"Yes, Your Majesty."
The two maids acknowledged the order. Qingyao, having finished her important affairs, finally felt hungry. She immediately stood up, "Let's go have breakfast."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the two maids replied, stepping forward to attend to her as she went to the side hall for her meal.
After breakfast, Mu Qingzhu and Mu Qingxiang came to pay their respects to the Empress. Mu Qingyao had them escorted in. No matter what, they were now her sisters in name, and discord among sisters was not a good thing. Moreover, the situation in the palace was very tense, and she wanted to send them back. She wondered if they would agree.
"Mu Qingzhu (Mu Qingxiang) pay their respects to Her Majesty the Empress."
"Rise, both of you," Mu Qingyao waved her hand, signaling her two elder sisters to stand. Without offering them seats, she descended from the high platform and paced over to Mu Qingzhu and Mu Qingxiang. She spoke plainly, "I am going to take a stroll in the Imperial Garden. Would my two elder sisters care to accompany me to admire the flowers?"
"Yes," the two women, seeing Mu Qingyao speaking to them with rare amiability, nodded joyfully and followed her as they walked out.
A retinue of eunuchs and palace maids followed, and the group proceeded towards the Imperial Garden.
The Imperial Garden was located in the very center of the Three Palaces. It was quiet and fragrant, filled with countless strange rocks and famous blossoms, where flowers and plants vied with each other in beauty.
In the palace, flowers bloomed and withered year-round, all rare specimens presented as tribute from various regions. However, at this season, chrysanthemums were the most prevalent, interspersed with numerous other famous flowers, creating a dazzling and enchanting display of vibrant colors.
Around the Imperial Garden, there was a pond, several pavilions, and a grand residence, making the scenery exceptionally beautiful.
Mu Qingyao and her sisters, Mu Qingzhu and Mu Qingxiang, strolled leisurely through the garden, chatting intermittently.
"These flowers and plants are truly beautiful," Mu Qingyao said slowly.
The reason she had come out to admire flowers with her two sisters today was to seize the opportunity to dissuade them from staying in the palace. The situation between the two factions was becoming increasingly tense, and if they remained, they might become scapegoats for the Empress Dowager. Therefore, she hoped they would voluntarily abandon the idea of staying in the palace.
Only if they chose to leave on their own accord would they be spared from falling into dire straits.
"Yes, they are truly beautiful. Everything in the palace is of the finest quality."
Mu Qingzhu echoed the sentiment with admiration, her eyes full of envy.
Hearing her words, Mu Qingyao rolled her eyes. This woman's dense mind was truly unyielding. Danger was looming, yet she was still praising the palace's possessions. Even the best things would soon be lost.
"But no matter how beautiful these flowers are, they fade quickly. You see, as the old ones wither, they are replaced by new, precious, and delicate blooms. Beauty fades with age," Mu Qingyao, intending to offer advice, unexpectedly found herself speaking from her heart.
Her clear voice carried a hint of melancholy. Mu Qingzhu and Mu Qingxiang looked at her retreating figure with surprise. She stood tall and unyielding, her back proud yet carrying a trace of coldness.
Mu Qingzhu and Mu Qingxiang exchanged glances. What was wrong with Qingyao?
She was the Empress, wasn't she supposed to be happy? Yet, they couldn't see any happiness in her, only melancholy and resilience.
Oh, right. They heard Qingyao and the Empress Dowager were not on good terms. Was this the reason for her unhappiness? Actually, Qingyao was being foolish. Why should she oppose the Empress Dowager? She was so old; appeasing her a little might lead to her quick demise, after which Qingyao would be the most powerful person in the palace.
"Your Majesty the Empress?"
Mu Qingzhu and Mu Qingxiang spoke simultaneously, intending to offer some words of comfort to cheer up their sister.
However, Mu Qingyao had not forgotten her intention to have her sisters leave the palace. She suddenly stopped. Mu Qingzhu and Mu Qingxiang were forced to halt the words that were about to escape their lips.
"If I were to let you leave the palace now, would you be willing?"
"What?" Mu Qingzhu and Mu Qingxiang's expressions changed instantly. They looked at Mu Qingyao in disbelief. Hadn't she said before that she would arrange for them to meet the Emperor?
Why did she want them to leave the palace now? Was her heart too petty?
"Didn't Her Majesty the Empress say last time...?"
Mu Qingyao raised her hand to stop her eldest sister Mu Qingzhu's words. Her expression was indifferent. She had done her best. Since they were determined not to leave the palace, what more could she do?
"Alright, I was merely asking you. You know the palace is a place of gossip and trouble. Think it over carefully."
After speaking, Mu Qingyao continued to walk forward without heeding those behind her.
Mu Qingzhu and Mu Qingxiang's expressions softened upon hearing her words. Her Majesty wasn't insisting that they leave the palace; that was good.
But what did she mean by her words, that the palace was a place of gossip and trouble? The two women silently followed the Empress as they admired the flowers in the garden.
Suddenly, a melodious zither melody drifted over. The group stopped and listened for a while. Mu Qingyao asked casually, "Who is playing the zither here?"
Could it be Noble Consort Chu Yu Yan? She heard that Chu Yu Yan was a renowned talented woman from Lin'an City, so it was not surprising that she could play such elegant music.
As soon as Mu Qingyao's voice fell, a eunuch approached and reported, "Your Majesty, I will go and see immediately. It seems to be coming from the flower pavilion ahead."
"Yes, go and take a look."
Mu Qingyao waved her hand. The little eunuch smartly got up and ran off. The music continued to fill the garden. Mu Qingyao led her entourage slowly forward.
"Your Majesty the Empress, who is that? To play the zither in the Imperial Garden, clearly with ill intentions."
Mu Qingzhu, lost in thought, suddenly became angry. She glared fiercely in a certain direction ahead, as if something irritating there had provoked her, causing her expression to turn extremely displeased.
"What's wrong? Has anyone issued a decree prohibiting playing the zither in the Imperial Garden? Why do you say they have ill intentions?" Mu Qingyao looked up at Mu Qingzhu behind her with amusement.
She saw a flush quickly rise to Mu Qingzhu's beautiful face, and her demeanor became flustered, "I was just guessing. Someone must want to seduce the Emperor, so they are deliberately playing the zither in the Imperial Garden."
Because she herself had once harbored this thought but lacked the courage to act on it, she was naturally angered to see someone else doing it.
Furthermore, the person playing the zither might be that Xi Men Xinyue, who had a face like a vixen. That woman was delicate and graceful, as if made of water, easily evoking a man's desire to protect. If the Emperor saw her, he might very well favor her, which was why she was playing the zither here to deliberately attract the Emperor.
"Seduce the Emperor?" Mu Qingyao's gaze swept over Mu Qingzhu's increasingly flushed face.
It turned out her elder sister had once considered seducing the Emperor and was now suspecting others. However, her words were somewhat interesting. Was the person playing the zither in the pavilion not Noble Consort Chu Yu Yan, but the Xi Nv, Xi Men Xinyue, whom she had never met?
The beloved daughter of General Xi Men, she heard that she had studied books diligently since childhood and was accomplished in both literary and martial arts. It was unlikely she could play the zither so beautifully. She was truly a woman of many talents! She was very curious and wished to meet her.
At this moment, the little eunuch who had gone to investigate rushed back and respectfully reported.