The queen is sober in the world, and she is winning every step of the palace fight.

Chapter 310 Zheng Zhuyi expresses her loyalty again

Shixiang said, "She took advantage of the guard change and bribed a small leader at the corner gate to sneak in. She called me in to speak a few words, gave me some snacks, expressed her concern for the Queen Mother, and then left in a hurry."

The Queen Mother laughed when she heard this.

"That's true. These guards know I won't be trapped here for long, so they're wary. They're not really guarding me, they're just pretending. If we can send messages and things out, people from outside can naturally come in."

Shixiang echoed her master, "Who says it isn't? After all, you are the Queen Mother, and no one dares to go too far. Once this matter is over and His Majesty comes to his senses, Concubine Hui might also be reprimanded."

When mentioning Concubine Hui, the empress dowager's face darkened and she thought of the black sign again.

He subconsciously exerted force with his hands, and the mung bean cake broke into pieces.

Originally, there were several petals surrounding a lotus heart. Now the petals have fallen off, the lotus heart has lost its powder, and a roll of folded paper is revealed inside.

Shixiang was puzzled: "Why is Concubine Zheng so careless when making things? What got mixed in it..."

But the Queen Mother stopped her outstretched hand, opened the lotus heart completely herself, took out the note and unfolded it.

There are words written inside.

"The Empress Dowager is imprisoned, all due to the mischief of villains. I, your humble servant, am willing to render you the service of a loyal servant to restore order in the palace. I will present you with a generous gift, and I hope you will accept it."

A delicate font that is one size smaller than the hairpin-flowered regular script.

The Queen Mother squinted her eyes, smiled, and praised: "Zheng Guipin has a beautiful handwriting, but she is only a Guipin. It's really a pity. I will definitely promote her someday."

Tohka looked puzzled.

The Queen Mother was in a good mood and took the initiative to tell the loyal servant what was written on the note.

Shixiang was stunned: "I didn't expect Concubine Zheng to be so filial. She is really rare among so many concubines in the palace."

The Queen Mother curled her lips, smiled knowingly and shook her head.

"How can she be filial? I am not her biological parent, nor did I raise her. She simply has no other options, so she wants to find a future here with me."

Tohka looked puzzled: "But...she came here to show her courtesy before, which was fine, but now that we're in trouble, she still..."

"That's her cleverness." The Queen Mother crumpled up the note and threw it away, explaining, "It's easy to add icing on the cake, but it's hard to help someone in need. The more warmth you offer in times of trouble, the more it touches people!"

"The Queen Mother is saying that her intentions are not sincere?"

"Who cares if she's sincere or not? Shixiang, you've been in the palace for many years. Do you think there are any truly sincere people in this court, filled with deceit and flattery, like ants seeking food, swarming around cake crumbs. The favor, power, and status in this palace are the cake crumbs that attract mediocre people. As long as I sit in Ciyun Palace, there will always be ants coming. Now that the other ants have found this place unattractive, only Zheng is still willing to come, and I find her very pleasing to the eye."

Tohka listened silently, and finally, she murmured a little aggrievedly: "...I have always served the Queen Mother with sincerity."

The Queen Mother laughed, "You think everyone is as stupid as you!"

"Then this old slave would rather die of stupidity." Shixiang embarrassedly rubbed her gray hair and said, "Empress Dowager, can Concubine Zheng be trusted? Is this a trick?"

The candles flickered, and the dim yellow light sprinkled on the window frames carved with patterns of cranes, deer and spring flowers, with soft light and shadow.

The Queen Mother smiled as she broke open all the cakes on the plate one by one with her own hands, her demeanor calm and confident.

"What good does it bring her to cheat me?"

The question made Tohka choke, "...It doesn't seem to be any good."

"That's right. She has a sister who was deposed as the Empress, and a family full of fools who can't help her at all. She's stuck in this palace by herself, while Concubine Zhao and her group are flirting with the Emperor. What chance does she have? Turning to me is her only possible way out."

Shixiang suddenly understood. "The Empress Dowager is indeed very perceptive. I heard that on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, Concubine Si danced alone in the Shanglin Garden, and somehow attracted a swarm of fireflies, which was quite astonishing. But nothing happened after that. Before the palace was sealed, I heard many people privately mocking her for wasting her efforts... It seems Concubine Zheng couldn't handle it alone."

The Queen Mother snorted, "She's more ambitious than her deposed sister. She must feel that Concubine Si's stupidity is only adding fuel to the fire, making her even more embarrassed."

After all the cakes were broken, there were no more notes.

Tohka wrung out a wet towel and came over to let her master wipe his hands.

As for the plate of broken cakes, I certainly won't eat them.

No matter how much Concubine Zheng wanted to surrender, she could not be careless about food. The Empress Dowager never touched anything of unknown origin.

"Empress Dowager, what kind of gift do you think she will give? Could it be that she can find out the truth about Ying Ronghua's miscarriage?" Tohka guessed.

The Queen Mother was silent.

I'm not quite sure what Zheng Zhuyi is going to do.

But this girl is a little smart, so just wait and see.

*

"My lady, Concubine Zheng is here."

Yu Sujin was applying pearl powder on her face in the room when a palace maid suddenly reported that there was an uninvited guest.

"What is she here for?"

The palace maid shook her head: "She refused to speak and only asked the servant to pass on the message."

When everyone arrived at the door, Yu Sujin thought about it and decided to meet him. She wondered what Zheng Zhuyi, who had never been out and about, was doing here.

"Go and serve Her Majesty in the main hall. I'll be right back after I've cleaned up."

Yu Sujin took a handkerchief and carefully wiped the pearl powder off her face.

There were footsteps, but Zheng Zhuyi walked straight into the inner room and lifted the curtain herself, so the palace servants couldn't stop her.

"Sister, are you taking care of your beauty?" she greeted with a smile. "You've already been favored and promoted three levels to become a noble, yet you still pay so much attention to your appearance and refuse to slack off. I am truly ashamed of myself."

Yu Sujin's face darkened.

She was only wearing casual clothes, her hair was not combed properly, she was sitting cross-legged on the couch with a large towel wrapped around her, washing her face with her sleeves rolled up. It was really not suitable for her to see anyone, but someone suddenly broke in. How could she not be angry?

She smiled and said, "Yes, we can't slack off. Otherwise, if the queen comes to sleep with you one day, with her high position and good family background, I won't be able to catch up even if I flatter her."

It was an implicit criticism that Zheng Zhuyi only had a reputation and had never been summoned to the emperor's favor.

As for family background...what kind of family background can a family with a deposed queen have?

Zheng Zhuyi's smile froze.