"Empress Dowager..." Lou Mingkou scowled and lowered his voice. "If you let the spy go, can you bear the charge of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country?"
He had monopolized the court affairs for so many years. The young emperor always followed his advice, but the Empress Dowager was always disobedient and often defied him, which made him quite dissatisfied.
The Empress Dowager caught the threatening undertone in Lou Mingkou's words. She, the majestic Empress Dowager, was being threatened by a general. How could she maintain her lifelong reputation?
The Empress Dowager couldn't swallow this humiliation. Lou Mingkou had been swaggering in the court for a long time, and now he even dared to ride roughshod over her. So she didn't want to miss this chance to suppress him.
Mu Fengqie was also a bit surprised. The animosity between the Empress Dowager and Lou Mingkou was palpable, and Lou Mingkou actually threatened the Empress Dowager in the court hall in full view of everyone. This show was really exciting.
"Lou Mingkou! Don't forget your identity. This court belongs to the Son of Heaven, who is the emperor, my son. You are just a minister who must obey the Son of Heaven and serve the court. I advise you to take back your words just now, or things won't be so simple!"
The Empress Dowager had been in the harem for many years and was no ordinary woman. By doing this, besides reminding Lou Mingkou, she also had a two - birds - with - one - stone plan.
Lou Mingkou scoffed at the Empress Dowager's words. The whole court was filled with his people, and he had two hundred thousand elite troops in his hands. The emperor was just a figurehead. One day, he would take the emperor's throne and replace that incompetent and muddle - headed emperor.
Mu Fengqie couldn't help but mentally give the Empress Dowager a thumbs - up for her actions. It was really worth all those days of playing badminton with the pregnant Empress Dowager. She decided to spare the Empress Dowager's life after killing that dog - emperor.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is wrong. I've dedicated my life to the court. Your words might chill my heart and the hearts of all the soldiers!" Lou Mingkou drawled and pretended to sigh.
The Empress Dowager hesitated, opening her mouth but not making a sound. Seeing this, Mu Fengqie had to step in.
She took a step forward, glanced at Lou Mingkou's straight figure from the corner of her eye, and slowly said, "Your subject knows it's hard to defend myself. Please, Your Majesty, write a letter to the military camp. The Fifth Prince will surely testify for me. I'm willing to accept punishment. But could I have a word with the Empress Dowager in private?"
She knew that Lou Mingkou wouldn't let it go easily if he wasn't satisfied today. If she angered him, her fate might be even worse.
The Empress Dowager was quite satisfied with Mu Fengqie's prudence. She nodded, glared at Lou Mingkou discontentedly, and said, "Come with me."
Mu Fengqie followed the Empress Dowager into the hall. She kept her head down, pretending to be very aggrieved, which made the Empress Dowager can't help but feel pity for her.
"What do you want to tell me? Don't worry. As long as I'm here, I won't let you be wronged." The Empress Dowager said gently.
A warm current involuntarily flowed through Mu Fengqie's heart. Even the Empress Dowager, who had no blood relation with her, could be so gentle to her. How could the Kong family, who had raised her for more than a decade, be so cold - hearted?
She looked around, pretending to be nervous, and said to the Empress Dowager, "Does Your Majesty the Empress Dowager know why General Lou wants to kill me?"
"Why?" the Empress Dowager asked suspiciously.
This was also what puzzled the Empress Dowager. Mu Fengqie and Lou Mingkou had no prior interactions, and even the Empress Dowager could sense Lou Mingkou's hostility towards Mu Fengqie.
Mu Fengqie heaved a heavy sigh and said aggrievedly, "I accidentally stumbled upon his secret. Now I'm in a cooperative relationship with the Crown Prince, so I'm naturally thinking about the Crown Prince whole - heartedly. But General Lou was secretly recruiting soldiers and buying horses, and I happened to see it. I was afraid he had ulterior motives, so that's why General Lou wants to kill me."
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager's eyes widened. She couldn't believe her ears. She had long suspected that Lou Mingkou had impure motives, but she never expected it to be confirmed.
If what Mu Fengqie said was true, Lou Mingkou held great power. If he really had the intention to rebel, the royal family's status might be in jeopardy.
The Empress Dowager's attitude towards Mu Fengqie improved a lot. Fortunately, Mu Fengqie was really thinking about the Crown Prince, which meant they were on the same side. The Empress Dowager would do everything in her power to prevent such a thing from happening.
"Thanks to you for this matter. I'll make the decision for you. Don't be afraid!" The Empress Dowager said with a solemn face, looking straight ahead.
The Empress Dowager took Mu Fengqie's hand and walked out. Ignoring Lou Mingkou's gaze, she said, "I've been having a terrible headache recently, so I need the Peaceful Princess to treat me. Does General Lou have any objections?"
Lou Mingkou gritted his teeth in anger, but in front of so many ministers, he had to swallow his anger and keep his mouth shut.
Seeing this, the emperor quickly dismissed everyone and left the court hall. The queen and the Empress Dowager took Mu Fengqie to the Cining Palace. Soon, Yuan Yuchuan and Yuan Yuze also arrived at the Cining Palace.
"Grand Empress Dowager, is this true? Is he really secretly recruiting soldiers and buying horses?" Yuan Yuchuan paused and asked a bit nervously.
"It was what Fengqie said. Fengqie, is what you said true? Did he really secretly recruit soldiers and buy horses?"
Mu Fengqie nodded. "In reply to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, your subject went to the border to look for good medicine for you and the queen. By chance, I met a group of soldiers. It took me a lot of effort to find out that they were General Lou's troops. If Your Majesty the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince don't believe me, you can go and investigate. I'm sure everything will come to light after the investigation."
She wasn't making groundless accusations. Although she didn't see it with her own eyes but learned it from Wu Feng's words, as long as the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince investigated, they would surely find some clues.
The Crown Prince looked very complicated. He had just managed to get rid of Yuan Yuhan, and now there was Lou Mingkou. Compared with Lou Mingkou, Yuan Yuhan was nothing.
Lou Mingkou was a veteran of the court and had great prestige. Many ministers were willing to follow him. Moreover, he held the military power of two hundred thousand troops. If this man had impure motives, the Crown Prince's position might not be secure, and he might even lose his life.
"Grand Empress Dowager, Mother, I'll send someone to investigate right away. But if he has the intention to rebel, what should we do?" Yuan Yuchuan sighed, his eyes full of worry.
Yuan Yuze also had a solemn face. This matter left no room for thinking. Everyone was at a loss as to what to do when such a thing suddenly happened.
The queen looked at Mu Fengqie worriedly and asked, "Fengqie, you're always full of ideas. In your opinion, how should we solve this problem?"
In the queen's mind, Mu Fengqie was a quirky woman with a lot of tricks up her sleeve. Maybe she had a way to deal with this.