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

"...I am willing!"

Yu Sujin quickly explained.

The Queen Mother asked, "If you are willing, why are your eyes so red and swollen from crying? Even powder can't hide it."

Yu Sujin subconsciously lowered her head even deeper, letting her bangs cover her tear-swollen eyes.

She cried bitterly when Zheng Zhuyi forced her.

She followed Zheng Zhuyi to the imperial court to see the emperor and cried again.

She was forced to plead with the emperor, because she had sent the two ladies to the palace, which caused Concubine Hui to be furious and seal off the Ciyu Palace, allowing the censors to interfere in the royal affairs and undermine the dignity of His Majesty.

She was willing to fulfill her filial duty on behalf of the emperor and went to Ciyu Palace with Concubine Zheng to serve the empress dowager.

At that time, the emperor looked at her silently for a long time.

Then he smiled faintly: "Noble Concubine Zheng and Noble Lady Yu, you are both very virtuous. Since you are willing, I will grant it."

Yu Sujin knew that the emperor was unhappy.

But now that it has come to this, I can only cry and repent, expressing my willingness to make amends.

I cried twice in one night, so how could my eyes not be red and swollen?

But how can I explain this to the Queen Mother?

Before Yu Sujin could finish her lie, Zheng Zhuyi laughed.

"Empress Dowager, you should know that she is Concubine Zhao's illegitimate sister. But she and Concubine Zhao are not on the same page. You must remember that on Mid-Autumn Festival, it was she who suggested sending Concubine Yue and Concubine Zhao to the Palace Administration Office. Those two were beaten, and now they hate you and her. She cried only because she had been secretly tortured by Concubine Zhao recently, and she couldn't express her suffering. Tonight, I explained the righteousness of the matter to her, and she was moved to tears!"

The Queen Mother looked at Zheng Zhuyi and Yu Sujin.

Yu Sujin lowered her head and just agreed.

Zheng Zhuyi continued, explaining carefully, "Now, on the surface, she's still interacting with Concubine Zhao. That's because Concubine Zhao is used to putting on a show and won't openly become her enemy. After all, Concubine Yu sent her sister to the Palace Office to help His Majesty investigate the murder of the heir. Concubine Zhao is very good at pretending to be a good person in front of His Majesty. But privately..."

Zheng Zhuyi smiled.

The golden tassels on her head fell to her temples, reflecting the light and emitting tiny glows.

"I have an interesting story to share with the Empress Dowager. One day, Concubine Yu went to visit Concubine Zhao, and not long after, Your Majesty also went to Chunxi Palace. Guess what, right after that, Concubine Yu burst into tears and ran out of Chunxi Palace. Later, I asked someone and found out that Concubine Zhao had quietly put some eye drops on her in front of Your Majesty, causing Your Majesty to scold her. In recent days, Concubine Yu, who has been promoted three levels, has not even ridden in a Fangluan carriage. So today, when I brought her here to serve you, how could she not be grateful and cry?"

Yu Sujin was secretly surprised.

Zheng Zhuyi is quite good at doing things behind the scenes.

He actually knew that she ran away from Chunxi Palace crying.

But that day, she was not reprimanded by the emperor, but she deliberately acted with her sister to help her sister impress the emperor.

What misunderstanding happened that led Zheng Zhuyi to make such a judgment?

Yu Sujin couldn't understand.

But the Queen Mother was very satisfied after hearing this.

He nodded immediately, his expression softening, and he said to Yu Sujin in a gentle voice, "You are so thoughtful, child. The same goes for Concubine Zheng. You are both good children. In this way, it is a pleasure for me to have you by my side during these difficult times."

"Thank you, Queen Mother, for taking us in. We, your concubines, only hope that you will not despise us for being clumsy and not drive us away."

Zheng Zhuyi smiled, sat on the footstool in front of the bed, and stroked the empress dowager's legs through the thin quilt.

