Chapter 203: The Empress Caught in the Act, Enters the Battlefield of Jealousy (3)
In the White Jade Pavilion—
After a busy stretch, the Imperial Beauty finally entered a rare period of leisure.
Now that peace had been restored within the capital, and with Eunuch Cao assisting by her side, things were far more relaxed.
Everyone performed their duties diligently, with greater enthusiasm than ever—there were barely any mistakes.
As a result, her daily workload had decreased significantly.
It showed that those ministers still had untapped potential.
Amidst this thriving, peaceful scene, her gaze extended beyond the capital.
The recent parade through the streets had stirred unrest among the rebels.
They were now desperate to stabilize from within and wouldn't be able to cause trouble for a while.
And during this window, it was time to prepare to hold the sects in the Southern Court accountable.
Those sects constantly broke the law with force and claimed they were beyond restraint—truly infuriating.
Did they not understand the principle that all land under heaven belongs to the Emperor?
The top of the list was, of course, the Heavenly Dao Sect, which had been especially active lately!
Thinking this, the Imperial Beauty's face showed a thoughtful expression.
Seemed like it was time to call in that rebellious little brother of hers and ask about the Heavenly Dao Sect's hiding place.
Investigating it herself would take too much time and effort.
Come to think of it, she'd really been relying on him a bit too much lately.
Whenever something important came up, she'd want to hear his opinion first...
Once that thought emerged, she accepted it without hesitation.
So what if she relied on him?
He was a little brother she'd cultivated herself—why not use him?
Not just anyone could be her strategist!
The Imperial Beauty expertly summoned a water mirror to check on what he was doing.
At first, this kind of thing felt a little sneaky—like she was spying.
But by now, she felt zero guilt. In fact, she did it with full confidence.
If she didn't keep an eye on him, what if her rebellious brother got into danger?
Just like that night, checking in from time to time was totally reasonable.
But once the spell was cast, the scene it revealed looked all too familiar.
Wasn't that... her mother's bedchamber?
Could it be that her brother came to visit her and ended up being taken by her mother?
Didn't seem right—she'd been busy earlier and had no time.
Meaning, he couldn't have come looking for her!
The perspective shown by the spell hovered over a screen.
Behind that screen was a slender, graceful figure changing clothes.
But when the person stepped out, the Empress's brow twitched and her eyes narrowed.
Something wasn't right.
Inside the Empress Dowager's chambers—
Su Mengxi had already changed into a new outfit and stepped out from behind the screen.
Unlike her usual luxurious attire, she now wore a simple, plain long dress.
It was the kind of everyday gown women often wore, without any extra embroidery.
On top of that, it was rather loose-fitting—doing nothing to accentuate her figure.
Of course, her curvy, full figure was still vaguely visible underneath.
If she walked through the streets dressed like this and no one saw her face, they might give her a few glances—no more.
She adjusted the veil on her head and curved her lips into a sly smile.
Su Qing: "..."
He looked at the scene with a blank expression, unsure what to say.
"Well? Isn't this outfit plain enough? No way anyone would recognize me out on the street."
Su Mengxi circled him once, deliberately swaying her voluptuous, perfect curves.
What had been relatively hidden before now became very apparent.
"Mother... is it really necessary to act like a thief? You could've just asked for permission."
"If you didn't want to speak to Sister Qinglan directly, I could've done it for you."
Su Qing sighed helplessly.
He had come, of course, to fulfill their prior agreement.
Even if he'd made that promise in a questionable situation, he didn't intend to pretend nothing had happened.
But the moment he brought it up, the Empress Dowager had acted like a different person.
Sneaky was the best word for it—like she was plotting something shady.
Was all this really necessary?
"Ungrateful child! I have the freedom to live my life—I don't need to report to anyone!"
Su Mengxi raised a brow and suddenly slammed Su Qing against the wall, scolding him harshly.
"Oh?"
A sudden mocking laugh echoed faintly.
"Mother, even if that's the case, I still think Sister Qinglan deserves to know."
As Su Qing said this, he glanced toward the side.
"You ungrateful child! Can't you see the misery I've endured?!"
"Imprisoned by my arrogant daughter, unable to take a step outside the palace, every move scrutinized—"
"Even leaving the palace requires layers of approval. There's no joy in this life—I'm no puppet!"
"Today, I absolutely refuse to report to anyone. No one can boss me around or criticize me!"
Su Mengxi remained completely unaware of the gravity of the situation, continuing her rant.
Su Qing stayed silent.
As the saying goes, kind words won't persuade a fool bent on dying.
He'd done his part—what happened next wasn't his fault.
Su Mengxi smacked her lips when she didn't hear any snarky response.
What was this? Why wasn't he arguing back?
"Mother... I didn't expect you to be carrying such injustice in your heart."
A chilling voice suddenly rang out behind them.
The Imperial Beauty had appeared, her stiff smile betraying her fury.
Once she sensed something was off, she'd rushed over immediately.
And walked in just in time to hear—and see—this.
Who could put up with that?!
Su Qing: "..."
He was truly helpless.
The plan to sneak the Empress Dowager out had officially failed—and they'd been caught red-handed by Her Majesty.
Honestly, he wasn't even surprised by this outcome. He hadn't supported the plan in the first place.
There weren't many people in the White Jade Pavilion—anyone coming or going was obvious. Who wouldn't notice?
But for some reason, the Empress Dowager insisted on sneaking out today.
Su Qing could only hope—hopefully no one gets hurt.
"Yah!"
Su Mengxi was startled, feeling her hairs stand on end.
She spun around quickly and was met with her daughter's death glare.
"Mother, care to explain what exactly you meant by all that you just said?"
The Imperial Beauty kept a dangerously sweet smile on her face as she asked.
She couldn't take this slander anymore!
'Imprisoned'? She'd never done anything like that!
Her mother chose not to go out—she'd never restricted her!
If that rebellious little brother misunderstood this...
Damn it! Why do I care if that brat misunderstands anything?