Liu Liu coldly watched the woman kneeling, not speaking to tell her to rise. Kneeling was already a lenient punishment.
At this moment, even severe punishment would be justifiable, given how a mother had raised her child.
The Emperor had not made any public announcements, and she was not the Empress. Her child was merely of concubine birth.
Regardless, the position of Crown Prince would never fall to her child. Even if there had been no children in the palace before, she should have adhered to her duties in raising her child, and not used such casual titles.
"Why has Consort De come to see this Empress?"
The icy voice swept over, leaving no room for leniency.
Liu Liu always felt that this woman was not as simple as she appeared. In contrast, the Consort Shu from five years ago seemed like someone without guile, yet she had done many things only a schemer would do.
The woman before her wore an intelligent expression. Would she be someone who would simply abide by the rules?
If she were content with her lot, then what was this talk of a Crown Prince? This could only mean she believed everything was in order, having calculated everything except for the survival of them, mother and son.
If Lou Si Jing had indeed hidden so deeply.
A flicker of excitement flashed in Liu Liu's dark pupils. She had truly encountered a master, and this made her feel excited. Facing a strong adversary would surely make the game more thrilling, wouldn't it?
Lou Si Jing knelt for a long time without hearing the Empress tell her to rise. A fleeting dark glint in her eyes. Was this Empress looking down on her, or trying to provoke her?
It seemed she would have to be even more cautious. Fortunately, she hadn't committed any mistakes thus far.
She knew that someone had arranged everything, and she didn't need to lift a finger. This was precisely why others couldn't find any clues; she had done nothing herself. Everything had been done by others, and she merely knew about it.
With the Lou family's growing influence, to avoid suspicion, she had never met with anyone from the Lou family alone. Those were the actions of her father and brothers. In the palace, she had always been the most obedient, cautious in every word and deed.
She knew the Emperor was no fool. If he were to discover anything detrimental to her, she would fall into an abyss of eternal damnation, and all her and that person's efforts would be in vain. Therefore, that person had prepared everything for her, and she never worried about what she should or shouldn't know.
All she needed to do was to peacefully be the Empress, and her son could peacefully await becoming the Crown Prince. Yet, she never dreamed this woman would return, and bring back the Crown Prince. She believed they would soon make their move.
A fierce smile flashed across Lou Si Jing's lowered face.
"Today, Yu Lou has made a mistake. As his mother, your concubine is deserving of death. Therefore, I have come to apologize to His Highness the Crown Prince and to request that the Empress kindly educate Yu Lou."
Lou Si Jing spoke gently, though her heart ached for her son. She had always believed her son was the Crown Prince, and Yu Lou himself had thought he was the Crown Prince. Suddenly, another Crown Prince appeared, and how could he not be angry?
"This doesn't seem to be his fault. If responsibility must be assigned, this should be an issue with Consort De's upbringing. If Consort De is incapable of properly raising her son, this Empress does not mind entrusting him to the care of another,"
Liu Liu's chilling words echoed through the grand hall. Lou Si Jing felt her entire body freeze. She had never expected the Empress to want to send her child away to be raised by someone else.
Who else was there in this inner palace? It must be that she wanted to send her child to be adopted by Consort Zhang.
The thought of this made Lou Si Jing somewhat resentful. Prince Yu Lou, hearing Liu Liu on the high seat declare he would be sent away to be raised by someone else, was already furious and suddenly shouted loudly.
"I won't go! I want to stay with Mother. I won't live with other people."
Lou Si Jing's face suddenly turned pale, and she quickly tugged at Yu Lou's body. Unfortunately, Liu Liu's expression suddenly darkened, and she became icily cold. "Guards."
As she called out, Xiao Anzi and Xiao Nianzi, leading a group of eunuchs, rushed in: "Your Highness."
"Immediately take Prince Yu Lou down and send him to Consort Zhang at Guangyang Palace. From today onwards, Prince Yu Lou will be raised by Consort Zhang."
The young eunuchs were stunned upon hearing the Empress's words. Such a thing was happening.
They wondered what the Empress's motive was, stealthily glancing at Consort Lou De. They saw Consort Lou De's face turn ashen, her lips trembling.
But compared to Consort Lou De's distress, Xiao Anzi was more afraid of their own Empress.
He knew how formidable their Empress was. She had died once and still returned to life.
This was not something ordinary people could achieve. Therefore, Xiao Anzi quickly grabbed Prince Yu Lou's small body and began to walk out. Although Prince Yu Lou feared his father, he was willful by nature, and thus screamed.
"Let go of me! You dead servants, I will not let you go! I will not let you go!"
His gaze fiercely shot past Xiao Anzi and Xiao Nianzi's shoulders, locking onto Liu Liu on the high seat, filled with such venom and cruelty.
Liu Liu sighed. If this child grew up in the palace, he would be a great calamity for Mu Xing in the future. What kind of dangerous position was the Emperor placing his son in?
Prince Yu Lou was taken away, and Lou Si Jing completely slumped onto the floor of the hall. After a moment, she regained some composure.
It was because she had been too flustered. This woman, upon her return, treated her like this. She gritted her teeth in her heart.
She believed someone would not let her off easily. You just wait, my son is not someone anyone can raise. She proudly raised her chin, meeting Liu Liu's gaze from the high seat.
"The Empress is thoughtful. One hopes His Highness the Crown Prince is indeed as good as Your Highness claims. However, in the eyes of the common people, where will His Highness the Crown Prince stand?"
Liu Liu knew Lou Si Jing's words held some truth. The common people outside the palace did not understand the inner workings of the court. Many people knew of Prince Yu Lou.
For a Crown Prince who suddenly appeared, there might be backlash.
Liu Liu gave a cold smile, her eyes filled with deep arrogance. She did not care for this empire, nor did her son Mu Xing. As for what the final outcome would be, they simply did not care.
"How the common people view it is their affair. Consort Lou should return and reflect in seclusion. It is better to accumulate more blessings for your son," Liu Liu said coldly, then turned to Ming Yue by her side: "Send Consort De back to Changxin Palace."
"Yes, Your Highness,"
Ming Yue dared not be careless. Their Empress had returned, and she was different from before, possessing more coldness and less gentleness.
The aura of killing surrounded her, making even those who had followed her before dare not be negligent.
Prince Yu Lou had indeed gone too far, disrespecting the Empress twice already.
This was all due to Consort Lou De's excessive pampering. The Empress was the mistress of the six palaces.
She had the right to educate princes, and there was nothing wrong with that. However, it was clear that Consort De was only dissatisfied with the Empress, without examining her own shortcomings.
Ming Yue's scalp tingled faintly. She had a premonition that the war between these masters was about to begin. The most pitiable were they, the maids. They must not fall into any misfortune.
"Consort De, please."
Lou Si Jing shot Ming Yue a cold glare, stood up, and quickly left Weiyang Palace. In the grand hall of Weiyang Palace, Liu Liu pulled her son Mu Xing and sighed, embracing him.
"Mu Xing, when all this is over, your Mother will take you away from here. Mother fears that Mu Xing will be harmed in the future."
"Okay, Mother. Mu Xing and Mother will leave here. Mu Xing dislikes this place. There are annoying people here. Mu Xing and Mother will return to Xiaoyao Island, and everyone will live together happily."
As soon as Mu Xing finished speaking, a displeased voice came from outside the hall: "I forbid it."