"I will give your Majesty the Queen a light massage on your legs and feet. It will help you sleep more easily. When I was at home, I massaged my grandmother and mother in the same way. They both said it was very comfortable."

As he spoke, he gently massaged the Empress Dowager's calves through the quilt.

He then ordered Yu Sujin: "Bring another lamp to the Queen Mother. She needs more light to read."

Yu Sujin agreed meekly, lit another candle, and gently placed it on the high table beside the bed.

Shixiang smiled and praised beside her: "Your Highness's leg massage technique is very good. It can be seen that she does it often and is very filial."

The Queen Mother said, "Well, I feel much better too."

"Then I will massage you every day. It will be my blessing if you feel comfortable." Zheng Zhuyi smiled.

Yu Sujin cautiously followed suit and jokingly said, "Once the ban is lifted, will Your Majesty still be able to stay here and massage the Queen Mother's legs every day?"

Zheng Zhuyi asked back: "Why not? I just want to accompany the Queen Mother every day, for a long time."

Yu Sujin pursed her lips and said softly, "Then... could you also teach me how to pinch? I also want to be filial to the Queen Mother. After the ban is lifted in a few days, I will stay with the Queen, okay?"

Tohka asked happily, "Will the ban be lifted in two days? Your Excellency, have you listened to His Majesty?"

Yu Sujin was stunned. "Uh... I didn't hear anything. However, I secretly speculate that Your Majesty has always been filial to the Queen Mother, and this time he was forced by Concubine Hui. Now that Your Majesty has asked us to come here to show our filial piety, it will probably take a few days for him to do so himself and lift the ban, right?"

The Queen Mother listened with a smile, but made no comment.

The smile did not reach his eyes, but an elusive cold light flashed in them.

The lines at the corners of his eyes became darker under the candlelight.

That night, Yu Sujin and Zheng Zhuyi were housed in a side hall of Ciyun Palace. Zheng Zhuyi initially proposed that she take over the night watch for the empress dowager, sitting on the footstool all night. However, the empress dowager laughed and declined, telling them to rest and return to serve the empress the next morning.

After they left, Shixiang whispered to the Empress Dowager, "Look, can they be trusted? Forgive my ignorance, but I always feel that Concubine Zheng is too cunning. Especially since she wants to fulfill her filial duty, why did she send Concubine Yu as a 'big gift'? What does she want to do?"

The candlelight reflected in the empress dowager's eyes, flickering between light and dark, and obscure.

He smiled when he heard that.

"Haven't I told you before, it doesn't matter whether she's sincere or not. What matters is that she must surrender to us and prove her usefulness to me. Concubine Yu was tricked into coming here by her, and from now on, she's a hostage."

Tohka was surprised: "Hostage?"

"Yes."

The Queen Mother did not want to explain too much.

He put down the book and lay down to sleep.

I stayed up late tonight, waiting for the big gift Zheng Zhuyi mentioned. Now it seems that it really is a big gift.

Regardless of the relationship between the Yu sisters, once Yu Sujin entered Ciyu Palace, Concubine Zhao became cautious. After all, for the Yu family, Yu Sujin was the daughter who grew up in the family.

Concubine Zhao will be anxious and will try to find a way to deal with it. No matter what she does, the situation in the palace will become more chaotic.

It’s better to add chaos to the chaos!

The Queen Mother ordered the lights to be turned off, and when she closed her eyes, there was still an unfathomable smile on the corners of her mouth.

The maid on duty put up the curtain for her, not daring to glance at her any longer. She only felt that the Queen Mother looked a little eerie tonight.

There are three rooms in the side hall.

Originally, Zheng Zhuyi and Yu Sujin could sleep in their own rooms, but Zheng Zhuyi insisted on staying in the same room with Yu Sujin.

She asked Yu Sujin with a smile: "What do your servants usually do when you sleep?"

Yu Sujin was stunned.

Then he reacted.

Zheng Zhuyi wants her to keep watch at night!