青春期撞上更年期第1部

“Yes, my master said she hadn’t seen you for a long time. You had been ill before, and she was worried about you. So, she specially asked me to invite you and wanted to discuss something about Secondary Consort Shao with you in passing.” Nanny Xi said with a broad smile. Her attitude was completely different from when she was in the Marquis Xing’s Mansion.

With kindness, her smile appeared pretty amiable.

“Something about Shao Yanru?” Shao Wanru secretly frowned because she didn’t want to interfere in Shao Yanru’s things at all. Who knew what this unruly woman had done?

“I’ve never been in charge of her business. Why didn’t Her Majesty look for my Second Uncle?” Shao Wanru asked. Nanny Xi’s last sentence was crucial, but she didn’t want to get involved in Shao Yanru’s business. Or it could be said that she didn’t want to do it when Chu Liuchen wasn’t around. She alone was not powerful enough to deal with Shao Yanru in the Palace.

Shao Yanru’s business was too deep to be fathomable!

“She intended to invite the elders of Marquis Xing’s Mansion, but at present, no proper elder in its inner court could do that. My master had thought it over and found you were the only person she could meet. So, Your Highness, please go ahead! Her Majesty is waiting for you!” Nanny Xi said with a smile. Her words sounded reasonable, and this invitation was irresistible.

The Empress just told her to come without issuing a formal order. Even so, Shao Wanru had to go.

The Empress invited her for a good reason.

Shao Wanru could only nod and ask Nanny Xi to go back first. She would arrive later.

After Nanny Xi left, Yujie and Qu Le looked nervous. Yesterday, the Empress Dowager summoned their master, and today the Empress wanted to see her, which would never be a good thing. Worse still, Shao Yanru was involved in it.

Secondary Consort Shao’s affairs had nothing to do with their master.

“Your Highness…”

“My Lady…”

“Don’t worry. She probably wants to ask about what happened when I was in the Empress Dowager’s place yesterday,” Shao Wanru said, fluttering her long eyelashes. She had no idea what had happened in the Palace yesterday. However, according to her memories of her previous life, the Empress would inevitably be rebuked, but she suffered less than last time.

At least at present, the Empress Dowager was fine and didn’t get humiliated in front of all the officials.

The Empress Dowager and the Emperor would certainly break into a furious rage when finding anyone plotting against them. Yesterday, the Palace must be in a state of unrest, so the Empress summoned her today.

The stir caused by this matter was much less severe than in her previous life. Only some people in the Palace were amidst secret turbulence. At least, the situation looked peaceful on the surface from the outsiders.

After washing up and changing into a lotus-pattern dress of different shades of light blue, Shao Wanru entered the Palace from the side door with Yujie.

Someone immediately reported it to the Empress when they arrived at the Phoenix Palace. With a big grin, Nanny Xi came out and said, “Your Highness, please. Her Majesty has been waiting for you for a long time!”

With this, she stepped aside to make way for Shao Wanru and let her go first.

Shao Wanru nodded at Nanny Xi and walked into the hall while Yujie stood outside in well-mannered silence.

When she was inside and saw the Empress sitting high in the main seat, Shao Wanru stepped forward and bowed.

“Princess Chen, please sit down!” The Empress said politely and asked a palace maid to lead Shao Wanru to sit down on a brocade stool nearby.

In the hall, there were three or four young and beautiful consorts besides the Empress. They were all looking at Shao Wanru curiously. They were here to pay their respects to the Empress and were about to leave after chatting with the Empress for a while. But the Empress said it was not a big deal and asked them to stay longer.

“I heard the Empress Dowager was shocked yesterday, and you were involved in it. What exactly had happened? How could the Empress Dowager get into a great rage?” The Empress came straight to the question.

Shao Wanru slightly lifted her eyes and said with a little surprise, “Was she angry?”

She had a puzzled look on her delicate and fair face.

The Empress looked at Shao Wanru’s face but didn’t detect anything unusual. Then, she said slowly, “Princess Chen, do you know your visit yesterday caused a great disturbance in Palace?”

Shao Wanru’s face also darkened. The Empress pushed all the blame onto her without investigating.

“Your Majesty, Imperial Grandmother just asked me a few ordinary questions and asked me to go home. She didn’t mention anything else but a few trivial matters about the Duke Cheng’en’s Mansion. Do you want to inquire about what she said then?”

The Empress, thinking Shao Wanru was weak, was bullying her and intended to put all the blame on her.

In her previous life, the consequences were catastrophic and damaging. Although she had done a lot in this life to prevent devastating things from happening, she couldn’t afford to bear the responsibility for the turbulence in the Palace. According to the Empress’s exasperated look, Shao Wanru knew the Emperor must have rebuked her, which was a better result after she changed the major accident to a minor one in this life. If everything in her previous life had happened, the Empress would have been locked up.

“How dare you speak to Her Majesty like that?” A consort rebuked harshly for the Empress.

“Your Grace, what should I say now? Should I say what the Empress Dowager ordered me not to say?” Since Shao Wanru’s face clouded, she no longer pretended to be weak and let the Empress step on her.

