Knowing what he implied, Shi Li couldn't bear it.
"Humph, Concubine Rui chose to take her own life. It has nothing to do with the Empress Dowager. Prince Li had better watch his words. If what you said today reaches the Emperor's ears, what do you think the Emperor will think?"
Since he couldn't even take care of his own interests, how could he care about the young Emperor's thoughts?
Prince Li snorted and walked straight inside. At the same time, he didn't forget to remind the man beside him.
"Your Excellency, the National Master, I'll trouble you. Let's hurry up as much as possible. We don't know how Concubine Rui is doing."
Just like that, Cui Qizhou left right under their noses.
Shi Li was reluctant to accept this.
"Brother, someone has already set their eyes on our little sister. Are we just going to let it go? If he does something to our little sister, we'll definitely regret it."
As soon as he said this, he couldn't help but think of the scars he saw on his little sister's arm.
As the elder brother, Shi An definitely wouldn't let this matter go on like this.
"Don't worry. Send more people over after we go back. For now, Cui Qizhou will surely behave himself for a while. Take this opportunity to send some reliable people to our little sister."
"That's what I was thinking too. Our little sister looks so kind on the surface. She might get bullied."
At this moment, the "little sister" they were talking about, who was supposed to be bullied, was strolling leisurely towards Qingning Palace, not in a hurry at all.
The maid who came to deliver the message had cold sweat all over her forehead.
What should she do? If the Empress Dowager was late, her master would surely punish her.
There was nothing she could do. As a low - ranking maid, she could only muster up the courage to say,
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, could you please hurry up? The imperial physician has been there for a long time. This servant is really afraid that something might happen to Concubine Rui."
Shi Muwǎn lazily raised her eyebrows and walked as if she was strolling in the imperial garden.
"What's the rush? If the imperial physician can't save someone, do you think it will be useful for me to go?"
This was really true. The maid couldn't find a single word to refute for a long time.
Fortunately, it wasn't very far. Soon, they arrived at Qingning Palace.
But Shi Muwǎn stopped just before entering the door, which made the maid beside her extremely anxious.
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, why don't you go in?"
Shi Muwǎn gave her a cold look and leaned on Ze Ze's arm. "I'm a bit tired after walking such a long way. You, go in and bring a chair out for me."
The maid almost dropped her chin in anger. They were already at the palace gate. If she wanted to sit, she could just go in and sit.
But she had to stop at the palace gate. Now the little maid didn't know whether to go in or not.
Just as the little maid was about to cry from anxiety, Xiao Xiao walked out with a troubled look on her face.
"Has the Empress Dowager forgotten? Concubine Rui is very strict with her servants. If Concubine Rui knows that you've come to the palace gate but didn't go in, this little maid might not be able to escape death."
Her words immediately attracted the maid's pleading look.
Yes, if Concubine Rui knew, she would surely kill her.
But the next words from Xiao Xiao almost made her angry to death.
"Let this servant go instead. This servant is the Empress Dowager's person. Even if Concubine Rui wants to blame someone, she has to consider the Empress Dowager's face."
What she said was nothing but a sarcasm that Concubine Rui was not qualified to put on airs in front of the Empress Dowager.
The maid knew that even if she didn't go in to bring the chair today, she would still be punished.
She could only stand silently on one side, trying her best to make herself less noticeable.
Xiao Xiao walked in carelessly and brought out a chair, as if she didn't see the people inside at all.
Just like that, Shi Muwǎn sat down right at the gate of Qingning Palace.
The people inside couldn't sit still immediately. Concubine Rui directly scolded the maid beside her.
"What on earth is going on? Didn't I arrange everything properly? Why is she sitting outside and not coming in? Is she trying to show me up or slap me in the face?"
"Your Majesty, please calm down. Maybe the Empress Dowager is really tired from walking. Moreover, the prince is coming soon, and he's bringing the National Master with him this time. Your Highness should pay attention to your image and don't let outsiders see any flaws. Otherwise, all our plans will be in vain."
Under the maid's persuasion, Concubine Rui's face gradually returned to normal.
"Fine. Then you should quickly send someone out to have a look and invite her in. Otherwise, today's show won't go well."
"Yes."
This time, it was Concubine Rui's personal maid who came out. She thought that no matter what, the Empress Dowager couldn't possibly not give Concubine Rui face in front of everyone. But she didn't expect that when she went out, she still came back empty - handed.
"I assume your master should be awake by now. As the mistress of the six palaces, does she not even come out to pay her respects to me while I'm sitting here?"
The maid opened her mouth, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Concubine Rui's body has not fully recovered yet. I hope the Empress Dowager can understand. This servant came out just to invite the Empress Dowager in person."
But as soon as the maid said this, she was slapped hard in the face.
"What do you mean by this? Are you saying that the Empress Dowager is not considerate of her sisters? Or do you want to give outsiders something to talk about and make everyone despise the Empress Dowager as a jealous person?"
The maid was so scared that her face turned pale and she knelt on the ground immediately.
"This servant definitely doesn't mean that. It's just that this servant still hopes that the Empress Dowager can go in. The sun is so strong outside. It's not good if the Empress Dowager gets sunstroke."
"Do I need you to tell me this? But since Concubine Rui is already awake and still doesn't come out to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager, does she think she is more noble than the Empress Dowager and wants to show the Empress Dowager up?"
Xiao Xiao's words were really excessive, but it was exactly what Concubine Rui had in mind. However, the maid didn't dare to admit it at all.
"Aunt Xiao misunderstood. Our mistress has never thought like that."
"Since she hasn't, then let Concubine Rui come out quickly to pay her respects. Otherwise, this matter won't be easily settled today."
Hearing this, the maid suddenly felt a bit confused. Was it her own mistress who was causing trouble or the Empress Dowager? Why did she feel that her mistress had brought back a big problem this time?
However, after just a moment of thought, the maid immediately went back into the room and told the situation outside.
After Concubine Rui heard what the maid said, she almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.
Shouldn't people respect the sick? Why did this Empress Dowager not play by the rules? How could she continue her act after this?
Concubine Rui clenched her fists. If it weren't for the sake of her body so that she could continue acting later, she would surely rush out and scold that Empress Dowager.