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

Matron Liao looked directly at Empress Yan.

"Your Highness is the Empress of the Central Palace, so why are you afraid of the Imperial Noble Consort? You have never been afraid of anyone since you were a child. You are the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo and the daughter of a princess."

Even if that brother's imperial concubine was truly the daughter of a minister's mansion, she was still far inferior to the family background of the Duke of Zhenguo. Moreover, she was adopted halfway, a country girl who had been a slave for many years.

What kind of seductive tricks did she use to make the Queen afraid of her!

"Mammy, I'm not afraid."

"Then, Queen, please allow this old servant to help you suppress this restless Imperial Concubine!"

Madam Liao's tone was firm, and her eyes were filled with deep determination.

But Queen Yan was more determined than her.

"Mammy, you will leave the palace tomorrow and stop acting on your own in the palace, or you might even lose your life! Besides, I'm not a child anymore. I don't need you to decide how to do things. Linglong!"

Linglong stepped forward, supported Madam Liao, and said calmly, "Madam, you have always been someone Linglong respected, but this time, you have taken over the affairs of state without the Empress's knowledge. This is truly disappointing. If you truly regard the Empress as your master, you should not be so self-righteous and interfere in her affairs. The Empress ordered you to leave the palace to save your life and the friendship between us. If you ignore her advice and insist on having your own way, only listening to the Duke and ignoring the Empress's words, then the friendship we have built over the years will probably come to an end. Please reconsider, Madam."

Ever since Queen Yan decided to take power, she has screened the people around her.

Those who are willing to follow her and firmly choose her, such as Linglong, remain by her side and are valued.

Those who were hesitant, ambiguous, and wanted to get away with it were all abandoned and placed elsewhere.

Linglong used to regard Madam Liao as a divine figure in the inner chambers, and subconsciously wanted to consult her whenever she encountered a problem. But this time, Madam Liao had actually done such a drastic thing behind Empress Yan's back, and she felt a natural repulsion towards her.

If you can't serve your master loyally, what's the point of being his confidant?

However, her attitude made Madam Liao's face change, and she scolded her directly in front of Queen Yan.

"The Empress is all alone in the palace, and instead of thinking about her and comforting her, you let her do as she pleases. If the Empress suffers in the future, not only will the Duke and the Old Madam not forgive you, I will be the first to do so!"

"Madam Liao!" Empress Yan said sternly, "Are you lecturing my maid?"

Madam Liao was surprised.

The queen she had raised since she was a child had never spoken to her in such a tone.

"My Lady...? This old slave is wholeheartedly devoted to you, and it's all for your benefit!"

Empress Yan suppressed her anger, turned her back, and said calmly, "Madam, please leave the palace. Linglong, I will reward you with 10,000 taels of silver. Please spend your remaining years in peace."

"Your Majesty!" Madam Liao fell to her knees in shock.

Ten thousand taels of silver, such a huge reward, the Queen is going to break up with her completely and write off all their past friendship!

"This old slave doesn't want any money. This old slave does all this for the sake of Your Majesty. Please don't be confused, just in case..."

"There's no such thing as a chance of that happening!" Linglong emphasized her tone and stopped Madam Liao from continuing.

"Madam, where does your confidence come to the palace to teach the Empress? Please tell the Duke that he would like to take a moment out of his busy schedule to come to the palace and explain this matter in detail to the Empress."

Linglong exerted force on her hands and helped Madam Liao to stand up and leave.

Madam Liao wanted to struggle, but was surprised to find that Linglong's grip was extremely strong. In a few seconds, Linglong half-dragged and half-supported her out the door.

Unbeknownst to her, Empress Yan had secretly listened to Fei Wan's words and started practicing martial arts. Ling Long followed suit, and after practicing for a short while, she seemed to have found the secret and quickly gained strength.

There were other palace maids outside, so for the sake of decency, Madam Liao stopped pulling, shook off Linglong's hand, brushed the hem of her clothes, and stared at Linglong seriously.

He lowered his voice and said, "If you're acting like this, don't forget that your family is still at the Duke's Mansion. You're trying to sow discord between the Empress and the Duke. How many brains do you have? If you dare to harbor any evil intentions, you will not have a good end!"

Linglong did not argue, but ordered her maid to send Madam Liao back to Fengming Palace.

"Add a few more people to take good care of her. Before leaving the palace tomorrow, don't let Madam walk around too much, or she'll get tired."

After watching Madam Liao being taken away, Linglong turned around and went back into the house.

Empress Yan understood: "She threatened you, didn't she?"

"Madame Liao is old and confused. Your Majesty, please don't be angry. You'll only hurt yourself if you're angry." Linglong didn't complain, thinking only of her master. "But Madam Liao will definitely tell the Duke about this when she returns home. I wonder if the Duke will..."

"I don't care what he does. If he stands in my way, I won't tolerate him!"

The shocking red spots on Fei Wan's face made Queen Yan deeply aware that her mother's family, the Duke of Zhenguo Mansion, only treated her as a daughter and did not give her the corresponding respect.

How dare they do something behind her back and force her to do things according to their wishes!

However, this is also because she has no power yet.

The so-called good family background only means that she has always relied on her mother's family.

How can she make her parents truly respect her?

In addition to Queen Yan's anger, her desire to control her own destiny became even stronger.

"Linglong, find out whoever collaborated with Madam Liao in plotting to murder the Imperial Concubine. Whether they're from the Imperial Hospital, the Artillery Department, Fengming Palace, or even the Imperial Court, bring them all before me before daybreak!"

Out of consideration for their friendship, she did not punish Madam Liao, but she would not let the others off easily.

Queen Yan went to see Fei Wan.

Defei and others were accompanying Feiwan, and they were all staying in the back hall of Xianyue Palace.

"All of you step aside. I am going to talk to the Imperial Concubine."

Queen Yan chased people away as soon as she entered the house.

Except for Concubine Chen who immediately bowed and left, Concubine De and Yu Sujin did not leave.

"Empress, has the outside world found out what happened? What caused the Imperial Noble Concubine's face to become so ugly..." Defei asked tentatively.

Yu Sujin stood gently in front of the bed with a smile, preventing Queen Yan from getting closer.

"Empress, my eldest sister needs to rest. She just woke up from a nap to drink some water. If the truth has not been revealed yet, please be kind to her and let her continue sleeping. Please don't talk for now, okay?"

Queen Yan sneered.

"Why are you guarding me? I didn't do it! I'm just here to make things clear. Please get out of the way."

But the two showed no intention of leaving.

It was Fei Wan who spoke up and persuaded the two to leave.

Xiangyi was also sent out.

Fei Wan and Empress Yan were the only ones left in the room. Empress Yan snorted coldly, "The Imperial Noble Consort is very popular. To protect you, they even dared to disobey me!"

"Sincerity for sincerity, Sister Yan's love for me is more important than theirs."

Fei Wan smiled softly.

Queen Yan stared at her with a serious expression.