Meeting Empress Dowager pt1

"Reporting to master, Old Man Su has only made a bit of progress, he says it would take much more time than expected…"

Zhang Zhengyang's brows creased. "How long?"

Xiao Chen hesitated, but still answered in the end, "He said he wasn't sure, it would probably take a few months."

Zhang Zhengyang's eyes widened. "Does he not know that the man is at death's door? How can a he wait a few months?"

"This…" Xiao Chen didn't know. He had asked but this was all the poison master had said. He had no knowledge on poisons, how would he know if the time could be reduced or not? He could only urge him. But the man is such a difficult person to deal with, if he spoke too much, the old man would complain. This was a crucial part of the plan, so he didn't dare provoke him too much.

Zhang ZHengyang became silent. It seemed he'd have to visit the poison master once more.

At the manor, Zhao Xing who had been summoned to the palace without prior notice was in a dilemma. The royal carriage was waiting for her outside. She would have to leave at that moment. She could only complain in her heart of how demanding the royals were.

'They could have at least given me a day or two to prepare myself!'

She was indeed frustrated, but she could only succumb to her fate. The next time she saw the Crown Prince, she'd give him the scolding of his life.

She quickly got dressed. She went with the same simple but appropriate style and quickly left with Nuo Nuo, she could only leave a message with the steward before she left with the carriage.

All the times she had visited the palace she hadn't had the opportunity to venture more into it. But today was different. She was going to see the Empress Dowager, and she'd be passing by various grandiose courtyards and beautiful pavilions, and gardens. She was in total awe of everything she saw. She tried her best to act calmly but how could she?

The elderly servant was the one that led the way, sometimes she would glance at Zhao Xing as if trying to secretly inspect her.

Though Zhao Xing could feel her stares she didn't make much of it, wasn't it normal to be curious about someone or something you were seeing for the first time, just like how she wondered at the magnificence of the Forbidden City.

They soon arrived the Empress Dowager's living quarters.

It was surely part of the palace, it was also beautiful and lavish, but the air around it was calming, not as imposing as the rest of the Forbidden City. It made Zhao Xing feel a bit relaxed, but it was just that her mind didn't tell her to. She felt like she shouldn't give in to the atmosphere at all. It would be better if she was careful, with how she acted, what she said and did.

When she finally met Empress Dowager, she saw a woman that seemed to be in her late 60s. But calculating the age of the current ruler, it shouldn't be so, that is if this woman was the biological mother of the current emperor. She imagined a lot of scenarios from the manhuas she had read and the dramas she had watched.

But outwardly she quickly greeted.

"This one greets the Empress Dowager."

The elderly woman, nodded, there wasn't much of an expression on her face as she asked Zhao Xing to rise.

The old lady inspected her from head to toe.

"You don't look like a peasant…"

Indeed, whether she was in her world or in this world she was a lazy person. She only occasionally helped out in the house. When she didn't feel like it she'd wait till she did, she didn't have to do any heavy work either, though they weren't very rich their mother's job paid well. When in this world even though she hated to admit it, she had been well pampered by the Crown Prince she wore nice clothes, ate good food, she didn't do much, and mostly had fun with her servants. In a nutshell she lived the life of a spoiled rich young miss. In which way would she actually resemble someone that lived in the mountains? If someone were to take a good look at her, they would also feel the same way.

But last time when she had discussed it with the Crown Prince, he had said it didn't matter, that the fish just needed to catch the bait. But now that a fish seemed to have realized this trap then what should she do?

Cold sweat covered her hand. But she quickly answered, "It must be that the Crown Prince was very generous and gave this servant expensive ointment so my wound wouldn't scar, The Crown Prince also got me an etiquette teacher, hoping I don't embarrass myself when I entered the palace. This servant enjoyed a lot from the Crown Prince's kindness."

The Empress seemed disinterested in what she said, "Yang'er indeed knows how to take care of people, I'm not surprised."

Zhao Xing inwardly let out a sigh of relief.

"But your beauty is indeed from within for you to change so drastically from a the way you used to look like, and your talent must be outstanding for you to easily learn etiquette so perfectly in a few days while being badly injured."