"Do I seem that frightening?" Xiao Man asked curiously.
"My Lady, do you have any idea?" Ran Sheng asked with a helpless expression. "Did you see the Jin family's faces when they saw you? They looked as if they'd seen the King of Hell, scrambling away in panic. Even though they feared the Prince of Qin, they weren't terrified to the point of soiling themselves. But you, you scared them as if the King of Hell himself was chasing them."
Xiao Man threw her head back and laughed heartily. "With that sort of cowardice, they still dared to plot against the property of an orphan and a widow. Bah! If they dared to walk any slower, I'd chop off their legs so they could never run again!"
"My Lady, you are a soldier, not a bandit!" Ran Sheng said with a hint of disdain.
"Ran Sheng," Xiao Man said loudly, "We are soldiers. Soldiers need to be fearless, to press forward without hesitation, only then can one become a warrior who protects their home and country!"
In Ciyang Palace, the Empress Dowager sat in a daze, her teacup in hand. Ever since she heard the news of Minister Jin's sudden death, the Empress Dowager had remained in this posture, making it impossible for anyone to guess her thoughts.
"Your Majesty," Aunt Yue called out, but the Empress Dowager seemed oblivious.
Aunt Yue couldn't help but sigh and raised her voice. "Your Majesty."
The Empress Dowager's hand trembled slightly, and she came back to her senses. "What is it?"
"Consort De wishes to see you," Aunt Yue reported. "She seems to be here regarding Minister Jin's death. Her eyes are swollen from crying."
The Empress Dowager put down the teacup, which had long since gone cold. "Let her in."
"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty," Consort De said, maintaining her usual gentle and courteous demeanor, as if she had never harbored any ill will towards the Empress Dowager, nor been involved in the incident of the civet cat replacing the prince.
"Rise. I have also heard about Minister Jin's matter. Are you intending to leave the palace to pay your respects?" the Empress Dowager inquired.
Consort De nodded slowly. "Naturally, as a consort, I should not leave the palace to mourn when my elder brother has passed. However, my elder brother and I were close since childhood. Now that he has unfortunately departed, how can I not go to see him?"
After a moment, the Empress Dowager nodded. "Go, it is indeed fitting to see him off on his final journey."
"Then this humble servant shall take her leave," Consort De said.
The Empress Dowager waved her hand, signaling for Consort De to depart. Consort De curtsied and turned to leave, her back straight. Even after facing such a major event, she maintained her composure.
"Your Ladyship, why do you need to ask permission from the Empress Dowager to leave the palace?" her attendant, a嬷嬷, asked in confusion. If a consort wishes to leave the palace, she should report to the Empress. Since the Empress is currently under house arrest, Consort De is managing the affairs of the six palaces. She only needs to inform the Emperor.
A cold smile flickered across Consort De's lips, then vanished. "Although I am currently managing the affairs of the six palaces, I am not the Empress. To leave the palace, I naturally must inform the Empress Dowager. Otherwise, if the officials of the court were to find out, they might impeach me for filial impiety."
"Your Ladyship is indeed thoughtful," the嬷嬷 praised. "Shall we also inform His Majesty?"
"Why shouldn't we inform him?" Consort De retorted. "Informing the Empress Dowager is filial piety, and informing His Majesty is the proper etiquette. In the harem, if one does not know the rules, what will their fate be? Do I need to remind you?"
"Your Ladyship, forgive me."
Consort De withdrew her gaze and looked into the distance, a sinister smile in her eyes. Her own brother had died, and she should be grieving. Yet, for some reason, she felt a great sense of exhilaration!
"Let's go. After informing His Majesty, we will leave the palace to bid farewell to my dear brother on his final journey!" Consort De emphasized the words "dear brother," making them sound deeply meaningful.
The Emperor granted Consort De's request. With Consort De currently managing the affairs of the six palaces, her personal departure to offer condolences would greatly honor the Jin family. Upon hearing that Consort De was leaving the palace to pay her respects, Nangong Yi waited at the palace gate to accompany Consort De to the Jin family.
Madam Jin had someone open the ceremonial gate to welcome them. The collateral branches of the Jin family had already been intimidated by Xiao Man, and now, with Consort De personally arriving, they couldn't help but feel a pang of anxiety. It seemed Consort De was still siding with the main branch of the Jin family. They would have to re-evaluate their plans for the main branch.
"We pay our respects to Consort De, and to His Highness Prince Qi."
"Sister-in-law, please rise," Consort De said, reaching out to help Madam Jin up. "Brother's passing was so sudden. It must be difficult for you and your children. If there is anything I can do to help, please do not hesitate to ask."
"This humble subject is overwhelmed. Thank you, Your Ladyship," Madam Jin said, leading Consort De towards the mourning hall. Outsiders believed that the Jin family would now decline. After all, the matter of Prince Qi being illegitimate, although unconfirmed, was understood by everyone. Prince Qi had no hope of ascending the throne; it would inevitably fall to Prince Chu or Prince Qin.
Those who had curried favor with Prince Chu were eager to take advantage of the situation to show their loyalty. Those who had supported Prince Qi now switched their allegiance. Overnight, both Prince Qi and the Jin family saw their reputations plummet to the lowest point.
After Consort De offered her condolences, she sat in a side room, sipping tea, with Madam Jin attending to her. Consort De sniffed the tea's aroma and used the lid to skim the foam from the surface.
"Sister-in-law, I heard that Yu'er was poisoned to death. Do you know anything about this matter?"
Madam Jin's eyes instantly welled up with tears. "Your Ladyship, you must seek justice for Yu'er."
Consort De looked at Madam Jin, whose grief seemed genuine. "At the time, the servant returned and reported that Yu'er had died from excessive indulgence. I didn't believe it and asked the Capital Prefecture to investigate thoroughly. However, my husband forbade it and ordered the Capital Prefecture to return Yu'er's body as quickly as possible."
Consort De frowned. She was aware of these details. What she wanted to know were things she was unaware of.
"The official from the Capital Prefecture at the time said that Yu'er did not die from indulgence but from poisoning and that they intended to apprehend the culprit. My husband said they were talking nonsense and that Yu'er had simply died from indulgence. I objected, and he slapped me. I was unwilling to accept this, so I investigated the matter privately. I discovered that a concubine named Yushu, who was close to Yu'er, was highly suspicious. However, before I could uncover the truth, my husband had Yushu executed. And Yushu was carrying Yu'er's child! How could he be so cruel!"
Consort De's face turned ashen. "Is Yushu the palace maid whom the Empress Dowager bestowed upon my brother?"
Madam Jin choked back a sob. "Yes, it was her. I don't know what means she used to seduce Yu'er. And as she was someone close to my husband, I feared that word of this would damage Yu'er's reputation. So, I officially brought her into his courtyard. Who knew that she would be his undoing?"
Consort De's hands trembled uncontrollably. She forced herself to maintain her composure with all her might. "Sister-in-law, please accept my condolences."
"Your Ladyship, what should I do?" Madam Jin cried heartbrokenly. "My son is gone, and my husband is gone. It is fortunate that Rong'er is a filial child, otherwise, those collateral members of the Jin family would have devoured me, this woman, down to the last bone."
"As long as I am here, no one will dare to touch you!" Consort De said, her voice softening after a moment. "As for Jin Rong... tell him to do his work diligently and not betray the trust of His Highness and myself."
"This humble subject accepts your command."