Dongfang Yi never expected that a simple handkerchief would briefly win the favor of the Empress Dowager. Although the Empress Dowager's good impression of her didn't last long and soon she was once again kicked out of the Cining Palace, at least she wasn't punished further.
Later on the way, she couldn't help but ask Donghua, "Why was the Empress Dowager so happy about such a poorly embroidered handkerchief?"
Donghua then told her that the Empress Dowager once had a daughter, Princess Changping. She wasn't born to the queen but was the daughter of Emperor Xian's Concubine Dong E. Unfortunately, her mother died in the palace intrigue, and Princess Changping was then raised by the then - queen, now the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager had a very deep affection for her. The little princess had a tomboyish personality since childhood. She was proficient in horse - riding and archery but not good at the traditional female arts like playing musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, painting, and needlework.
Donghua remembered that once the Empress Dowager forced her to learn embroidery. She pricked her fingers several times and finally embroidered an extremely ugly silk tree flower.
Speaking of this, Donghua added, "Maybe the Empress Dowager saw Princess Changping's shadow in your embroidery."
"What happened later? Where is the princess? I've never heard anyone mention her in the palace," Dongfang Yi asked curiously.
It was indeed the first time she had heard about Princess Changping. Before this, it was as if she had never existed in the harem.
After hearing her question, Donghua hesitated for a moment, then said in a solemn tone, "The princess... died in battle!"
"What?!" Dongfang Yi exclaimed in disbelief. She remembered that in the law of the Dongsheng Kingdom, women were not allowed to go to the battlefield. Then how could this happen...
Donghua continued. Princess Changping was unruly. Since the Empress Dowager doted on her, no one in the palace dared to provoke her. Although she was arrogant, she was also kind - hearted. She often sneaked out of the palace to help the common people.
Once, Emperor Xian was discussing with the general that foreign invaders had intruded into the southern border of the kingdom. They burned, killed, and looted everywhere, leaving the common people homeless.
Princess Changping, who was outside the palace at that time, happened to hear this and was determined to go to the battlefield to fight for the common people. However, the law of the kingdom prohibited women from going to war. Unexpectedly, she cut her hair, dressed in men's clothes, and secretly followed the troops leaving the capital at night.
The leader of the troops sent by Emperor Xian to resist the invaders was the current emperor, who was only seventeen years old at that time.
Helian Qi discovered Princess Changping secretly following them during the first battle against the invaders. Although he was angry, when he saw her expectant eyes, he couldn't bear to drive her away. But he didn't expect this to lead to the final outcome.
At this point, Donghua sighed deeply. "After all, she was a woman and had only practiced martial arts for a few years. Although the emperor protected her, on the battlefield, there were times when he couldn't take care of everything. So in the last battle, Princess Changping was shot by an arrow suddenly shot by the enemy..."
She stopped there, but Dongfang Yi knew what had happened next. She didn't expect that there had once been such a heroic woman in the harem.
"This is also the reason why our emperor has become estranged from the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager blamed the emperor for not stopping the princess from going to the battlefield for a long time," Donghua continued, with a touch of sadness in her tone. After all, she had witnessed all this with her own eyes, and it was inevitable that she felt a bit sad.
Dongfang Yi didn't expect that there were so many hidden stories behind these events. Well, all results were the accumulation of various events.
So she patted the woman beside her on the shoulder and said, "It's all in the past. Now is the most important part of life."
Her words were clearly meant to comfort, as she had felt the woman's sadness.
"I know!" Donghua nodded heavily in agreement.
Then the two of them rushed back to the Queen's Palace.
On the other side, in Concubine Chu's Palace.
Concubine Chu's situation was far from calm. First, there was the incident of her attempted suicide in the morning, and then her appeal for justice failed. Helian Qi probably was afraid that she would do something extreme, so he sent people to watch her closely and told her through the servants to not do anything meaningless.
After the matter was investigated clearly, her innocence or guilt would be determined.
He also ordered the servants that if Concubine Chu tried to harm herself again, they could just call the imperial doctor from the imperial hospital. As long as no one died, they didn't need to bother the queen or him.
When Concubine Chu heard these words, she was so angry that she felt like her lungs were about to explode. She didn't expect them to be so heartless towards her and to say such things directly.
However, she heard that her adoptive father, Nangong Liuyun, had gone to see the emperor. So she didn't need to worry too much. Given the emperor's fear of Nangong Liuyun, he should know the consequences of killing her.
And Nangong Liuyun certainly wouldn't abandon her, because if she died, she would expose all their conspiracies before her death.
Thinking of this, a sinister smile appeared on her lips, looking extremely eerie in the cold and quiet bedroom.
On the other side, in the Lanfang Garden.
She also heard about what had happened in the Qianqing Palace. She knew that the emperor had scolded Nangong Liuyun and told him not to interfere in the affairs of the harem, but he didn't directly agree to Nangong Liuyun's suggestion to release Concubine Chu.
This proved that in the emperor's mind, he also thought that Concubine Chu had attempted to assassinate the queen. After the incident in the afternoon when the box was found to be filled with soil, even the smartest person would hardly suspect that it was someone else's frame - up. They would only think that Concubine Chu was crazy and biting randomly.
Thinking of this, the smile on her lips grew wider. It was not only an appreciation of her perfect plan but also a feeling that everything in the palace was under her control. Although she ultimately failed to kill the queen, framing Concubine Chu was also a good result. This would alienate the emperor from Nangong Liuyun, which would be a great blow to the Dongsheng Kingdom.
By the time the Southern Neighboring Country invaded, the Dongsheng Emperor would be alone and have no trusted advisors. Then it would be only a matter of time before the Dongsheng Kingdom was conquered. So there was nothing to worry about.
Yaoji thought everything was extremely perfect. She didn't know that she was in a huge whirlpool. All that she had anticipated was just what others wanted her to anticipate, and she had never touched the real reality.