Chapter 75 Lady Jin Visits
"Xiu Xin..." Hearing the Empress call her softly, Xiu Xin put the lit storax that she was holding into the
censer and hurried into the bedroom. The Empress was leaning on her pillow, frowning. "It''s getting
colder.I just wanted to take a nap, but as soon as Iy down, I didn''t want to get up."
Xiu Xin took the Phoenix robe and began helping the Empress to dress. When she heard the Empress
say this, she smiled and said, "It doesn''t matter, Your Majesty. You get up early every day. You''ve often
said that it is beneath your dignity to get upte. You work the hardest besides His Majesty. Now you
should take advantage of this opportunity and rest. Sleep and eat whenever you want."
The Empress touched her t belly and allowed herself a wry smile. "Yes, I am now pregnant with the
most noble child in Ning''guo. I should rest, but... The power struggles in the Imperial household will not
allow me to rest. There''s no telling what mischief the concubines will get up to if I be inattentive
for even a little bit."
Following the eyes of the Empress, Xiu Xin also looked at the Empress'' belly. Her eyes shed as she
helped the Empress to dress.
"Pregnant concubines are allowed to call their families to visit them at the Imperial Household. I have
not seen my father and mother for a long time. Will you tell them toe tomorrow?" The Empress
stood up, spread her arms, and closed her eyes. Xiu Xin slipped on the Empress'' robe. After that, the
Empress walked to the dressing table.
Xiu Xin responded, but the Empress shook her head in a hurry. "Forget it, just inform my mother... You
don''t have to inform my father..."
Xiu Xin was slightly stunned. She bowed her head and answered, "OK."
The Empress looked at herself in the mirror and raised her hand to caress her face. Her fingers
lingered at the corner of her eye. Then she sighed and said to Xiu Xin, "I seem to be... getting old. You
see these wrinkles?"
Xiu Xin looked carefully at the Empress'' face and smiled. "You are not old at all, Your Majesty. I don''t
think any of the new concubines that havee into the Imperial Household over the years can
The Empress smiled slightly. "Only you willfort me... I remember that I entered the Pce almost
the same year as Lady Jin. It is only now when she is living in Qiwu Pce that I realize I look as if I
am ten years older than her. She had been living in the Cold Pce all these years, but sometimes it''s
also a good ce because there is no intrigue. Although I am the Empress, I have many annoyances
every day. Besides, who would have thought that I am a pawn in the hands of others."
Xiu Xin did not respond as she was busy styling the Empress'' hair.
"Lady Jin ys her cards well indeed. Although I seemed to be the winner when she left for the Cold
Pce a decade ago, I have not been able to do her the slightest harm in all these years, and I even
had to help raise her daughter. Concubines that are sent to the Cold Pce onlye out when they
die. But Lady Jin didn''t. His Majesty personally went to escort Lady Jin when she left the Cold Pce.
What''s more, as soon as she got out, she came to live in Qiwu Pce, a ce I have been guarding
for twenty years. I even have to take care of her!" The Empress touched her belly and sneered
somewhat. "I believe I can beat her. This time, I must make her suffer."
Thinking of the calm and sanctimonious countenance of Lady Jin, the Empress secretly gnashed her
teeth and could not help but clench her fists.
The tinkling sound of ornaments came from outside. The Empress frowned and raised her voice. "Who
is it?"
The door curtain opened and the Empress saw Hua Jing''s reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a
bright red dress. When Hua Jing saw that the Empress was getting dressed, she smiled and came
forward. "You are so beautiful today, Mother. People say that pregnant women are the most beautiful.
It''s true!"
The Empress became unhappy at Hua Jing''s sycophancy. She frowned and nced at Hua Jing. "Your
husband is trapped and it''s hard to tell whether he is alive or not. But you are dressed like this. What a
scandal! If your behavior is seen by others, they will definitely gossip behind your back."
