Chapter 4: Meeting the Empress Dowager

Inside the main hall of the Changle Palace, curling sandalwood incense burned behind the pearl curtains.

A group of palace maids holding trays walked into the hall in a line, and then distributed the jade dew and nectar from the trays to the beauties present one by one.

In the middle of the main hall, Wang Taihou sat on her seat. Seeing that everyone had received the fruit drink she had specially ordered to be prepared, she said with a smile: "It is easy to get internal heat in the autumn, everyone try this fruit drink."

The beauties raised their cups one after another, thanking the Empress Dowager for the reward while drinking the fruit drink in their cups.

Sitting at the very front on Wang Taihou's left was Wang Meiren, who had just gained great favor a few days ago. After drinking the fruit drink, she couldn't wait to say: "This sweet and sour taste, even jade dew and nectar cannot compare to it."

Wang Meiren had a lively personality and shared the same surname as Wang Taihou, so she was very favored by Wang Taihou. Hearing Wang Meiren say this, Wang Taihou was also happy, smiling until the corners of her eyes were wrinkled: "If A Fu likes it, tomorrow I will tell the palace maids to send some to your Lanlin Palace."

Wang Meiren said with a look of surprise: "Thank you, Mother, for the reward."

The other beauties in the seats felt disdain for Wang Meiren gaining the Empress Dowager's favor, but they didn't dare to show it on their faces.

Sitting opposite Wang Meiren, Wei Zifu inadvertently nudged her eldest daughter Liu Yue, who was sitting beside her. Liu Yue gently put down the cup in her hand and looked at Wang Taihou with a clever tongue: "Grandmother, the fruit drink is so sweet and fragrant, can A Yue know how it is made?"

Wang Taihou looked at Liu Yue, her smile loving: "Why does A Yue want to know how it is made?"

Liu Yue answered crisply: "Father works hard every day handling government affairs, A Yue wants to make a fruit drink for Father herself."

The beauties on the side laughed out loud and praised Liu Yue for being so filial at such a young age. It was Wang Meiren, who had just been in the limelight, who bit her silver teeth, secretly hating in her heart—isn't it just bearing a daughter for His Majesty? What's so great about that!

Wang Taihou was also happy with Liu Yue's filial behavior, and she beckoned to Liu Yue: "A Yue, come to my side."

Liu Yue looked at her mother, stood up slowly, and walked to Wang Taihou's side to kneel and sit down: "Grandmother."

Wang Taihou looked down at Liu Yue, who was sitting respectfully, and inexplicably thought of the days when she served beside Dou Taihuang Taihou.

At that time, the late Emperor had not yet passed away, and the Grand Empress Dowager was still the Empress Dowager.

When the Eldest Princess Guantao, Liu Piao, brought her daughter from the fief to the Changle Palace to pay respects to Empress Dowager Dou, the old lady would always happily hold her granddaughter Chen Ajiao in her arms. Such a friendly attitude was not like how she treated the other grandchildren in the Weiyang Palace.

And at that time, Ajiao was small and delicate, leaning in the old lady's arms and acting like a spoiled child. Such favor was probably unique in the entire Great Han.

At first, Wang Zhi couldn't understand why the old lady liked Ajiao so much. After she became a grandmother and a maternal grandmother herself, she finally understood where such liking came from.

This was probably the so-called affection between generations.

Wang Taihou reached out and gently stroked Liu Yue's hair, smiling and saying: "It is hard for A Yue to have such a heart. As for your father, Grandmother has already arranged for palace maids to send some over, A Yue need not worry."

Liu Yue said: "What Grandmother sent is Grandmother's heart, A Yue also wants to convey A Yue's heart to Father."

These words made Wang Taihou even more surprised, calling Liu Yue a good child.

Looking at Liu Yue's filial and clever appearance, Wang Taihou couldn't help but compare her with that legitimate princess, and the difference was truly clear.

When Liu Li was born, the old lady Dou was so happy she didn't close her eyes all night and personally bestowed the name. I am afraid the old lady never thought until her death that the daughter born to Chen Ajiao would be a fool.

A fool, yet she was the legitimate princess of the Great Han; it was truly a laughingstock.

Thinking of this, Wang Taihou's expression flashed with a moment of displeasure, and she turned to ask the maid beside her: "Didn't I send someone to summon the Empress and Princess Chen? Why haven't they come yet?"

——

At this time, Ajiao's phoenix carriage was carrying Ajiao and Liu Li on the way to the Changle Palace.

Liu Li had learned some of the original owner's situation from Ajiao. Specifically, the original owner couldn't be considered a simpleton in the strict sense; her intellectual development level was just lower than that of a normal child.

And the reason for the original owner's low intellectual level was probably

because Liu Che and Chen Ajiao were close relatives.

Similar genetic factors easily lead to an unhealthy child, and the original owner should be a victim of close-relative marriage.

Of course, regarding things like genetic inheritance, Liu Li couldn't be sure that it was definitely the case.

"Because A Li was born with deficiencies, she rarely left the Jiaofang Hall. That day I was summoned to the Changle Palace by the Empress Dowager, and afterward, A Li didn't know why she was making a fuss to see me, so Furong, who was taking care of her, brought her out to find me." On the phoenix carriage, Ajiao told Liu Li the process of what happened that day.

"Who told you that A Li was making a fuss to see you?" Liu Li asked.

"It was Furong, the personal palace maid who took care of A Li." Ajiao added: "Furong was a person personally chosen by my mother, so there shouldn't be any problem."

Liu Li was thoughtful: "And then? When A Li fell into the water, why wasn't Furong by her side?"

