Chapter 250: Going to Find Li Defu

Xiao Mingshu's brazen, unrestrained laughter echoed through the hall.

Facing the sharp humiliation, Wan Tang merely lowered her lashes, her lips forming a faint curve.

Seeing her like that, Xiao Mingshu grew even more smug, turning toward the surrounding crowd who were silent as chilled cicadas.

Her voice rose with excitement: "Did you all see that? She's scared! Your Virtuous Consort, she dares not argue!"

Li Ping'er clenched her handkerchief, her face full of worry, her gaze fixed tightly on Wan Tang.

Wan Tang's expression remained calm and unruffled, as if those cutting words had never reached her ears.

After a long while, she seemed to suddenly recall something distant and let out a soft sigh.

She lifted her eyes to Xiao Mingshu, her tone gentle to the point of pity: "Sister Jingfei, the fact that you and I can accompany the Emperor is already a tremendous blessing. So why must we... insist on things that do not belong to us?"

"Insist?" Xiao Mingshu seemed pricked, her voice even sharper, "Are you satisfied with this meager, charitable favor?"

Wan Tang nodded slightly, her eyes clear: "Yes, as long as I can stay by the Holy Majesty's side, that is enough for my wish."

"You don't wish to ascend to the Phoenix Throne, to become Mother of the World?" Xiao Mingshu pressed, her eyes full of mockery.

Wan Tang heard this and gave a very faint smile, her smile as light as clouds and wind.

Yet it carried a detached insight into the world: "Not everyone, like you, Sister, regards the Empress position as a lifelong obsession."

Xiao Mingshu choked on this soft nail, angry and ashamed, and hurled the portrait fiercely at Wan Tang.

"Fine! Then we'll wait and see! I'm afraid once the new Empress enters the palace and the rightful ruler returns, your petty shadow will be cast aside by the Emperor instantly!"

The scroll brushed against Wan Tang's sleeve as it fell, yet she did not move, not even raising her brows or eyes.

Xiao Mingshu let out a cold snort, still brimming with arrogance and triumph, and swept her sleeves away, leaving.

The hall fell silent again, and Li Ping'er hurried forward, her voice full of worry as she called, "Sister…"

Wan Tang slowly bent, picking up the scroll that had fallen to the ground; her fingertips lightly brushed the eyebrows and eyes of the woman in the painting, which resembled her, and the last ripple in her eyes settled into a calm ancient well.

Everyone's gazes burned intensely on Wan Tang, their looks mixing curiosity, sympathy, and a barely perceptible stir of desire.

A few palace consorts standing at the front could not help but compare the portrait's figure with Wan Tang's features, their whispered murmurs rustling:

"Upon closer look, the brow and eye contours… are truly extremely similar."

"Jingfei, after all, comes from the Central Palace and has accompanied the Holy Majesty the longest; her words… are probably not baseless."

"If that is indeed the case, then the Virtuous Consort's past favor was perhaps all because…"

No one dared to finish the sentence, but the suddenly bright eyes revealed, without concealment, a different intention.

If imperial favor can be obtained through a similar face, might they… also have a chance?

Facing these undercurrents of gazes, Wan Tang remained composed, as if the recent storm had never occurred.

She calmly instructed the nearby Xiao Luzi: "Secure the Phoenix Seal and return it to the inner hall."

"Yes, Your Lady." Xiao Luzi bowed and carefully lifted the golden seal.

Lady Liu Guiren, who had been standing quietly observing, flickered her eyes; seeing Wan Tang turn to leave, she hurriedly stepped forward.

Her voice carried just the right amount of concern and urgency: "Your Lady, please stay!"

Wan Tang had just entered the inner hall when Lady Liu Guiren followed closely, her face wearing a flattering smile.

Her voice, however, was probing: "Your Lady, was what Sister Jingfei just said… true?"

Wan Tang, weary, massaged her temples, did not look at her, and simply uttered a single word: "Yes."

Lady Liu Guiren's body trembled slightly, and an unusual sparkle instantly flared in her eyes.

She hurriedly asked: "Then… is it that merely imitating that person can win the Emperor's favor?"

