Traveling through another world to stir the emperor's heart

The next day, Taifu Qin Xiao arrived at the Empress Dowager's palace early, following Jun Lingyuan's instructions. The palace was filled with the rich aroma of incense. The Empress Dowager lazily leaned on the couch, while several palace maids at her side meticulously massaged her legs.

Seeing the Grand Tutor coming, the Queen Mother raised her eyes slightly and asked, "Grand Tutor, what brings you here today?"

Qin Xiao bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to the Queen Mother. I came here today to tell her a piece of good news. Your Majesty has found her, and you have instructed me to inform her that I will return to the palace tomorrow."

The Queen Mother's heart suddenly tightened, and the handkerchief in her hand unconsciously clenched a little tighter.

She tried to appear calm and delighted. "Oh? This is truly wonderful news. I've been deeply worried during His Majesty's absence." Yet, beneath the surface of her heart, a turbulent undercurrent surged, as she wondered: Did the Emperor know they had orchestrated this assassination? By returning so suddenly, could it be that he already had a plan in place?

Imperial Tutor Qin Xiao observed the Empress Dowager's expression calmly, saying, "Your Majesty is blessed by heaven. Your safe return is truly a blessing to our dynasty."

The Queen Mother forced a smile. "Yes, this is all thanks to the blessings of our ancestors. Then, did Your Majesty mention the reason for your disappearance?"

Qin Xiao lowered his head slightly. "His Majesty did not elaborate, but only said that he would return to the palace as soon as possible to handle government affairs. After all, the war on the border is tense, and His Majesty is concerned about the country and the people."

The Queen Mother nodded. "Your Majesty is truly a wise ruler with the world at heart. Grand Tutor, please withdraw. I must make good preparations to welcome Your Majesty back to the palace."

"I'll take my leave." After Qin Xiao bowed, he slowly left the Queen Mother's palace.

As soon as the Grand Tutor left, the Queen Mother sat up straight, her disguise instantly falling away, replaced by a gloomy and tense expression. She shouted to the maid beside her, "Go, summon the Prime Minister. Tell him we have something important to discuss."

The maids hurriedly took the order and left. Not long after, the Prime Minister arrived in a hurry. He was slightly plump, with a round face and a pair of eyes that showed shrewdness and cunning.

"Your humble servant pays his respects to the Queen Mother." The Prime Minister bowed respectfully.

"Get up," the Queen Mother waved her hand impatiently. "Prime Minister, something terrible has happened. The Grand Tutor just came to tell me that the Emperor will be returning to the palace tomorrow."

The Prime Minister's expression changed slightly. "How could this happen so suddenly? During His Majesty's disappearance, our plans were not yet fully laid out."

The Queen Mother frowned. "I'm worried about this, too. Tell me, has the Emperor already noticed our intentions? Although the last assassination attempt was carried out in secret, there's no guarantee he wouldn't have left some clues that he could have discovered."

The Prime Minister pondered for a moment. "Don't worry, Queen Dowager. Even if Your Majesty has suspicions, there is currently no solid evidence. As long as we respond cautiously, we can still control the situation."

The Queen Mother was still worried. "That being said, I still feel uneasy. When the Emperor returns to the palace, he will definitely reorganize the court. Although we are powerful, if he is determined to deal with us, I am afraid he will not succeed easily."

The Prime Minister narrowed his eyes and said, "Queen Dowager, we can strike first. His Majesty has just returned to the palace and is not yet firmly established. Let's give him a warning."

The Queen Mother looked at the Prime Minister in confusion, "How do you show your power?"

The Prime Minister approached the Queen Mother and lowered his voice, saying, "We can impeach General Feng Zhanxiong and his son Feng Qingcheng in the court, citing the unfavorable situation in the border war. General Feng is your Majesty's confidant. If we can bring him down, your Majesty will lose an arm. Moreover, this will demonstrate our concern for the border war, leaving your Majesty with no way to refute it."

The Queen Mother nodded slightly. "That's a good plan. However, General Feng holds a very high reputation in the army, so impeaching him may not be easy."

The Prime Minister smiled confidently, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I have bribed several junior officers in the army to testify against General Feng for some of his 'mistakes' during the battles on the border. As long as we all agree in court, I'm not afraid that Your Majesty will submit."

The Queen Mother smiled with satisfaction, "The Prime Minister is indeed a man of extraordinary wisdom. However, we must remain cautious. After all, His Majesty is not someone to be trifled with."

The Prime Minister responded, "I understand. After I return, I will plan it carefully to ensure that there are no mistakes."

At the same time, Feng Qingyue was tasting pastries in her room, thinking about her plans after returning to the palace.

"Hmph, Lin Xier plotted to harm me, and the Queen Mother is even more hateful, she actually sent people to kill me. I didn't bother with them before because I had to pretend, but now that I'm back in the palace, I'm going to let them know how powerful I am." Feng Qingyue muttered to herself.

Ah Cui asked curiously, "Miss, what are you talking about?"

Feng Qingyue put down the cake in her hand, a cold light flashed in her eyes, and said to Ah Cui, "Ah Cui, after returning to the palace, I will definitely punish Lin Xier and the Queen Mother and let them know that I am not a soft persimmon that can be bullied by others."

Ah Cui quickly covered Feng Qingyue's mouth, looked around and said softly, "Miss, you're not going to die, how can you talk about punishing the Queen Mother?"

Feng Qingyue pushed her hand away and shouted, "What are you afraid of? She's already sent someone to kill me. Should I wait for her to do the same? Don't be afraid. I'll be here when we return to the palace. If anyone makes us unhappy, we'll just fight back."

A Cui looked at her own young lady and felt that she was a little strange, but it was indeed her own young lady.

Ah Cui still looked at her worriedly, "Miss, Lin Xi'er is scheming and scheming, and the Queen Mother holds great power. What are you going to do?"

Feng Qingyue curled her lips into a smile, "A Cui, to deal with Lin Xier, you have to give her a taste of her own medicine. Doesn't she like to pretend to be weak to gain sympathy? Then I will expose her true face in public and reveal her evil deeds one by one in front of everyone, and see how she can still pretend to be pitiful."

Ah Cui's eyes lit up. "Miss, this idea is good, but we have no evidence, and Lin Xier will definitely make excuses."

"Evidence? That's easy." Feng Qingyue sneered, "I won't give her a chance to quibble when the time comes."

Ah Cui looked at Feng Qingyue in shock, "Miss, what about the Queen Mother? She is the master of the harem and has tremendous power."

A glint of determination flashed in Feng Qingyue's eyes. "Although the Queen Mother holds a high position of power, she is not without flaws. She sent someone to assassinate me last time, so she must have left some clues. I've already asked Yunyue and Su Jin to investigate. As long as they find solid evidence, we'll see how long she can continue to act so arrogantly."

Ah Cui looked at Feng Qingyue with admiration, thinking that her young lady was truly amazing.

At this moment, there was a slight movement outside the door. Feng Qingyue's eyes were stern, and she whispered, "A Cui, go see who is outside."

A Cui responded softly, then walked towards the door cautiously. Feng Qingyue smiled mysteriously.