Three days had passed since the death of the Lady of Grace.
In the court, the Liu clan had completely collapsed. The remaining ministers quickly realigned themselves. Amidst the chaos, Sikuo Ting appointed a new Minister of Rites.
The newly - appointed Minister of Rites had no background. He was just a junior official in the cabinet under Dou Yuan. Although without any powerful connections, at least the position of the Minister of Rites was no longer vacant, and the court officials gradually calmed down.
The suicide of the Lady of Grace, the first among the four imperial concubines, right in front of the eyes of the citizens in the capital, had already caused a great stir throughout the Great Sheng Empire. Although Sikuo Ting tried his best to suppress the matter to avoid disturbing the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, who had been chanting scriptures in the harem, still got to know about it through various channels.
So early this morning, just as Qin Huaiqiu opened his eyes in bed, Ziyun knocked on the door and brought news from the Cining Palace.
"Eunuch Xu said that the Empress Dowager is extremely grief - stricken and hopes that Your Ladyship can go and console her," Ziyun said.
Sikuo Ting had gone to court early. Qin Huaiqiu was the only one in the Kunning Palace now. He exchanged a glance with Qin Lan and let out a long sigh.
He knew this was inevitable. Although Sikuo Ting didn't want this matter to trouble the Empress Dowager, after all, a concubine had died in the harem. No matter how hard they tried to cover it up, the truth would eventually come out.
Qin Huaiqiu quickly washed up, put on a light makeup, and then, accompanied by Qin Lan, took a sedan chair to the Cining Palace.
The Empress Dowager had hardly slept all night. When Qin Huaiqiu entered the palace, he saw the Empress Dowager kneeling in front of the Buddha statue, chanting scriptures non - stop.
"Lady of Virtue, the Empress Dowager has been chanting scriptures all night," Xu Fu sighed, wiping away his tears. "After the Empress Dowager heard the news of the Lady of Grace's death yesterday, she started chanting scriptures in this Buddhist hall. She didn't even have dinner. Your Ladyship, please go and persuade her quickly!"
Qin Huaiqiu nodded. He gave Xu Fu a reassuring look and then walked into the Buddhist hall.
In the Buddhist hall, the incense was burning brightly. The wispy smoke was lingering in the air, carrying a faint fragrance that seemed to last forever.
Qin Huaiqiu walked to the Empress Dowager's side, lifted his skirt, and knelt on another cushion beside her. Then he bowed three times in front of the Buddha statue.
He slowly sat up straight and softly said, "Mother, the deceased is gone. Please mourn with restraint."
The Empress Dowager ignored him. She still closed her eyes and knelt on the cushion, silently chanting scriptures. Her eyes were starting to get moist.
"Your Majesty has already handled this matter properly. The bodies of the Lady of Grace and Chang Zixuan have been taken back to their hometown by Liu Cheng," Qin Huaiqiu said. "Mother, this matter is over. We still have to look forward."
The Empress Dowager slowly stopped chanting scriptures, opened her eyes, and turned to look at Qin Huaiqiu with her moist eyes. She said sadly, "I never thought... I only fasted in the palace for a few days, but such earth - shattering changes have taken place in the court."
Qin Huaiqiu looked at the Empress Dowager, pursed his lips, and said nothing.
The Empress Dowager slowly turned her head back and looked at the Buddha statue in front of her. She softly said, "In my eyes, Yan'er was a bit arrogant and domineering at times, but she was still a good child. How could she be so infatuated with love and end up like this..."
Qin Huaiqiu sighed and said, "Mother, the Lady of Grace was not destined to be with His Majesty. She has followed her heart. We don't need to sigh too much."
The Empress Dowager looked at him and then said, "I also heard that Yan'er poisoned you?"
Qin Huaiqiu nodded and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I'm fine now. It was just a moment of confusion on the Lady of Grace's part."
The deceased was gone. It didn't make much sense to dwell on this matter now. The Empress Dowager naturally understood this, so she just sighed and said nothing more.