Hua Jing pouted and raised her voice. "Why should I care about other people''s opinions? Mother, I am
your daughter, and you are the Empress of our country. Besides, you are now pregnant with the future
prince. Who dares to say..."
A loud sound interrupted Hua Jing. It was not until a momentter that Hua Jing said with a trembling
voice, "Mother... Mother, why did you hit me?" Hua Jing looked at the white foundation on her dress.
She couldn''t believe that the Empress had thrown a box of foundation at her.
The Empress gnashed her teeth and sneered. "Why did I hit you? Because I think that you have no
other qualities except arrogance. Go and change your clothes right now! From today on, as long as
there is no news of the Emperor''s Son-in-Law, you can only wear in clothes."
Hua Jing bowed her head and tried not to let her tears run. She replied humbly, "OK..."
Hua Jing was ready to leave the bedroom when she suddenly thought of something. She stopped and
said softly, "Mother, my Mother-in-Law took a few guards with her and went to frontier this morning..."
The Empress was stunned. She turned and looked at Hua Jing. "What did you say? Did she really go?"
Hua Jing nodded. "Yes, she left early this morning. Last night when I went to greet her, I saw her
packing her things. And when I went out this morning, I saw her leaving with some guards."
Another loud sound echoed through the otherwise quiet room. The Empress had thrown a gold hairpin
at Hua Jing''s face. Although the hairpin had hit her forehead and left a bloody wound, Hua Jing did not
dare to move.
The Empress stood up angrily and walked up to Hua Jing. "A woman in her forties rushed to the
frontier anxiously, but you are swaggering through the Pce in such bright-colored clothes! Jing''er, I
think you are constantly regressing. If you keep behaving like this, do you know what women in the
Imperial Household will say about you? Do you know how themoners will gossip behind your
back? It doesn''t matter if you are ridiculed by the people. But you are my daughter. You are a child from
the Li family. If you dare to tarnish the reputation of the Li family, I will never admit that you are my
daughter! Put on your in clothes immediately and go after her! Ask your grandfather to give you
twenty guards with excellent skills and set off right now."
Hua Jing''s mouth was agape with shock and confusion. After a while, she said, "But... that is the
frontier... Mother..."
The Empress sneered. "There is nothing wrong with the frontier. This time, His Majesty has sent Prince
Jing and his troops to rescue the Emperor''s Son-in-Law. If you can sessfully rescue him from the
frontier, then themoners will say that you rode for thousands of miles to save your husband, and
this act will naturally be praised by themoners. Even if you can''t save him, you shall escort his
coffin for thousands of miles and weep for him the whole way back. At that time, themoners will
say that you are affectionate and righteous."
After pondering Hua Jing lowered her head and left the bedroom.
The Empress stood still, frowning. She was quite disappointed with Hua Jing. Xiu Xin came to check
her hand and saw that the Empress'' hand had been hurt by the gold hairpin. Xiu Xin quickly took out
the medicine bottle and began applying the ointment on the wound. She said sadly, "There is no need
to do so, Your Majesty. Why did you hurt her and also hurt yourself like this?"
The Empress smiled bitterly. "I used to think that Jing''er was cute and obedient. But now, I see more
clearly that she is thoughtless when she does things. She is not even as good as Yun Shang."
After a pause, she thought of Yun Shang again and felt a little uneasy. "I always felt that something was
a little peculiar after her return from Ning''guo Temple. I feel that she is not going to be easy to control
as we had assumed. Her performance at her Coming-of-age Ceremony was definitely premeditated.
Recently, every attempt by Hua Jing to frame Yun Shang has failed. Although Hua Jing didn''t tell me,
and although it looks like a coincidence, don''t you think it''s bizarre how Yun Shang escapes every
time?"
After hearing this, Xiu Xin stopped applying the ointment. She thought for a moment and said, "But
Princess Yun Shang looks so delicate, and it seems that even the wind can blow her down. I don''t think
she''s a scheming person."
"It will be nice if she isn''t. If she is a scheming person but can disguise herself so well, then I should be
more cautious." The Empress narrowed her eyes and pondered.
