Yixiu no longer paid any mind to the strange voice by her ear, assuming it was just one of Nian Shilan’s underhanded tricks.
The day of the Imperial Consort Selection arrived soon enough.
“Your Highness, a palace maid has reported that Zhen Huan and An Lingrong have both been selected. The Emperor also did indeed tell Lady An, ‘I give you flowers, but not flowers,’” Jianqiu reported.
The scissors closed. The flower stem snapped and fell onto the table.
“What did you say?” Yixiu asked with a smile, though there was no warmth in her eyes. She looked more like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.
Jianqiu bowed and repeated what she had just said. “Zhen Huan and An Lingrong have been granted nameplates and sachets.”
“You may leave.” Yixiu’s smile froze. Her calm voice seemed to conceal a raging storm.
So that strange voice really had been right. How interesting...
【Forever moved by the friendship between Sister Mei and Huanhuan. That smile makes it feel as though all the flowers have bloomed!】
【I wish Huanhuan wouldn’t get involved with An Lingrong. She’s going to harm Huanhuan’s family later! Just thinking about how An Lingrong schemed against Huanhuan both times she was pregnant makes me sick! Damn it, Huanhuan still treated her like a sister and trusted her so much! Then she just switched over to the Empress’s side and drugged Huanhuan!】
【If An Lingrong didn’t side with the Empress, Consort Hua would have targeted her until she was dead! What was she supposed to do? What could she do? Come on, An Lingrong is already so pitiful. Can you stop saying such brainless things?!】
【Being pitiful doesn’t give her the right to hurt people! No matter how pitiful she was, she shouldn’t have gone after her own sister!】
The bullet comments were arguing fiercely again.
Yixiu poured herself a cup of tea and listened in silence, her gaze growing intent.
They made it sound as if it had really happened. It seemed somewhat believable.
Suddenly, Yixiu’s hand stopped as she swirled the tea.
The bullet comments sounded by her ear: 【If An Lingrong hadn’t said, “The Empress killed the Empress,” Zhen Huan would never have been able to defeat Yixiu, even if she fought to her death!】
If it weren’t for An Lingrong saying, “The Empress killed the Empress”...
The words echoed in Yixiu’s mind, and suddenly she began to laugh.
The Empress killed the Empress?
Indeed, the Empress had killed the Empress.
But so what?
Whoever knew the truth would die, and then no one would ever know!
An Lingrong, blame that eerie voice for taking your life. I didn’t want to kill you either, but you deserve to die.
Hearing whom Her Highness intended to kill, Jianqiu was inexplicably stunned.
“Your Highness, she’s just a selected maiden. Why dirty your hands over her?”
Yixiu toyed with her teacup. The lid scraped against the cup with an ear-piercing sound.
“Pass the word to Yikun Palace. Say that a young selected maiden from Songyang County slandered General Nian and looked down on Consort Hua. Someone there will see to it.”
Jianqiu did not move. “Why are you targeting a young selected maiden, Your Highness?”
“I’m not targeting her. She’s simply unlucky.”
Yixiu lifted her teacup and took a small sip. After the bitterness came a lingering sweetness.
Nian Shilan had never been one to let an insult go. Hearing Songzhi’s report, she swept all the dishes off the table.
“She really dared to say that?”
Songzhi nodded. “Your servant heard from a palace maid at Changchun Palace that Lady An thinks very little of Your Highness and General Nian. She does nothing but praise the people at Jingren Palace.”
Nian Shilan gave a cold snort and reached up to adjust her hairpin. “It’s too early to call her Mistress. We’ll have to see whether she has the good fortune to enter the palace as one.”
“What does Your Highness mean?”
Nian Shilan rose and glanced out the window. “Send word to my brother. I won’t tolerate a speck of dust in my eye.”
By the time Jianqiu returned with her report, dinner at Jingren Palace had already been cleared away.
Yixiu looked up with a faint smile. “Any news from Yikun Palace?”