青春期撞上更年期第1部

The door of an empty hall was left ajar, and the Empress quietly appeared at the palace gate with her two trusted subordinates. This place was far from the Phoenix Palace, so the Empress could no longer remember who had lived there. Since the Emperor moved into the Palace, this place had been empty. A consort of the deceased emperor seemed to be the last one living in it.

After so many years, no one had ever moved in.

This palace was not big, but it was one of the main palaces in the Palace. When the Emperor had just moved into the Palace, he made several imperial consorts masters of the main palaces. Since then, no more consorts, including those newly entered consorts, had received such an honor. As a result, a few palaces were left empty. This one before her should be one of them.

A light appeared in the depths of the hall. The woman holding the lamp looked at the Empress with her beautiful eyes, which were calm and a little cold. Even though she was not as tall as the Empress, the Empress was slightly stunned by her distinguished bearing. She could not help but stop walking. For a long time, she had never seen a woman standing so erect and proud before her.

Looking at her beautiful face of peerless charm, the Empress felt ashamed of her inferiority. Somehow, she began to hate her out of jealousy.

Princess Chen was also a stunning beauty, but her face still looked slightly childish. In contrast, this strikingly attractive face before her brought the Empress an immediate sense of crisis.

Only the face in front of her could make her feel aggrieved, angry, and hateful.

Yes, the more jealous she was at that time, the angrier she was now. Her eyes were almost blazing with anger as she glared at the woman before with resentment and said, “Consort Lan, you are indeed restless and discontented!”

Quietly, Consort Lan put the lamp in her hand on the candlestick before her and turned around. In the shadow of the lamp, Qing Mu was on high alert.

Everyone in Consort Lan’s palace had always been on guard against the Empress.

“Your Highness, do you dare to say this to His Majesty?” Consort Lan looked at the Empress and asked slowly after putting down the lamp and turning around.

As her face darkened slightly, she automatically showed an imposing manner, which made the Empress feel suffocated, as if something had humbled her pride. Instantly, it put the Empress into a slightly weaker position.

“You… you are still so…” The Empress gritted her teeth, intending to scold.

“Your Majesty, please watch your words!” Consort Lan looked up, her beautiful eyes becoming deep, and said with disdain, “After so many years, you’re still so hot-tempered. Don’t you think it’s not good?”

“You… why haven’t you died yet?” The Empress gritted her teeth.

“If I die, you won’t live in peace. You must have forgotten who wants to kill you!” Consort Lan sat on a chair near her, pointed to the chair opposite it, and said, “How about sitting down for a talk, Your Majesty?”

“I don’t want to talk to an imperial consort who has descended to the Cold Palace.” The Empress took a step forward proudly and said.

“If so, please go back. There’s no way for us to cooperate. I can go to see Consort of Virtue. Maybe she’s very willing to work with me!” Consort Lan pointed outside the hall with a gloomy look and said casually.

Her manner when talking reminded the Empress of a scene in the past. At that time, the woman before her was also sitting gracefully there with great dignity, but the Empress had to kneel at her feet.

The feeling of humiliation made the Empress see reality more clearly. If she refused Consort Lan, she would turn to cooperate with Consort of Virtue. With Consort of Virtue’s character, she would agree to join hands with her. After all, Consort of Virtue didn’t know as much inside story as her.

“You… if you push me like this, I’ll expose your scandal!” The Empress threatened in a harsh voice.

Consort Lan’s long eyelashes fluttered. Carelessly, she picked up the teapot on the table and poured herself a cup of tea. Then she pushed the teapot close and said unhurriedly, “Say it if you want, but I’m afraid that even Prince Zhou will be implicated when you reveal that.”

If she dared to do that, she would have made it public long ago. Consort Lan knew how much the Empress hated her. If possible, the Empress would kill her.

But she had no guts to say it, even to her son. It might bring them a dreadful disaster if her son made a slip of the tongue. Thus, she could only keep it to herself and tell no one.

“You…” The Empress was so angry that her face turned livid. In the end, logic prevailed, and she abandoned the previous idea. “Tell me how we can cooperate?”

“I guarantee your position as the Empress, and you propose Prince Chen to be the crown prince of the Eastern Palace.” Consort Lan looked at the Empress and said word by word.

Upon hearing Consort Lan’s words, the Empress flew into a rage and said with a stern and terrifying look, “Impossible. Consort Lan, you’d better give up this idea. I… I will never say that.”