Ajiao told Liu Li Furong's testimony in detail.

That day, Furong originally wanted to coax the princess first and wait until she stopped making a fuss before taking her back to the Jiaofang Hall. She didn't expect that Furong had eaten something bad that day and wanted to go to the latrine halfway.

Afterward, Furong had no choice but to call two passing palace maids and let them take care of Princess Chen for a while, saying she would go to the latrine and be back soon. It was in this gap that the accident happened.

After listening to Ajiao's retelling, Liu Li frowned, feeling that the whole thing was not simple. There were too many coincidences in this, as if... it had been designed in advance.

Based on her experience of watching "Empresses in the Palace" eight hundred times, there must be something fishy behind this.

The phoenix carriage stopped in front of the Changle Palace Empress Dowager's bedchamber, the Changxin Hall. Ajiao held Liu Li's little hand, turned her head to look at her standing beside her, and asked: "Are you afraid?"

Liu Li shook her little head, looked up at Ajiao, and curved her eyes like crescent moons: "Not afraid."

Since she had come to this distant era, and since she was going to continue to live as Liu Li, then no matter what difficulties and obstacles were ahead, she would face them.

And the first thing she had to do now was to avenge the original owner.

The palace maids in front of the Changxin Hall saw the Empress's phoenix carriage and quickly turned to enter the inner hall to notify Wang Taihou: "Empress Dowager, the Empress's carriage has arrived."

The many beauties sitting in the palace turned their heads to look at the door subconsciously after hearing the report, their eyes filled with a bit of excitement to watch the fun.

They all knew what the purpose of the Empress Dowager calling them all together today was.

Rumors in the harem said that His Majesty had long been dissatisfied with the current Empress Chen and even had plans to depose her. His Majesty didn't depose the Empress before because Dou Taihuang Taihou was still alive. But now, it was really hard to say.

At this time, with the sound of wooden clogs tapping on the floor, everyone saw a slender figure holding a petite child, walking slowly from outside the hall.

When they could see their appearance clearly, the beauties suddenly fell silent, looking at Ajiao with a bit of amazement.

More than half of the beauties present were sent into the Weiyang Palace only after the Grand Empress Dowager passed away, and many had never even seen Chen Ajiao.

Vermilion lips red without lipstick, willow-leaf eyebrows, skin like congealed fat, the gorgeous radiance between her brows simply overshadowed everyone present.

No one had ever said that Empress Chen was so beautiful!

Chen Ajiao held Liu Li's hand and walked into the inner hall, her eyes sweeping across the people in the hall, and then she bowed slightly to the Empress Dowager on the main seat: "Mother."

Liu Li followed Ajiao's movements and also bowed to Wang Taihou: "Grandmother."

Wang Taihou stared at Liu Li for a long time without making a sound, but she was secretly amazed in her heart, because the previous Liu Li was dull and wooden, let alone bowing, she hadn't even called her Grandmother once.

Not only did Wang Taihou find it strange, but the others present also found it strange, looking at Liu Li with uncertain eyes.

While everyone was looking at Liu Li, Liu Li also took in the expressions of everyone in the hall.

Wang Taihou recovered and went straight to the point: "I specially summoned the Empress and Princess Li today for the sake of Lady Wei falling into the water and being frightened some time ago."

Saying this, she looked at Ajiao's expression below the hall, and then looked at Liu Li and continued: "The matter has been investigated clearly. That day, it was

Princess Li who pushed Lady Wei into the water, almost harming the imperial heir in Lady Wei's womb. Liu Li, you are so vicious at such a young age, do you know your crime!"

The hall was silent.

Wang Taihou was certain that Liu Li couldn't answer; she just wanted to use this matter to embarrass Chen Ajiao. The beauties who understood Wang Taihou's intentions also didn't speak, all waiting to watch the joke of this farce.

Ajiao was about to defend her daughter, but Liu Li gently squeezed her fingertip and replied in a childish and sincere tone: "Back to Grandmother, A Li does not know."

"You..." Wang Taihou was stunned. She thought it would be Chen Ajiao standing up to protect her daughter, but she didn't expect it to be Liu Li herself who spoke.

Liu Li asked back: "Why does Grandmother conclude that A Li is a vicious person based only on the testimony of a few palace maids? Could it be that A Li did something heinous and vicious before, which led Grandmother to have such a conclusion?"

Wang Taihou: "..." This child spoke clearly; she didn't look like a simpleton at all. Wang Taihou looked at Liu Li a few more times with uncertainty.

Liu Li raised her head slightly to look directly into Wang Taihou's eyes, looking innocent: "A Li also fell into the water that day and almost lost her life. A Li is also a victim, why doesn't Grandmother care about A Li?"

A series of questions left Wang Taihou speechless. Why didn't she care? Because she didn't like this granddaughter from the bottom of her heart. But could she say such words? Naturally, she couldn't.

Liu Li didn't wait for Wang Taihou's answer. She let go of Ajiao's hand, walked slowly to Wei Zifu, opened her eyes wide, and stared straight at her.

Everyone was watching Liu Li's movements.

Wei Zifu was stunned by Liu Li's stare. She moved her gaze away uncomfortably, her expression stiff: "Pr... Princess, why do you keep looking at this concubine?"

For some reason, facing Liu Li's gaze, Wei Zifu felt a sense of pressure, even feeling her scalp go numb, as if she had been seen through.

Liu Li tilted her head and asked in a somewhat innocent tone: "Lady Wei, you are also a party involved, can you tell everyone, was it really me who pushed you that day?"

She smiled and added: "Great Han people don't lie to Great Han people, okay!" ===== CHAPTER 5 =====