That Imperial Concubine is both wicked and cunning! Your Majesty, wake up!

The day after the Mid-Autumn Festival palace banquet, Song Shuangning received an audience with the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager has been a devout Buddhist for many years and has never paid attention to matters of the inner palace. Now that she has suddenly requested to see her, it is probably not a good thing.

As soon as Song Shuangning arrived at Shou Kang Palace, a palace maid led her to the small Buddhist hall.

The small Buddhist hall was quiet. Incense smoke curled in front of the Guanyin statue. The Empress Dowager, dressed in plain Buddhist robes, knelt before the statue and chanted scriptures with her mind focused. Prayer beads slowly spun between her fingers, and her expression was solemn.

"Your Majesty, Consort Yuan has arrived," a palace maid announced with a curtsy.

The Empress Dowager responded with a soft "Mm," and the chanting paused briefly.

Song Shuangning entered quietly, bowed to the Empress Dowager and the Buddha statue, and respectfully said, "This concubine, Song, greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager and wishes you good health and longevity."

Get up.

The Empress Dowager raised her hand, and a white-haired old woman helped her up. The Empress Dowager sat on the couch by the window. "Come here, let me take a look."

Song Shuangning approached nervously.

The Empress Dowager's gaze swept over her, and she asked again, "What's your name?"

"Your Majesty, this concubine is surnamed Song, and her name is Shuangning."

"Oh." The Empress Dowager's gaze drifted to the window, as if deep in thought. "I seem to remember now."

"On the day of the palace selection, I asked you a question. Do you remember it?"

Song Shuangning replied softly, "I remember, the Empress Dowager asked what a woman should value most in her conduct."

The Empress Dowager twirled the prayer beads between her fingers, slowly stroking them. Her tone was calm, yet she possessed an innate air of authority.

"Do you still remember your answer?"

"My answer was 'Know when to stop'."

The Empress Dowager wore a faint smile, which subtly added to her majesty.

"Then, Consort Yuan, do you think you've achieved the principle of 'knowing when to stop'?"

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Song Shuangning immediately lifted her skirt, knelt down, lowered her head slightly, and said respectfully, "This humble concubine is foolish. I beg Your Majesty for guidance."

The more you say, the more mistakes you make; it's better to advance by retreating.

The Empress Dowager stood up. "Know when to advance and retreat, and do not be greedy. Know when to stop your desires and abide by your duties. You have not only failed to know when to advance and retreat, but you have also neglected to stop your desires. As a concubine, you should not be greedy for the Emperor's favor, and you should not neglect your duties as a concubine. Do you understand?"

To put it bluntly, the Empress Dowager felt that she was too favored. Instead of advising the Emperor to distribute his favor more evenly, she monopolized his affections, which was wrong in the Empress Dowager's eyes.

Song Shuangning felt miserable. It was clearly the Emperor who wanted to dote on her, and if the Empress Dowager was dissatisfied, she could just talk to the Emperor directly. Why did she have to make things difficult for a lowly concubine like her?

"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. From now on, I will remember Your Majesty's teachings and keep to my duty."

The Empress Dowager knelt on the prayer mat, her eyes still closed: "Since Consort Yuan knows she was wrong, why don't you copy a few Buddhist scriptures for me?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

There were several thick books on the small table, but there was neither a cushion to sit on nor a chair to sit on, clearly indicating that she was to kneel down to copy them.

Song Shuangning inwardly groaned, wondering what kind of mess this was.

But he dared not utter a single complaint, and could only endure the discomfort, pick up his pen, and resignedly begin copying.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye, and Song Shuangning finally finished copying a book. However, kneeling for a long time made her knees ache terribly, her back hurt so much that she couldn't straighten up, her wrists were sore and swollen, and her whole body ached.

Since the Empress Dowager hadn't spoken, she could only grit her teeth and continue copying with her head down.

A moment later, the palace maid from before quietly entered, whispered a few words in her ear, and the Empress Dowager's expression changed slightly. She then stood up and walked out without saying a word.

In the main hall, Xiao Yan absentmindedly drank his tea.

"Why has the Emperor taken the time to visit me today?" the Empress Dowager asked with a smile.

"It has been a long time since I last paid my respects to the Empress Dowager." As he spoke, Xiao Yan bowed slightly.

"I suspect it's not just a simple greeting, is it?"

Since the Empress Dowager spoke frankly, Xiao Yan also stopped beating around the bush. He said, "I heard that Consort Yuan arrived at Shou Kang Palace an hour ago and has not yet returned."

The Empress Dowager gripped her prayer beads tightly, her fingertips turning white. "Yes, she failed in her duties as a concubine. I'm punishing her by making her copy Buddhist scriptures in a side hall. Is the Emperor going to take her away?"

Xiao Yan did not deny it, "She's clumsy, I'm afraid she'll displease the Empress Dowager."

"Your Majesty, you have been on the throne for many years now. There are some things I am reluctant to say. As an emperor, you should know better than anyone the consequences of favoring a concubine. Your primary responsibility as an emperor is to continue the imperial line. Now you only have three sons and two daughters, which is far too few compared to the late emperor."

Xiao Yan's lips curled into a cold, sharp smile.

"Yes, I am no match for the late emperor, but if the child I have is destined to harm his own kind and usurp the throne, I would rather not have him."

"Emperor!" The Empress Dowager suddenly raised her voice, clutching her chest, and said, "The deceased is gone; why do you continue to speak sarcastically about him?"

This "he" is Xiao Yan's elder brother.

When the late emperor was critically ill, his two elder brothers coveted the throne. While he was on an inspection tour of Jingzhou, his two brothers secretly plotted to assassinate him.

They show no regard for affection or blood ties.

Xiao Yan parted his thin lips slightly, letting out a mocking sneer: "I did not name anyone."

The Empress Dowager stared at him; the events of that year were a painful memory she was unwilling to revisit.

The eldest son, in his ambition to seize power, conceived the idea of ​​eliminating the second son (Xiao Yan), but fortunately, he failed.

The second son returned to the palace and exposed the eldest son's conspiracy. The eldest son was eventually exiled. However, not long after, news came that the eldest son had died in exile.

The Empress Dowager was also somewhat resentful: "Of my three sons, only you make me feel uneasy in every way."

"I will make my own decisions about my affairs," Xiao Yan said, bowing slightly. "I hope that Your Majesty will no longer interfere in the affairs of my harem."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and left without hesitation.

The Empress Dowager's eyes reddened, and her finger trembled as she pointed at Xiao Yan, complaining to the old nanny Zhao beside her, "Look at him, he's getting more and more impatient with me."

Granny Zhao gently patted the Empress Dowager's back and sighed softly.

Song Shuangning, who was in the small Buddhist hall, was finally freed. She rubbed her knees and slowly stepped out of the threshold of Shou Kang Palace. As soon as she looked up, she saw the imperial carriage.

Li Fuquan said, "Your Highness, the Emperor requests your presence."

It turned out that the Emperor had come to "rescue" her.

Song Shuangning lifted her skirt and ran over, "This concubine greets Your Majesty."

"Come up." Xiao Yan only said these two words.

Song Shuangning noticed that Xiao Yan was in a bad mood.

Could it be that he had a fight with the Empress Dowager?