Consort Lan was not surprised by the Empress’s flat refusal. She reached out to lead the way and said, “Since you don’t want to do that, forget it. Everyone in the imperial court is talking about deposing you, and you should be clear about the Emperor’s intention. If you don’t mention it, I can ask other consorts to do it, though the effect may not be that good. Of course, without you, I will become a high-ranking imperial consort even if I can’t be the Empress. I can make Prince Chen a son under my name at that time. It might be a smoother way for him to become the heir to the throne. As for Prince Zhou…”

Speaking of this, Consort Lan paused, looked at the Empress, who slowed down her pace and continued with a smile, “His mother had been removed from the position of Empress. No matter how promising Prince Zhou is, he has nothing to do with the throne. Then, it will be successive battles for the throne among Prince Yue, Prince Chen, and Prince Cheng.”

“Prince Zhou is the legitimate son of the Emperor!” The Empress suddenly turned around and looked at Consort Lan with deep hatred. Her ashen face even turned a little blue.

“When you’re no longer the Empress, how can he be a legitimate son? Speaking of this, Prince Chen is the only legitimate descendent. So, we will benefit a lot if you are out of power. Maybe I shouldn’t have come here to meet you today.” Consort Lan said indifferently.

“What… what do you want?” The Empress was not stupid. Although her face was still dark, she asked the critical question.

“Nothing. I just want to get Prince Chen a fair chance. As for whether he can succeed in the future, it’s up to his fate. I can’t control it. How much do you think I can help him with my current situation?” Consort Lan’s voice was soft, but her eyes darkened, inexplicably making people sad.

Prince Chen had a prominent status as the eldest legitimate son of the deceased emperor. Nevertheless, he was the deceased emperor’s son. At this point, he might even become the arch-enemy of the other princes.

Looking at Consort Lan like this, the Empress felt delighted. When her old rival showed such an expression, it looked more persuasive than any explanation. Gradually, the Empress calmed down. If they went against each other, they would lose simultaneously, but once they united, both sides could win. She might as well propose that Chu Liuchen should be the crown prince. Anyway, her suggestion would not make it real instantly.

If her words had been useful, his son would have become the crown prince of the Eastern Palace long ago.

“His Highness may not listen to me!” The Empress said slowly,

“You just need to submit a memorial. Leave the rest to fate. At least, Prince Chen should have such an opportunity, right?” Consort Lan raised the corner of her mouth and said with a sarcastic smile.

It seemed she was mocking herself instead of the Empress.

“Then you should help me be in charge of the imperial harem again, but how can you guarantee that?” The Empress’s eyes flashed, and she asked.

“Do you still want to manage the imperial harem?” Consort Lan asked.

The Empress was stunned. “But didn’t you say that you would help me? Was it a joke?”

“Your Majesty, I said I would not let His Majesty depose you. You could be the Empress, but I didn’t say you could regain your power over the imperial harem. You’ve done many sinister things, so you’re not completely innocent, are you? If His Majesty continues investigating, he might find out something else!”

Consort Lan said coldly.

The Empress instantly weakened. She tilted her head uneasily to avoid Consort Lan’s eyes and said, “I didn’t poison Princess Chen, nor did I assassinate her…”

Consort Lan interrupted her, “Your Majesty, it’s useless to tell me these things. But your words might work if you tell them to His Majesty. I just don’t know if His Majesty will listen to what you say.”

The Emperor wouldn’t have thought about deposing the Empress if he had believed her words.

The Empress said viciously through her gritted teeth. “I will find out who framed me behind the scenes.”

Princess Chen’s servant girls had picked up a few suspects, all of whom had something to do with her. However, she didn’t ask them to do anything that day. At most, she just asked them to inquire about the news. How could she become the one plotting behind the scenes? Even worse, she got involved in the assassination targeting Princess Chen. The Empress had thought she was in full control of the imperial harem, but she didn’t know when she had started losing this control.

It must be that bitch Consort of Virtue. If anything happened to her at this time, Consort of Virtue would be the only one who benefited the most. After this crisis was settled, the Empress would not let go of her.

“In that case, we’ll wait for your memorial!” Consort Lan said.

“But, how can I trust you?” The Empress asked again. This time, she did not dare to ask about the matter of regaining her power. At this moment, firmly seizing her position as the Empress was the most important thing for her. As for the things in the future, she would think about them later.

Consort Lan slightly lifted the corners of her mouth, pulled out a faint smile, and said lightly, “Your Majesty, please remember that I won’t break my promise. It won’t do me any good. Your memorial is effective when you are still the Empress. But if you are not, we might as well find another consort to submit a memorial.”

...

Her words accelerated the Empress’s heart rate, but she knew it was true. Then, the Empress swung her sleeves and said, “Wait for my good news. But please keep your promise. Don’t force me to fall out with you.”

“Rest assured, Your Majesty. I’ll do my best!” Consort Lan said. She looked at the Empress’s back, hiding the hatred and pain in her eyes. If possible, she only wanted to kill the Empress. If it hadn’t been for the woman in front of her, all of this might not have happened. It was this woman who had harmed her…