So the Empress Dowager took Concubine Chu to the Qianqing Palace. It only took about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to get there.
Concubine Chu hesitated a bit about entering the inner palace. After all, the matter was not yet settled, and she really didn't dare to face the Emperor directly like this.
The Empress Dowager naturally saw her worry. She patted Concubine Chu's hand to comfort her and then walked into the inner palace on her own.
At this moment, Helian Qi was sitting halfway on the couch. Although his face was still a bit pale, he had finally woken up.
The moment the Empress Dowager saw him, her eyes welled up with tears. It was as if she had a great deal of pent - up grievances to let out. Then she walked over and sat down beside his bed. She raised her hand and touched his forehead, muttering, "It's good that you're awake, it's good that you're awake!"
Helian Qi rarely saw his mother looking so vulnerable. He was immediately touched and said, "I'm fine. It's just that I've troubled you, Empress Dowager, these days."
"It's not a trouble! I've just been guarding your kingdom for you. As long as you're awake, I can continue to enjoy my later years in peace!" The Empress Dowager said with a smile, her words sounding a bit nonchalant.
Then she asked Bai Juechen, who was standing beside them, "How is the Emperor's health now?"
"Your Majesty, the remaining poison in the Emperor's body has been completely removed. He's just a bit weak. He'll surely be fine in a couple of days!" Bai Juechen replied. Dressed in white, he looked extremely unrestrained.
The Empress Dowager nodded in relief after hearing his words. Then she patted her son's shoulder in front of her and said, "Since you're awake, you should handle all the affairs inside and outside the palace..."
So she told him all the things that had happened in the past few days without missing a single detail, including the fact that the Dong family might be the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on them outside the palace. Then the Dong family was exterminated, and now the Nangong family also seemed a bit restless.
After Helian Qi heard all these messy things, he frowned tightly. It seemed that he was a bit unhappy that so many things had happened during his coma. Then he rubbed his head and said to the woman in front of him, "Don't worry, Empress Dowager. I'll surely handle all the matters properly."
The Empress Dowager nodded when she heard this. Then she turned around and left the inner hall, taking Concubine Chu with her as she left the Qianqing Palace.
As soon as they stepped out of the palace gate, they ran into Dongfang Yi, who was in a hurry. A look of displeasure immediately appeared on the Empress Dowager's face. Then she shouted at her, "Concubine Yi! You should be staying quietly in the Cold Palace now. What are you doing here? Have you forgotten the rules?!"
Dongfang Yi lowered her head when she saw the Empress Dowager, but she still couldn't avoid being noticed. After hearing what the Empress Dowager said, she replied, "I'm just worried about the Emperor, so I wanted to come and take a look."
"The Emperor never needs the worry of a concubine who has been sent to the Cold Palace. Hurry back to your Cold Palace!" The Empress Dowager scolded.
She hated the woman in front of her so much that she didn't even want her to see the Emperor again, and she never wanted to see her in front of her again.
When Dongfang Yi heard her words, she was very unhappy. Just as she was about to retort, she noticed Concubine Chu hiding behind the Empress Dowager. Immediately, the veins on her forehead popped up.
It was because she remembered the way she was beaten before, and now this woman actually dared to show up in front of her so boldly.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but sneer. Then she raised her eyebrows and mocked, "Concubine Chu, you're really brave! You've seriously injured the Emperor, yet you still dare to walk around freely here. Are you here to confess your guilt on your own initiative?!"
She still remembered that when Helian Qi rushed over, the whip that could have killed her landed on him, and that whip was whipped out by Concubine Chu.
But after Concubine Chu heard her provocative words, she didn't stand up and scold her back as boldly as usual. Instead, she hid a bit more behind the Empress Dowager and reached out to tug at the Empress Dowager's sleeve as if asking for help.
Dongfang Yi couldn't help but feel nauseous when she saw her like this. She thought that this woman was really good at pretending to be pitiful. She pretended in front of Helian Qi before, and now she was pretending in front of the Empress Dowager. This trick was really used over and over again!
But to her surprise, the Empress Dowager really seemed to buy this. After seeing Concubine Chu's pitiful look, she shouted at Dongfang Yi, "How dare you! You're just a concubine in the Cold Palace. How dare you make up nonsense in front of me!"
When Dongfang Yi heard this, she felt really speechless. She was surprised that the Empress Dowager's way of thinking was really strange. All the things she said were clearly seen by everyone. It was indeed Concubine Chu who had beaten her and seriously injured Helian Qi. How could it be that she was making things up now?
So she really couldn't control her anger. Then she shouted loudly, "Empress Dowager, what are you thinking? It's obvious that Concubine Chu whipped the Emperor. The wound on the Emperor's back is still there. How can it be that I'm making things up?!"
She really didn't want to have a bad relationship with the Empress Dowager, because after all, the Empress Dowager was Helian Qi's mother, and Helian Qi was the man she loved the most. A bad relationship between mother - in - law and daughter - in - law was really hard to handle. But in this situation, she really couldn't help it. She thought that the Empress Dowager was the mistress of the palace, so how could she be so lacking in judgment and be played by someone like Concubine Chu?
Thinking of this, she wanted to continue scolding, but she found that the woman in front of her had turned pale with anger. Even her lips were trembling, as if she was enduring great anger.
"Dongfang Yi!" She shouted loudly. Then she wanted to send Nanny Li behind her to hold Dongfang Yi down on the ground.
But at this moment, Ru Yi ran out of the Qianqing Palace. He bowed to the people in front of him and then said, "The Emperor requests the presence of Concubine Yi!"
As soon as he said this, the faces of the three people present all froze. The Empress Dowager was full of indignation, Concubine Chu looked resentful, and only Dongfang Yi smiled and said to the man in front of her, "Okay, okay. I'll go in right away."
Then she bowed to the woman on the other side and said, "Then I won't disturb you anymore, Empress Dowager. You should go back to the Cining Palace and rest quickly!"
Then she walked into the Cining Palace without looking back, following the man in front of her.
The Empress Dowager, who was still standing there, stared with wide eyes. Her chest felt stuffy because of anger. Then she snorted deeply.
She had never seen such a rude woman who dared to shout at her. If it weren't for the Emperor, she would surely teach her a good lesson today!