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This matter is urgent, and Qu Zhizhen acted swiftly. He immediately posted a note to the palace, and the response from the palace was quick as well. The two young ladies from the Qu family were allowed to enter the palace the next morning.

Apart from the gifts prepared by the Old Lady, there were also preparations made by Qu Moying herself. Qu Qiuyan also had to make some preparations. Since they were visiting as juniors, it was necessary to show their respect.

Early the next morning, Qu Moying wore a light pink dress and went to pay her respects to the Old Lady.

The dress was a very pale shade of pink, almost unnoticeable unless complemented by other garments. Her attire was light blue and looked elegant, like a slender and delicate flower. The long and wide eye veil covered her eyes but gave her a sense of ethereal grace as if she were ready to dance in the breeze.

Qu Qiuyan wore a light-yellow robe. Although the color wasn’t particularly vibrant, it had a special elegance to it. Since they were going to the palace to visit a sick person, Qu Qiuyan couldn’t dress too extravagantly. She had taken great care to make herself presentable, hoping to overshadow Qu Moying in the process.

Seeing Qu Moying’s attire, which appeared partly white but was actually a light blue eye veil, it made her beauty even more extraordinary and different from others.

Yes, it was beautiful—a kind of elegance that seemed restrained and forbidden!

This only intensified Qu Qiuyan’s jealousy and resentment. She couldn’t help but think about when she could remove Qu Moying’s eye veil and reveal her eyes, to expose the true appearance of her blind face.

Qu Qiuyan was very confident in her own looks. Even if Qu Moying’s eyes weren’t actually blind, she wouldn’t look good. However, the binding band on Qu Moying somehow added a touch of drifting and gentle elegance, creating an indescribable sense of incompleteness and broken beauty that could even evoke pity.

Qu Qiuyan detested this feeling.

That wretched Qu Moying should have died in the farm and rotted away in the muddy ground. Why did she have to come back?

But that was not for her to decide. When she tried to take Qu Moying’s life, she had allowed her to escape. Qu Qiuyan had been feeling stifled ever since. Nothing had gone well for her, and most importantly, her mother had been locked up. Even if she wanted to see her mother now, she had to do it in secret.

Of course, she didn’t really want to see her mother at the moment. She always felt that it was her own fault for losing face. If she hadn’t married her father as a concubine, she would have had a more legitimate position as the legitimate daughter.

Couldn’t her mother have waited to marry in until after Qu Moying’s birth mother had passed away?

Anyway, that birth mother was a short-lived ghost who wouldn’t have lived much longer.

With great resentment, Qu Qiuyan got into the carriage.

Qu Moying was already sitting inside the carriage. After a glance at her, she didn’t say anything. The fact that the two of them could maintain smiles in front of others was already a significant improvement.

Qu Qiuyan sat down and gave Qu Moying a cold glare.

The carriage was quiet, and they could only hear the bustling sounds of the street outside, sometimes near and sometimes far.

Finally, the carriage stopped at the palace gate. Yu Dong had been here before, so she was familiar with it. She handed over the note, and the palace guards, who were already aware of the matter, didn’t give them a hard time and allowed them to enter.

Accompanied by their maids, the two of them walked through the long palace path and entered the palace. Inside, they saw two small sedan chairs already waiting.

There were two palace attendants standing by. When they saw Qu Moying and Qu Qiuyan approaching, one of the attendants stepped forward and said, “Third Lady Qu, Forth Lady Qu, Dowager Consort is already waiting for you.”

He motioned toward the sedan chairs, indicating that they should get in.

Qu Moying and Qu Qiuyan both bowed to the attendant and then got into the sedan chairs. The chairs were lifted, and their maids followed them closely.

The group hurriedly headed towards the palace of Dowager Consort Qu.

Since it was a visit to a sick person, the attendants were in a hurry and walked faster than usual.