“You, you audacious…” No one in the hall had expected that Shao Wanru would suddenly become so tough. The imperial consort, who flushed scarlet after being scolded, couldn’t utter a word.

She couldn’t say that the Empress’s words mattered, so Princess Chen could ignore the request of the Empress Dowager and tell the Empress whatever she wanted to know.

“No matter how brave I am, I’m not as bold as you, Your Grace. You’re driving a wedge between the Empress Dowager and the Empress. How can I casually spread confidential words the Empress Dowager has forbidden me to tell others? Everyone in the Palace knows the rule. Even if I have stayed in the Yuhui Nunnery for three years, I understand this rule. Why don’t you know it?”

Shao Wanru mocked her.

Since she wasn’t going to play the weak, she might as well be fierce both in look and voice.

At this critical moment, the Empress didn’t have the guts to make a big deal out of it because she hadn’t been cleared of all suspicion. She would have to face imminent disaster if she stirred up more trouble.

“Princess Chen, how dare you talk nonsense? How could I sow discord between them? You are slandering me!” The imperial consort couldn’t sit still after being criticized by Shao Wanru. She stood up and argued aloud in a furious. She just wanted to help the Empress, but she didn’t expect Princess Chen was not someone to be trifled with.

The other imperial consorts didn’t say anything, and their expressions changed when they looked at Shao Wanru.

At first sight of Princess Chen, everyone felt she was gentle and delicate. Her eyes and brows were full of tender charms. With her outstanding facial features, she was exceedingly beautiful. Such a woman like her must be gentle and pitiful. But since no man was here, no one would take pity on her.

No one had expected that her character was widely distant from her appearance. She dared to fight for a powerful position even before the Empress.

A few smart consorts observed the Empress’s expression and lowered their heads.

The Empress was in charge of the imperial harem and managed all the consorts, but Princess Chen was dauntless and unyielding.

Prince Chen was a very difficult character. Who knew what kind of big trouble he would make after he came back? They were not the Empress. No matter how aggressive Prince Chen was, he couldn’t do anything to the Empress.

The large hall suddenly quieted down. Some consorts folded the handkerchief in their hands, some tidied up their sleeves, and some played with the bracelets around their wrists. They all pretended not to see what was going on before them.

“Your Grace, the Empress and the Empress Dowager can judge the meaning of your words. As for the slander, I never said it was you. Why did you insist on bearing the responsibility out of your guilty conscience?” Shao Wanru said coldly.

Since they talked about everything open and aboveboard, Shao Wanru was not afraid of consorts like her at all. The consort before her was eager to fawn over the Empress. Before the Empress started the argument, she jumped out to defend her. It was a pity that she didn’t know how humble she was.

“I just wanted to ask you what you said in the Empress Dowager’s place yesterday. Since Her Majesty didn’t allow you to tell others, you could keep it a secret. You didn’t have to despise the Emperor’s consort. At least, she is your elder.” The Empress finally spoke with displeasure, and her tone was reproachful.

The imperial consort responded quickly and knelt before the Empress with a thud. She cried sadly, “Your Majesty, I just gave Princess Chen a kind reminder. How could she treat me so harshly? I feel ashamed to meet His Majesty again.”

After that, she stood up and covered her face with her long sleeves as if she was going to bump against a pillar nearby.

The palace maids on the side hurriedly stopped her. The imperial consort was all tears, and her voice was choked with sobs. When several palace maids pulled her to prevent her from doing anything stupid, she fell and knelt on the ground, crying. “Your Majesty, please uphold justice for me!”

“Princess Chen, it was originally a small matter. I don’t know why you had to make such a scene. How can I explain it to the Empress Dowager and His Majesty?” The Empress looked at Shao Wanru with a gloomy face and said, “Since you provoked this conflict, I should punish you. You must…”

“Wait!” Shao Wanru raised her voice and interrupted the Empress.

The imperial consort who had fallen to the ground burst into tears again, waving her hands and feet as if she was trying hard to get up.

“Your Majesty, I really don’t know what happened. You asked me about the conversation yesterday between the Empress Dowager and me. I told you Imperial Grandmother didn’t allow me to reveal the secret. Then, this lady stood out to accuse me and forced me to share the secret. A moment ago, she even deliberately threatened to kill herself, and you immediately decided that she was right and I was wrong, and you were going to punish me. You think I didn’t do it right, so I should tell you about the confidential chat with the Empress Dowager yesterday. Is that the right thing I must do?”

Shao Wanru looked at the Empress calmly. She connected everything that happened, and her analysis sounded logical and reasonable.

The Empress let her supporter malign her. After that, she could justifiably punish her. However, no matter what punishment she planned to inflict on her, Shao Wanru wouldn’t accept it. Otherwise, she would harm her dignity and even Chu Liuchen’s.

They wanted to sacrifice the Prince Chen’s Mansion to preserve the Empress’s dignity, and the Empress was going to shift all the blame onto the Prince Chen’s Mansion. Shao Wanru could never retreat at this time!