The matter begins on that morning.
Since the time when she bribed a Palace Attendant in the Imperial Garden to stuff catnip powder into Yun Jiao's dance costume's bell, Consort Jiang had been blacklisted from Changle Palace for a while. The Empress Dowager intended to keep her at a distance, to make her understand that even with their familial ties, she couldn't act arrogantly and commit misdeeds in the palace.
Indeed, after being turned away by the Empress Dowager, Consort Jiang had quieted down for a few days.
At first, she was resentful, then she became fearful.
Consort Jiang knew that the Emperor was indifferent to her, and if the Empress Dowager also disliked her, she would have no support in the palace. Thus, when she heard that the Empress Dowager was ill, Consort Jiang felt that heaven had not completely abandoned her; it was the perfect opportunity to mend her relationship with the Empress Dowager!
She acted on these thoughts, yet her intentions weren't entirely pure.