Just as Xiu Xin finished applying the ointment, the two women heard footsteps outside the room. The
Empress thought it was Hua Jing, so she said, "Didn''t I tell you to run after your Mother-in-Law right
now? Why do youe back again?"
The person outside paused for a while and said softly, "It''s me, Sister. I came here to visit you."
Lady Jin! The Empress was stunned for a moment, but recovered quickly. A flicker of coldness
appeared in her eyes.
The Empress went to the door. The moment the door curtain opened, a smile appeared on the
Empress'' face. "Why are you here? It''s cold and you still wear so little. What if you catch a cold?" The
woman at the door was dressed in elegant white. The entire dress was in except for one branch of
plum blossoms that had been embroidered with silver thread on the hemline. She has an unusually
attractive oval face and a suitable smile.
"After you left yesterday, I felt a little ufortable, so I went to rest quite early. I heard from Madam
Zheng today that you are pregnant. This is really great news. I don''t have anything else to give you.
This is the warm jade that His Majesty gave me a few days ago. It is said that it is good for health. It''s
getting colder and you just got pregnant, so I bring this to you." Lady Jin held a piece of jade that had
been carved with plum blossoms. Lady Jin had spoken softly and she had looked very sincere.
However, the Empress was unhappy. It is true that Lady Jin did rest early. Her exnation, however,
was misleading. Yesterday, when the Emperor heard that the Empress was pregnant, he didn''te to
talk to her first. Instead, he rushed directly to Qiwu Pce and did note out all night. As the owner
of Qiwu Pce, the Empress did not even see the Emperor''s shadow.
"You are so polite, Lady Jin. This jade was gifted by His Majesty. How can I ept such a present?"
The Empress did not smile. Instead, she walked past Lady Jin. She found an empty chair in the outer
Hall and sat on it.
Lady Jin smiled. "I don''t have anything else valuable. Do you dislike it?"
The Empress smiled faintly. "Since you put it like that, I will ept your gift. Otherwise, His Majesty will
me me for bullying you again." She reached out and took the jade which was quite warm. She
frowned slightly before handing it to Xiu Xin.
Lady Jin smiled. She turned to the Empress and asked softly, "Sister, I just saw Princess Hua Jing rush
away. What happened?"
The Empress secretly clenched her hands in her sleeves. "The Emperor''s Son-in-Law is trapped at the
frontier and Hua Jing was so worried that she begged me to allow her to take someone to the frontier to
save her husband. I was worried about her safety, so I scolded her. But she seemed to be determined
to go to the frontier. I did not agree, and she rushed out."
Lady Jin frowned and said worriedly, "I heard the Emperor''s Son-in-Law is trapped at the northwest
frontier. The country of Yng is ready to fight, and His Majesty is also quite worried about it. The men
of this country are brave and they are as ferocious as wolves. Princess Hua Jing is a delicate woman,
how can she go to the frontier at will? If anything happens to her, you and His Majesty will be very sad.
Please advise her not to go. His Majesty said that he would send Prince Jing to the frontier to fight
against Yng''s attack. But he is still preparing for it. Prince Jing hasn''t left for the frontier yet. So the
situation at there is extremely dangerous."
The Empress was stupefied for a while. Then she asked, "Is that what His Majesty told you?"
Lady Jin nodded. "Yes, His Majesty has been saying for a few days that the country of Yng has
recruited 2, 00, 000 soldiers this time and they are approaching our frontier step by step. His Majesty
has asked Prince Jing to intensify his military training, and dispatch his troops as soon as possible."
"Really?" Lady Jin''s words sent chills up her back. The Empress smiled somewhat arduously, "Really?
Fortunately, I did not let her go to the frontier. It''s so dangerous, and she is only a delicate woman......"
Lady Jin smiled, "Yes." She changed the topic again and said softly. "Well, Sister, Lady Shu''s court
maid came to tell me that in a few days, Lady Shu is going to give a banquet in her Pce. I heard that
His Majesty will also attend. I asked the court maid if there was any good news, but she did not tell me.
