immediately and began to say, "Your Majesty, it's all my fault that I didn't discipline my maid well, which made her commit such a heinous crime!"
Dongfang Yi had prepared some words to say, but she didn't expect this woman to kneel down as soon as she came and say such things.
She couldn't help but clap for her in her heart. She thought this woman was really shrewd and knew how to strike first, which left her with nowhere to say the words she had prepared.
"Consort Shun, what do you mean...?" Dongfang Yi narrowed her eyes slightly and looked down at the woman kneeling at her feet with a haughty look.
After hearing this question, Consort Shun quickly stood up, dragged Nanny Dong in front of Dongfang Yi and shouted, "Kneel down!"
Nanny Dong immediately knelt on the ground, but there was still a look of defiance on her face.
Seeing the two of them playing good - cop and bad - cop, Dongfang Yi couldn't help but let out a cold snort and said, "This nanny seems very unconvinced!"
After saying that, she stared unblinkingly at Consort Shun who was also kneeling on the ground.
Consort Shun's face froze. Tears welled up in her eyes. With a look of disappointment, she slapped the old nanny beside her twice and said, "Why did you do this? Why did you try to harm the queen?"
After hearing these accusations, Nanny Dong also showed a hurt look on her face. Then she bowed towards Consort Shun and said,
"Your Majesty, I've watched you grow up. How could I bear to see you wronged? The queen has taken away the rights that should belong to you. I... I just..."
"Enough!" Consort Shun didn't wait for her to finish speaking and slapped her across the face. The force was so great that a red mark immediately appeared on Nanny Dong's face, and she immediately fell silent.
Dongfang Yi, sitting beside them, watched this show in front of her. The two of them were singing in harmony so comfortably that she couldn't help but severely mock them in her heart.
But on her face, she still said coldly, "What do you mean by saying that I've taken away what belongs to her? This Mid - Autumn State Banquet should be hosted by the most noble woman. Do you think I'm not as noble as Consort Shun?"
There was a cold and threatening tone in her words, which immediately left the kneeling nanny speechless.
But Dongfang Yi wasn't going to let them off so easily. Then she continued to ask, "Consort Shun, you rushed here in such a hurry and put all the blame on this maid. Are you deliberately trying to absolve yourself of the crime?"
Hearing this, Consort Shun quickly said in a hurry, "Your Majesty, how dare I try to absolve myself of the crime? I've always been too lenient with my servants, which is why they've become so presumptuous."
Ah, being too lenient with servants. What a good excuse for indulging servants. With just a few words, she had attributed all her guilt to this. What a smart woman.
Thinking of this, Dongfang Yi sneered on her face and asked Donghua beside her, "Donghua, what should be the punishment for a maid who attempts to murder the queen?"
Donghua replied without hesitation, "The death penalty and the nine - generation family will be implicated!"
After hearing this response, Nanny Dong immediately grabbed the arm of the woman beside her in a state of panic and shouted, "No, no, Your Majesty, spare me. I'll never dare to do it again! Save me!"
But Consort Shun beside her also bit her lips tightly, raised her hand and pulled away the hand that was grabbing her arm. Then she said in a restrained voice, "You've committed a serious crime. How can I save you?"
Seeing this, Dongfang Yi just let out a cold snort and waved her hand to signal Donghua.
Donghua understood the meaning and called two eunuchs to drag Nanny Dong away.
"Your Majesty, save me. I did all this for you—!" Nanny Dong shouted towards Consort Shun while being dragged away.
But soon she was dragged away by the eunuchs and there was no more sound. Those who knew what was going on were well aware that she would never come back.
Dongfang Yi, sitting in place, looked at Consort Shun who was kneeling in front of her. She was still a bit in a daze, staring blankly in the direction where Nanny Dong had been dragged out.
It was normal for her to be so dazed. After all, Nanny Dong had watched her grow up and was like a mother to her.
"Consort Shun, get up quickly. You're not at fault in this matter. It's just that the servant was presumptuous," Dongfang Yi said to the woman in front of her.