FID – Chapter 943

Chapter 943: Someone Else Is Involved

After leaving the prison and sitting inside the Yangxin Hall, Feng Mohan’s imperial aura immediately vanished. No more aloofness, no more inscrutable demeanor. Instead, he clung to his uncle like a shadow. “Uncle, what do you think her true background is? Just her? What ability does a mere teenage girl have to make Xue Zhong willing to bow to her?”

“I don’t think it’s what we imagine,” Feng Qingbai said calmly, holding Hongdou in his arms, letting her drool on his luxurious robe without caring. “I lean more towards them having a cooperative relationship, each serving their own needs.”

“I think so too,” Liu Yusheng said. “Xue Zhong was ambitious even when he was young. Even after becoming disabled, he didn’t stop advancing. A man like him would never willingly submit to another.”

“The pursuit from the three kingdoms, Dongyue, Beicang, and Nanling left him trapped with no way out. If someone came to find him and proposed cooperation, it would be like throwing him a life-saving straw, and he’d grab on tightly. Most people would think so, but you’ve forgotten one thing,” the Empress Dowager, who hadn’t intended to join the discussion, couldn’t help but interject after hearing them go around without reaching the key point. “Shan Lai entered the palace years ago, which means another force had already been eyeing the Nanling royal family back then. Also, when Feng Mohan was two years old, someone had already cast a Gu poison on him. Over these more than ten years, Xue Zhong’s involvement has been everywhere. Is it really the case that he only recently began cooperating with Shan Lai?”

The three pairs of eyes all turned toward the Empress Dowager, making her visibly uncomfortable. She frowned and said, “Why are you all staring at me like that? I was just speaking casually. Whether you believe it or not is up to you.”

Liu Yusheng seriously gave a thumbs-up. “Experience really is the best teacher. Your Majesty spoke the key point. It’s very helpful to us!”

“…” The Empress Dowager turned her face away, but couldn’t suppress a slight smile at the corner of her mouth. 

She was already a mother of two children, yet still so unsteady—was she just flattering her?

“Thinking about it this way, the situation seems more and more complicated. Could it be that Baicao Valley has been colluding with the power behind Shan Lai for over a decade?” Feng Mohan’s expression darkened.

In these years, trouble didn’t just strike Nanling, but also Dongyue and Beicang.

If all of these were caused by the same force, then what kind of ambition could drive someone to covet the thrones of several kingdoms simultaneously?

“This time, the fact that Xue Zhong knew about Xue Qinglian’s surgery while in prison must mean someone outside informed him,” Feng Qingbai said. “Since we can’t crack Shan Lai’s defenses, we should investigate people outside.”

Two months ago, when Xue Zhong was locked in the Clan Court Prison, Shan Lai was simultaneously imprisoned in the palace’s secret dungeon. So she did not know what was happening outside.

There was someone else who could get information from outside into Xue Zhong’s hands.

The supervision in the Clan Court Prison was extremely strict. Moreover, the Chief Official had received a strict order from the King forbidding anyone from contacting Xue Zhong, so he dared not relax even a little. 

The entire prison was airtight, sealed tight. Under such circumstances, it was impossible for any message to reach Xue Zhong. So, who was powerful enough to bypass all the layers of surveillance?

For a moment, the atmosphere in the Yangxin Hall grew heavy, as everyone’s thoughts turned to this question.

After a brief pause, almost in unison except for the Empress Dowager, the three said, “Slops!”

That was the only thing from outside that could reach Xue Zhong.

At that time, Qian Wan Jin, to spite Xue Zhong, deliberately refused to give him food in the prison, making him eat leftover slops every day. With Feng Qingbai’s approval, the Chief Official dutifully followed orders.

Therefore, during that period, the prison sent people every day to collect slops from city taverns to bring back as Xue Zhong’s food.

If someone wanted to send messages to Xue Zhong, they only needed to go to the tavern. It wasn’t impossible to hide notes inside the slops.

Slops were dirty—who would bother to check if there was something important hidden inside?

Realizing that someone had exploited this loophole made Feng Mohan’s face grow even darker, and even the usually calm Feng Qingbai furrowed his brow.

“Granny, serve the meal,” someone called out as the group frowned in thought, while the Empress Dowager called for food.

She glanced sideways at the three and said, “If you have official business to discuss, do it next time in the Imperial Study. This Yangxin Hall isn’t your office. Every time you come here to discuss important matters, it gives me a headache.”

The three, “…” They only discussed things here because they trusted the Empress Dowager.

Otherwise, someone as cautious as Feng Qingbai wouldn’t speak so freely in front of her.

Before, had he ever been so unguarded in front of the Empress Dowager?

“Let’s eat first. After the meal, issue an order to enforce martial law in the imperial harem and thoroughly investigate everyone who has left the palace recently,” Feng Qingbai said.

“Do you suspect that there are still people loyal to Xue Zhong and Shan Lai within the palace?” Feng Mohan asked in surprise.

Under the table, Liu Yusheng discreetly pressed down a corner of the cloth with her foot for each of them, then flicked the corner of her eye towards the Empress Dowager, silently signaling them not to poke the hornet’s nest.

The Empress Dowager’s face was already dark and glimmering.

“Imperial Grandmother, please come sit here. We’re about to have the meal,” Feng Mohan immediately and respectfully invited the old lady over.

From now on, besides having his aunt and uncle, he would also have to show respect to the Empress Dowager.

Although the old lady still often kept a stern face towards him, her attitude was much better than before.

Before, she basically treated him like a ghost. Whenever there was something to say, she would stand in front of him, say her piece, then leave without ever asking for his opinion.

Anyway, she had spoken, and he had heard it — so he had to follow what she said. No arguing allowed. Or if he did argue, she just pretended not to hear.

She was very hard to please.

Looking at Badou, who was being held tightly in the old lady’s arms, and Hongdou, who had already slobbered all over the uncle’s chest, Feng Mohan admitted that he was lucky thanks to the two little ones.

The meal was served, and the dinner began.

The granny also came out from the small kitchen carrying food for the two little masters — a silky egg custard that melted in the mouth.

Once the egg custard was no longer too hot, the Empress Dowager personally fed the two little ones, not delegating the task to anyone else.

Feng Qingbai and Liu Yusheng did not volunteer to help; what they saw as helping, the Empress Dowager saw as competing with her for the children’s attention.

So they just sat to the side, eating while watching.

After feeding the children, the Empress Dowager laid them down to sleep on the soft couch, then returned to the dining table to tend to her own meal.

Her plate was already piled high with dishes, including her favorite songhua fish, with every bone meticulously removed.

The three who had started eating while she was feeding the children had barely touched their rice bowls. They were all waiting for her.

With a quiet hum, the Empress Dowager covered the slightly moist sparkle in her eyes, lowered her gaze, and picked up her jade chopsticks. “Eat. Food tastes worse once it gets cold.”

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TL Note: Who couldn’t love a cutie like the Empress Dowager? Happy readings!