The Reborn Princess Has Turned Evil

However, the facts are indeed as Consort Lin said.

The inner chamber of Cixi Palace.

Although it was dark, the room was brightly lit by candlelight, and the calming incense smelled very pleasant. An old woman was leaning against the couch in the innermost room. She wore a dark blue headband and a fox fur coat. Her face was pale and she looked very weak.

Jing Anle narrowed his eyes; this old fox was a master of acting.

"Hearing that the Empress Dowager has awakened, I can finally rest easy. It was all my fault," Emperor Jing said, sitting by the Empress Dowager's bedside.

The Empress Dowager looked at the concubines standing in a circle, but her eyes fell on Prince Qing.

She paused for a moment and said, "I am old and my body is not very strong. Fortunately, Buddha has protected me, otherwise I am afraid it would be difficult for me to even see His Majesty."

"Queen Mother..."

The crowd offered words of comfort.

Consort Li knew she should speak up, but Princess Qing beat her to it, saying, "Your Majesty, what are you saying? You will naturally live to be a hundred years old." As she spoke, she even started wiping away tears.

Consort Chen felt disgusted; what did this have to do with her? Consort Li, because of Jing Rou's previous incident, already disliked Prince Qing, and now Princess Qing's actions only made her more disgusted.

"I have investigated today's events and found that the sedan chair bearers had an upset stomach last night, which caused the accident. They have committed a grave mistake, and I hereby request Your Majesty to make a decision."

Prince Qing, standing nearby, said impatiently, "You bunch of servants, why hasn't Your Majesty executed them yet? Could it be that Your Majesty is intentionally condoning this?"

His words undoubtedly branded Emperor Jing as unfilial, but given Prince Qing's status, no one dared to speak up.

The Empress Dowager felt a surge of resentment, thinking to herself: "Emperor Jing is really something, asking her about such a trivial matter."

To everyone's surprise, Emperor Jing's expression softened. "Your Majesty, I know that Your Majesty has been wronged this time, but Your Majesty is a devout Buddhist. I believe that Your Majesty would not be able to bear the thought of someone being killed because of this."

The expressions of both Prince Qing and the Empress Dowager darkened.

“What do you mean by this, Your Majesty? We can’t just let them off because Mother is kind. If that were the case, there would be no guilty people in the world.”

What's wrong with Prince Qing today? He's being so aggressive towards Emperor Jing.

Emperor Jing smiled gently, "Brother Qing, you flatter me. I just think it would be best for the Empress Dowager to make the decision this time."

A chilling silence fell over the room; no one dared to speak.

Jing Anle chuckled inwardly. Just as she had guessed, her father could have dealt with the matter directly to give the Empress Dowager an explanation, but now he was leaving it to her, clearly intending to tell her and Prince Qing that he was about to start a war.

"cough……"

The Empress Dowager coughed lightly, her heart already filled with dissatisfaction. She felt that Emperor Jing was quite different from the one before she left the palace. She smiled gently, "Your Majesty is very thoughtful." Then she looked at Prince Qing and continued, "There's nothing for the two brothers to fight over. As long as you two brothers are harmonious, I will be satisfied."

“Mother Empress…” Prince Qing couldn’t help but utter.

The Empress Dowager glanced at him lightly, as if giving a hint, and Prince Qing remained silent.

"Since I am unharmed, there is no need to take my life. Your Majesty may decide what to do."

"Grandmother is truly compassionate," Jing Rou couldn't help but say. She was still wearing the dress from the main hall today, which she must have deliberately worn for the Empress Dowager's benefit, to show how much she cared for her.

The Empress Dowager beckoned to Jing Rou, "Rou girl, come here."

Jing Rou obediently went along with it, and even shed tears.

"Why are you crying?" The Empress Dowager reached out and gently stroked Jingrou's hair, her voice soft but full of affection.

"grandmother……"

What a touching scene of grandparents and grandchildren! Jing Anle thought to himself with amusement, remaining silent as he watched them put on their act.