"It doesn't matter. I naturally have a way to let you administer acupuncture to the Empress Dowager," said the Empress without even raising her head, which was enough to show her contempt.
Mu Fengqie unconsciously frowned. It seemed this way wouldn't work. She had to think of other ways to save herself. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in her mind, as if she had grabbed a lifesaver.
"Your Majesty..." Mu Fengqie looked up, a sly smile flashing across her face. "I can help Your Majesty regain the Emperor's favor. I wonder if Your Majesty could spare my life?"
Mu Fengqie's words left the Empress in a daze. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation. Just this simple sentence had thrown the Empress off - balance.
She had been out of favor in the deep palace for many years. Apart from the rule left by the ancestors that the Emperor must dine in the Empress's palace on the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month, the Emperor had never set foot in the Palace of Gathered Elegance, let alone stayed the night.
The Consort Rong and the Consort Hui were on the verge of stepping on her. The Empress knew very well that she was no longer young and beautiful. So, for all these years, she could only watch helplessly as the Consort Rong and the Consort Hui flaunted themselves in front of her.
Yuan Yuze knew that Mu Fengqie was a sly fox. He thought her words were just for self - preservation and didn't believe at all that she could make his aging mother regain the Emperor's favor.
He came to the Empress's side, grabbed her hand, and whispered a reminder, "Mother, don't believe the slander of this villain. If Father is annoyed, the position of the Empress may change hands."
Hearing the Third Prince's reminder, the Empress came back to her senses and stopped thinking about things that could never come true in her dreams. Her face darkened in an instant.
"Even you dare to mock me? So what if I'm old and no longer beautiful? As long as I live, I'll always be the Empress, second only to the Emperor and above everyone else!"
The Empress was so angry that her teeth were grinding. Her whole body was trembling. It was fine for those women in the harem to mock her, but a country bumpkin who couldn't be put on the table dared to mock her for being out of favor. It was simply lawless!
At this moment, the Empress had already developed the intention to kill. For an ant like Mu Fengqie, the Empress had countless ways to make her disappear without a trace. It was as easy as crushing an ant.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. I really have a way to help Your Majesty regain the Emperor's favor. Anyway, I can't escape under Your Majesty's nose. Why doesn't Your Majesty take a chance?"
Mu Fengqie's words gave the Empress hope again. Her long - suppressed expectations were rekindled. She thought that this little slut wouldn't dare to play any tricks under her nose. If she really had a way to help her regain the Emperor's favor, wouldn't she no longer have to endure the looks of contempt from those two sluts!
Yuan Yuze still wanted to dissuade the Empress, but her mind was made up. She wouldn't listen to his words at all. Instead, she drove him away.
Mu Fengqie finally breathed a sigh of relief. Now the lives of her and her child were saved. She put on an obsequious smile and looked at the Empress. Even she thought she was being very fake.
"Your Majesty, this is the skincare product I bought from the Beauty Hall. I've studied it, and it's really a good thing. Using this can make Your Majesty have a complete transformation and regain new life."
As Mu Fengqie spoke, she took out the skincare product she had prepared from her bosom. Now the Beauty Hall was doing booming business. She would also make some skincare products in the palace every day. She would let Zhu Fei take them out of the palace when it was dead of night. She didn't expect that these skincare products would come in handy today and save her life.
The Empress was half - believing and half - doubting about what Mu Fengqie said, but she was still very eager inside. She threatened, "I'll trust you this time. If you don't live up to your words, you know what the consequence of deceiving me will be!"
Mu Fengqie smiled and replied, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. I won't seduce the Emperor as Your Majesty thinks, and I'll do my best to help Your Majesty. After all, I'm now in the same boat as the Crown Prince. Even if Your Majesty doesn't say anything, I'll do everything I can to help Your Majesty."
She deliberately mentioned Yuan Yuchuan. Since the Empress knew that she was brought into the palace by Yuan Yuchuan, she should naturally be aware of the cooperative relationship between them. Sure enough, the Empress's face looked much better after hearing this.
At this time, the Empress also understood a lot of things. Since the Crown Prince had chosen Mu Fengqie, they were on the same side. If Mu Fengqie could help her regain the Emperor's favor and help the Crown Prince stabilize his position, the Empress would surely treat her well.
Mu Fengqie took out the fresh skincare product and applied it on the Empress's face. Half an hour later, the Empress slowly opened her eyes.
She let out a scream, her eyes wide as saucers. She could hardly believe her eyes and just stared blankly at herself in the mirror.
The Empress seemed to see her young self. She looked ten years younger in the mirror. With the help of makeup, all the wrinkles on her face had disappeared. The peach - blossom makeup between her eyebrows made her look young and beautiful, like a lotus emerging from the water.
"Your Majesty only needs to dress up a little, and you'll outshine everyone. I'm sure the Emperor will be infatuated when he sees you," Mu Fengqie always had an obsequious look on her face.
Seeing her young and beautiful self now, the Empress finally believed what Mu Fengqie had said and became more and more dependent on her.
At this moment, she looked no different from when she was young. She was even no less beautiful than those two sluts. She was so excited that she showed a big smile, and her eyes were red.
"Do you think I look beautiful like this?" the Empress asked tremblingly.
Mu Fengqie deliberately pretended to be cute and tried her best to look less fake. "Your Majesty is as beautiful as a fairy. Even a woman can't help but take a few more looks."
Mu Fengqie's flattering words were very much to the Empress's liking. She blushed and couldn't wait to show herself in front of the Emperor.
Mu Fengqie stopped the Empress. "Your Majesty, remember. Once you arouse the Emperor's interest, don't let him stay the night in the Palace of Gathered Elegance."
"Why?" The Empress looked puzzled.
With her young and beautiful appearance, she was sure that the Emperor would treat her gently. Wouldn't this be a good opportunity to keep the Emperor for the night? She didn't understand what Mu Fengqie was up to.
Mu Fengqie shrugged and became bolder. "May I ask Your Majesty, do you prefer sweetness after bitterness or bitterness after sweetness?"
"Of course, I prefer sweetness after bitterness. I've endured so much over the years. What kind of hardship can't I bear?" the Empress said with a pout.
"In that case, as long as Your Majesty does as I say, you will surely capture the Emperor's heart."