Flailing Aspirations

Song mama quickly returned after sending out the orders and then they all waited in eerie silence, each with their own thoughts. After about an hour or so passed, Ling mama scurried in and glanced at the Empress dowager's unhappy expression and then scurried off to the side and signaled for Song mama.

Song mama furrowed her brows as she went down to talk to her. They spoke for a while in hushed tones before Song mama returned to the Empress dowager with a frown. She  leaned down next to the irritated Empress dowager's ear and informed, "Your majesty, Monk Du has run off..."

"Monk Du left?" The Empress dowager exclaimed, breaking the eerie silence and drawing all the attention of the other occupants to herself. She frowned and Song mama, "Didn't they inform him I ordered him to wait?!" The Empress dowager had sent some men ahead to go wait with Monk Du while she settled Lei Xing's issue.