Chapter 256 - Aftershock (2/2)

”Oh, okay.” Lei Xing responded, focusing her attention back on him.

The Emperor sighed again and then said, ”The Empress dowager has now been confined to her palace and will remain so until...further notice. Therefore she will no longer be able to handle the palace affairs. Ideally, you should be assuming the responsibilities after you ascend to the position of Empress, but given the situation, I was hoping you could take over the duties now...”

”Oh.” Lei Xing exclaimed, a bit surprised.

”As I said before, you can do as little as you'd like. It's just a matter of who to report to if needed...Nothing in your life has to change.” The Emperor reassuringly added the last line, remembering how lazy Lei Xing was.

”Oh, it's fine. I would love to - I mean, yes. Sure...Yes, I can.” Lei Xing haphazardly responded, a little bit giddy about the new job.

The Emperor smiled and then said, ”That's good then. I will have the Empress's seal sent over tomorrow, along with someone to assist you...”

Lei Xing awkwardly nodded, a bit nervous.

{...A job, a daunting job...potentially. Do I get a salary?... Don't ask that! -_-)'...}

The Emperor looked at her awkward form and then reached out and pat her head, ”I am sure you will do great. I'll see you later.” The Emperor finished with a smile and then got up and left the room.

As soon as he turned away from her, his smile disappeared as he contemplated whether to continue with the futile search or not.

***

The Empress dowager woke up to find herself in her bed back at her palace. At first, she was confused but then the memories of the night quickly flooded back into her mind. Chun Hua had disappeared and with her, the only link to the monk and that Chen You was the cause of all this.

The Empress dowager scowled and immediately went to get up to get dressed. The door then opened and Song mama came in carrying a bowl of water, she blinked and smiled when she saw the Empress dowager getting up, ”Your majesty, you're awake!” She had been asleep when the Empress dowager left a few days back. So she had been very worried when she was brought back unconscious.

The Empress dowager irritatedly glanced at her and simply said, ”Get things ready, I'm going out.”

Song mama froze and then quietly walked over to the side, dropped the bowl of water, and hesitantly informed, ”Your majesty, you...you can't leave.”

The Empress dowager stopped and turned to a questioning frown to her, ”What?”

Song mama looked at her, gulped, and then carefully said, ”The Emperor ordered that you are not to leave your palace...”

”What do you mean?!” The Empress dowager barked and Song mama jumped, then promptly fell to her knees and explained, ”I don't know what happened but the -...when they brought you back, the guards said you are not to leave and...and this morning, they cleared out the servants...and locked the doors...” Song mama's voice got quieter and quieter as she explained along, lowering her head as she braced herself. She knew the Empress dowager would be enraged by this news.

But then after waiting for a little bit, the Empress dowager had still not responded. So Song mama dared to look up to see the Empress dowager glaring daggers down at her so she promptly lowered her head again in fear.

The Empress dowager seemed to have frozen in place and was having trouble processing what she just heard. After a little bit longer, she finally quietly and calmly asked, ”He did what?”

Song mama knit her brows and hesitated. The Empress dowager being quiet like this was a lot more worrisome than her shouting, shouting was unexpected and so Song mama stuttered, ”Th-he Emperor...said...Y-your highness c-c-cannot leave your palace...”

Rather than address Song mama, the Empress dowager simply stormed out of her room into an empty hallway with no servants. She made her way through empty corridors and entered the empty courtyard to see then to the entrance doors closed. Then she stopped and simply stood there staring at the doors.

Song mama came up behind her and stood some distance away, wary of her mistress eerie calmness.

After a while of just standing there staring at the locked doors, the Empress dowager calmly ordered, ”Open the doors.”

Song mama knit her brows, ”Your maj-”

”I said OPEN THE DOORS!” The Empress dowager barked.

Song mama jumped, but then before she could react, she heard the sound of the doors being unlocked from the outside. She let out a sigh of relief as she thought the Emperor had changed his mind.

One of the doors was then opened but then Ling mama was quickly ushered in and the doors were promptly closed behind her with the lock put back in place.

Song mama's heart fell as she glanced at the Empress dowager's tensed up back, dreading her upcoming outburst.

Ling mama looked from the closed doors to the Empress dowager in confusion. As soon as she arrived back at the palace, she was kept waiting for a long while at the palace gates until an euncuh finally arrived with an order from the Emperor, permitting her to be taken to the Empress dowager's palace.

She was confused as to why she needed the Emperor's permission to enter. Not to mention she arrived to find the entrance locked with guards standing there like it was a prison. She now completely understood that something had gone very wrong somewhere while she was absent.