Pampered by the Toughest Man After Divorce
Chapter 1071 - 871: Knowing Nothing

Chapter 1071: Chapter 871: Knowing Nothing

"Oh, whom did you bump into?" the Empress asked.

"A servant from Consort De’s palace. I confronted her because she was sneaking around, and questioned why she was coming out of the Empress Dowager’s courtyard. But the wretch wouldn’t say anything, so I had her taken back to Consort De’s place to see how she raises her people."

Upon hearing this, the Empress’s grip on Doudou immediately loosened, and Doudou slid down from her lap. Nangong Nini quickly stepped forward to pick up Doudou, "Empress Mother, what do you think that servant was up to?"

The Empress, already seething with anger, squinted her eyes at Nangong Nini, "A servant from my palace, and instead of bringing her to me, you sent her to Consort De. Crown Princess, what exactly are you plotting?"

"I dare not, Your Highness. I simply thought that Consort De’s people should be dealt with by Consort De. Consort De always prides herself on winning people over with virtue; surely she wouldn’t shield a palace maid. If that maid had malicious intent, it would be cleaner for her to deal with the situation. The Empress Mother is always chanting scriptures; dealing with her would just create more resentment out of thin air."

The Empress couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.

Resentment?

Indeed, she is a Buddhist, but Buddha won’t let you have your way in the harem just because you chanted a few more days of sutras. To secure a position in this harem, one must clear away those who are superfluous.

The Empress took another look at Nangong Nini, whose expression was her usual innocence, seemingly without much scheming.

However, if Nangong Nini had not previously been close to Consort De and the Eldest Prince, the Empress would definitely believe she was innocent, but with these connections, she regarded Nangong Nini as someone with deep cunning.

She let out a cold laugh, "Crown Princess, it seems that in your heart, there is only your childhood sweetheart. In your eyes, the Crown Prince really means nothing at all."

"I do not understand what the Empress Mother implies," Nangong Nini continued to feign innocence.

"Don’t understand? You’re not thinking that one day, when the Eldest Prince becomes the Crown Prince, you could replace that country girl? If that day really comes, I must congratulate you in advance."

"..."

...

In the Palace.

Consort De and the Empress, who had not interacted with each other for a long time, actually met.

And it was Consort De who came to see the Empress personally.

In the harem, those who are favored hold the highest sway, especially someone like Consort De, who has been favored for so many years since she first entered the palace. Whenever she appeared, the Empress had to give her some respect.

Perhaps because she had lived in the deep palace for a long time, Consort De had a somewhat aloof temperament, but being an old-timer in the palace, she was extremely familiar with the ins and outs of its workings. During her visit to the Empress, she brought all the treasures she’d kept hidden away.

She had them bring out millennium ginseng, dried Tianshan snow lotus, and a natural amethyst hairpin, one by one—to show her sincerity, and also to convey a message to the Empress: despite living deep in the palace, she still had so many treasures, which meant she had never fallen out of favor over the years.

The Empress couldn’t help but laugh, "Sister Consort De, bringing so many things today, are you trying to jinx my longevity?"

Consort De smiled, "Not at all. Yesterday, the Crown Princess had a palace maid captured and sent to my palace for me to deal with. After a thorough questioning, that maid spilled everything."

The Empress’s heart tightened, "What did she say?"

Consort De asked, "Do you know that the palace maid had entered your palace?"