Di Daughter's Strategy - Chapter 33

Chapter 33

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall erupted into a commotion.

Luo Yu’an suddenly looked up, his cold gaze piercing straight at him, his heart filled with uncontrollable anger. He looked at the empress with an icy gaze, and indeed, a fleeting smile flashed across her face, as if she was well aware of the situation.

Luo Yu’an narrowed his eyes, a hint of mockery rising in his heart. He cast a dark glance at the emperor on the high platform, whose complexion didn’t look quite right, and his gaze swept past Zhuo Yu, who was standing beside the empress, before calmly withdrawing.

The Emperor’s face darkened slightly, and after a moment, he laughed softly, his voice low and husky, “Continue speaking.”

Everyone seemed to sense that the emperor’s mood was off, and all discussions came to a halt. Huiming seemed oblivious, his face expressionless as he picked up one of the papers, “This person’s destiny is peculiar. It seems that many years ago, their fate was forcibly altered, making their originally clear destiny unclear. However, it is connected to the fate of the Ming dynasty, and it will bring calamity…”

He continued to speak incessantly, but someone had already come forward to take the paper and present it to the emperor for his perusal. The emperor barely glanced at it, but he could already guess whose birthdate it was. Anger surged in his heart, and he let out a light sigh before raising his head to look at Huiming with a cool gaze, as if looking at a dead person.

Huiming’s words finally stopped, and the hall fell into a deafening silence. Everyone was puzzled by the emperor’s expression but also clear that today’s gathering was a game, and it was just a matter of who would come out on top.

The empress couldn’t contain her joy, her hand gripping the armrest of her chair tightly. She said impatiently, “Your Majesty, Master Huiming is well-versed in Buddhism and has great virtue. Since he said so, it must be true.”

The Emperor looked at her expressionlessly, “If I remember correctly, the Empress is her aunt.”

The Empress’s face stiffened, and she forced a smile, “Compared to the fate of the Ming dynasty, I naturally wouldn’t protect…”

Her words were interrupted.
The Emperor’s expression remained low and unchanged, but with an added hint of impatience, “The Empress is indeed selfless.”

The sarcasm in his words was evident, and even if the Empress pretended to be deaf, she could hear it. Her face turned pale, and she didn’t dare speak again, lowering her head with a flash of resentment in her eyes.

The Emperor looked up and gazed at Fang Jinling, who had been silent the entire time, his eyes flashing slightly, “Ling’er, what do you think?”

Fang Jinling looked up and replied indifferently, “Master Huiming must have made a mistake.”

His words were devoid of hesitation, and he didn’t believe a word of what Huiming had said.

Naturally, there were those who would refute him, and the refuter was none other than Prince Yu. He looked displeased and said, “Third brother, you’re wrong. Master Huiming is deeply versed in Buddhism, and he wouldn’t make a mistake in this matter.”

Fang Jinling didn’t even deign to glance at him, instead looking calmly at the emperor on the high platform, “Your Majesty will make the decision.”

Prince Yu’s brow furrowed, his eyes revealing a complex mix of emotions as he exchanged a glance with the empress. His hands clenched, feeling a sense of powerlessness as things seemed to slip out of his control.

How could this be?

Prince Yu glanced at Fang Jinling, whose expression remained calm, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Master Huiming’s words had reached this point, and yet Fang Jinling remained so calm?
What method did he have to turn the tables?

The emperor looked down at Huiming from his high position, “Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?”

“I’m sure,” Huiming replied calmly, but it was precisely this attitude that made his words incredibly believable. Many people in the hall couldn’t help but feel doubtful, but they didn’t dare show it due to the emperor’s expression.

“Absurd!” The Emperor’s sudden angry voice boomed down, catching everyone off guard. The empress furrowed her brow deeply, feeling uneasy about the situation.

Fang Jinyu’s smile was tinged with sadness, and he wasn’t sure why the emperor had suddenly spoken in such a manner. He looked at Fang Jinling, who seemed to have anticipated this, and his hand in his sleeve clenched tightly, his fingers gripping the jade pendant until they turned white and the veins on his hand bulged. He suddenly lowered his eyes, his lips curling into a smile that held a hint of obstinacy and coldness.

Prince Yu was somewhat puzzled, knowing that it was best not to anger the emperor at this moment. However, his desire to bring down Fang Jinling was too strong. He spoke with a hint of hesitation on his face, “Father, what do you mean by this?”

The Emperor just gave him a cold look, and Prince Yu’s expression changed slightly. He lowered his head and didn’t dare to ask further. The Emperor snorted coldly, stood up, and said in a frosty tone, “You’re saying that the person with this birthdate and horoscope will definitely be a calamity and will affect the fate of the Ming dynasty?”

Huiming, who was half-kneeling on the ground, slightly furrowed his brow. He was a bit puzzled by the emperor’s reaction but still replied respectfully, “Yes.”

The Emperor sneered, “Do you know what the birthdate and horoscope of the current empress dowager are?”

Everyone’s expression changed slightly, and they looked at the Emperor in surprise, unsure why he would mention the Empress dowager.

The Emperor’s heart was filled with cold intent. He had already known about the two people’s birthdates and horoscopes when the rumors spread throughout the capital. Today, it was just a temporary switch to the other person’s birthdate and horoscope. He hadn’t expected that the person behind this was aiming for this.

When everyone was puzzled, Fang Jinling looked up and spoke coldly, “The birthdate and horoscope that Master just saw didn’t belong to the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Qi’s mansion, but…”

Fang Jinling looked at the empress, whose face had already turned deathly pale on the high platform. He smiled faintly and enunciated each word clearly, “But the birthdate and horoscope belonged to the current empress dowager.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the emperor’s expression turned icy cold, and the entire hall fell into a deafening silence. Who would have thought that this matter would involve the empress dowager?
The person behind this had clearly miscalculated again.