Do you know of any good news, Sister?"
The Empress was stunned again. "Is that true? Lady Shu is going to give a banquet? I didn''t know at
all."
Hearing this, Lady Jin seemed to be in a daze for a while, but she quickly smiled again. "Oh! I''m so
silly. The biggest good news in the Pce is definitely Your Majesty''s pregnancy. Now that His Majesty
knows, it must have been him who advised Lady Shu to hold a banquet, and to keep it a secret from
you. His Majesty must have wanted to surprise you, Sister."
The Empress thought Lady Jin''s exnation to be ludicrous for the Emperor seemed very indifferent to
her unborn child. Nevertheless, the Empress felt a tinge of excitement. She smiled. "Really?"
Lady Jin nodded and smiled in return. "Sister, please don''t tell anyone that I have spilled the beans.
From N?velDrama.Org.
Please pretend that you don''t know anything. If Lady Shu says it''s to congratte you on your
pregnancy, can you pretend to be very surprised? You won''t give me away, right?"
The Empress smiled slightly and said, "Of course."
They continued to chat for a while before Lady Jin requested the Empress'' permission to leave.
As soon as Lady Jin left, the Empress stopped pretending to be congenial.
"Your Majesty, since Lady Jin began living in Qiwu Pce, she had never behaved more than
lukewarm towards His Majesty and you. But today, she came to greet you so affably and talked to you
in such a gentle tone. Why is she so different today?" Xiu Xin looked at the door as she spoke. She
seemed worried.
The Empress sneered. "You also found it odd, right? I was surprised by her behavior, too. We always
mind our own business. In the time that she has lived in Qiwu Pce, we''ve never spoken as much as
we did today. Now that she''s willing to disguise herself, I will y her game."
Xiu Xin paused for a moment and said hesitatingly. "But... Your Majesty, was Lady Jin telling the truth?
If the situation is really as urgent as Lady Jin says, then Princess Hua Jing... Do I need to go to the
Princess Pce?"
The Empress snorted coldly. "Her story was full of loopholes. How can we believe her? That day, I
heard His Majesty say that he would send Prince Jing to the frontier only to rescue the Emperor''s Son-
in-Law, but she said that he is going to fight against the Yng army. It a small country. How can they
send out an army of more than 2, 00, 000 soldiers? She said this just to prevent Hua Jing from going to
the frontier. Judging from the Imperial City''smoners''ments about Hua Jing, if she doesn''t go
to the frontier, she will bepletely ruined by the reprimand of everymoner."
Xiu Xin nodded. "You are so intelligent, Your Majesty. Lady Jin is really too..."
The Empress sat in the chair, lost in thought. She murmured, "But she said that Lady Shu is going to
hold a banquet in the Pce. What does she want to express?"
Xiu Xin also frowned. They thought for a long time, but couldn''te up with anything. The Empress
raised her head, and said to Xiu Xin, "You should investigate. Is Lady Shu going to hold a banquet or
not? Does His Majesty really know about this? Who did she invite? When and where will the banquet
be held? The more details the better..."
Xiu Xin nodded at once. "OK, I''ll do it right away."
The Empress nodded and said, "Don''t forget to invite my mother to the Imperial household tomorrow.
By the way, tell my mother that I want to eat the hibiscus cake made by my old housemaid."
Xiu Xin responded, "I will keep that in mind. Do you have any other instructions, Your Majesty?"
"Go to the Imperial Household Departmentter, and ask the Master to send me more pots with flowers
and nts."
"Flowers and nts?" Xiu Xin was stunned for a while and then asked, "Your Majesty, the flowers you
love have withered away in this season. How about asking the Master of the Imperial Household
Department to send us some daffodils?"
The Empress shook her head. "No, I don''t want daffodils. Tell the Master of the Imperial Household
Department that I want to put them in my bedroom. I want big flowerpots, more dirt..."