C276

The empress dowager was bewildered and uncertain. She furrowed her brow, thinking back to the farce she'd seen Shen Youhuang patiently feeding medicine at the palace that day. Gradually, she understood.

"Imperial Consort, you hold the authority of the six palaces, but you are too cowardly. You actually let a prince control a guard in the emperor's sleeping quarters. Even though you are young, you should at least learn to be a bit unyielding, stop rumors, and protect the emperor … Otherwise, do you want This Dowager to step out of the mountain and take care of it for you? "

The imperial concubine's eyes immediately turned red. "The empress dowager's lecturing is …"

At this moment, Feng Ningyan spoke up. "Empress Dowager, although Imperial Concubine is of the Six Palaces, in Prince Cheng's eyes, she's nothing more than a woman. She's nothing to him."

When the empress dowager heard this, her face was filled with rage as she shouted, "What 'a woman?'" The harem belonged to the harem. Since the harem was associated with the Six Palaces, the harem naturally had the right to enter and leave the palace! Shen Youhuang is a conferred duke and still a junior. Who gave him the authority to meddle with the harem and run rampant? "

The imperial concubine wiped her eyes, feeling greatly wronged.

Feng Ning Yan took the empress dowager's hand and said, "But in terms of status, the prince is still our leader. Your Imperial Consort doesn't have the authority to command the Imperial Guard, nor does the emperor summon them. How could she barge into the Palace?"

A stern look flashed across the empress dowager's face. "Prince, that's a prince of the imperial court. He can't control the imperial palace."

She turned around and looked at the ancestral tablets, the buddhist beads in her hands rapidly spinning, and very quickly, she made her decision.

She turned around and pulled up the imperial concubine and Feng Ningyan, saying in a deep voice, "From today onwards, This Dowager will temporarily hand over the Phoenix Seal to Imperial Concubine for safekeeping. The Phoenix Seal symbolizes the supreme power of the imperial harem, symbolizing the world under the mother's rule.

The imperial concubine was moved, but she didn't dare show it on her face. She humbly lowered her head and said, "Empress Dowager, this Phoenix Seal is too important. Your consort doesn't dare …"

"You are an Imperial Consort and are also personally conferred by the Emperor. Why would I not dare to accept your title?" The empress dowager was a bit disappointed at her failure. "Don't be afraid, let go and chase Shen Youhuang out of the palace for me!"

When the imperial concubine and Feng Ning Yan heard the empress dowager's words, they couldn't help but be aroused to the point of fighting.

The two immediately bowed again. "Chenqie will not disappoint the empress dowager!"

Only then did the empress dowager nod her head in satisfaction. She gently supported the two by their shoulders and said slowly, "Stand up. The ground's cold, so don't kneel."

Feng Ning Yan rose to express her gratitude, but the Imperial Concubine continued, "Empress Dowager, chenqie still has one more matter to decide. I ask for your advice, Esteemed Empress Dowager."

"Oh? What else is there? " The empress dowager straightened her clothes and slowly walked towards the door.

The sunlight outside gradually broke through the surrounding cold, and a hint of warmth seeped into the panes.

The Imperial Concubine said, "Chenqie feels that the Princess of the Southern Wilderness, Duan Huanyin, is a person with golden branches and jade leaves. She will also be a betrothed to the imperial family in the future. Since the emperor cannot summon her now, chenqie will have to properly arrange things for her. That inn was filled with all sorts of fish and dragons. If something were to happen, it would damage the princess' reputation and cause great harm to the relationship between the two countries. "

When the empress dowager heard this, her expression changed. "You're right. The matter of the marriage alliance isn't settled yet. It's indeed inappropriate to stay at the inn. What do you think we should do?"

The imperial concubine glanced at Feng Ning Yan before she said, "Chenqie borrowed Yu Su's car to enter the palace today, but was questioned at the palace gates. It was only with Duan Hua Yin's help that she was able to enter the palace."