At a distant intersection, a beautiful woman in palace attire appeared, surrounded by several palace maids and attendants. Her face was delicate and her appearance charming. She seemed young and must have recently entered the palace as a consort.

“Who is entering the palace today?” she asked in a gentle voice, looking at the two distant sedan chairs.

“These two should be the two young ladies from the Qu Mansion They are here to visit the sick Dowager Consort Qu,” a well-informed palace maid replied.

The palace was not always strict, and many pieces of news could be learned, especially in such matters.

“Dowager Consort Qu is so gravely ill?” The lady asked with a delicate smile, appearing calm and composed. She had recently entered the palace and had no knowledge of Dowager Consort Qu’s existence until now. If she hadn’t fallen seriously ill this time, causing such a commotion that even the emperor was alarmed, who would have known about this consort in the palace?

“That’s what they say, but I don’t know the specifics. I heard that the emperor has even visited her several times.” the palace maid cautiously replied.

“The emperor is truly filial!” The lady pointed towards the two distant palace sedan chairs; her eyes filled with a hint of indifference. “I heard that the Third Lady from the Qu Mansion will be accompanying His Highness, the Crown Prince, in the future. However, I’ve also heard that her character isn’t great. Why would His Highness accept anyone like this?”

The lady furrowed her brow, clearly unimpressed. She lightly covered her lips with a handkerchief, carrying a tinge of mockery.

“Naturally, it’s because of Vice Minister Qu.” the palace maid quickly replied with a smile, trying to please.

“Yes, it must be because of that reason. What a pity! There are many ministers in the capital, and the Qu family is not the only one. How did they choose someone with such poor character?” She pouted.

“I’ve heard that the Noble Consort also likes this Third Lady Qu,” the palace maid responded with flattery, knowing that this lady had a younger sister who was also interested in His Highness, the Crown Prince. However, His Highness, did not respond to her affections, which angered this lady.

“How could the Noble Consort be fooled by her?” She expressed her dissatisfaction. Her gaze returned to the nearly invisible palanquin, a slight curve forming at the corner of her lips. “I’ve heard that the Fourth Lady from the Qu Mansion is the cousin of the Crown Princess, with a close relationship. She has an excellent reputation.”

“That’s what they say, but even if she’s good, she’s blind. Moreover, now that the Crown Princess is…” the palace maid dared not continue, her words clearly conveying the message that the Crown Princess was no longer present, and things had changed. The current influential figure in the Eastern Palace was Princess Ji, who had no connection with the Fourth Lady from the Qu family.

The palace maid knew that her mistress had a good relationship with Princess Ji, but held little regard for the Crown Princess. This Beauty, surnamed Li, had been in the palace for three years and had been selected through the draft. At present, she enjoyed a certain level of favoritism, surpassing others who had entered around the same time. She had been bestowed with the title of “Beauty.”

“Let’s go. The Dowager Consort is getting old, yet she brings in these two commoners. This palace is not a place where just anyone can be seen,” Beauty Li sneered. She couldn’t help but find the two young ladies from the Qu family disagreeable. She turned around, lightly shaking the fan in her hand, and departed. “I’ll go and witness the spectacle later!”

“Yes, as you say, Beauty!” the palace maid echoed obediently.

After they left, a young eunuch emerged onto the path. He had come through a secluded route, obstructed by trees and vines. His steps were light, and Beauty Li, did not notice his presence.

The distance between the two parties was extremely close. Li’s words resonated clearly, causing his eyes to flicker. His master had been seeking someone, and this Beauty Li, seemed to be a perfect match.

With this thought in mind, the young eunuch decided not to proceed with his task. He hurriedly turned around and rushed back to report…

Qu Moying and Qu Moying stopped in front of Dowager Consort Qu’s palace gate. Granny Yan had been waiting there and quickly approached as she saw Qu Moying step down.

“Is Dowager Consort alright?” Qu Moying asked with concern as soon as she alighted from the chair.

