On the surface, she was scolding the maid, but any discerning person could tell what was really meant.
The maid cast a wronged look at her mistress.
"Your Highness, I'm doing this for your own good. Who would be like you, keeping a prisoner by your side? If word got out, people would laugh their heads off."
"That's enough! Go back and reflect on the wall. Think about what wrong things you've said today. Don't come back to serve me until you understand."
Just like that, the maid left. The young girl didn't hesitate to sneer.
"What a good show of killing the chicken to scare the monkeys. But such tricks might work on children. Do you think I'm the kind of person who would be intimidated by you?"
She stood up and patted her dress with disgust in her eyes.
"If you don't want me to cause trouble for these servants, it's not impossible. But you need to find me a new place to live."
He Hui's eyes widened. It was already a great tolerance for her to put up with this woman until now. How could she say such words without a hint of shame?
"Your Majesty, don't go too far. I'm not a soft target for you to bully."
"Going too far? You've just reminded me. I wonder if Huang'er knows that you've imprisoned me here."
As soon as she finished speaking, He Hui seemed to remember something. She tightened the collar around her neck and turned her head away with an ugly expression.
Such a small gesture was enough for Shi Muyuan to notice something.
Her eyes narrowed slightly. Before He Hui could react, she stepped forward and pulled down the collar around her neck.
After seeing the marks, there was no need for further explanation.
"Oh, it seems my son isn't as stupid as I thought. He must have noticed, right?"
The certainty in the young girl's words made He Hui grit her teeth in hatred, but she couldn't refute a single word.
Thinking of the painstaking efforts she had made to achieve her goal before, she just couldn't swallow her anger.
"So what? Even if he knows you're in my hands, hasn't he come to look for you? Your Majesty, don't overestimate your importance."
"Really? It doesn't seem so to me. A woman has to resort to hanging herself to change a man's mind. How much of a failure must you be?"
As she said this, she laughed without any hesitation. The maids around didn't even dare to breathe.
He Hui was so angry that steam seemed to come out of her ears. If it weren't for the fact that the woman in front of her was still useful, she would have strangled this audacious woman on the spot.
She took several deep breaths before calming down her emotions.
"Yes, at least I can use the means of hanging myself to corner you. Your Majesty, haven't you still lost to me?"
"Oh? Let's wait and see. I'm suddenly looking forward to how Huang'er will react when he sees me again."
The conversation between the two ended on a sour note. In the end, He Hui was so angry that she stormed off.
Shi Muyuan watched the backs of the group of people with boredom.
"It's so boring. Can't they use some new tricks? Is this the only way in this era?"
As soon as her voice fell, a question suddenly came from the direction of the door.
"What era? What do you mean, Your Majesty?"
Hearing the somewhat familiar voice, Shi Muyuan turned her head.
"What wind has brought you two here today? Are you here to send me to my death? Then just make it quick. Anyway, I'll be a hero again in eighteen years."
She had lived two lives, so it was worth it in a way.
In this life, she had become the Empress Dowager, with great power in her hands and people to protect her. Although she was a bit reluctant to die like this, she didn't want to drag anyone down.
On the first day she was locked up here, she had already made up her mind.
If that day really came, she would rather commit suicide than give anyone a chance.
Ji Huang met her gaze and felt ashamed.
"Your Majesty, I know you must be angry with me, but I have no choice. Now the only people left by my side are Huier and the child."
"So you're willing to do this to your own relatives. Who knows how much of your regret is real and how much is fake? She's not as simple as she seems."
"Your Majesty, Huier has said that she will serve you like her own mother. Even if we get what we want, we will never make things difficult for you and Elder Brother. I just want to prove to the world that I can do better than Elder Brother."
"Do you think that's possible? Even if He Hui is innocent, you should know about the former Concubine He, right? Her death was so strange. I've always known who the real culprit is, but I've never told anyone. Don't you understand all this?"
"Impossible. It can't be Huier."
His eyes were full of determination, which made Shi Muyuan lose the interest to continue.
Forget it. Everything has its own destiny.
"Alright, you came here today just to see me, right? Now that you've seen me, you can leave. Since you've made up your mind about everything, just do as you please. As long as you don't regret it."
There was a strange light in Shi Muyuan's eyes, which made Ji Huang look dejected.
"Even now, Your Majesty still doesn't think I can sit on that throne like Elder Brother, right?"
"Then tell me, Your Majesty. Do you want peace for all the people, or do you just want to prove yourself to others?"
Stared at like this and asked such a question, Ji Huang was in a daze. After a long time, his lips moved, and he came up with an answer.
"I've had enough of the days when everyone looked down on me. Your Majesty, you don't actually know how many noble sons were whispering about me behind my back when you and Elder Brother ignored me. They said I only got my glory because of my status and my relationship with you. In fact, I'm just a good-for-nothing."
After a pause, something crystal clear seemed to fall from his face.
Shi Muyuan knew it was a teardrop.
It was also something she hadn't seen even in the original memory since she traveled through time.
Ji Huang was a strong child. He never cried even when he was in pain from childhood to adulthood. But he was so persistent about this matter and even shed tears for it.
Shi Muyuan pursed her lips. Maybe everyone has a different destiny. When there are too many children, there will always be some biases. She finally failed to treat all the children equally.
She seemed to be even worse than the original owner.
Although the original owner was ruthless and scheming and always strict with the children, she didn't show favoritism to any of them. She even taught them all together.
Gradually, she seemed to understand something.
"I'd like to move to your mansion during this period. Will you disagree?"
Her words took Ji Huang by surprise.