Chapter 11: The Queen’s Schadenfreude

Jiang Mingzhu nodded. Her methods were well-known among the palace servants. Unless someone was intentionally manipulating events, no one dared to make trouble under her nose.

In front of Nangong Shuo and Nangong Jin, Jiang Mingzhu deliberately wanted them to remember her favor.

"Since everything that was supposed to be sent over has already been delivered, the problem lies with the people from Jinxiu Palace," she said, turning to look at the siblings.

"You two are masters here. With me backing you, how could you let a mere servant deceive you?"

Nangong Shuo and Nangong Jin's expressions darkened. They had originally thought that the Empress Dowager was deliberately withholding from them, but it now seemed the issue lay with the servants beneath her.

The siblings, reliant on the Empress Dowager, had lived better than the other ignored princes and princesses in the palace, though their lives still lacked the comforts of those in higher favor. The Empress Dowager's support was out of kindness, and they could not complain when she chose not to help. They had no idea the issue was with the servants' actions.

"Mother, I will go back and properly discipline the servants," Nangong Shuo said.

"Do you need my help?" Jiang Mingzhu asked coldly.

"Thank you, Mother, for your kindness. This is something I can handle myself."

Since they intended to handle it themselves, Jiang Mingzhu couldn't be bothered to intervene. She casually pulled out a bottle of pills from her sleeve and handed them to Fang Ruo.

"This medicine is exactly for your condition. If you trust me, take it; if you don't, throw it away."

Jiang Mingzhu didn't have such a fine medicine herself. She had found it in the system's bundle of rewards. Initially, she hadn't thought it useful, but now it was just the thing for Nangong Jin, allowing her to make up for the past mistakes she had made toward the girl. Nangong Jin took the medicine joyfully. She had heard of the Empress Dowager saving the crown prince with a miraculous pill, so the one given to her must be extraordinary. If it worked, she wouldn't be a burden to her brother anymore.

"Alright, I'm tired. You may leave now."

Nangong Shuo and Nangong Jin left for Jinxiu Palace. Nangong Shuo's gaze fell on the bottle of medicine in his sister's hand.

"Are you really going to take this medicine?"

"Sister, if the Empress Dowager truly wanted to harm me, she could have done so directly in the Imperial Garden earlier. She wouldn't have used such indirect methods. The Empress Dowager, though ruthless and harsh, is straightforward and never hides her intentions. To be fair, she hasn't wronged us. Mother and the Empress Dowager were never particularly close. The Empress Dowager promised to protect us, and we can't hate her for that. She doesn't owe us anything."

"You're right, Sister. The Empress Dowager may be cruel, but she has shown us kindness. Even though Princess Anle has been bullying you, we cannot forget the Empress Dowager's help."

"Princess, Lady Ping has sent over some herbs and food."

"Thank you, Lady Ping. Please send a gift in return, as usual."

Nangong Jin didn't let herself be swayed by Lady Ping's superficial kindness.

"Lady Ping has been kind to us over the years."

Nangong Jin nodded lightly. "Lady Ping is a perceptive person, but remember what Mother told us. If Mother warned us, it was for a reason. We should be more wary of Lady Ping than the Empress Dowager."

When Lady Ping's behavior became suspicious after Princess Zhen's death, Nangong Jin, though young at the time, had been more mature than her peers and understood things better than her brother. There were things that only Mother had confided in her. Lady Ping was definitely not as simple as she appeared.

Jiang Mingzhu, meanwhile, was instructing Yi Qing.

"Go investigate Lady Ping. I underestimated her before, but it seems she's the real mastermind. Quiet and unnoticed, she's been gathering support for herself."

Jiang Mingzhu sneered. She hated people who secretly plotted behind the scenes. Lady Ping thought she could hide her schemes, but Jiang Mingzhu hadn't bothered dealing with her before. This time, she wouldn't let Lady Ping escape so easily. She was eager to see just how many secrets Lady Ping was hiding.

At that moment, Lady Ping was crying in front of Nangong Qing, shedding fake tears. "I was just worried and tried to speak up in defense. I never expected the Empress Dowager to reprimand me like that. What will Nangong Shuo and Nangong Jin think of me now?"

Nangong Qing had already heard of what happened in the Imperial Garden. Looking at Lady Ping's tearful expression, he wasn't angry but rather helpless.

In fact, the Empress Dowager's actions had been quite fair. When Nangong Qing heard the news, he had been surprised. The words the Empress Dowager used to reprimand Lady Ping still made him want to laugh.

Lady Ping had gone to confront the Empress Dowager without understanding the situation, which was practically asking for trouble. The Empress Dowager was not someone with a good temper.

"Lady Ping, you know what the Empress Dowager's temperament is like. Don't take her words to heart."

Even the emperor himself had to endure the Empress Dowager's anger, so Nangong Qing didn't think Lady Ping's grievance was anything worth mentioning.

Moreover, Nangong Qing wasn't without thoughts on the matter. He, too, had noticed the undertones of what the Empress Dowager said. Still, there was little point in dwelling on it.

Having come to Lady Ping's palace for some peace of mind, Nangong Qing quickly left after a short stay, still thinking about the crown prince's condition. On his way out, he found himself in front of the Queen's palace.

"Your Majesty, about today's incident, I think Mother has already handled it fairly. I heard that Princess Anle was slapped twice by the Empress Dowager and is sulking in the palace. The Empress Dowager was indeed harsh—Anle's face is swollen from the slaps!"

Nangong Qing could see the Queen's schadenfreude in her words.

"Princess Anle has been bullying people in the palace for a long time. Even our son, Yi'er, was bullied by her. It's about time she was taught a lesson!"

"However, Your Majesty, you should avoid getting into conflict with the Empress Dowager in the future. Her methods are becoming more and more ruthless. She even slapped Princess Anle today."

Nangong Qing laughed. "What do you have to worry about, my Queen? I am the emperor, and no matter how the Empress Dowager acts, she would never lay hands on me."

Despite his reassurances, the Queen remained cautious. After all, the Empress Dowager was her benefactor, and she had to be respectful and obedient.

Meanwhile, Jiang Mingzhu, overhearing Lady Ping's complaint in front of Nangong Qing, sneered. "Is that all she has? Besides her clumsy antics, she has no other talents?"

"How's the investigation going?" she asked.

"Your Majesty, here's what we've found so far."

"Tch, who would've thought that Lady Ping was involved in this. She really is going all out to make enemies for me."

Jiang Mingzhu wasn't surprised. It made sense that Lady Ping had been the one behind the harsh treatment of Nangong Shuo and Nangong Jin. She had intentionally stirred up hatred between them and the Empress Dowager, but fortunately, the siblings were sharp enough not to fall for it.

However, if things went the same way as last time…

"Send someone to inform Nangong Shuo and Nangong Jin of what's happened."