The imperial concubine gave a gentle smile, "He is a clever man, but he is from a different race after all. We must learn the etiquette and customs of the moon. This concubine is willing to shoulder this important task and teach the Southern Princess."

When the empress dowager heard that Duan Hua Yin had actually helped Feng Ning Yan with such a big favor and was even keeping it a secret, she couldn't help but have a better impression of this Southern Wilderness princess.

"So she's not bad. "I'll follow your plans. When the current situation is over, I'll meet her when I'm free."

The empress dowager had always been swift and decisive in her actions. In less than an hour, she had already sent out an imperial decree stating that her spirit had been weakened recently. The Phoenix Seal was taken over by Consort Xin and sent to Chen Ming Palace.

The Imperial Consort put on her formal dress, knelt down to receive the seal of thanks, and, holding the phoenix imprint in her hand, called the Empress Dowager a thousand years old.

When she stood up, her face was covered in tears.

Since she had entered the palace, she had been spoiled, spoiled, re-spoiled, pregnant, and miscarried. The journey had been arduous, and only she herself knew it.

All the suffering was because she had no power.

But now, the Queen who wielded the Phoenix Seal had long been forced into a corner. The Phoenix Seal was now in Shangguan Yu's hands.

She couldn't help but stroke her slightly bulging belly as she silently said: "My son, this time mufei will definitely protect you well and set up a good future for you …" From now on, no one can hurt you at all!

Feng Ningyan stood behind the palace maids, watching as the imperial concubine received the Phoenix Seal from far away. She looked both sad and happy at the same time. It could be said that she had put down a great burden in her heart.

As long as the imperial concubine obtained the Phoenix Seal, it would be much easier for her to resist Shen Youhuang.

However, power was a double-edged sword. Feng Ning Yan knew very well that this phoenix imprint could change a person's appearance and make them completely unrecognizable. She only hoped that the imperial concubine could resist the temptation of power and not lose her heart too quickly.

When she entered the palace this time, she'd seen the empress dowager and imperial concubine, as well as Yu Su, and had sorted out the rest of the events in order to achieve her goals.

It wasn't early yet, so it wasn't appropriate for Duan Hua Yin to stay in the palace. He then brought Jing Yue and Feng Ning Yan, who had returned to their maid attire in the Southern Wilderness, and left the palace through another city gate.

This time, although they had also encountered some investigations, compared to the time they had entered the palace, the imperial guards were clearly much more relaxed. The journey to the palace was much smoother for Feng Ningyan.

When they arrived at a narrow and remote alley, Feng Ning Yan called the coachman to stop the carriage, and she took off her maid attire to bid farewell to Duan Hua Yin.

"Many thanks to Princess Hua Yin today. I'll be getting off now. Princess, please return to the relay station."

Duan Hua Yin smiled through the window as if he had something to say. He paused for a moment before asking, "The assassination attempt on Prince Yu and his wife must have been dangerous. I wonder if His Highness King Yu was injured? Is his injury serious?"

When Feng Ningyan heard this, she was stunned. Blinking her eyes, she said, "It's just a flesh wound, nothing serious. Thank you for Princess's concern."

Even though it was out of friendship, it was normal for Duan Hua Yin to ask about Shen Ling Jue's injuries. However, Feng Ning Yan could see that when Duan Hua Yin mentioned Shen Ling Jue, she seemed to be hesitating. Why would she hesitate?

Moreover, when she called out the words' Your Highness', it wasn't with the solemn and respectful tone of a diplomat, but rather unhurried and cautious. Especially that kind of care and concern, it came from the heart, not from polite words.

This slight difference didn't seem like much to an unsuspecting person. However, for some reason, a strange feeling suddenly appeared in Feng Ningyan's heart. Even she wasn't sure what that feeling was.

However, the two of them quickly said their farewells, so Feng Ningyan didn't take the suspicious details to heart.

She was already very familiar with the capital city. She took a detour through the sparsely populated alleyway and arrived at the back wall of the mansion that was closest to the Thousand Blessings Pavilion. She lightly flipped over the wall and jumped in.