Di Daughter's Strategy - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The night was dark and thick, with a hint of bone-chilling cold carried by the gentle breeze. In the Kunning Palace, the servants bowed low, their heads hung down, seemingly indifferent to the faint screams coming from outside the grand hall. However, upon closer inspection, it was clear that these palace servants were pale-faced, with a hint of fear and sorrow in their eyes.

Although the empress was no longer favored, the servants didn’t dare to make things difficult for her due to Prince Jing. The Kunning Palace was filled with luxurious and noble decorations, and in front of a copper mirror with emerald green gemstones embedded in the frame, the empress sat expressionless. She gazed at her reflection in the mirror.

She was no longer the vibrant and charming woman she used to be when she first entered the prince’s mansion. Suddenly, she raised her hand and touched the fine lines under her eyes, a hint of stubbornness and madness hidden deep in her eyes.

No one spoke in the grand hall, and Zhang Momo stood three steps away from her. Suddenly, the empress’s cold gaze swept across the hall and asked in a chilly tone, “Where’s Zhuo Yu?”

Zhang Momo looked around and didn’t see Zhuo Yu. She frowned and quickly sent someone to look for her. Soon, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall, and a maidservant quickly walked in, bowing and paying her respects.
“This servant greets Your Highness.”

The empress looked at her coldly. “Where were you just now?”

Zhuo Yu’s fingers in her sleeves tightened slightly, but she smiled and said, “In response to Your Highness, the Imperial Physician just sent over the medicinal herbs, and this servant personally went to oversee the preparation of the medicine.”

When the empress heard the word “medicine”, her expression seemed to change, and her gloomy mood lightened a bit. “The medicine has arrived?”

Zhuo Yu nodded, and the empress’s mood seemed to improve.
She easily forgave Zhuo Yu. “Stand up.”

Zhuo Yu lowered her head, hiding her emotions, and smiled as she stood up and stood behind the empress, gently combing her hair. She thought of the little palace maid who had just been dragged away, and her eyes flashed with a hint of emotion. She smiled and said, “Your Highness, please calm down. It’s not worth getting upset over a little palace maid.”

Before anyone could speak, she lowered her head and leaned close to the empress, her voice seeming to carry a hint of temptation. “There’s a folk remedy in my hometown that can make Your Highness’s hair black and lush, and it will also leave a lingering fragrance.”

The empress’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

Zhuo Yu’s face was filled with respect. “Of course, this servant wouldn’t dare deceive Your Highness.”

The empress stared at her reflection in the copper mirror, her eyes shining with an almost terrifying intensity. She spoke with an inexplicable excitement, “Good, I’ll leave this matter to you. If it’s as you say, I’ll reward you heavily!”

Zhuo Yu smiled, her lips curling up. “This servant thanks Your Highness.”

Behind the two, Zhang Momo looked at the empress’s trusting expression towards Zhuo Yu and frowned deeply. Zhuo Yu had only been in the Kunning Palace for three years, but she had risen quickly and become the empress’s confidante.

Zhang Momo couldn’t help but feel uneasy about the empress’s trust in her. She looked at Zhuo Yu’s smiling face and couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease.

However, she quickly put it aside because she had more important things on her mind. Her eyes showed a hint of worry as she stepped forward and interrupted the conversation between the empress and Zhuo Yu, bowing her head.
“Your Highness, today the emperor…” She paused and frowned at the palace servants still standing in the hall.

When the empress heard her words, her expression, which had just improved, instantly darkened. She wrinkled her brow in annoyance.
“Everyone, get out!”

Zhuo Yu glanced at Zhang Momo and narrowed her eyes slightly. Just as she was about to retreat, the empress waved her hand and said impatiently, “You stay.”

Zhang Momo’s expression turned slightly unpleasant. “Your Highness!”

The empress looked at her, and Zhang Momo, who still didn’t trust Zhuo Yu, hesitated for a moment. Seeing the empress’s impatient expression, Zhang Momo’s eyes flashed with fatigue. She didn’t say anything more and lowered her head. “Your Highness, today the emperor agreed to invite Master Huiming to the palace to clarify the rumors. Now the news must have spread throughout the entire capital.”

The empress had proposed this because she had already gotten the answer from Master Huiming. When she heard Zhang Momo mention it, she frowned, “Even so, what’s the problem?”

“Your Highness,” Zhang Momo said, raising her head, “It’s too easy to make someone change their words.”

When she said this, the empress’s expression changed slightly. She naturally understood what Zhang Momo meant, and her voice rose with a lack of confidence. “Master Huiming is a monk, he wouldn’t lie!”

Zhang Momo forced a smile and didn’t say anything more, but it was enough to make the empress’s anger rise. She couldn’t help but knock over everything on the dressing table. Suddenly, she grabbed Zhang Momo’s sleeve, her eyes terrifying and somewhat paranoid.
“Does he already know about this situation? So he doesn’t care about my actions at all! Is that it? Tell me!”

Zhang Momo opened her mouth wearily. She knew who the empress was talking about – the current emperor.
Who else could make her mistress act like she was going crazy just by mentioning him?
Zhang Momo forced a smile and was about to comfort her when she suddenly heard Zhuo Yu, who had been silent until now, speak up, “Your Highness, this matter is not without a solution.”

Zhang Momo looked up at her and saw Zhuo Yu’s calm and confident smile. Zhuo Yu even nodded at her, and Zhang Momo frowned deeply.

However, the empress’s eyes lit up, and she turned around, asking, “What solution? Tell me quickly!”

Zhuo Yu slowly stroked the empress’s back, helping her calm down, and raised her eyebrows slightly. “Your Highness, don’t forget that there are many people who want to ruin this marriage, not just you.”

The empress’s eyes sparkled, and she instantly understood what Zhuo Yu meant.

