Xiao Anzi nodded, but his words stirred up the sorrow of Cui'er and Qiao'er. When their mistress was in the Prime Minister's mansion, she was so noble, yet now she was subjected to such bullying.
Even if it was the Emperor, should they go back and ask their master to uphold justice for their mistress?
The two young maids began to cry sadly. Seeing the two young maids cry, Xiao Anzi and Xiao Nianzi also started to cry.
For a moment, in front of the palace gates of Huaqing Palace, four people were crying profusely. Liu Liu, with her arms crossed, watched with great amusement. Only after they had cried enough did she speak.
"Alright, you've cried enough. Let's go inside and pack our things. Pack out the unwanted items and throw them away. Keep the useful ones. Starting tomorrow, we'll clear out the weeds outside," Liu Liu ordered, leading the way into the palace.
The two eunuchs and two young maids quickly wiped away their tears and followed closely behind into Huaqing Palace.
As they disappeared, a figure as ethereal as a celestial being flashed away from a tall tree, her face filled with anger, causing her subordinate following behind her to not dare to make a sound.
That figure was the current Emperor, Feng Xie. He was now seated on the dragon couch in the imperial study. His exceedingly beautiful features were framed by chilling eyes, his phoenix brows were raised high, and his thin lips were curved into a wicked smile.
Despite his stern and imperious demeanor, he was damnably handsome. The nine-dragon golden crown on his head had already been removed, and his dark hair was tied up with a white jade hairpin, with the rest cascading onto his chest. He was exuding an utmost seductive charm, yet his face was contorted with extreme anger.
He should not have gone to see that ugly woman. It was just a moment of pity. He had thought whether he had treated that woman too harshly. He musened that if the woman was indeed heartbroken, he would bestow another palace upon her.
Who knew that the woman was not only not heartbroken but was actually quite happy? She was only assigned two young eunuchs, so shouldn't she have gone to the Empress Dowager to complain? Why did it seem like nothing had happened?
The more Feng Xie thought about it, the angrier he became. With a shift of his body, he slammed his large hand heavily onto the imperial desk, producing a loud "snap" that startled the eunuch Xiao Wanzi into kneeling down with a thud.
"Your Majesty, please do not be angry. Your health is of utmost importance," although Xiao Wanzi did not know what exactly angered the Emperor, he had returned from a trip looking ashen-faced with fury.
Was this truly the same Emperor Feng Xie who was always cold, distant, and self-possessed? It seemed that ever since he learned that Empress Liu was to enter the palace, his temper had been growing increasingly volatile.
Feng Xie let out a cold snort, "Get up."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Xiao Wanzi stood up and retreated to the side. With a high-pitched voice, he announced, "Your Majesty, Lord Jin has arrived?"
"Let him in," Feng Xie suppressed his anger. A brilliance flickered in his jade-like eyes, and a cold, charming smile played on his lips.
As his words fell, a tall and robust figure walked in. He was equally handsome, but unlike Feng Xie's wicked charm, he possessed a sun-kissed aura. He looked at Feng Xie with a face full of smiles, clearly having heard about the selection of consorts today.
"Your humble servant congratulates Your Majesty. A great joy for Your Majesty."
"Take away your pearly whites, or I shall order them to be knocked out one by one," Feng Xie warned coldly. Jin Shaoyuan, the son of the Great General, held a second-rank official position and was the Minister of War.
Seeing the Emperor in a fit of rage, he quickly put away his smiling face and looked at the Emperor with utmost seriousness, though a hint of amusement still lingered in the corners of his eyes.
He hadn't expected the usually arrogant Emperor to marry the ugliest woman in the capital as his Empress. He had initially thought his sister could become Empress, and he felt a bit disappointed, but it didn't affect his relationship with the Emperor at all.
He, Feng Lie, and the imperial physician Nangong Yue in the palace were all close to the Emperor. The Emperor treated them as both friends and comrades, and they had a very good relationship in private. He wondered why the Emperor had summoned him into the palace so urgently.
"May I ask what Your Majesty wishes to see me about?" Jin Shaoyuan often entered the palace as usual, merely to play chess and chat with the Emperor. However, he had a premonition that the Emperor must have something to discuss with him, which was why he had summoned him.
