Starting in Exile: Transmigrated as the Crown Prince's Lucky Little Wife

Chapter 35 The Empress Dowager Returns to the Palace! Zhao Yun Steals Gu Liuli's Rabbit Meat in

The next day at noon, the sunlight shone brightly on the golden gates of the palace. At that moment, a group of concubines slowly walked in, each one meticulously dressed, vying for attention with their beauty.

Leading the way was the Imperial Concubine, dressed in a bright and dazzling red gown, the clothes of which were well-tailored.

It perfectly outlined her graceful figure. As her clothes fluttered, the tassels hanging from the phoenix crown on her head swayed gracefully, shimmering with dazzling light, as eye-catching as the bright stars in the night sky.

The most eye-catching feature is the large blue gemstone set in the collar, its color pure and deep, like a deep blue lake, radiating a mysterious and charming brilliance.

The gemstone complemented the red uniform, making the Imperial Concubine look both noble and elegant, as well as radiant and beautiful.

Following behind, Consort Liang and Noble Lady Shen were equally impressive, each dressed in colorful and exquisitely designed palace gowns and adorned with a dazzling array of jewelry, a truly breathtaking sight.

"Your Highness is truly radiant today! Everything you wear and are made of priceless treasures. It seems His Majesty truly loves you the most!" said Consort Ren, a second-rank official, her voice tinged with envy and resentment.

Consort Chen smiled wickedly, her eyes never leaving the Emperor in his yellow robe. She knew very well that while the Emperor's favor towards her appeared to be exclusive, he always found various excuses not to touch her!

If it weren't for waiting for the Empress Dowager to return from outside the palace, she probably wouldn't even have been able to see the Emperor.

She harbored resentment in her heart, but still maintained an elegant demeanor in front of outsiders.

"Thank you for the compliment, Consort Chen. My attire today was indeed specially prepared to welcome the Empress Dowager." Consort Chen smiled slightly, her tone revealing a hint of smugness and provocation.

She knew that in this harem, only by gaining the emperor's favor could one truly control power, and she was the most promising candidate.

Consort Ren was unwilling, but there was nothing she could do.

She was well aware of her position in the harem. Although she held the second rank, she paled in comparison to Consort Chen in both beauty and favor. Therefore,

She could only transform her jealousy into a gentle smile, "The Imperial Concubine really knows how to dress; she's a sight to behold."

At this moment, the Emperor seemed to have overheard their conversation. He turned his head slightly, glanced at Consort Ren, and then turned his gaze to Consort Chen.

In that instant, Consort Chen felt a surge of joy; she knew what such attention meant.

Consort Chen was calculating her own schemes, but she forgot that her father had already conspired with Eunuch De to poison the Emperor starting today!

After waiting for two hours, a carriage slowly drove up outside the palace gate, accompanied by many soldiers in front and behind.

At this moment, all the servants knelt down and began to shout: "Welcome back to the palace, Empress Dowager! Long live the Empress Dowager!"

All the concubines bowed in unison.

"Welcome back to the palace, Empress Dowager!"

With a cry of "The Empress Dowager has arrived," the carriage curtain was slowly lifted, and a well-maintained hand, adorned with jade nail guards, reached out and gently rested on the nanny's arm.

The Empress Dowager, dressed in magnificent robes and wearing a phoenix crown, stepped out of the carriage with great poise amidst a crowd of people.

Her gaze was dignified and composed. After scanning the area, she slightly raised her head and walked steadily forward. The long train of her skirt trailed on the ground behind her, as if carrying endless nobility and majesty. Every step she took exuded royal solemnity and grandeur, making the surrounding air heavy.

"Get up!" The Empress Dowager didn't even glance at them, and walked straight into the palace. The crowd was puzzled by the atmosphere and dared not utter a word.

In the Imperial Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, upon hearing that the Empress had been banished to the Cold Palace, the Empress Dowager's originally peaceful face instantly turned ashen.

She slowed down the speed at which she was turning the prayer beads in her hand, took a deep breath, and looked up at the imperial concubine beside her.

His gaze suddenly sharpened like an eagle's, as if trying to pierce through the concubine's carefully made-up face and delve into the secrets of her heart.

The imperial concubine felt as if that gaze was piercing her back. The corners of her mouth, which had been slightly upturned, involuntarily froze, and she could no longer maintain her smile.

She subconsciously lowered her head to avoid the Empress Dowager's gaze, but her hands clenched tightly in her sleeves, her fingertips turning white from the force, and she dared not make a sound.

He could only pray that the storm would not affect him, but the coldness in the Empress Dowager's eyes grew stronger, and the surrounding air seemed to become thin and oppressive because of her sharp gaze.

"Your Majesty, I heard that the Mu family and the Crown Prince have been exiled to Ningguta by you? Mu Chun is a loyal minister! He is also the Protector General Mu Zetian! If it weren't for him saving you on the battlefield back then, you wouldn't be where you are today! How could you depose Chuan'er and take back Qingling's Empress's title on trumped-up charges!"

