Cuiping Nunnery
After hearing Lin Suisui’s words, Nanny Yan did not speak, but she also did not walk forward again.
She simply looked up at Lin Suisui after she finished speaking.
Having spent many years in the imperial harem, Nanny Yan was rarely wrong when judging people.
The young girl before her fell silent after saying those words and quietly stood where she was without speaking again.
Yet, simply by standing there, she gave off an invisible aura.
The feeling was strangely familiar.
Nanny Yan felt as if she were standing before a high-ranking imperial consort in the palace.
Although it sounded ridiculous…
She unconsciously put away the contempt in her eyes and began to take the young girl seriously.
Meanwhile, behind the large stone…
The Empress Dowager and the Old Madam were no longer smiling and chatting.
Both of them wore serious expressions.
“Big Sister Ying, did you come today because of something very important?”
As the oldest elder of the Duke’s household, the Old Madam would never come all the way to Cuiping Nunnery during the New Year for no reason.
She had wanted to ask earlier in the room but held herself back.
The Old Madam had secretly signaled to her.
That was why she made an excuse and led her here, where no one else was around.
“Yan’er, you are in great danger right now.”
The Old Madam lowered her voice and repeated everything Lin Suisui had told them the day before, word for word.
“Based on our estimate, the Emperor will make his move during the Grand Court Assembly on the ninth day of the first lunar month. Before then, to make sure his plan succeeds, he will get rid of you first.”
During the New Year, the Da Yong court did not hold official meetings. The first court session after the holiday was the Grand Court Assembly on the ninth day of the first lunar month.
“The Emperor knows that if the Duke’s Mansion is confiscated and the family is exiled, you would never stand by and do nothing. To remove that obstacle…”
“He will want me dead. Once I die, not only will no one plead for the Duke’s Mansion, but he can also help his birth mother get rid of the thorn in her side.”
The Empress Dowager’s eyes turned red with anger.
Living in the nunnery had made her believe even more in the will of heaven and the Buddha.
So she did not doubt the Old Madam’s words at all.
In truth…
She had come to Cuiping Nunnery because she was tired of constantly clashing with the Emperor and his birth mother.
The Emperor was truly hypocritical.
He always claimed to rule the empire through filial piety.
Yet during the New Year, when the Empress Dowager stayed outside the palace, he never sincerely came to bring her back.
He merely sent someone to deliver a casual message.
The messenger knew very well about the conflict between Consort Dowager Shen and the Empress Dowager.
Since the Empress Dowager refused to return, it was exactly what that mother and son wanted.
So the messenger did not even try to persuade her and simply returned to report.
“Yan’er, during these next few days, you must be especially careful about your food and drink. Don’t let anyone harm you… And be careful of the people around you as well.”
The Old Madam spoke with deep concern.
Now, her dear friend Yan’er was just like the Duke’s Mansion.
Her life was hanging by a thread.
But there was little the Old Madam could do.
She did not know whether Yan’er could survive this disaster.
“Don’t worry, Sister Ying. Now that we are on guard, it won’t be so easy for them to take my life.”
Thinking about what the Old Madam had just told her about her previous life’s ending…
The Empress Dowager felt that she had wasted most of her life.
To help the child she had personally raised become Emperor…
She had struggled endlessly, overcome countless dangers, and stained her hands with more blood than she could remember.
In the end, she had raised a tiger that turned against her.
She had trusted the wrong person.
“The only people who could poison you are those who serve you closely… including Nanny Tao.”
The Old Madam continued to remind her.
She knew she should not suspect Nanny Tao.
But compared to the Empress Dowager’s life…
She truly believed that everyone around the Empress Dowager was a possible suspect.
“Anyone may betray me, but Nanny Tao never would.”
The Empress Dowager said this with complete confidence.
“That’s good. With her helping you stay alert, I can feel more at ease.”
“Don’t worry, Sister. I know what I’m doing.”
Everyone who had come with her had served her for decades.
As their mistress, she knew each of their personalities very well.
If any of them behaved even a little differently than usual…
She would notice.
Besides, Nanny Yan was no ordinary servant.
“Just in case, the Duke’s Mansion has arranged for four hidden guards to protect you.”
The Old Madam lowered her voice once more.
This time, the Empress Dowager said nothing.
She silently accepted this favor from the Duke’s Mansion.
If the Duke’s Mansion survived this disaster…
She would never let Consort Dowager Shen go.
She was not blind.
Even if the Emperor had no intention of killing her…
Consort Dowager Shen certainly would.
That woman who had once knelt before her, begging her to raise her son…
After gaining power, she now acted as though she ruled the entire imperial harem.
The Empress Dowager never believed that the late Empress’s early death had nothing to do with Consort Dowager Shen’s constant harassment.
She had simply avoided fighting because she did not want to damage her relationship with the Emperor.
Besides, she had never thought it worthwhile to argue with that foolish woman.
That was why she had withdrawn to Cuiping Nunnery.
But if there was no longer any way to avoid the conflict…
Then she would tear away all pretense.
She, Xing Yan, was not afraid of a fight.
“You said the little girl who came with you is the Fourth Miss of your family?”
The Empress Dowager was very interested in Lin Suisui’s story.
“That’s the child. If the Duke’s Mansion can survive this disaster, I will never let her suffer again.”
Whenever the Old Madam spoke of Lin Suisui, her heart filled with guilt.
“That child must have gone through many extraordinary things in her previous life. If you ever face a difficult decision, asking for her advice will never be a mistake.”
Although the Empress Dowager had not carefully observed Lin Suisui yet…
She was the woman who had personally raised an Emperor.
Her intelligence and political wisdom far surpassed the Old Madam’s.
She trusted her own judgment of people.
“Let’s go offer incense to the Buddha and pray that we can turn disaster into safety.”
After calming themselves, the Empress Dowager and the Old Madam walked hand in hand from behind the large stone.
Just as expected…
Lin Suisui and Nanny Yan were still standing far away.
Rather than simply waiting for them…
The two of them looked more like they were keeping watch, making sure no one approached.
When the Empress Dowager walked over, she did not look at Lin Suisui again.
There were still things she wanted to think through carefully.
For example, Nanny Yan.
Trusting someone in her heart was one thing.
But she did not want to reveal Lin Suisui—her hidden trump card—in front of anyone.
After all, the entire future of the Duke’s Mansion now rested on this young girl.
To be honest…
She did not know how to judge the Duchess.
She was truly foolish…
And she was truly cruel.
Just think about it.
For so many years, she had refused to register the child in the family genealogy or even include her in the household records.
How deeply must she have hated that child?
Yet…
It was precisely because of that cruelty that the Duke’s Mansion now had a small chance to survive.
As for Lin Suisui…
The trip to Cuiping Nunnery had gone smoothly.
Everything she had instructed Lin Zhengbei and his two brothers to do had also gone according to plan.
Now…
All that remained was to see whether her eldest sister, Lin Xiner, would once again return to the Duke’s Mansion.