Granny Yan shook her head, her brow tightly furrowed. “Dowager Consort’s condition is not good.”

From the looks of it, the situation was difficult to explain momentarily.

Qu Moying remained silent and followed another person who led the way towards the palace. Along the way, she noticed that the palace servants were quiet and calm. The air was thick with the scent of medicine, just like it had been when she was at the farm.

Two imperial physicians were observing as a chamberlain prepared medicine in the side palace, their expressions filled with anxiety.

Entering the main palace and then the inner chambers, Qu Moying caught sight of Dowager Consort Qu lying on the bed. She could hardly believe her eyes. Dowager Consort Qu, who had appeared spirited just before, was now emaciated and unrecognizable.

It has been quite some time since she last saw her, and it seemed like she has transformed into a different person. Her complexion was pale, devoid of any color, and there were faint traces of stains around the corners of her eyes. She lied on the bed, half-reclining with closed eyes, and if it weren’t for the slight movement of her chest, one would almost think that the Dowager Consort Qu lying on the bed had already passed away.

“Your Highness!” Qu Moying and Qu Qiuyan stepped forward to pay their respects.

Dowager Consort Qu weakly opened her eyes and, upon seeing the people before her, a smile appeared on her face as she softly said, “Please… have a seat.”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

The two individuals took their seats on the chairs by the bedside, and Dowager Consort Qu looked at them with a smile. Finally, she seemed to recognize Qu Moying and beckoned to her.

Qu Moying hurriedly approached, reaching out to hold her thin hand. Discreetly, her fingers slid to Dowager Consort Qu’s pulse, as instructed by Granny Qu.

“Your Highness.”

“It’s been a while since I last saw you in the palace, and I’ve actually missed you a bit. As one gets older, they tend to think of their younger generation, but I also fear disturbing you.” Dowager Consort Qu sighed, a hint of sorrow in her expression, as if she had recalled something. She looked gently at Qu Moying.

“Your Highness, you will get better,” Qu Moying reassured her softly.

“Whether I get better or not… actually… it doesn’t matter much. After all, I am just one person…” Dowager Consort Qu sighed. At her age, she had seen and experienced everything, and even if she were to pass away, it wouldn’t matter. She just felt a pity for the young girl in front of her who shared such a rapport with her.

If she had known about this poor young girl earlier, she would have surely extended her protection to her. This child had caught her attention and displayed more resilience and cunning than the Paramount Empress, whom she had protected years ago.

Observing her delicate and charming appearance, she could sense her unwavering determination and intelligence. She was eager to see how she would navigate her path…

“Your Highness, you still have me and the others. Grandmother has been concerned about your condition and specifically sent me to inquire about your needs. It may not be very convenient in the palace, but if there’s anything you need, Grandmother will do her best to assist you.” Qu Moying held her hand and gently released her pulse.

As her eyes deepened in thought, Dowager Consort Qu looked around the spacious inner palace adorned with numerous furnishings. Sunlight streamed through the half-closed windows, with a crane-shaped incense burner emitting a delicate, fragrant smoke, not too thick but rather refreshing.

Qu Moying’s eyebrows furrowed tightly as she gazed at the incense burner.

“I thank your grandmother… but at my age, I don’t currently require anything… Yet, your grandmother has been troubled for me!” She sighed.

“What did the imperial physicians say?” Qu Moying inquired.

Granny Yan, standing beside them, answered on behalf of Dowager Consort Qu, “The physician said that Dowager Consort is suffering from depression and indigestion due to accumulated food. Initially, they thought it was nothing serious, attributing it to the inclement weather causing a bit of cold and dampness, resulting in internal heat. However, the treatment has been increasingly ineffective, and Dowager Consort’s condition has worsened. She is now very weak and unable to eat.”

Granny Yan had entered the palace early that morning, about an hour ahead of Qu Moying, and had gathered this information beforehand.