"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, are you awake?" a maid asked in a soft voice. Then she walked in from outside. As soon as she entered, she saw the window wide open and felt quite puzzled.
"I opened the window before I went out just now. Could it be that the wind was very strong last night?"
As she spoke, she closed the window tightly and tucked in the quilt for Shi Muyuan.
Shi Muyuan had a good night's sleep, and the little episode of last night remained unnoticed by anyone.
She stretched lazily. Xiao Xiao had been waiting outside for a long time. Hearing her voice, she led her people in one after another.
"Your Highness, please have your meal quickly. The food outside has gone cold several times."
"Feels so good. By the way, did I sleep longer today?"
"Just two hours longer than usual. By the way, Concubine Rui has been waiting outside for a long time. She said she has something very important and wants to see Your Highness."
"What important thing can she possibly have? Could she be looking for an excuse to come and see Brother Fan?"
"I'm not quite sure, but it seems that she's carrying a box in her hand."
This reminded Shi Muyuan of the box that Fan Zhen had mentioned. Suddenly, she seemed to think of something. Without even having her meal, she rushed to meet Concubine Rui.
As soon as she entered the hall, she spotted the long box, which was exactly the same as what Fan Zhen had described. Its exterior was polished brightly, so it must have been well - maintained on weekdays.
She averted her gaze and slowly took her seat.
"Sister, did you come today because you have something important?"
"Indeed. Sister, could you please help me pass something on to General Qin?"
Shi Muyuan's face immediately fell. She hadn't forgotten her current identity.
"Sister, your words are a bit out of line. You want me to deliver something to General Qin for you. Have you forgotten your own identity? Or do you plan to continue what you did before? Do you want the whole world to know that you've brought disgrace to the late emperor?"
Concubine Rui had long known that it wouldn't go smoothly today. So, following Shi Muyuan's words, she directly knelt on the ground.
"Please forgive me, sister. I know that what I did before was out of line and inappropriate. Now I just want to put an end to the past. After you help me deliver this thing to General Qin, I'll never have any connection with him again."
"Can I still believe your words, sister? Moreover, if you really want to end it, you might as well just throw this thing away. That would be a complete end. Besides, General Qin doesn't want to see you either."
Hearing the last sentence, Concubine Rui's face turned deathly pale.
Perhaps what she feared most was that the man would have nothing to do with her anymore, and now it had become a reality.
She lowered her eyes, suppressing all her emotions. She tried to keep her tone calm.
"Sister is right to scold me, but I still hope sister can do me this favor."
"You mean you'll never have any connection with General Qin again?"
"Yes."
"And will you still have any contact with Fan Zhen in the future?"
"I'll surely behave myself in the harem from now on and won't go anywhere."
After she said this while kneeling on the ground, Shi Muyuan was actually more curious about what was inside the box. Besides the scroll, there might be other things.
"Then this is the last time. I'll do you this favor out of pity. I hope there won't be a next time."
"Thank you, sister."
When Concubine Rui returned to her palace, she smashed all the things in it, even those on the bed.
"Slut! Slut! I'll let you be arrogant for a few days. When you're gone, the position of Empress Dowager will be mine."
The maid beside her was cleaning up the mess on the ground, her face pale. "Your Highness, Ziyi is here."
Hearing this, there was a glint in Concubine Rui's eyes.
"Quickly, let her in."
When Ziyi walked in, the mess she saw was just as she had expected. She had long guessed that this concubine would not be so calm.
She stepped over the clutter and walked up to Concubine Rui with a cold look on her face.
"Your Highness."
"How's the task I assigned to you? Why didn't you act last night? Didn't we agree to act last night? Don't you want your freedom anymore?"
Ziyi lowered her head and said calmly, "Of course I want my freedom, but it's not the right time yet. I could have acted last night, but someone interrupted me halfway."
Hearing this, Concubine Rui's expression turned crazy.
"This has deviated from our previous plan. It won't be so easy to act next time, unless you get closer to them."
"I can do it."
Concubine Rui frowned. "But if that's the case, it will take too long. I can't wait any longer."
"Your Highness, as the saying goes, one can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. It's just a matter of waiting a bit longer. You've waited for so long anyway."
There was a slight hint of mockery in her words. How could Concubine Rui not hear it? Her face changed immediately. She stepped forward and grabbed Ziyi by the neck.
"Dare you say what you just said again?"
Ziyi was fearless and just let her choke her.
"Isn't what I said the truth?"
Concubine Rui couldn't refute this. The two of them were at a stalemate until a maid came in from outside.
"Your Highness, there's a young master Fan who says he's waiting outside and hopes to see you."
Concubine Rui's face showed panic, and she even lost control of the strength in her hand. If Ziyi hadn't reacted quickly, she might have been choked to death by now.
Ziyi casually glanced around and continued to mock.
"Maybe you should send someone to clean this up quickly. Your Highness surely doesn't want your former lover to come in and see such a mess. How can you maintain your lofty image in others' eyes then?"
After saying this, she turned around and left neatly, brushing past Fan Zhen who was just coming in.
Fan Zhen stood at the door and saw the mess inside. He suddenly wondered what he had seen in this woman back then. She was so impatient at the slightest thing, which was really incomparable to the Empress Dowager.
He composed himself and kicked away the things around.
"I came today just to see Your Highness for the last time. I didn't expect that our years of affection would be nothing compared to yours with General Qin."
Concubine Rui was stunned and hadn't reacted yet.
"How did you get into the palace? You shouldn't be able to enter without the imperial summons. And without my permission, get out of here quickly."
"Your Highness, why are you so agitated? Have you forgotten that I could come in before? Or are you really so heartless that you'd deny entry to your former lover?"