Qin Huaiqiu was worried about the Empress Dowager's health. Seeing that her mood had gradually stabilized, he said, "Mother, I've asked the imperial kitchen to prepare some breakfast. May I accompany you to have it?"
The Empress Dowager looked at him, nodded weakly, and showed a faint smile at the corner of her mouth. "Okay. I won't think about it anymore. Let's go and eat."
Qin Huaiqiu nodded, got up, and helped the Empress Dowager stand up. They walked towards the main hall of the Cining Palace. Seeing that the Empress Dowager was finally willing to eat, Xu Fu quickly asked the imperial kitchen to prepare the Empress Dowager's favorite desserts and snacks, which were served soon.
Qin Huaiqiu sat beside the Empress Dowager, filled a bowl of tremella soup, and handed it to her with a smile. "Mother, your body is too weak. Have some red dates and tremella to nourish yourself."
The Empress Dowager nodded and said, "Lian'er is still so sensible."
Qin Huaiqiu just smiled but didn't say anything.
After eating some hot food, the Empress Dowager gradually regained her strength. She chatted casually with Qin Huaiqiu about other things, but before long, the topic turned back to the Lady of Grace.
The Empress Dowager let out a long sigh, put down her chopsticks, and said, "Speaking of which, I never knew that Yan'er had such a relationship with the only son of the Chang family. I heard that they knew each other before Yan'er entered the Crown Prince's Mansion. It seems that Yan'er was also a infatuated woman."
Qin Huaiqiu nodded and said, "That's right."
The Empress Dowager paused for a moment and then said, "I know that His Majesty is not very interested in women. But Yan'er had been married to His Majesty for so many years. I thought that over time, they might develop feelings for each other, and maybe I could even have a great - grandson. But I didn't expect that she never forgot the only son of the Chang family. No wonder..."
Mother, you're really wrong. The reason you don't have a great - grandson is actually because of Sikuo Ting... Qin Huaiqiu thought to himself.
Speaking of which, he used to think that Sikuo Ting was impotent. But in the past few days, he had been sharing a bed with Sikuo Ting. Every morning when they were being affectionate, he could always feel something hard pressing against him when Sikuo Ting hugged him. So it seemed that Sikuo Ting was not impotent. Then why didn't he touch those concubines back then? Qin Huaiqiu was really puzzled.
The Empress Dowager looked at him and was silent for a while. Then she suddenly said, "What about Lian'er?"
Qin Huaiqiu was caught off guard. He was stunned and said, "Ah?"
The Empress Dowager covered her mouth and asked tentatively, "I'm asking Lian'er, how do you feel about His Majesty?"
Qin Huaiqiu was stunned. There was a momentary blank in his mind, and then his face started to burn.
"I... I like His Majesty," Qin Huaiqiu blushed. After hesitating for a while, he still told the truth.
The Empress Dowager suddenly smiled and said, "I even asked Xu Fu to inquire before. I heard that His Majesty has been staying with you these days. Is that true?"
Qin Huaiqiu nodded again.
The Empress Dowager's eyes suddenly brightened, and she said excitedly, "Then... did His Majesty... touch you?"
Qin Huaiqiu was stunned.
Did he touch me?
What did this "touch" mean...
Seeing Qin Huaiqiu's strange expression, the Empress Dowager's eyes instantly dimmed. She said disappointedly, "So he still hasn't..."
Qin Huaiqiu coughed and said nothing.
He and Sikuo Ting had confessed their feelings to each other. They had kissed and caressed each other, but he had never thought about that kind of thing.
Although Qin Lan had told him that when the feelings were deep enough, that kind of thing might happen naturally. But every morning, although Sikuo Ting showed some reaction, he never took any further action.
Qin Huaiqiu was also happy not to mention it.
After all, he was a man himself. He really couldn't imagine how two men could do that kind of thing.
It was no wonder for the young master. Although he had secretly gone to the brothel with Nie Rong a few times, he had only seen men and women having sex. He really didn't understand what happened between two men.