The queen is sober in the world, and she is winning every step of the palace fight.

Nanny Shixiang's face darkened. "Don't you understand the rules? The Empress Dowager just woke up and hasn't finished washing or having breakfast. It's not a big deal, and you're disturbing her."

The palace maid was so scared that she knelt on the ground and kowtowed.

"I dare not. I only dared to come in and answer after seeing the Empress Dowager get up. Miss Zheng Si has been waiting outside for more than two quarters of an hour, and I have not informed her yet."

Tohka's tone became even more stern: "You dare to talk back? Miss Zheng Si gave you so much reward that you even ignored your master!"

"No..." The maid was about to deny it, but when she looked up at Tohka's overly serious face, she didn't dare to hide it and quickly took out a small silver cake from her sleeve pocket and put it on the ground.

"Five taels of silver isn't worth it. Go out and face the headmaster to receive your punishment!"

Tohka gave the order, and the maid waited for a while, but when the empress dowager didn't say anything to forgive her, she had to accept her fate and leave.

"Take your silver and stay here, are you going to reward me?" Tohka scolded again.

The palace maid dared not disobey, and quickly picked up the small silver cake and retreated tremblingly.

Naturally, she couldn't keep the money, so she had to hand it over to the person in charge.

Shixiang turned around and apologized to the Queen Mother: "I'm sorry for disturbing you. I haven't been supervising them lately, and they've all become lax. It's my fault. I'll set some rules with them later."

The Queen Mother exhaled and sighed, "I am ill, and my subordinates are inevitably impatient. They feel that there is no future, so they are trying to find a way to make more money for themselves so that they can save for the future."

Shixiang quickly knelt down and said, "Please forgive me, Queen Mother. This is all my fault. Please don't give up and give in! This shallow-minded person is not worth your anger!"

The maids serving in front also knelt down quickly.

The Empress Dowager said calmly, "Get up. What are you doing? I'm not discouraged. It's just that people's hearts and minds have always been like this, and I can see it clearly. It's not just in Ciyun Palace. Look at the censors and military officials in the court lately. How many are willing to speak up for me sincerely? The longer I'm sick, the more uneasy they become. They think the emperor is too powerful and they dare not touch his tiger's beard!"

When it came to state affairs, Tohka didn't dare to speak, she just knelt with her head down and advised the Queen Mother to be at ease.

The Queen Mother snorted, "Of course I feel relieved. This situation is not bad. Whether it's true or false, let me share it. I will be more discerning in the future."

In the court, people continued to submit memorials, trying to persuade the emperor to treat the empress dowager well and to lift the punishment on the empress dowager's family, the Zhongqing Earl's Mansion, as soon as possible.

But the results were not satisfactory, and the Queen Mother knew it.

If the advice was too subtle, the emperor would pretend not to understand. If the advice was slightly straightforward, the emperor would find other excuses to deal with the person who submitted the memorial.

In addition, the Hanlin Lu Guinian has made many memorials recently and made considerable contributions to flood control, public safety, corruption punishment, and even military construction. In a short period of time, he was promoted from the seventh-rank editor of the Hanlin Academy to the fifth-rank lecturer. Although his official position is not high, he has become a new force.

He was even better at forming cliques and seeking personal gain. He gathered around him a group of so-called "clean stream" low-level censors who offered advice all day long and made suggestions to government orders or officials whenever they had nothing to do. Among their suggestions, there were also many accusations that the empress dowager was interfering in politics, which actually formed a powerful momentum.

The pressure put on the noble officials who were close to the Zhongqing Earl's Mansion and were already unsteady, and they gradually backed down and began to wait and see the situation.

"Empress Dowager, anyone who doesn't serve you sincerely is not worth your anger and trouble." Shixiang advised wholeheartedly.

The Queen Mother smiled faintly: "Yes, I am not angry. When the time comes, they will suffer the consequences."

Tohka lowered her head, her eyes flickering slightly.

She asked tentatively, "Then... Miss Zheng Si, will you still see her this time? Otherwise, I'll have someone chase her away to save you from worry."

"Yes, why not?" The Queen Mother's smile deepened. "Let her come in. It's hard for her to be so sincere and wait for so long. I'll help her, and when the Emperor finds out later, he'll probably think again, trying to figure out what I want to do with the Zheng family girl. Let him worry about it. The more he worries about trivial matters, the less energy he has. The less energy he has, the less..."

Suddenly the Queen Mother stopped talking.

Tohka waited and waited, but nothing came.

He quickly got up and went out to ask someone to bring Miss Zheng Si in.

"May the Empress Dowager be blessed with good health. Your humble servant, Zheng Zhuyi, pays respects to you. I have been in the palace for many days and dared not disturb the Empress Dowager's recuperation. I have only come today. I hope the Empress Dowager will forgive me."

After entering the hall, Zheng Zhuyi paid homage with great respect. Her manners were thoughtful and her makeup was exquisite, which was pleasing to the eye.

The Queen Mother offered her a seat and chatted with her for a while, then suddenly smiled and said:

"She's a good girl. Pretty, generous, lively and pretty, a step up from the original Concubine Chun. Why, after going to Chenqian Palace yesterday, is there no decree for promotion today?"

Zheng Zhuyi's face suddenly turned red.

Unexpectedly, the Queen Mother went against common sense and directly exposed her intention of taking care of her sick elder sister in the palace.

She hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself.

The Queen Mother said, "If you are smart, don't beat around the bush with me. Just tell me what you are here for. Otherwise, I don't have the time to bother with you."

Zheng Zhuyi stood up in panic.

He clutched his handkerchief tightly and remained silent.

The room was silent for a moment.

The Queen Mother sat quietly, like a statue with its eyes lowered in a Buddhist temple, her expression unremarkable, she just stared at the people below.

Zheng Zhuyi heard her own heartbeat.

The sound of thump, thump, made her chest numb.

"Empress Dowager." She finally knelt slowly. "The Queen's elder sister is stubborn and rebellious. The Zheng family is in imminent danger. I cannot support it on my own. I only beg for mercy. I am willing to serve you at your service and be your only master for the rest of my life."

The Queen Mother looked at her humble and submissive posture, her eyes smiling faintly: "Do you want to accept the favor and become a concubine? Then your master is the emperor."

"But the master of the world is the Queen Mother." Zheng Zhuyi's words shocked Shixiang beside her. "Since I was a child, I have heard about how the Queen Mother assisted His Majesty in ruling the country and how the women in the court were as brave as any men. I yearn for her and am willing to serve her."

"Oh?"

The Queen Mother smiled and raised her hand to support him. "Stand up, let me take a good look at you. How could a small family like the Zheng family produce a girl with your vision?"