Zhuo Yu saw this and smiled slightly, lowering her eyes. No one could see the expression in her eyes, but they could hear her voice.
“And it’s not just about that. Miss Luo might not even be affected by it.”

“After all, as the only legitimate daughter of the Marquis Qi’s mansion, there are many princes who want to marry her.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the empress narrowed her eyes. Although she disliked Luo Yi’er, she couldn’t deny what Zhuo Yu said. After all, Luo Yi’er’s identity was clear, and as long as she didn’t make any major mistakes, her future husband’s status wouldn’t be low.

Thinking about this, the empress felt a surge of resentment in her heart. That girl seemed to have become incredibly meticulous, making no mistakes in her actions.

At this moment, Zhuo Yu suddenly placed her hand on the empress’s shoulder. She lowered her head and spoke in a very soft voice, “Your Highness, I heard that Wuzhou is currently experiencing a severe drought…”

After saying this, Zhuo Yu closed her mouth and stood aside, not saying another word.

Zhang Momo’s gaze at her changed, her face turning slightly pale. She hadn’t expected Zhuo Yu to be so bold, wanting to…

Zhang Momo suddenly remembered the incident four years ago and instantly came back to her senses. She wanted to advise the empress, but before she could open her mouth, she heard the empress laugh softly, sending shivers down her spine. Her lips trembled, and she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

…

Due to the marriage between Prince Jing and the Marquis Qi’s mansion being decreed by the emperor himself, it involved a lot of people. On the day Master Hui Ming entered the palace, many people gathered in the Taihe Palace, each with their own thoughts. They sat in the grand hall, their faces revealing their inner workings.

Luo Yi’er was injured and couldn’t possibly appear, but Marquis Qi Luo Yu’an sat in the lower left corner. Fang Jinling sat above him, his legs crossed, his dark robes draped on the floor. He looked down, his expression indifferent, as if today’s matter had nothing to do with him.

The emperor sat on the throne, his face expressionless but exuding a deep sense of authority. The empress sat on the phoenix chair to his right, her eyes shining brightly as she gazed at Master Huiming, who stood below. She couldn’t help but smile.

Behind her, Zhang Momo stood lifelessly. However, this time, she wasn’t the only one accompanying the empress. Zhuo Yu was also following behind, dressed in a neat and proper palace maid’s uniform, her head bowed in silence.

“Speak,” the emperor said, his voice deep and calm, his hand resting on the armrest of his chair.

The gazes in the grand hall were all focused on Master Huiming. He wore a dark blue monk’s robe, his fingers holding a Buddhist rosary, and his other hand was placed vertically in front of him. There were two sets of eight characters placed in front of him.
Master Huiming only glanced at them before slightly closing his eyes and saying, “The two people’s eight characters are compatible, and there are no ominous signs.”

As soon as he finished speaking, there were some soft discussions in the grand hall. However, the empress’s smile on her face didn’t change, which made some people in the hall frown slightly.

Fang Jinyu, who was sitting opposite Fang Jinling, saw the empress’s expression and his eyes moved slightly. He asked quietly without changing his expression. “What has the empress been doing recently?”

He had already investigated who was behind the rumors when they first started, and that’s why he didn’t intervene in this matter. He knew that although the empress disliked Luo Yi’er, she really relied on Fang Jinling. So, this matter must be targeted at Yi’er. He naturally wouldn’t help the empress, even if he wanted the two to annul their engagement, which would give him a headache!

“I don’t know,” An Chong replied in a deliberately lowered voice. He wasn’t staring at the empress and didn’t know her movements at the moment.

Fang Jinyu’s eyebrows furrowed, and his smile remained gentle, but there seemed to be a moment of coolness.

The emperor’s expression didn’t change, and he just nodded calmly, “Since that’s the case, you can withdraw.”

Just then, Master Huiming glanced unnoticeably at a certain direction. His fingers holding the rosary tightened, and he glanced again at Fang Jinling, who still seemed indifferent.
He sighed inwardly.

He looked at the two sets of eight characters in front of him, and his expression suddenly changed to one of slight surprise. His eyebrows furrowed deeply, and he muttered to himself while making a few hand gestures. However, when everything was over, his expression changed, and he looked up at the emperor on the high platform in disbelief.

This unexpected turn of events was indeed surprising. The empress’s eyes flashed with an unusual brightness, but she didn’t expect to suddenly meet someone’s gaze the next moment.

The icy cold eyes contained no emotions, but seemed to be looking at a clown, making the empress feel like she had been doused with a bucket of cold water. Her face changed color, and the excitement in her heart disappeared completely. She narrowed her eyes, looking at Fang Jinling with suspicion and fear.

The emperor on the high platform suddenly turned his head and glanced at the empress before looking at Huiming. He spoke with an unreadable meaning, “Do you have anything else to say?”

Huiming frowned slightly, and the usual calm image of a master was somewhat collapsing. He spoke in a trembling voice, “This eight characters… it…”

“What’s wrong with it?” The emperor’s eyes flashed with a hint of impatience, and he didn’t have time to waste with him.

Just then, Fang Jinling, who had been indifferent to the situation, finally raised his head. His gaze was apathetic as he looked at Huiming, which made Huiming’s whole body shudder, and a sense of chill rose in his heart.

However, when he lowered his head, he caught a glimpse of a corner of someone’s sleeve hanging down, and a flash of pain crossed his eyes. He then raised his head again and said expressionlessly, “Now, Wuzhou is suffering from a severe drought, Liangzhou is experiencing a flood, and there are many injustices in the court…”

The emperor interrupted him, his deep voice carrying a hint of anger.
“This matter has nothing to do with you.”

Huiming’s expression didn’t change.

“But it is related to the eight characters in front of me!”