The empress dowager was slightly tired, with a hint of fatigue at the corners of her eyes, and it was clear that she had not slept well at night. She looked at the queen without speaking, until the latter could no longer bear it, before withdrawing her piercing gaze.

  "You're being clever again!"

  "Mother...!"

  The empress slightly pouted, seeing the empress dowager unmoved, secretly resentful in her heart, and sighed: "I, as a subject, hold this imperial seal, it's like walking on thin ice. If mother empress treats me like this again, I really have no way to live..." She seemed to be moved by her own words, her eyes filled with tears, almost dropping pearls of sorrow.

  "You want to kill a chicken to scare the monkey, there's nothing wrong with that..."

  The empress looked at her with a mixture of sympathy and annoyance, and patiently said: "But you still haven't made any progress... If this method is exposed, I'm afraid it won't look good for your reputation either!"

  The queen smiled slightly, and gently wiped the corner of her eye with a silk handkerchief, saying: "Your Majesty need not worry, I have long been prepared, and no matter how subtle the clues may be, that little girl will not be able to see them..."

  She spoke until the end, almost spitting out each word from her teeth, that 'cold' and resentful hatred, spreading throughout the hall, making her eyes even more profound.

  The empress dowager saw her so persistent and could only shake her head, no longer trying to persuade her.

  "Empress Dowager, just you wait and see this wonderful scene..."

  The queen got up weakly, like a willow in the wind, and called for someone to bring her the crystal bowl that the empress dowager was used to using. She then had her maid open the red lacquer box with a hundred phoenixes on it, revealing a crystal cup filled with pure white milk.

  "This thing is most able to calm the mind, if the mother-in-law has poor sleep at night, might as well give it a try."

  The empress's eyebrows slightly furrowed, saying displeased: "I dislike the most the strong smell of goat and sheep milk."

  The queen smiled and said: "This is not the 'milk' of cattle and sheep, but the best tonic for nourishing the face and calming the mind, which I have sent to the inner court to find a healthy woman to produce."

  The empress's expression slightly cleared up, but she furrowed her brow and said: "Allowing a postpartum woman's bones and flesh to separate, isn't this going against the heavenly way?"

  The empress smiled and said with a nonchalant tone, "What is meant by the dignity of the imperial family? It means that we are supported by the entire country. Those insignificant households, if they can exchange their humble lives for the health and well-being of Her Majesty, it would be their good fortune!"

  The empress dowager listened, no longer refuting, but merely went along with the flow, saying: "Although it's said so, it's also a pity for 'Yin' Huan, never mind, you can reward them with a few more, and that will be enough for them to enjoy!"

  She gazed at the milky liquid in her cup, and a hint of a smile appeared: "You do have some filial piety...... Does it really have a calming effect?"

  She recalled the nightmare at night, the deceased soul's 'yin' cold black pupils, sinister smile, suddenly clever and charming, suddenly mournful and low cry, her whole body was covered with goosebumps, her eyes were also dazed...

  "Empress Dowager... Empress Dowager...?"

  The queen called out beside her, and the empress dowager's consciousness cleared.

  "Mother, they have arrived and are waiting under the corridor ---- I see that you are indeed not in good spirits, so take a seat at ease and watch me finish this play!"

  The queen smiled to herself and said in a gentle voice: "Have them come in!"

  Everyone entered the hall and saw the Empress Dowager with a calm face, sipping something with a silver spoon. The Queen was dressed in a snow-white palace attire, revealing a radiant phoenix pattern, which shone brightly in the dim light, making her look even more majestic and resplendent.

  A hint of mockery in Chen's eyes, and she was even more certain that there was something fishy about this matter - if she were really worried sick, how could she have the leisure to indulge in such idle thoughts?

  She had seen much in her past life and recognized at a glance that the material of the queen's clothes was "Qian Zhao Xue" woven by the secret method of Nanyue State, which looked ordinary but was extremely soft and could emit light in the dark, fireproof, and only one piece could be produced in a year.

  A person in such a state of anxiety would change into such magnificent clothes at this critical juncture?

  Absolutely absurd...

  She covered her lips and sneered coldly, slightly raising an eyebrow at the two women in front of her, quietly observing what actions they would take.

  Only to hear the Empress Dowager cough dryly and say slowly: "I'm also old, I've never been too particular about you all, just thinking that as long as I can dote on my grandchildren, whatever mistakes there are, I'll just close one eye and let it pass..."

  The many consorts and concubines saw her tone was calm and composed, they were even more frightened in their hearts, and all of them restrained themselves to receive her teachings.

  "But you, just want me to be disappointed!"

  The Empress Dowager said here, facing the Queen: "In Mei Gui's 'Spring' Palace, let the imperial physician take her pulse every day. If there is anything wrong, I will ask you!"

  The empress bowed her head and listened to the reprimand, not daring to argue in the slightest. She only got a faint smile: "I understand, Your Majesty - now that one is gone, Mei Guibao's child in her womb is the Emperor's only flesh and blood!"

  The Empress Dowager snorted: "You have not managed the harem well, go back and reflect on your mistakes!"

  She suddenly turned around and coldly swept her gaze across the crowd below, and the air in the hall instantly became stiff and chilly.

  "What's going on with Yunnan and Guizhou people?!"

  Her voice was not particularly loud, but every word entered the ears of the crowd, exceptionally clear.

  She gazed intently at one place and said in a low voice: "Yang Baolin, you tell me."

  Yang Bao Lin was already in a daze, hearing his own name, his body shook violently, almost fainting, struggling to kneel forward and report: "Your servant really doesn't know..."

  "You don't know?!"

  The queen listened clearly, covering her face with a fan and smiling coldly: "At that time, everyone saw it clearly, you and Yun Guiren fell into a heap - how can you say you didn't know?!"

  Yang Baolin felt wronged and choked with sobs: "She has poor eyesight, she accidentally stepped on the hem of my clothes..."