The doorman spoke with urgency, indicating that the palace attendants who had come to summon her must have been equally desperate.
It was already night, the time for sleep, and the Empress Dowager actually wanted her to enter the palace!
Yun Shu's gaze shifted subtly.
"Mistress," Jing Heng's voice was low, carrying a dangerous undertone.
Yun Shu slowly curved her lips into a smile, shaking her head. "It's fine. Jing Heng, go see Prince Ye and tell him to find a coroner to examine the body. Yun Yueyin was pregnant; traces should definitely be found."
"Then does Mistress intend to enter the palace?" Jing Heng asked.
Yun Shu nodded. "Yes."
Not far away, Yun Changfeng, upon hearing the news, hurried over. "Shu'er, why would the Empress Dowager see you at this hour?"
"I don't know yet. Once I enter the palace, I'll know what the Empress Dowager truly wants. Father, don't worry. I am, after all, the daughter of a great general. Even if the Empress Dowager cannot stand me, she would never dare to harm me. Besides... if anything happens, someone will send word to Father." Yun Shu replied gently.
Yun Changfeng's eyes darkened. After a long pause, he said, "Alright, be careful with everything."
Moments later.
As Yun Shu entered the palace, Jing Heng met with Zhan Tianye.
After conveying Yun Shu's message, he also informed Zhan Tianye about Yun Shu being summoned to the palace by the Empress Dowager.
Hearing this, Zhan Tianye glanced at the increasingly dark night outside. The Empress Dowager was as restless as ever.
"Someone, prepare a carriage."
"Yes!"
...
In the dungeon at this moment, the Yun family members were trembling with fear.
Apart from Madam Yang and Wen Shu, the others could not comprehend why they were being taken to prison when Yun Yueyin had already been burned to death.
Old Madam Yun lay in a drier corner, in a place where she could at least lie down. As if struck by a devastating blow, she kept muttering to herself, "How did it come to this?"
The old wet nurse wiped away tears beside her.
Madam Yang wore a bewildered expression, her heart filled with unease. Where was Yueyin at this moment?
"Madam, though Miss is gone, I will definitely take good care of you! One day, Madam will surely see the clouds part and the moon shine through." Wen Shu, unable to speak directly, could only try to comfort Madam Yang in various ways.
She hoped Madam Yang would heed her words.
Absolutely no news about Miss could be revealed.
Madam Yang understood. "Yes."
Wen Shu stealthily observed the jailers guarding them.
She didn't know why, but she had a premonition that things wouldn't go smoothly. She hadn't expected them to be arrested by the authorities, especially since Miss's 'scorched body' was there, seen by the officials and Prince Ye's men.
However...
Why were Prince Ye's men here tonight?
...
The Imperial Palace.
After entering the palace, Yun Shu was immediately escorted to the Empress Dowager's sleeping quarters.
Fragrant mist swirled.
Incense was used to aid sleep.
Today, the Geng family had lost Geng Yufei and were facing gossip from all sides. Under such circumstances, the Empress Dowager still wanted to burn calming incense?
Yun Shu's gaze fell on the screen.
The Empress Dowager was seated behind the screen.
The moment she entered, the door behind her slammed shut.
Then, several palace maids stood guard at the entrance.
Yun Shu remained calm, as if she hadn't noticed anything.
The palace maids were expressionless and silent. A palpable pressure permeated the sleeping quarters. Anyone with a timid heart would surely be terrified by their actions.
Yun Shu slightly curved her lips. Having just suffered a blow, the Empress Dowager could so quickly employ such tactics to intimidate her. She was indeed worthy of being the one who clawed her way to the top in palace intrigues.
In the needle-drop silence.
The Empress Dowager finally spoke, directly unleashing a question.
"Several matters have occurred today, extremely complex, and all of them, more or less, have some connection to you. Yun Shu, tell this old woman the truth, were you involved?"
"This commoner does not understand what Your Majesty means?" Yun Shu feigned ignorance.
Behind the screen, the Empress Dowager frowned deeply. "After that guard slandered the Empress, for some reason, he suddenly changed his statement, saying someone had drugged him, making him lose control and speak nonsensically. Among those present, only you have good medical skills. You and the Empress have had minor friction. Do you harbor resentment towards the Empress and therefore drugged the guard?"
Yun Shu, her complexion unchanged, replied, "This commoner does not know that guard, let alone that this commoner drugged him. In this commoner's opinion, it is he who still harbors ill intentions towards the Empress and wished to use this opportunity to ruin her. It has nothing to do with this commoner, or anyone else."
As her words fell, she suddenly looked towards a graceful figure standing beside the Empress Dowager, behind the screen.
A gaze, sharp with hidden intent, fixed on her from behind the screen.
It was like the gaze Jiang Luoxi had given her during the day.
Jiang Luoxi was also here?
The Empress Dowager, angered by Yun Shu's sophistry, gritted her teeth. She had encountered many such glib tongued wretches in the harem in the past.
Just as she was about to speak again, Jiang Luoxi subtly shook her head at the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager suppressed the reprimand that was about to escape her lips. Instead, she rubbed her temples. "This old woman has been feeling tired lately and often has a poor appetite. Since you have medical skills, why don't you examine me?"
This command was stated with absolute justification.
A cold glint flashed in Yun Shu's beautiful eyes. The Empress Dowager had quite the nerve! One moment she was arrogantly trying to frame her, and the next she was ordering her to treat her?
She wanted to have her cake and eat it too?
"This commoner's medical skills are shallow. I dare not present them before Your Majesty." Yun Shu lowered her eyes and calmly refused.
"I have heard that you have treated His Majesty several times, and then cured Miss Tang. There is no need to be so modest." The Empress Dowager said coldly, lacking patience.
A mere daughter of a great general, whose illegitimate child was one thing, yet she was playing coy in front of her. Did she truly believe her medical skills were that remarkable?
There were many highly skilled imperial physicians in the palace.
She merely wanted to find an excuse to punish her!
Yun Shu stepped forward. Simultaneously, the screen was moved aside by the palace maids. She saw the Empress Dowager sitting on a chair, her face somewhat haggard. Jiang Luoxi was nowhere to be seen beside the Empress Dowager.
Yun Shu subtly scanned a certain spot before taking the Empress Dowager's pulse.
As Yun Shu's cool fingertips touched her wrist, the Empress Dowager felt a surge of disgust. She wanted to slap her hand away, or directly sentence her, but she suppressed the thought.
"What can you tell?" the Empress Dowager asked.
She knew her physical condition very well. Every few days, imperial physicians would check her pulse for her well-being, and she had also been examined by renowned physicians outside the palace. Her health had always been excellent.
Yun Shu had initially only intended to casually examine the pulse. Given the Empress Dowager's suspicion of her, she would never casually believe her diagnosis.
She might even use this opportunity to do something.
However...
Her heart skipped a beat.
The Empress Dowager's pulse was truly surprising!