Wan Tang, hearing this, let a half‑smile curl at her lips, but gave no direct answer.

Instead she turned to the Xiao Luzi standing beside her: "Xiao Luzi, did Sister Jingfei just come by? What did she say?"

Xiao Luzi understood immediately, bowed and replied: "Yes, Your Lady, Jingfei was incoherent, babbled nonsense, and has been escorted out by the Nubi."

Wan Tang sneered, her tone suddenly sharp: "Since the Emperor trusts my palace, granting me authority to co‑manage the Six Palaces, the atmosphere of the Imperial harem must be properly rectified."

She stared sharply at Xiao Luzi, "Go, make those people outside keep their mouths shut."

"If any word of today's Jingfei visit or anything she said leaks out, you alone will answer for it!"

"Understood!" Xiao Luzi's expression hardened, and he immediately obeyed.

Only Wan Tang, Li Ping'er, and Xiao Shunzi remained in the hall.

Lady Liu Guiren glanced around, leaned close to Wan Tang, and lowered her voice: "Your Lady, who is that person… exactly? Please guide me!"

Wan Tang seemed to hear something amusing, her gaze cold as she swept over her: "Lady Liu Guiren, I will spare your life, allow you to atone with merit, yet you dare to make a request?"

Lady Liu Guiren's heart fluttered, and she quickly pledged loyalty: "Your Lady, you see clearly! I dare not make demands, I only… only hope that by gaining a bit of the Emperor's pity, I can secure my footing and better serve you!"

Seeing Wan Tang's inscrutable expression, she steeled herself, let out a "thud" as she fell to her knees, and said, "I recently feigned a return home to visit my parents, and have been secretly investigating."

"I swear to heaven, from now on I will look only to you, Your Lady, and I only ask that you give me a clear path!"

She lifted her head, her eyes bearing a desperate gamble: "I… I heard my father, drunk and remorseful, say, 'Had I known today, I should never have taken on that troublesome Mo Family case, which wasted the loyal lineage, now cursed by heaven, despised by the Emperor, and left with no future.'… Your Lady, the Mo Family back then truly had grievances!"

The words "Mo Family" were like a stone tossed into a still lake, stirring a barely perceptible ripple in Wan Tang's eyes.

She was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke, her voice bearing a lofty detachment: "It seems you have indeed put in some effort."

She paused, then casually pointed out: "Within this palace, aside from the Emperor, the one who knows the old affairs best is probably the long‑serving attendant Li Defu."

Lady Liu Guiren's eyes instantly flashed bright, as if she had grasped a lifeline; she hurriedly kowtowed: "Thank you, Your Lady, for the guidance! I take my leave!"

Having said that, she rushed out, her steps trembling with uncontrollable excitement.

"Sister." Li Ping'er stepped forward two paces, her brows shadowed with lingering worry, about to speak but hesitated.

Wan Tang returned a gentle, faint smile and patted the back of her hand: "Don't worry, I'm fine."

She looked at Li Ping'er's puzzled expression and said knowingly: "Are you wondering why I pushed Li Defu to Lady Liu Guiren?"

Li Ping'er nodded honestly.

Wan Tang's gaze turned cold, but her tone remained calm: "Li Defu has served before the Emperor for decades, and knows many things."

"That old thief, who has climbed to where he is today by informing and guessing the ruler's will, has been stable for so many years; it's time it ends."

She lightly runs her fingertip over the rim of the teacup, "I will make the Emperor's relationship with him, even the last trace of master‑servant sentiment, completely wear away."

Li Ping'er hears this, a flash of delight in her eyes, solemnly agrees: "Sister, what you say is right; we must make him spit out everything he has taken, principal and profit alike, leaving him with nothing!"

"All right," Wan Tang withdraws the sharpness from her eyes, rubs the corner of her forehead, "the Mid‑Autumn banquet is imminent, with countless complications; that is the real obstacle before us."

When this is mentioned, Li Ping'er's face instantly clouds with worry: "Sister, the war in the Northern Border is tightening, the Ministry of Revenue has been complaining, saying the treasury is empty, and the funds allocated to the palace banquet have already been cut by more than half."

