ebookland Chapter 107: Provocation
Chapter 107: Provocation
Hearing this, Lan Zhi's heart skipped a beat.
"Let's go, Ah Qi, come with me to the palace immediately."
Although she was also very tired, the Empress Dowager was ill, and she knew medicine, so she couldn't just sit at home and do nothing.
Longevity Palace
The Empress Dowager was angry with the Emperor and refused to see him, as well as everyone else.
When Lan Zhi arrived, the Emperor was pacing back and forth in the courtyard. Upon seeing her enter, he hurried forward to greet her.
"Lan Zhi, go quickly and see the Empress Dowager. She refuses to eat and won't let anyone in. What should we do?"
Lan Zhi looked up at the Emperor, then at the Empress who was coldly watching her, and nodded in agreement.
"Yes, Your Majesty, please wait a moment."
She stepped inside, and the Empress glared at her hatefully, her eyes filled with undisguised disgust.
The Emperor suddenly turned around and asked solemnly,
"Did you deliver on that ten thousand taels of silver?"
This……
Upon hearing this, the Empress hesitated for a moment.
"not yet."
That's ten thousand taels of silver. How could she bear to give it to this woman for nothing?
Besides, her initial offer of a reward of ten thousand taels of silver to find a doctor for the Empress Dowager was just a publicity stunt; who would have thought she would actually cure the Empress Dowager?
"How can the mother of the nation go back on her word? Send the silver to the Crown Prince's residence. If she mentions it to me again, I will punish you."
The Empress's face darkened slightly, then she bowed and replied:
"I understand."
Although she was unwilling, she had no choice.
It seems she's going to have to spend some money on this woman.
However, she won't lose this money for nothing; she'll get it back sooner or later.
"By the way, have someone clean up Fangcaozhai and replace all the things inside with brand new ones. Consort Liang is going to move there."
Fangcaozhai?
"Your Majesty, no one has lived there for a long time..."
"I know. I told you to pack up. Consort Liang doesn't want to recall the past and wants to move to a quiet place."
When Consort Liang was mentioned, a look of disgust flashed in the Empress's eyes, but she dared not show it in front of the Emperor.
Back then, Consort Liang entered the palace with her; she became a consort, and she became the empress.
Even though she was the Empress and came from a prominent family, the Emperor did not show her any more favor. On the contrary, he favored Consort Liang more than any other woman in the harem.
Five years ago, Consort Liang died. With that woman no longer an eyesore in the harem, she was very happy. The thorn in her heart had finally been removed.
But five years later, she actually returned and appeared alive and well before the emperor again. Her son had become the crown prince again, which made her very unwilling and resentful.
The reason she was surprised when she heard the name Fangcaozhai was because Fangcaozhai was the courtyard where the emperor usually cultivated his mind and body, raised fish and enjoyed flowers.
Over the years, the Emperor has spent more time there than in any of his concubines' palaces.
If Consort Liang were to move in there, the Emperor would be constantly preoccupied with it. If she were to whisper sweet nothings in his ear, the Empress's position would likely be in serious jeopardy.
She felt a tightness in her chest, then leaned forward and said:
"Your Majesty, I will make the arrangements immediately."
The Emperor simply waved his hand and didn't say anything more to her. The Empress slowly withdrew, her heart filled with hatred and her eyes filled with resentment.
……
When Lan Zhi arrived at the Empress Dowager's room, the Empress Dowager let out a weak, angry rebuke.
"All of you, step back. Let me starve to death."
She took two steps forward and said softly:
"What is it that makes the Empress Dowager so upset that she would debase herself like this?"
Hearing her voice, the Empress Dowager seemed even angrier.
"Lan Zhi, you liar! I trusted you so much and was so devoted to you, but you've been hiding your identity and staying by my side for so long. What are you trying to do?"
Lan Zhi calmly replied:
"No matter how long I have served by the Empress Dowager's side, may I ask the Empress Dowager, have you suffered any loss?"
This……
The Empress Dowager was speechless for a moment. She had indeed suffered no loss, but she was quite dissatisfied with Lan Zhi's deception.
"Don't try to play the good guy here. I don't want to see you. Get out of here."
Lan Zhi placed the medicine box on the table and calmly sat down at the table.
"Now that I'm the Crown Princess, your granddaughter-in-law, you never yelled at me before. Why are you so impatient with me now that we're closer?"
"My only grandson is Wei Jian'an, and my only granddaughter-in-law is Jiang Yaru. I do not acknowledge anyone else."
"Whether you acknowledge me or not, I am your granddaughter-in-law. However, I am here today as a doctor, and I was ordered by the Emperor to come. Since I am here, I should symbolically take your pulse so that I can report back to the Emperor. Please cooperate with me, otherwise we will both be wasting our time here."
The Empress Dowager suddenly sat up in bed, pulled back the bed curtains, and glared at her with a hateful look.
"You mean you're just following orders and don't care whether I live or die?"
"Yes, if you don't care, why should I?"
"you……"
The Empress Dowager's face turned ashen in an instant, and then she pointed a finger at her.
"Get out of here! I don't want to see you again."
"Please be careful with your words, Your Majesty, and do not use the word 'get lost' lightly."
"I've used it, what can you do about it? I'm telling you to get out, get out of here."
Lan Zhi smiled slightly, a satisfied expression on her face.
"Okay, then take care of yourself, I'll be leaving now."
After saying those words, she picked up her medicine box, stepped out the door, and the Empress Dowager continued to hurl insults at her retreating figure.
"I don't want to see you again."
When Lan Zhi left amidst the Empress Dowager's curses, the Emperor was quite surprised.
"The Empress Dowager's voice..."
Lan Zhi nodded immediately.
"Yes, judging from the Empress Dowager's voice, she is in good health, so Your Majesty need not worry."
It turned out that she had guessed that the Empress Dowager was just making a fuss and that's why she was deliberately trying to annoy her.
Now that it has been confirmed that the Empress Dowager is not ill, the Emperor can rest assured.
She led Ah Qi out of the Longevity Palace. Ah Qi, carrying his medicine chest, followed along, asking curiously:
"What medicine did you give the Empress Dowager? How did she recover so quickly?"
Lan Zhi gave a bitter smile.
"A cure for the heart."
Heart medicine?
Ah Qi didn't understand this medicine, but he still complimented her appreciatively.
"Your Highness, you are so lucky. You went from being a doctor to becoming the Crown Princess. When will I be so fortunate?"
A leap?
She didn't just leap into the air; she went through so much!
“Little girl, didn’t you also go from a lowly palace maid to the personal maid of the Crown Princess? From now on, when the servants in the Crown Prince’s residence see you, they will all have to call you Sister Seven.”
Mentioning this, Ah Qi excitedly rolled up his sleeves.
"Of course! This is what you call turning misfortune into blessing. When you become the Empress, I will be the Empress's personal maid. I will make those who bullied me before pay the price."
Ah Qi's request was simple, and his purpose was clear.
In the past, she was a nobody and dared not speak up when she was bullied.
Once she becomes a maidservant by the Empress's side, anyone who dares to bully her will be asking for trouble.
"Crown Princess..."