They were all secretly trained confidants of the Prime Minister. With the Prime Minister dead, naturally, they obey the Empress. No one comes to the Cold Palace, so it's quite convenient for them to come here for meetings.
The man kneeling on the ground cautiously asked, "Empress, are you not having a good time in the palace?"
The Empress's once exquisite face had become extremely haggard, as if she had aged ten years overnight. She sighed and said gently, "Everything else is alright, it's just the food that's too awful. Either it's gone bad or it stinks, and on the rare occasion when there's a good meal, I'm afraid it has been poisoned. Alas, I don't know when these days will ever end."
The man was extremely angry. No wonder the Empress asked him for silver; it turned out she was living worse than pigs and dogs in the Cold Palace.
