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"Imperial Concubine..."

"Oh, it’s the Empress..." Seeing the Empress approaching, Queen Dowager Beiyu Mao’s eyes lit up, but her face remained composed as she stepped forward to greet her.

"Does Imperial Concubine have business with the Empress Dowager?" Empress Yun asked with a smile.

"Actually, it’s nothing much..." Queen Dowager Beiyu Mao laughed, "I haven’t seen her for so many days, and I didn’t even report to the Empress Dowager when I left the palace last time to return home. Now that I think about it, it wasn’t appropriate. So here I am, hurrying to express my thanks."

The Empress nodded, "Imperial Concubine is very thoughtful indeed."

Yet inwardly, she disagreed. The Beiyu Family was one of the three great priestly families, their status even higher than the Qi Family.

Even though Empress Dowager Qi was the mother of the current Emperor, with Imperial Concubine’s family background, she needn’t be so eager to curry favor.

In fact, Empress Dowager Qi’s personality had never been well-received, and Queen Dowager Beiyu hadn’t refrained from clashing with her.

The phrase ’proactively expressing gratitude’ might fool others, but in her opinion, it was certainly problematic.

"Imperial Concubine..." An old matron approached with a smile, slowly walking forward to bow and said, "The Empress Dowager is unwell and will not receive you today. She has taken your gesture to heart."

"Ah, is she ill?" Queen Dowager Beiyu covered her mouth in surprise, "Is it serious? Have you summoned the Imperial Physician?"

The Empress spoke up as well, "How come I wasn’t informed of the Empress Dowager’s illness?

How do you people conduct your duties? Entry of the Imperial Physician into the palace must be approved by me, and these past few days I have heard nothing of any Imperial Physician coming in.

If the Empress Dowager is sick, you should report it to me immediately.

What if her condition worsens? Are you trying to frame me for disrespect? "

After all, the Empress was of noble birth, coming from the Martial Family of the Yun’s, and trained in martial arts. The reprimanding Empress Yun displayed a formidable presence, causing the old matron to shudder with fright, hastily kneeling down.

Queen Dowager Beiyu glanced at the Empress from the corner of her eye, her mind racing with thoughts.

Since Empress Yun had taken control of the six palaces, she had always kept a low profile, particularly in avoiding conflicts with the Empress Dowager.

During the "Black Light" incident, she had also been forbearing, but now she was showing a strong front, very uncharacteristic of her usual demeanor.

It seemed...something was indeed amiss.

"Please calm your anger, Your Majesty. It was the Empress Dowager who instructed not to disturb her with visitors, the old servant I..."

"Step aside!" the Empress commanded coldly.

The old matron dared not block the way.

And so, Queen Dowager Beiyu and the Empress entered the Empress Dowager’s sleeping quarters without any hindrance.

The Palace Maids followed closely behind, with both the Empress and Queen Dowager harboring their own thoughts as they walked to the entrance of the sleeping quarters.

On the way, the Empress wondered; the Emperor was secluded and the eunuchs at the door were overbearingly powerful, whereas the situation here at the Empress Dowager’s seemed normal, probably not the same case.

Engrossed in these thoughts, they suddenly stopped at the entrance of the front hall, both looking shocked at the scene before the palace.

In broad daylight, the Empress Dowager’s sleeping quarters appeared as if shrouded in the darkness of night, jarringly out of place with its surroundings, ominously and strangely eerie to the extreme. And this phenomenon... they had witnessed it a few days earlier...

The Black Light!

"How dare you!!" The Empress was the first to fly into a rage, turning back to roar at the old matron rushing over, "Who gave you the audacity to place such a thing in the Imperial Palace??"

The Palace Maids knelt down one after another, banging their heads on the ground, clearly frightened by the object from their panic-stricken expressions.

"Please calm your anger, Your Majesty. This...this wasn’t the idea of this old servant, it was...it was..."

"Remove it!" commanded the Empress straightforwardly.

"This..." Several old matrons looked at each other, their faces pale to the extreme, obviously too frightened to speak.

"What’s the matter? Do I need to call the guards for you to act?"

"Please calm your anger, Your Majesty. This old servant will..."

