“Sixth Princess, the Empress has summoned you.”
Mo Qingli looked up at the maid. “Wait for me outside. This Princess has something to do first.”
After the maid left the room, Mo Qingli’s face became cast with a dark gloom. Feng Chenling approached her from behind, quietly asking, “Wife, what is it?”
“It’s nothing.” Mo Qingli gave a faint smile, which pierced directly into Feng Chenling’s heart. “I have to travel to the Palace. I’ll send Yue Yao to find Feng Qingjue instead, so don’t worry too much.”
“Okay,” Feng Chenling said, biting down on his lip nervously. He looked nervously at Mo Qingli behind her.
At the Imperial Palace.
“You should know why We have called you today?” The Empress sat on her throne, staring down at the three kneeling people below her from the rim of her tea cup.
Mo Qinghan and Mo Qingqin kowtowed against the floor, glancing at each other surreptitiously. “Replying to Mother Empress, your Imperial children… we do not know!”
“Oh? Your replies seem to be well coordinated.”
Sweat appeared on Mo Qinghan and Mo Qingqin’s forehead. The Empress stared at them appraisingly, raising her eyebrows, before turning to Mo Qingli, who was kneeling at the side. “And you?”
Mo Qingli’s mouth curved upwards. This old woman really was sharp. She clearly knew that Mo Qinghan and Mo Qingqin had questions, but, ignoring them, she had asked Mo Qingli instead. She lowered her eyes, quietly saying, “I believe that it has something to do with the Xiaoyao Dynasty’s Prince’s unexpected death!”
“You seem to be very knowledgeable. Just now the border guard came back. It seems the Xiaoyao Dynasty’s Emperor has already come to know about the situation. Not only is he extremely furious, but he has dispatched troops at the border.” The Empress seemed to become tired, leaning back against the dragon throne. She kneaded her forehead. “Li-er, why don’t you tell me what your mother should do to resolve this?”
Mo Qingqin felt shock at the words. Mo Qinhan and Mo Qingli were already at odds at each other like fire and war, but now the Empress’s attitude towards the latter had changed drastically, so much that even the manner of address was different. Now that her mother had allowed Mo Qingli to speak, would her own life be spared? Could Mo Qinghan save her at this point? Would Mo Qinghan even have any more use for her? Mo Qingqin felt herself fill with a great amount of dread.
Mo Qingqin was too familiar with the Empress’s attitude; in order to achieve her goal, she would stoop to even the most unscrupulous of means. In order to ascend to the throne, she had killed all of her own blood sisters cleanly. Now that the kingdom was under threat of war, someone like her who didn’t possess the Empress’s favor, could…
Thinking to this point, Mo Qinqin could no longer stand it. She pushed Mo Qingli away, standing in her place. “Mother Empress, that small Xiaoyao kingdom is nothing compared to our grand and powerful kingdom. Since they want to declare war, aren’t they afraid that their lifespans aren’t short enough? I say that we extinguish them!”
Hearing Mo Qingqin’s words, the Empress unexpectedly began to laugh. “Extinguish them! Hehe… good, good!”
“Since Mother Empress has decided that this plan is good, then what are you waiting for? You should dispatch troops now.” Mo Qingqin continued unawares, not even feeling Mo Qinghan pulling urgently back against her robes.
The Empress suddenly threw her tea cup at Mo Qingqin. The cup broke with a loud bang, splashing tea all over Mo Qinqin, the shards scratching against her exposed skin.
“Mother Empress!” Mo Qingqin cradled her face, staring astonishedly towards the suddenly furious Empress. She didn’t understand why the Empress was reacting like this.