Pampered Consort of the Fragrant Orchard

“Why not?!” The Empress Dowager did not agree with Zhong Bolin and said, “Father, we have done so much for them for so many years, secretly supplying them with so much strength! You've worked your whole life for them, but what did you get? Now that we have power, why do we still have to worship them? Father, you may have been born over there, but I wasn't, my sister wasn't, and my children weren’t either! This is my home, why should I abandon my home just for a complete stranger?!”

“Those who we worship are gods! If you say such a thing, the gods will punish you! Cough cough–” Zhong Bolin was so infuriated by the Empress Dowager's words that he broke out into a coughing fit.

“Father, are you okay?” The Empress Dowager hurriedly patted his back.

“You're being so disrespectful to the gods– you’re practically asking for the gods to punish us!” Zhong Bolin stopped and pushed the Empress Dowager away with one hand. “Don't think that just because you're the Empress Dowager now that you're the top of the food chain and free of worries. How many people have been sent here from above? We're but a humble pawn who's working for gods!”

The Empress Dowager didn't dare to say anything else when she saw how angry Zhong Bolin was, but in her heart, she still didn't intend to hand over the power in her hands.

“You hurry and find the Jade Seal. If you can't find it, find a way to pry Han Mingze's mouth open! Don't even think about these thoughts that shouldn’t exist! Do you hear me?” Zhong Bolin said furiously.

“Yes.”

“I'm leaving now, so hurry up and take care of this matter!”

“Yes.”

Zhong Bolin left. The Empress Dowager was furious and kicked the stool he had just been sitting off. Kicking this stool didn’t seem to be enough to relieve her anger, as she turned around and kicked her own chair too.

“Mistress!” Nanny Xi approached from behind the Empress Dowager. Seeing her so angry, she looked at the Empress Dowager with some concern.

“Why! Why should I hand over the power in my hands? What did those people do for us? Absolutely nothing! They merely watch us from the southern mountains sending batch after batch of resources to them, they merely watch us seize power for them. Now that we're at the crux of power, they want us to hand it all over? Dream on! If Father, that old codger, wants to be loyal to that whatever god for the rest of his life, that's his business. I refuse!”

“Mistress, calm your anger!” Seeing how angry the Empress Dowager was, Nanny Xi tried to coax her.

“Nanny Xi, send people to investigate for me. I want you to find the Jade Seal as soon as possible, and try to let Minghong ascend to the throne as emperor.”

“This servant has already ordered them to search through the palace again.”

“Focus on Han Mingze's concubines!”

“Yes.”

Meanwhile, in the Cold Palace, seven or eight women were gathered around, talking, and the Empress was sitting alone in a corner.

“I really didn't expect that we would all be here another day. Alas, who knows if we can get out.”

“Get out? You're being way too optimistic– the Emperor has been captured, who can help us get out?”

“The only thing to hope for now is that they don't immediately come and kill us!”

“Alas, don’t you guys think it's bad enough that this person who betrayed the Emperor was locked in us; we actually have to live under the same roof as her as well, it's really ridiculous!”

“Alright, now that things are like this, you guys should just talk less!” Noble Consort Yi glared at the person who had spoken. She looked at the Empress who was silently sitting in the corner, sighed, and looked worriedly at the ceiling beams above them.

The Empress had been there less than a month, but she had already lost a great deal of weight. Her figure looked like it could be blown away by the wind– her demeanor as an empress above thousands and mother of the kingdom was long gone.

Faced with the pretentiousness of the other concubines, it was as if she hadn’t heard any of it. She only leaned against the wall in a daze, her mind fixed on the day before the palace rebellion, when Han Mingze had come here.

“I have something I want to put here with you.”

When he arrived, he didn't ask her why she wanted to harm Du Xiaoli, but instead straightforwardly said this.

As she kneeled in front of him, she heard his words and raised her head in surprise to see him take out something from his bosom. Opening the bright yellow cloth, what was wrapped inside was actually the Jade Seal!

“Your Majesty– why is Your Majesty entrusting this thing to your consort for safekeeping?” She couldn't help but ask.

“Did I say it was for safekeeping? I said I want to temporarily leave it here with you. When the day comes that I need it, I'll come and retrieve it,” Han Mingze said indifferently.

She lowered her head and didn't say anything. Wasn’t placing it here with her tantamount to having her safekeep it? But why? Wasn't he afraid that she would hand this Jade Seal away?

Han Mingze glanced at her as he was leaving. There were too many emotions concealed in that glance, leaving her unable to guess how much he knew.

However, when the guards weren't paying attention, she dug a hole at the end of her cot, put the jade seal in, then stuffed the padding back in, packed it firmly, and pushed the layers of ruined cotton back into place. Using the excuse of going out for a walk, she got rid of the excess padding, dumping it out.

Who would have expected that the next day, news of the palace mutiny arrived. Those concubines were all locked up, and news also came that Han Mingze was locked up and the Jade Seal was missing.

The Empress touched her bare fingernails. The hole dug out on the cot had been made by her using her fingernails to pick it out bit by bit. Because of this, her beloved fingernails were broken.

Until now, those questions still plagued her– why would Han Mingze put the Jade Seal in her place? He clearly knew that he had harmed Du Xiaoli, and also that she had passed the Empress Dowager intel on him. Why would he still believe that she could properly safekeep the Jade Seal?

And the Jade Seal, which had not been found in the entire palace, was currently in the cot underneath her. No one could have guessed that it would be in this remote Cold Palace.

MoonWhisperer, skyrise's Thoughts

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