The Emperor didn’t want to stay there any longer and said impatiently, “Drag him down and behead him immediately for slandering the empress dowager.”

Huiming closed his eyes tightly without begging for mercy. He had known that he wouldn’t be able to escape unscathed when he got involved in this matter. At this point, it was already a great fortune that the Mingjing Temple could be spared.

Just as the Emperor was about to leave, he suddenly turned around and looked at the Empress. The empress’s face turned pale, and she almost knelt down. She stood up, gripping the armrest of her chair tightly, and forced a smile on her lips. She was about to say something when the emperor shifted his gaze away, not even bothering to look at her again.

He said coldly, “The empress should focus on cultivating herself in the Kunning Palace from now on.”

This was the first time the emperor had been so impolite to the empress in public. The officials below kept their heads down, not daring to look up. Even so, the empress still felt a burning pain on her face. Her body went limp, and she leaned against Zhang Momo, her voice trembling as she replied, “Your subject obeys your decree.”

These four words seemed to drain her of all her strength. She could only grip Zhang Momo’s arm tightly to prevent herself from falling to the ground in a faint.

No one knew what kind of blow the Emperor’s words would bring to the empress. Only Zhang Momo knew, but she just kept her head down and remained silent. Even though her wrist was pinched blue and purple by the empress, she just supported the Empress and listened silently as the Emperor’s footsteps gradually faded away.

The news of what happened in the palace soon reached Luo Yi’er’s ears. She had expected it and wasn’t very concerned. Her wound had healed, but it left a scar. Following the imperial physician’s advice, she used a special ointment to lighten the scar.

As a result, her mood hadn’t been good lately. Even the small maids who didn’t serve in her room wouldn’t gather in the courtyard to chat during their free time, fearing they might disturb their miss’s peace.

Pan Si gently applied the ointment for her, a thin layer with a cooling sensation. Luo Yi’er slightly furrowed her brow but didn’t say anything. After listening to Linglong tell her about the palace’s affairs, she waved her hand dismissively, not very interested. Pan Si looked puzzled and asked, “Miss, the rumors have been dealt with, why aren’t you happy?”

Luo Yi’er raised her eyebrow slightly, her expression indifferent, “I’m happy, of course.” Her face didn’t show the usual smile, and Pan Si lowered her head, unsure if she should believe her words.

Luo Yi’er glanced at her, her slender fingers tracing the patterns on the brocade quilt. She spoke softly, “Since the matter of the rumors is resolved, there’s no need to think about it anymore.”

“What about Xiaoxi? Any news?”

When it came to this, Pan Si focused and furrowed her brow, “None.”

She paused for a moment, hesitating slightly, “Miss, could it be that the person has discovered our investigation?”

Luo Yi’er leaned against the pillow, her inner garment slightly open, revealing a large patch of porcelain-like skin, with a strand of black hair falling on her delicate collarbone. The soft candlelight cast a gentle glow on her, giving off a sense of tenderness, or perhaps it was just an illusion.

She lifted her eyelids, “If it’s really that person, they must have already discovered it.”

Pan Si wanted to say something more, but Luo Yi’er frowned at her, “What’s wrong with you?”

Her eyes showed a hint of coldness, “Pan Si, you’ve always been calm and composed. Don’t disappoint me.”

Pan Si thought of her own behavior since the Mingjing Temple fire and her expression changed. She knelt down and asked for punishment, “Pan Si knows she’s wrong.”

Luo Yi’er glanced at her and knew she had a sense of proportion. She closed her eyes shallowly, “Continue to keep an eye on it. You can go.”

Meanwhile, Luo Qian was walking with Biyu in the Luoyun Pavilion.

During dinner, Biyu saw that her mood was still a bit off, so she suggested going for a walk to digest their food. Luo Qian had nothing to do, so she agreed.

The Luoyun Pavilion was a bit quiet now. Luo Ying on the third floor hadn’t bothered Luo Qian since the incident with the bracelet. Because of this, Luo Qian had peaceful days for a while.

She wore a light blue long dress, her face carrying a hint of coldness. The moonlight added a touch of elegance to her. Biyu supported her, her eyes flashing slightly, seemingly lost in thought for a moment.
Luo Qian looked at her faintly, “What’s wrong?”

Biyu shook her head, smiling slightly, “You look really beautiful, Miss.” Her words were genuinely sincere, and Luo Qian couldn’t help but curve her lips into a smile.

However, this warmth didn’t last long. Luo Qian, holding Biyu’s hand, stood far away, looking at the suspicious figure under the poplar tree in the distance.

After a long while, she sneered, “I knew it. The peaceful days wouldn’t last long.”

Biyu opened her mouth slightly, her eyes darkening as she lowered her gaze, knowing that what Luo Qian said was true. She didn’t dare to advise much.

Luo Qian didn’t alert the person. Instead, she pulled Biyu to hide, waiting until the figure disappeared. Then she walked forward with Biyu, looking at the soil under the poplar tree, which seemed to have been dug up. A chill ran down her spine, “Dig it up. I want to see what’s inside.”

Biyu didn’t let anyone else know. She brought a small shovel and quietly squatted down to dig herself. The thing was buried not deep, and Biyu soon dug it out.

It was a wooden box.

When the wooden box was opened, Biyu’s face changed dramatically. She threw the box directly, and the contents spilled out. After seeing it, Luo Qian couldn’t help but take a step back. Biyu’s face was already pale with fear, her eyes fixed on the wooden box in terror.
She stammered, “Miss, that’s…”

Luo Qian held her hand, staring at the object, her eyes filled with crimson hatred. She lowered her voice, “Don’t make a sound. We…”