"Now, with winter approaching, the winter clothing and military rations up front are still unsettled; if we still have to organize a palace banquet, it's truly like a clever housewife trying to cook without rice…" she says lower and lower, full of helplessness.

【Dog Emperor's granting of the Phoenix Seal is truly poisonous! It looks like trust, but in fact it puts Tangtang on the fire to roast!】

【Exactly! In the current situation, if the palace banquet is held modestly, the Empress Dowager and those old concubines will definitely stomp their feet, saying Tangtang is petty, unfit for the stage, unworthy of holding the Phoenix Seal.】

【If it's held lavishly, it's even worse! The soldiers up front lack clothes and food, while your harem enjoys singing and dancing? Even a drop of saliva could drown a person! Those Imperial Inspector reports might flood the Imperial Study!】

【You all think… could this be Chu Yunzheng's deliberate move? He's just waiting to see what Tangtang does. Using treasury funds, he doubts Tangtang's motives; but if Tangtang uses her own private money to fill such a huge hole… My god, where does the money come from? Could it be linked to the old Mo Family faction? That accusation would be huge!】

【Thinking it through is terrifying! This is essentially a dead end!】

Wan Tang listens to the chaotic "Barrage" at her ears, yet her face remains unruffled, and she says lightly, "No problem."

She lifts her eyes toward Li Ping'er, her tone full of meaning: "If you have time to worry about this, you might as well go for me and check on Li Defu."

"After all… your words, he is actually willing to listen to a few sentences," she says, a cold curve forming at the corner of her mouth.

Li Ping'er immediately understands, a flash of comprehension in her eyes, then straightens her expression: "Sister, rest assured, I'll go see him right now."

The night is as black as ink; on the Jiuqu Huilang of the Yuhuayuan, a palace lantern glows faintly.

Lady Liu Guiren is dressed in a plain white gauze robe, her hair loosely tied up, a simple jade hairpin slanted in place, standing with her back to the corridor entrance, looking up at the new crescent moon on the horizon.

The night wind brushes past, lifting her wide sleeves; that posture and silhouette is eighty‑nine percent similar to the white pear that passed away many years ago.

Chu Yunzheng walks forward bathed in moonlight, originally strolling casually, but when his gaze passes that silhouette, he suddenly stops.

His steps pause, a swirl of complex, indecipherable emotions rising in his eyes—obsession, pain, reminiscence… ultimately turning into a deep shade of darkness.

"Li'er…" he murmurs unconsciously, stepping closer.

Lady Liu Guiren hears the voice, slowly turns back, three parts timidity and seven parts haziness in her eyes, slightly bending a knee: "Emperor…"

That voice snaps Chu Yunzheng out of his daze; he sees Lady Liu Guiren's face, his gaze instantly sharp, yet the lingering shadow in his heart does not dissipate.

He silently watches her for a long while, long enough that Lady Liu Guiren's legs grow weak, a fine sweat beads on her forehead, before he finally hears that heavenly sound.

"Proceed, go to Lady Liu Guiren."

The news, as if sprouted wings, spread throughout the Six Palaces the next day.

Jingxinyuan, having shed its former cold courtyard, now sees palace consorts coming to congratulate and curry favor, almost trampling over the threshold.

Consequently, Li Defu, who disclosed the "Bai Li" matter to Lady Liu Guiren, also became a scorching‑hot figure; people bringing gifts and probing for news came in endless stream, making the other eunuchs' eyes burn with jealousy.

However, Li Defu, at the eye of the storm, now sits alone in the duty room, brows tightly knit, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the desk.

Not only does he feel no pride at all, but he also senses a chill rising from the soles of his feet.

"Interesting, very interesting…" he murmurs softly, a cold sneer curling his mouth, "So that's the idea you were playing."

A flash of sharp light flickers in Li Defu's cloudy old eyes, as if he finally grasped a certain key point.

"So, you want to become Empress!" he scoffs aloud, with a hint of understanding and contempt, "Pathetic, laughable."

He lifts the already chilled tea, drinks it in one gulp, his tone grim, like the most venomous curse, "Children of the Mo Family will never… have this chance."