"The Empress has arrived..."

A ghostly voice rose from within, instantly relieving the kneeling old nannies – although they didn’t enjoy hearing the Empress Dowager’s voice now, at this moment, they were even less inclined to dismantle the Dowager’s lantern.

In the past few days, over a hundred palace maids had gone missing outside the Empress Dowager’s sleeping quarters, leaving not even bone scraps.

No matter how they searched, they found nothing; and with the Empress Dowager forbidding anyone to approach for ten days – even those bringing food – what could possibly be inside that anyone would dare to probe?

Of course, the Empress wouldn’t dare either...

"Empress Dowager," the Empress said, "Your Majesty has called upon the realm, declaring that the Mingyue Sect is a heretical cult. How can you..."

"Ah, it’s rather complicated. Since the Empress is here, why not... come in to talk."

Go in? Go in where, exactly...

Her face twitched; only a madwoman would dare enter. She might come from a Martial Family, but she was no warrior herself, having learned only a smattering and not possessing any bloodline powers – she didn’t have the reckless courage of a true warrior.

"Xia He..." The Empress turned to look at her maidservant, "Take my token to the East Gate to summon the troops, and say that the Empress Dowager has been held hostage by evildoers. Also, order someone to fetch Grand Sorcerer Qi Long..."

She had barely finished speaking when she stiffened...

Because at the entrance of the sleeping quarters, a man dressed in a white robe appeared suddenly, watching the Empress with a ghostly gaze as she gave her orders.

"Was the Empress looking for me?"

"Grand Sorcerer Qi..." Swallowing hard, the Empress recognized Court Magician Qi Long, the sole First Rank Magician from the Qi Family, with a status comparable to that of the three High Priests.

"How are you here?"

"Oh..." Qi Long bowed in salute, then looked up, "The Empress Dowager felt under the weather and didn’t want to worry Your Majesty. She discreetly summoned me to examine her."

"I see..." The Empress managed a strained smile. Now there was no excuse to storm in with troops. With Qi Long’s status, even if she called the guards, they would not dare to intrude. But without going in, how would she uncover the truth?

"How is Her Majesty’s health?" The Empress could only ask out of concern.

"Nothing serious..." Qi Long smiled, "Just a minor ailment. I’ve prescribed a remedy; my subordinates are off to the pharmacy to fetch the medicines for brewing. Was the Empress here to visit the Empress Dowager on an errand? Or perhaps... should I lead you inside?"

The Empress: "...."

"I have no business, actually. I was just passing by and happened to see the Imperial Concubine being stopped outside, so out of curiosity, I came to have a look." The Empress quickly turned to the Imperial Concubine.

Empress Dowager Beiyu Mao’s face twitched, her heart bristling at the sight of that dark palace.

In a low voice, she said, "I was merely concerned, as I had not seen the Empress Dowager for many days. I came to pay my respects, but I don’t understand.

.. why would the Empress Dowager hang such a thing at the entrance to her quarters?

Shouldn’t Grand Sorcerer Qi persuade her otherwise? "

"Ah, about that..." Qi Long laughed, "I’ve advised her that it serves no purpose and has none of the demon-repelling and mind-soothing effects the heretical disciples claim. However, the Empress Dowager insists, and I am powerless to change her mind. Since His Majesty hasn’t said anything, perhaps the Empress should just let her Dowager Mother have her way. "

At his explanation, the Empress had nothing to say, but she felt rather reluctant to just walk away.

"That won’t do..." The woman from the Beiyu Family had come with a purpose and couldn’t leave without accomplishing it. Of course, she was frightened to enter. After thinking for a moment, her gaze suddenly shifted to the black lantern.

"This thing is sinister. Perhaps the Empress Dowager’s health has been affected by this cursed object. The Empress Dowager has been deceived by sorcerers; how can you, Grand Sorcerer, ignore this and even indulge it?"

With those words, she moved towards the black lantern and, without further ado, seized it.

This action startled the Empress. The woman from the Beiyu Family sure had some guts.

At the entrance, Qi Long watched the scene unfold, his calm expression twisting in an instant: "Stop right there!!"