FID – Chapter 907

Chapter 907: Did You Just Roll Your Eyes?

“Mistress, are you talking about the Liu family’s Elder Madam Liu?” Ling Xiang’s face instantly turned pale. “Isn’t she always seen coming and going with the Princess Consort? How could she have entered the palace alone today? And she did not even bring a maid with her!”

If it hadn’t been like this, she absolutely wouldn’t have dared speak rudely to her!

If the King found out, would she even still be alive?

“Mistress, what should I do now? The things I said just now, I didn’t mean any of them! If His Highness hears and holds me accountable…”

“That’s why you must not be so arrogant in the future. Even though you’re a maid by the side of a consort, your status isn’t that noble. Your Mistress herself can be treated however others please. What makes you think you’re untouchable?”

These words hit Ling Xiang like a bucket of ice water, draining the color from her face. Her lips turned pale, and her whole body began to tremble.

Meanwhile, Grandma Liu dashed all the way to the Yangxin Hall. Once inside, she grabbed the teapot by the couch and gulped down several mouthfuls of hot tea.

Even after sitting down, her heart was still pounding wildly.

Her sudden and frantic movements made the Empress Dowager’s mouth twitch. She had no idea what had gotten into her.

“What’s with you? Did you see a ghost?”

“Worse than a ghost!” Grandma Liu spun around and grabbed the Empress Dowager’s hand tightly, thumping her own chest with her other hand to calm her racing heart. “Guess who I just ran into? Plum Concubine—that Plum Concubine! When I entered the palace, I saw her dry heaving in the imperial garden. I thought she was unwell, and went up to ask. Heaven help me, I nearly died of fright! If her maid hadn’t said she was pregnant, I wouldn’t have suspected a thing. Your Majesty, you tell me. She’s the one responsible for making the rest of the imperial concubines unable to get pregnant, isn’t she? Am I right?”

The Empress Dowager withdrew her hand, her expression calm. “Why do you say that?”

“Do I even need to explain? None of the other consorts in the entire harem can get pregnant, yet she is with child. That means she’s the only one who hasn’t been affected. Why would she be so lucky? Because she’s the culprit! She wanted the other consorts to lose their future, so no one could compete with her for power. ‘A mother rises in status through her son,’ isn’t that what they say? Of course she wouldn’t sabotage herself. As long as she gives birth to Xiao Feng’er’s child, the entire harem will belong to her!…I even thought she looked kind and gentle when I saw her. What a wicked, heartless snake she turned out to be!”

With a loud slap to her thigh, Grandma Liu shot to her feet and began pacing in front of the Empress Dowager.

Once the fear had passed, disgust and fury rose up. “When I realized it, I should’ve given her a good scolding. Why did I run? Seriously, the older I get, the more cowardly I become! … No, no, wait—I can’t scold her. If I did, wouldn’t that tip her off? She’d realize we suspect her, and that’d be like alerting the enemy too soon. That could ruin Axiu and Xiao Feng’er’s plans! No—I have to hold it in. But once Axiu and Xiao Feng’er get solid evidence, we’re going to make her pay!”

“Have you calmed down now?”

“Yeah, I’ve calmed down.” Grandma Liu nodded, sitting back down on the cushioned couch. Then, suddenly leaning in close to the Empress Dowager, she squinted at her and asked, “Your Majesty, did you just roll your eyes at me? I’m not imagining it, am I?”

The Empress Dowager’s face twitched slightly before she raised her voice and scolded, “Nonsense! I am the Empress Dowager. How could I possibly do something so undignified? You must have seen wrong!”

“No, I didn’t see wrong. You definitely rolled your eyes. Don’t believe me? Should we ask the old maid?”

“I already told you—you saw wrong!”

“I’m sure I didn’t!”

“You—! Insolent! Is that how you speak to me? I am the Empress Dowager!”

Grandma Liu rolled her own eyes, exaggeratedly. “Yes, yes, you’re the Empress Dowager, and I’m the ‘boorish woman.’ You say that line a dozen times a day. Fine, if you won’t admit it, then don’t. But I know I saw you roll your eyes. Don’t worry, I was the only one who saw it, and I won’t spread it around. When no one else is around, you can roll your eyes at me as much as you like.”

Eye-roll, eye-roll, eye-roll… The words buzzed through the Empress Dowager’s ears like a cursed chant, making her silver hair tremble with fury.

I absolutely did not roll my eyes! How could I do something so improper? I didn’t even feel anything!

This boorish woman is just making things up!

Meanwhile, the old maid standing nearby kept her gaze lowered and quietly stepped back. She tried her best to disappear from the scene and avoid getting dragged into the verbal sparring between the two women.

She had seen absolutely nothing just now.

As a blunt and straightforward woman, Grandma Liu didn’t bother watching the Empress Dowager’s expression. She let her stew in her anger while her own thoughts returned to Shan Lai. “Tell me, when do you think Axiu and Xiao Feng’er will finally find some evidence? Just when I realized it was her, she was about to hand me a hairpin! Thank heavens I reacted in time and pulled my hands back before touching anything she gave me. That woman’s used to playing with poison. Who knows if that hairpin was laced with something deadly enough to cost me half my life? The more I think about it, the more I believe I’ve got some real luck protecting me.”

She was genuinely relieved.

Hearing her say that she had nearly made contact with Shan Lai, the Empress Dowager’s expression changed. She grabbed her hand and examined her carefully. “Are you sure she didn’t touch you? When you get back to the manor, have Nannan check your pulse. Do a full examination. We can’t afford to be careless. And in the future, if you run into her at the palace, there’s no need for polite pretense. Just keep your face cold and ignore her.”

“You are the grandmother of the King’s Princess Consort. That gives you the status of a First-Rank titled lady in court. Your rank far exceeds that of a mere concubine like her. She’s the one who should be looking at your face for cues, and she should even be saluting you! No matter what you do, they wouldn’t dare criticize you. Don’t be afraid. There’s no one in this palace who can bully you. Other than me, you hold the highest status here, do you understand? Do you know how to throw your weight around? If you don’t, I’ll teach you later. You need to learn this and stop being so soft-hearted to everyone. Even kindness has its limits. Let this incident be a lesson to you. What if you hadn’t reacted in time and accepted her hairpin? If it had been poisoned, and Nannan wasn’t by your side… and you collapsed right there in the palace… we wouldn’t have even known in time! You really…”

The Empress Dowager rattled off a whole stream of words in one breath, leaving Grandma Liu and the old maid both staring at her wide-eyed, as if they didn’t recognize her at all.

By the end, the Empress Dowager suddenly realized what she was doing. Her fair face flushed bright red, and she abruptly shut her mouth and turned her head away.

She genuinely didn’t know what kind of expression she was supposed to make.

“Oh my, oh my, were you just showing concern for me, this rough old woman?” Grandma Liu’s face crinkled into a smile, and she bumped her arm against the Empress Dowager’s, leaning in closer.

That slightly sly, teasing grin made the Empress Dowager’s head start to ache.