"I presume you have heard about today's imperial selection. Regarding the late Emperor's will? I am very perplexed. Although Prime Minister Liu has always been just and incorruptible, why would the late Emperor leave a will to establish someone from the Liu family as Empress? This should have been my private affair. Therefore, I order you to start paying attention to Prime Minister Liu's movements from today onwards?"
Feng Xie spoke with a cold, stern voice. If he discovered any ill intentions from Prime Minister Liu, he would not hesitate to act against his own kin for the sake of righteousness.
Feng Xie thought coldly. He could not come to terms with the late Emperor's will. He couldn't understand why the late Emperor would choose a daughter of the Liu family as Empress. Prime Minister Liu was already a powerful minister, and now he was sending his daughter into the palace. This could not be ruled out as a sign of his ulterior motives.
Jin Shaoyuan was secretly shocked by the Emperor's words. No wonder people said that serving a ruler was like accompanying a tiger; it was indeed true.
Prime Minister Liu was the Emperor's maternal uncle, and he was also an upright and incorruptible prime minister. The prosperity of the Heavenly Feng Dynasty could be said to be thanks to his contributions. He hadn't expected to be blacklisted by the Emperor.
This Emperor was so astute that he wouldn't tolerate even the slightest error. He quickly nodded respectfully.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured, your humble servant will certainly pay attention. However, your humble servant believes that Prime Minister Liu would never be that kind of person. If he truly had ulterior motives, he wouldn't wait until Your Majesty had grown powerful before making a move. No one would be that foolish. Moreover, to avoid suspicion, Prime Minister Liu has not even heavily utilized his own son, Liu Ting. We all know that Liu Ting is a rare talent, yet he is currently only serving in the small Censorate. Therefore, your humble servant believes that Prime Minister Liu harbors no ill intentions."
Feng Xie's slender eyebrows twitched a few times, and he leaned lazily against the dragon couch. He understood everything Jin Shaoyuan had said. On several occasions, he had suggested transferring Liu Ting to the Ministry of Works, but Prime Minister Liu had refused. Thus, his own thoughts were somewhat ignoble.
However, as an emperor, he could not allow any matter to be left unchecked. Most importantly, why had the late Emperor left the will? There must be a reason for this.
Furthermore, he believed that with the late Emperor's wisdom, it was impossible for him to have left the will simply due to the Empress Dowager's whispers. There must be a valid reason. What was this reason?
The late Emperor's will remained a mystery to everyone. Perhaps only the Empress Dowager knew about it. Liu Liu, exhausted, sat on the couch, her brow furrowed as she pondered this matter.
She was seen with her cloud-like sleeves rolled high and her skirt tied to her waist. There was no trace of an Empress's dignity about her. Unfortunately, there was no other way. With so few eunuchs in Huaqing Palace, she had no choice but to do the work herself, working alongside the two eunuchs and two maids.
Looking at the results of half a day's cleaning, they had only managed to throw out the unwanted items in Huaqing Palace and clean some of the seats and tables. The group was already as exhausted as oxen. One person here, another there, they sat on the ground, panting for breath.
When the young maid Cui'er had caught her breath, she walked over and spoke indignantly.
"Miss, what is this place? Look how desolate and empty it is. How will we live here in the future? If Master and Madam knew about Miss's situation, they would be heartbroken."
Upon hearing Cui'er's words, Liu Liu came back to her senses and earnestly admonished Cui'er and Qiao'er, "You two must not tell Master and Madam about today's events. If they find out, I will skin you alive!"
Cui'er and Qiao'er pouted and looked at their mistress. They were concerned for her.
From childhood to adulthood, their mistress had been doted on by Master and Madam, never having suffered such hardships. Unexpectedly, upon entering the palace, she was bullied by the Emperor. If only they had insisted on not entering the palace back then.
"Miss, your servants are worried about you." The eyes of the two young maids were red. Liu Liu patted their heads, "Alright, I know Cui'er and Qiao'er are worried about me, but your mistress is fine. Don't worry."
The two young eunuchs, who were sitting in the great hall, were surprised by the Empress's kindness. They felt they had followed the right person. What did a little hardship matter when they were afraid of following a cruel master, only to be suppressed by their master for a lifetime?
Little did they know, they were blessed. They walked over together and spoke respectfully.