Just then, a sharp voice suddenly came from outside the door, "Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"
Everyone was shocked. After all, ever since His Fifth Highness the Prince died in a fire in his palace, Her Majesty the Empress had been living in seclusion. Unless it was a major occasion, she rarely appeared. Therefore, almost everyone in the harem had forgotten that it was Her Majesty the Empress who should be in charge of the six palaces, not Noble Consort Min.
Now, for the Empress, who rarely came out of her palace all year round, to grace Shu Ming Palace with her presence was truly astonishing.
However, the most astonished was Noble Consort Min. She had not seen Her Majesty the Empress for a long time. Ever since that short-lived Fifth Prince burned to death in his palace, Her Majesty the Empress had excused the consorts from the morning and evening greetings. Over time, the harem had almost forgotten that there was still an Empress, the mistress of the harem.
And as the person with the highest rank in the harem, the responsibility of governing the harem had fallen into her hands. Although she did not possess the imperial seal, the Emperor had never shown any dissatisfaction with her governing the harem. With the passage of time, everyone knew that she, Noble Consort Min, was the true mistress of the harem.
But now, why was Her Majesty the Empress gracing her Shu Ming Palace with her presence? She was a little unclear. Although unwilling, she still got down from her chair and said, "Are you not going to accompany this consort to welcome Her Majesty the Empress?"
The somewhat dazed palace maids quickly followed Noble Consort Min to welcome Her Majesty the Empress.
In fact, Noble Consort Min was very reluctant to go out and pay her respects. After all, Her Majesty the Empress now had no real power, and she was the one governing the harem. She had repeatedly whispered in the Emperor's ear, wanting to replace Her Majesty the Empress in managing the six palaces. The Emperor had not shown agreement, but he had not refused either, which was considered tacit approval.
But as soon as she mentioned the imperial seal, she still remembered the Emperor's gaze at her. It was icy, a feeling that chilled her to the bone.
From then on, she never dared to bring it up again, because she knew that this was the highest position she could attain. The next step above would be Imperial Noble Consort, but never the Empress.
There were two reasons for this: firstly, she did not have a proper maternal family behind her like Her Majesty the Empress, and secondly, the Emperor might have intended to balance the harem. An Empress who had lost her princes but had the support of imperial merchants who controlled the nation's commerce, and a Noble Consort who had no powerful maternal family but had princes – it was a balance that could not be broken.
So she had given up her hopes. After all, her son was to become the Emperor in the future, and then she would naturally possess real power.
"Your subject greets Her Majesty the Empress!" Noble Consort Min curtsied slightly, while the palace maids behind her knelt down to pay their respects. Xue Xing Yue was also among the crowd. She secretly raised her head. To be honest, among the people of the State of Yu, besides His Fifth Highness the Prince, the person she most wanted to see was this Empress. After the Fifth Prince died, she suddenly became reclusive, devoting herself to Buddhist rites, and rarely appeared. Now that she could see her, she was very excited.
With this thought, her desire to investigate became even stronger.
As expected, Her Majesty the Empress was a dignified and graceful woman. Even though time had left its mark on her face, it could not conceal her elegance. She must have been a radiant woman in her youth, but it was a pity that she had spent most of her youthful years in the lonely deep palace.
Perhaps sensing the gaze, Her Majesty the Empress swept her eyes around. She unexpectedly met the gaze of this mysterious Empress. She thought that her beautiful eyes would flow with the weariness of time and endless loneliness, but she was wrong. Those eyes were surprisingly clear and bright, completely different from what she had imagined. As the Empress's gaze fell upon her, the originally cold light softened.
However, Her Majesty the Empress soon turned her gaze back.
"Rise!" her faint voice was solemn, like the tolling of a bell in a temple, revealing neither joy nor sorrow.
Noble Consort Min stood up and said with a smile, "Why has Her Majesty the Empress chosen to visit this consort's Shu Ming Palace today?"
Her Majesty the Empress heard this and said faintly, "Does Noble Consort Min mean that this consort cannot come?"
Noble Consort Min stiffened, then gave an embarrassed smile, "Where would this consort dare to say that? How could this consort dare to overstep?"
"In this harem, is there anything you dare not do, Noble Consort Min?"
Each of her words was like a basin of cold water drenching Noble Consort Min. Noble Consort Min gritted her teeth, but still maintained a smile on her face, "Her Majesty the Empress praises this consort too much. This consort is merely a Noble Consort, and you are the mistress of this harem. How could this consort dare to overstep?"
Her Majesty the Empress smiled, but it was an exceptionally mocking smile, "Noble Consort Min, if you can remember your place, this consort will say no more."
"This consort is terrified. Has someone said something about this consort to Her Majesty the Empress? Her Majesty the Empress must uphold justice for this consort; this consort is wronged."
As Noble Consort Min spoke, she suddenly knelt on the ground, looking pitiful and helpless, a stark contrast to her previous cold and sharp demeanor.
Her Majesty the Empress gave a mocking smile and said, "Noble Consort Min, who are you doing this for? For this consort? But this consort is not a person who pities the delicate. I presume you are doing this for the Emperor to see. But it is a pity that the Emperor is currently in the Imperial Study discussing matters with the Prime Minister. Do you think His Majesty has time to come to your Shu Ming Palace?"
Noble Consort Min trembled all over. When she heard that Her Majesty the Empress was gracing Shu Ming Palace with her presence, she had ordered her chief eunuch, Lu Ming, to go to the Imperial Study to invite the Emperor. She didn't know why she had done so, only that the Empress's visit seemed somewhat unusual.
"Her Majesty the Empress, this consort does not know how she has offended Her Majesty the Empress. This consort implores Her Majesty the Empress to show leniency and forgive this consort." Noble Consort Min was a little frightened. Even though Her Majesty the Empress had lost her Fifth Prince, her maternal family was still something that a Noble Consort dared not provoke. It was only her father and brothers who were content with their leisurely lives; her father was still a mere fifth-rank Hanlin academician.