The Empress Dowager showed no mercy to Xiao Han in front of all the concubines and ministers present, wanting everyone to know that her return to the palace this time was for the sake of the Mu family!

The Imperial Concubine was instantly enraged, her eyebrows furrowing, her cheeks flushed red with anger, and she bit her lower lip tightly, her knuckles turning white from gripping her handkerchief so hard. Her chest heaved violently, her eyes filled with resentment and bitterness as she glared fiercely at the Empress Dowager, seemingly blaming her for favoritism. But in front of the Empress Dowager, she dared not retaliate, and could only suppress her anger, bottling it up inside.

"What? Have you all become mute! Some of you were quite arrogant while I was away! How come you've all become mute now!" The Empress Dowager's voice was deep and majestic, echoing in the hall like a great bell, each word like a heavy hammer blow.

She sat down at the front of the hall, her eyes instantly turning icy cold, as if capable of freezing the surrounding air. Her gaze shot straight at the person who had made the mistake, her lips pressed into a tight line. After a moment, she slammed her hand on the armrest, making a loud "smack" that startled everyone.

"Your Majesty, I truly wish to speak up for His Majesty! This incident cannot be blamed on His Majesty! It was all due to His Highness the Crown Prince's negligence that hundreds of thousands of brave and fearless soldiers on the front lines were tragically wiped out. This is simply heartbreaking and chilling! The loss of so many vibrant lives has shattered countless happy families! Moreover, His Highness the Crown Prince himself is disabled! Tell me, how can such a person be worthy of the future throne of our dynasty!" Chen Qi stood up with a solemn expression, resolutely shifting all the blame onto Xiao Jingchuan.

The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze piercing as she stared directly at Chen Qi, thinking to herself: "Hmph! This cunning old fox has always been a major traitor in the court."

"How dare you spout such nonsense in front of everyone today, attempting to deceive me!" The Empress Dowager coldly retorted, "Oh? According to you, all the hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the front lines were wiped out? Then may I ask, Lord Chen, did you witness this fierce battle? Or did you personally go to that smoke-filled battlefield? Can you so easily draw conclusions based on just a few messages sent from the front lines by carrier pigeons?"

On the other side, Gu Liuli and the others watched as Zhao Yun kept trying to cheat and evade on the road to exile, and Zhao Hu beat him quite a bit.

That night, while they were all asleep, Zhao Yun sneaked up to Gu Liuli. Gu Liuli had already noticed this; she had seen Zhao Yun staring at her from time to time on the way earlier that day. So she decided to devise a plan within a plan.

Ever since Xiao Jingchuan drank the spiritual spring water, he has become very sensitive to everything around him. If his wife hadn't told him not to act rashly, Zhao Yun would probably be a corpse by now!

From the shadows, Mu Yu watched as the old lady touched and fiddled with things around the Crown Princess, clearly intending to steal something.

Gu Liuli was well aware of the situation; she knew that the old lady's true purpose in coming here was simply to find food to fill her stomach.

After all, Mu Yu and the others brought back a large amount of rabbit meat when they went hunting today, and it was difficult to consume it all at once due to the large quantity.

So the group turned the remaining meat into dried meat that was easy to preserve. Presumably, Zhao Yun must have been starving to the point that he risked sneaking in to steal in the dead of night.

Just then, a crisp sound rang in Gu Liuli's mind: "Ding!"

Then a mechanical voice said: "The system has successfully triggered the mission. Please make the following choices: Option 1: You can immediately capture the thief on the spot and hand him over to the officer for legal processing; the reward for completing this mission is 'none'. Option 2: You need to provide Zhao Yun with rabbit meat that has been drugged beforehand, causing him to develop a rash all over his body; if you successfully achieve this goal, you will receive the reward of 'five hamburgers', and this reward has the function of being copied."

Gu Liuli's heart stirred. Although she didn't want to be ruthless towards Zhao Yun, the opportunity before her was too tempting. She glanced at Xiao Jingchuan, who was pretending to be asleep, and secretly decided, "Let this old woman taste the flavor of this spiced rabbit meat!"

So, she quietly took out the prepared powder from her spatial storage and quickly sprinkled it on several pieces of rabbit jerky. Because of the poor lighting at night, Zhao Yun didn't even see Gu Liuli's actions.

Then Zhao Yun discovered their rabbit meat on the other side. Feeling lucky, he thought he had gotten a great deal and greedily took a few more pieces.

Zhao Yun hesitated for a moment, but looking at the delicious-looking and fragrant dried meat, and with her stomach rumbling, she ultimately couldn't refuse. She took the rabbit meat, took a bite, and the delicious flavor immediately filled her mouth, making her close her eyes to savor it.

She hid the remaining money from the meat, intending to leave it to her grandson, Zhao Qiming.

Gu Liuli nodded in satisfaction upon seeing this, while Zhao Yun was also gloating over having eaten the meat, completely unaware of what awaited them!

Gu Xiaojingchuan could tell from the doting smile on his face that his wife was up to something again, but he would spoil his woman as he pleased!