Immediately, a path was cleared in the middle of the road, and Dongfang Yi walked through with a solemn face.
When she reached the center of the crowd, she immediately spotted the Empress Dowager standing there. Behind the Empress Dowager was Nanny Li, looking at her coldly.
"Your servant pays respects to the Empress Dowager," Dongfang Yi said, bowing slightly.
The Empress Dowager, rarely, responded, "The Queen may rise."
Normally, she would just grunt without a response. Now, she might feel a bit guilty, after all, the whips from her nanny were no joke.
After Dongfang Yi rose, she walked towards the well and saw several palace servants climbing into the well, trying to retrieve the night - pearl inside.
She sneered inwardly. When Zhizhi committed suicide by jumping into the well, no one was sent to retrieve her body. But now, because the night - pearl had fallen in, people were sent down. It was truly a heartless world. A dead object was more important than a human life.
Soon, a palace servant climbed out of the well, holding the bright night - pearl in his hand. Immediately, a putrid smell spread.
After all, the pearl had been with the corpse for a long time. The well was very deep, so no one could smell anything strange before. But now that the night - pearl was retrieved, the smell came out with it.
All the palace servants covered their noses. Even the Empress Dowager covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, frowning involuntarily. She asked, "What on earth is going on?! Why was the night - pearl here?!"
After she asked, the eunuch who first discovered the night - pearl rushed over and told his story all over again.
After hearing it, the Empress Dowager was a bit suspicious. She thought that the pearl had been missing for so long and wasn't found in the well before. Why was it suddenly discovered now?
The Empress Dowager was not a stupid person. She sensed something strange at this moment. It seemed like a well - designed trap, waiting for her to fall into it.
Dongfang Yi also saw her concerns. She stepped forward and said, "Since the pearl has been found, my unjust accusation has been cleared."
There was a hint of displeasure in her tone, as if hinting at the beating she had endured.
The Empress Dowager's face darkened after hearing this. But with so many palace servants around, she couldn't lose her temper. She could only reply helplessly, "The Queen is right!"
After saying that, she glanced at Dongfang Yi out of the corner of her eye, with a flash of anger in her eyes, as if threatening her to stop pushing things too far.
Dongfang Yi completely ignored her look. Although she resented the Empress Dowager in her heart, after all, she was Helian Qi's mother, and Dongfang Yi couldn't be too rude to her.
"Empress Dowager, your servant has another request," she said.
"Hmm?"
The Empress Dowager raised her eyebrows, as if the question popped out of her nose.
"After all, this night - pearl is an item from the Southern Neighboring Country. Now that the two princes of the Southern Neighboring Country have left, but Princess Yaoji is still here. Why don't we let her take a look?" she continued.
The Empress Dowager naturally didn't know what she was up to. The matter of the Southern Neighboring Country had just ended. Why call that woman now?
But she still agreed and ordered a palace servant beside her to invite Yaoji from Lanfang Garden.
In less than a quarter of an hour, Yaoji arrived. She was still wearing a long purple - silk dress, with her hair pulled up by a wisteria hairpin. Her blue eyes were clear and seemed to be able to speak. She was incredibly beautiful.
After she entered, she bowed to the Empress Dowager and Dongfang Yi respectively. Then she asked with a puzzled look on her face, "I wonder why you've summoned your servant?"
She looked so innocent and ignorant. If someone who didn't know the situation saw her, they might really think she was just a little white rabbit. Didn't Dongfang Yi used to be deceived by this appearance, thinking that she was really asking for help, but never expecting that she was the one stabbing in the back?
Thinking of this, Dongfang Yi sneered inwardly, but her expression remained unchanged. She said, "The night - pearl that was lost a few days ago has been found. Princess Yao, take a look!"
Her words were an obvious hint, as if telling Yaoji that no matter how slippery she was, Dongfang Yi could still see her true nature.
After hearing this, Yaoji's expression froze for a moment, but then quickly returned to normal. She stretched her head and took a far - away look at the newly retrieved night - pearl. Without getting closer, she replied, "It's really wonderful that it's been found. It seems that the heavens are blessing our Dongsheng. Our treasures will never disappear without a reason."
After saying that, she hooked the corner of her lips and looked at the woman in front of her innocently.
Dongfang Yi listened to her flawless words and thought that this woman was really amazing. It seemed that she had received a lot of training. Now, it was probably impossible to find any more evidence against her. In the future, she must be carefully guarded against in the harem.
After thinking this, she stopped talking and signaled Yaoji with her eyes not to do anything stupid, or she would make Yaoji pay.
The Empress Dowager, looking at the two women in front of her, exchanging words without really getting to the point, instinctively felt that all these incidents were related to the princess from the Southern Neighboring Country.
Even though she didn't like Dongfang Yi very much, Dongfang Yi was still the Queen of Dongsheng. But Yaoji was different. She was a foreign woman, and no one knew what she was up to. One wrong move, and she might cause a big problem.
After thinking this, the Empress Dowager said to Yaoji in a solemn tone, "While in the palace, I advise you not to cause any trouble. Otherwise... Humph!"
The cold snort carried a heavy threat. After saying that, she turned around and left.
Dongfang Yi stared at the woman in front of her without blinking, with a threatening look similar to the Empress Dowager's.
Yaoji still had a smile on her lips, as if she didn't care at all. Dongfang Yi couldn't help but secretly sigh that she really had a high psychological quality.
After thinking this, she also left. The palace servant holding the night - pearl behind her immediately followed. After all, the night - pearl was a gift from the Emperor to the Queen. Now that it was found, it should naturally be returned to her.
Yaoji, still standing there, stared intently at the woman walking away. When her back completely disappeared from sight, the false smile on Yaoji's lips faded, and a look of triumph replaced it.
This time, that woman managed to escape by luck. Fortunately, she had made preparations in advance. Otherwise, after all this was over, she would be the next one to be dealt with.
She, Yaoji, had always been the center of attention since she was a child. She would never allow herself to lose everything here.
After thinking this, she sneered inwardly and then rushed back towards Lanfang Garden.