"My solution?" Cuiping couldn't help but retort. Then she let out a cold laugh and left the palace chamber without saying a word.
She never intended to help Concubine Chu. All she wanted was to use Concubine Chu's hand to kill the queen. And as for Concubine Chu, she wouldn't live long either. She would accompany the queen after the queen was dead.
She did all this just to prove to Noble Consort Shu that only she was the one who could best assist her, while others were all useless.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help bursting into a wild laugh, with an extremely sinister smile on her face.
Early the next morning, as soon as Dongfang Yi woke up, she heard a commotion outside. Before she could even tidy herself up, she rushed out. Then she saw the imposing Empress Dowager, followed by about twenty people, each looking like a fierce demon.
Seeing this scene, she couldn't help feeling suspicious. She thought to herself that she hadn't done anything wrong recently. Why did the Empress Dowager barge in with such a menacing group of people?
Thinking of this, she couldn't help asking, "What does Your Majesty the Empress Dowager mean by this show of force?"
"How dare you, Dongfang Yi, play dumb!" The Empress Dowager roared angrily. Without bothering to explain further, she waved her hand to signal the maids and eunuchs behind her.
Immediately, several burly maids and eunuchs rushed forward. But with Donghua around, she naturally wouldn't let them act recklessly. In an instant, she began to fend them off.
"You are defying the order!" the Empress Dowager thundered.
But Donghua replied, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, please don't target the wrong person. What crime has my mistress committed?"
Dongfang Yi also frowned and stared intently at the old woman in front of her, saying, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, please clarify."
The Empress Dowager let out a cold snort, as if it came from the back of her throat. Then she said, "You killed Nanny Dong in my palace, and now you still refuse to admit it! Her ghost came to me in the middle of the night to complain of her injustice!"
"Ghost?!" Dongfang Yi couldn't help retorting.
She instinctively felt that this matter must be complicated. The talk of ghosts and spirits had even come up. So she frowned and said, "I have no idea who Nanny Dong is, and why would I want to harm her? Moreover, the talk of ghosts is all nonsense. Your Majesty's words are a bit far - fetched!"
After hearing her words, the Empress Dowager almost fainted from anger. She couldn't believe that this woman was still arguing at this point. Was she blind? Was last night's scene just an illusion?
"You evil woman!" she roared. Then she walked over herself and slapped Dongfang Yi with lightning speed.
Everyone was shocked by this slap. They never expected such a thing to happen. Donghua also stopped fighting and rushed over, wanting to stand in front of her, but was pushed away by Dongfang Yi with a wave of her hand.
"What do you mean by 'evil woman'? Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, even though you are the mistress of the palace, you should still be reasonable. Don't be easily misled by others' words. How can you believe such nonsense about ghosts?!" Dongfang Yi spoke word by word, each word hitting the old woman's heart.
The Empress Dowager was momentarily speechless. But she was still very angry because of Dongfang Yi's bold words. So she shouted, "How dare you! Do you know who you are talking to? I am the emperor's mother, the current Empress Dowager!"
Dongfang Yi found that she still didn't understand her words and was about to say something more. Just then, a voice came from outside the palace, "His Majesty the Emperor is coming!"
The next moment, Helian Qi in his black robe appeared in everyone's sight. He walked step by step towards the two people who were in a stand - off. Frowning, he asked, "What on earth is going on?!"
Before Dongfang Yi could say anything, the Empress Dowager began to cry and complain first, "It's all because your queen has become so bold that she even dared to go to my Cining Palace and killed two of my most capable old nannies!"
Her words were full of resentment as she glared at the woman beside her.
After hearing this, Helian Qi couldn't help frowning. Then he looked at Dongfang Yi.
"I didn't. I never went to the Cining Palace, let alone kill anyone. Most importantly, I have no reason to kill anyone!" Dongfang Yi said word by word, with anger in her eyes.
This time, she really couldn't bear it anymore. Not only did the Empress Dowager target her every time, but now she even framed her for murder. Where was the justice?
Helian Qi listened to their words and couldn't help sighing. He naturally believed Dongfang Yi. But the current situation was likely that someone was secretly scheming. In order to save everyone's face, especially the Empress Dowager's, he said, "Let's go inside the palace. I'll listen carefully."
After saying that, he strode directly into the palace chamber. Dongfang Yi followed him. Although the Empress Dowager was a bit reluctant, she had no choice but to follow.
After closing the door, only the three of them were left in the palace. The Empress Dowager then told them what had happened to her last night.
After hearing this, both of them frowned. No one would believe such strange things as ghosts. If the Empress Dowager really saw something, it must have been deliberately arranged by someone.
Thinking of this, Dongfang Yi said, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, please believe that I, Dongfang Yi, would never do such a thing. Moreover, I have no grudge against you!"
She was telling the truth. She was usually a person who never forgot a grudge, but for some reason, she had no intention of retaliating against the Empress Dowager. Maybe it was because she loved Helian Qi deeply and the Empress Dowager was his mother.
After all, it was rare for a mother - in - law and a daughter - in - law to get along harmoniously.
The Empress Dowager was a bit touched by her firm look, but then she let out a cold snort and said, "Stop saying these hypocritical words. I will never believe you."
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, I also don't believe in the talk of ghosts. You said you saw a ghost. I suspect that someone with evil intentions deliberately did this in order to use your hand to kill the person she wants to harm," Helian Qi said. He already had a suspect in mind. After all, in this harem, who else would want to kill the woman beside him so badly?
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager's heart skipped a beat. Then she frowned and began to have some doubts. She couldn't help recalling the details of that day. The voice of the so - called ghost was completely different from Nanny Dong's. But at that time, she just thought that a ghost should sound like that.
Moreover, she only saw a shadow without any other features. Now, it was quite possible that it was deliberately arranged by someone.
After thinking about it, she looked up and asked, "Who does Your Majesty think it is?!"
After hearing this, Helian Qi didn't say a word. After all, he knew that the Empress Dowager liked Concubine Chu. If he directly said it was her, the Empress Dowager would definitely not believe him. Instead, she would think that he was protecting the queen. In that case, it would backfire.