Yao Kun nodded in conviction.
Shi Muyuan was afraid that she would suddenly come looking for her again tonight, so she simply told her that she was going to leave the palace again.
On the side, Xiao Xiao wrinkled her little face so much that it seemed she was about to pinch Shi Muyuan. "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, why are you going out again? How can Ze Ze and I, with our puny skills, protect you?"
"Don't worry. I'm going out this time as part of an agreement with Huo Qizhou. He'll protect me."
"But Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, the way you treated the State Preceptor before..." Xiao Xiao said hesitantly, not quite believing that Huo Qizhou would protect her well. Yao Kun also pulled on her hand, showing her worry.
"What did I do to him before?" Shi Muyuan had always been a bit hazy about this part of her memory, so she didn't know exactly what had happened between her and Huo Qizhou.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, have you forgotten?"
"I can't quite remember. Tell me about it." A glint of curiosity flashed in Shi Muyuan's eyes. Xiao Xiao found it a bit strange but still complied with her request.
"Before the late emperor was alive, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager often made fun of the State Preceptor, which displeased the late emperor. The late emperor also treated the State Preceptor badly because of this. After the late emperor passed away, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager directly went to the State Preceptor's mansion with wine in hand and said a lot of scandalous things to the State Preceptor. As a result, you were directly kicked out by the State Preceptor. Your Majesty was so angry that you often caused trouble for the State Preceptor." Xiao Xiao said carefully, observing Shi Muyuan's expression from time to time.
No wonder Huo Qizhou's attitude towards her was so strange. The original owner was so bold. If it weren't for the backing of the Shi family, she might have been dealt with by Huo Qizhou long ago.
Knowing Xiao Xiao's concerns, Shi Muyuan clapped the dust off her hands. "Xiao Xiao, the current Empress Dowager is no longer the same as before. You have to trust me. I'll be back soon tonight."
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager." Xiao Xiao still wanted to persuade her.
Shi Muyuan held out a hand to stop her. "No need to say more. Just trust me."
Xiao Xiao really wanted to ask her where she got all this confidence from.
"Go and prepare a set of convenient clothes for me."
"Yes, this servant will go right away." Although she was extremely reluctant.
After Yao Yao returned to the mansion with her father and mother, she noticed that her mother was acting a bit strange. She originally thought that her mother was just extremely angry because her younger sister had been used as a scapegoat and still refused to return to the mansion. But unexpectedly, as soon as her mother got home, tears welled up in her eyes. Big teardrops fell, indicating that she had been holding them back for a long time.
"What's wrong, Mother? Isn't my younger sister fine?"
"Fine my foot. It's simply a sin. I don't know what's so good about the Empress Dowager. Mother, who never liked to wear rouge, actually wore it to look better before coming to see me." The more Mrs. Yao talked, the sadder she became, and she burst into tears.
"What does Mother mean?"
"What else could it mean? Kun'er was really injured." Yao Yunnian lovingly took out a handkerchief to wipe away the tears from his wife's eyes.
"Wasn't she supposed to be okay?" Those court officials walked out of the palace looking like complete failures. She thought it was just a rumor.
"Today when I was talking to Kun'er outside, her face looked off. There was a smell of the medicine your father used during his military campaigns on her body. When I asked her a couple of questions, she got impatient. She clearly wanted to hide it and didn't want us to blame the Empress Dowager. What can I do!"
"Then the Empress Dowager really left the palace privately. What happened that made my younger sister get injured? We all know Kun'er's martial arts skills. How could she get injured so easily?"
Unless it was some highly skilled expert, but how did the Empress Dowager encounter a highly skilled expert when she left the palace?
Yao Yunnian also thought of this. "I'll send people to investigate this matter. Kun'er's injury can't just be ignored."
"Didn't those court officials this morning know?"
"Since Kun'er was injured but still came out to protect the Empress Dowager, how can we not follow her wishes? Naturally, we couldn't let others know that she was injured."
"The State Preceptor knows about this and may even be involved. It was him who brought Kun'er to the Shoukang Palace today."
"Then there must be something behind this." Yao Yao said firmly.
"We still need to investigate this matter carefully and not get too involved. We just need to know how Kun'er got injured."
The Shi family, which had always been at odds with the State Preceptor, had joined forces with him. This was no small matter.
Yao Yao didn't say a word. She was thinking about Shi An this morning. She wanted to find a chance to ask him.
...
The sun quietly set behind the mountains. Shi Muyuan was already well-prepared. Because Yao Kun was feeling unwell, she had returned to her room to rest. Only then did Shi Muyuan put on clothes other than green.
For convenience, Xiao Xiao specifically chose a black long robe with tight sleeves. A white jade belt was tied around her waist. Her black hair was neatly tied up on top of her head with a silver crown. Her small face was free of makeup, but her delicate eyebrows were slightly outlined, giving her a somewhat heroic look.
When Huo Qizhou came to pick her up, he saw her sitting by the open window, looking expectantly, not even afraid of the cold wind outside.
He silently walked in through the window. "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."
As his voice faded, Shi Muyuan's expectant eyes immediately fell on him.
"You're finally here!"
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, I'm taking you out not for fun." Huo Qizhou couldn't help but remind her, but he still couldn't block the woman's radiant gaze.
"Of course I know. Let's go, let's go. Hurry up and take a look."
"Do you know where we're going?" Huo Qizhou couldn't help but ask.
"Of course I know. It's the Wanhua Tower!" Shi Muyuan looked up at him with her little face, wondering why he was asking this. Didn't he say this was the place?
Huo Qizhou was momentarily speechless. Looking at her, he knew she didn't know what kind of place it was.
However, when Shi Muyuan stood in front of the Wanhua Tower, she was completely stunned. What kind of place was this!
Those girls were all wearing clothes that looked like two pieces of gauze. They were standing at the door and on the second floor, waving the silk handkerchiefs in their hands.
Shi Muyuan blushed. Oh no, she had made a mistake. She had remembered wrongly!
She thought the Wanhua Tower was the place where she had eaten delicious food last time. Just now, Yan Mo had told her with a smile that the place was called the Tianxiang Pavilion.
The Tianxiang Pavilion and the Wanhua Tower were completely different names. How could she have mixed them up!
She really deserved to be laughed at by Yan Mo with such a big blush on her face.
"What, are you still going in?" Yan Mo tossed the small, smoothly polished stone in his hand, looking like a playboy. But Huo Qizhou had told her that he was the assistant minister of the Supreme Court of Judicature. Who would believe that!
Shi Muyuan was extremely angry. "Do you know who I am?" Huo Qizhou must have told this guy who she was. That's why she dared to show off a bit.
Yan Mo immediately stopped laughing and took two steps back. She was so funny. He still remembered what she looked like the last time they met. He had forgotten that this woman's identity was not simple.
Huo Qizhou glanced at the two of them and then shifted his gaze. "Let's go."
"Hey, are you really going to take her in?" Yan Mo subconsciously walked around Shi Muyuan and leaned over to ask Huo Qizhou.
Was it really okay to take the Empress Dowager into this kind of place?