By now, the Empress Dowager must have suspected Concubine Dong, right?
On the other side, in Concubine Dong's palace.
Concubine Dong was sitting on a grand chair, ruminating on the events of the day. She had already heard that the Empress had been taken to the dungeon. Subconsciously, she felt she had narrowly escaped. She knew that before the Empress was taken away, she must have told the Empress Dowager about discovering her. But it had already been an afternoon, and the Empress Dowager hadn't come to find her. This meant the Empress Dowager didn't take the Empress's words to heart.
She thought to herself that she had gained a brief period of safety.
Just then, the sound of footsteps came from outside the palace. Immediately afterwards, a palace maid walked in. She looked rather unfamiliar. As soon as she entered, she bowed to Concubine Dong and then said, "Your Ladyship, please come with this servant."
"Who sent you?" Concubine Dong frowned, asking warily. After all, she was in a delicate situation, and it was quite dangerous to follow someone casually.
"Your Ladyship, just come with this servant. That noble person said that if Your Ladyship doesn't obey, this servant is to tie you up and take you there." The palace maid said this expressionlessly. Clearly, she had received special training.
Concubine Dong naturally detected the threat in her words. She nodded and said, "Let this palace call for my personal maid."
Unexpectedly, the palace maid replied, "The noble person said only Your Ladyship is allowed to go. No other palace servants are permitted."
After saying this, without giving any further explanation, she turned around and walked out of the sleeping quarters. Concubine Dong gritted her teeth and followed, not allowing anyone to accompany her.
Once she left the palace, she noticed that she was being led towards the imperial garden. Her brow furrowed even more tightly. Immediately, she asked, "What are we going to the imperial garden for? Who on earth wants to see me?!"
She speculated wildly in her mind. After all, she had a guilty conscience. Who knew if she had other enemies?
But her question received no answer. Soon, the two entered the imperial garden. The palace maid pointed in a direction and said, "Your Ladyship, just walk in this direction."
Then, without waiting for the woman in front of her to ask any more questions, she left the imperial garden on her own.
Concubine Dong braced herself and walked in the direction the maid had pointed.
It was already deep into the night, and there was no moon. So the night was even darker. Especially in the imperial garden, the plants looked desolate in the cold air, adding an eerie atmosphere.
Just as she was about to reach the end, a female voice came from a pavilion nearby.
"Your Ladyship, Concubine Dong, please come here!"
The voice belonged to an old nanny. As she got closer, she recognized her as Nanny Li, who served the Empress Dowager. And sitting right behind her was the Empress Dowager herself.
Only then did Concubine Dong realize that the noble person who wanted to see her was the Empress Dowager.
Realizing this, her heart started pounding wildly. She knew that the Empress Dowager hadn't dismissed the Empress's words. Instead, she had considered the fact that there were too many people around during the day. That's why she had sent an unfamiliar palace maid to call her here at night.
Thinking of this, she immediately knelt on the ground, bowed respectfully, and then said, "This subject pays respects to the Empress Dowager. I wonder why Your Majesty called this subject here so late at night?"
After saying this, she looked up at the woman in front of her with a confused look in her eyes.
After all, she hadn't been caught red - handed for the assassination. So she couldn't admit defeat so easily. She could only act dumb.
The Empress Dowager snorted coldly in her heart. She hadn't expected that the woman who usually seemed so submissive would still act so surprised at this moment. She had underestimated her.
"Oh? Concubine Dong, don't you know why this old one called you here?" The Empress Dowager asked coldly.
Concubine Dong gritted her teeth, lowered her head, and stammered, "This subject... doesn't know!"
"Then do you know that the Empress was taken to the dungeon by this old one today?" the woman in front of her said.
Concubine Dong nodded heavily. Then, as if she had just thought of something, she said, "I wonder what wrong thing the Empress did to make Your Majesty so angry."
After all, in the eyes of the people in the harem, she was considered close to the Empress. At this moment, she must ask about it.
The Empress Dowager snorted again and then said, "The Empress has, of course, committed an unforgivable sin. But do you know what she said before she was imprisoned?"
"How could this subject know what the Empress said? This subject has never been interested in the affairs of the harem." Concubine Dong replied indifferently. Her expression showed no concern, but inside, she was constantly hesitating. She knew that the Empress must have said something unfavorable to her.
Seeing the calmness of the woman in front of her, the Empress Dowager felt that she couldn't underestimate her. But she had no evidence at hand. Acting rashly might cause dissatisfaction in the court.
Thinking of this, her brow furrowed, and her face darkened. Then she said, "Concubine Dong, this old one knows that you have never had any ambitions in the harem. This old one feels sorry for you. Today, the Empress said some bad things about you. This old one naturally doesn't take them to heart. But if you have anything to report, you must not hide it in your heart."
What she meant was that if she knew she had done wrong, she should confess. Maybe she could still gain a little mercy. The Empress Dowager would give her a chance considering her hard work in the harem.
Concubine Dong naturally understood the meaning behind her words, but she hesitated. After all, she hadn't done all these wrong things willingly. But since she had already done them, there was no turning back. Now, the entire Dong family's fate rested on her decision. She couldn't afford to be careless.
Thinking of this, she bit her lip hard, then lowered her head and said, "Your Majesty, this subject will report any information truthfully. Your Majesty need not worry."
The Empress Dowager hadn't expected that the woman in front of her was so stubborn. Facing her pressure, she still didn't say a word.
But she couldn't force her either. After all, it wouldn't sound good if this matter got out. And the reason she had called her to the depths of the imperial garden was to avoid being discovered by anyone.
So she said to the woman in front of her, "Then you may leave. If you have any information, come and tell this old one."
Concubine Dong bowed respectfully to her and then left the imperial garden.
Nanny Li, who was beside the Empress Dowager, asked, "Your Majesty, are you just going to let her go? It's obvious that she's suspected!"
"It doesn't matter! She can't escape from this harem. You send someone to investigate the Dong family outside the palace. Report back if you find any clues!"