A woman like her, if placed in modern times, would undoubtedly be a strong figure navigating various high-level social circles, living a very uninhibited life.
Pitifully, no matter how capable she is, she is merely another woman within these high walls and palace gates; to live well, she still has to depend on the whims of men.
As for her, she is already the Empress, having successfully walked half of life’s path, so her next step should be to vie for the Emperor’s position for her son and to seat herself as the Empress Dowager.
Such an enemy is truly fearsome; had it not been for some early words from Jin Zijin, Gu Youyou would have believed her.
The Empress took a sip of her drink, glanced around, and slightly furrowed her brows, asking, "Where is Madam Ru? Why haven’t I seen her here?"
A Palace Attendant replied, "Madam Ru has had a recurrence of her old illness these past few days, suffering from severe headaches. She only had a gift sent as a birthday present but did not come herself."
"Madam Ru is ill?" the Empress mused, and then inquired, "Why wasn’t I informed earlier?"
"It was Madam’s own wish; she said she feared the Empress would worry, affecting the birthday celebration."
Another Madam said, "Madam Ru returns to Beijing every year to stay for a few months after her tenure at the Xining Border Defense, always going back to Xining after the Empress’s birthday. Now that she can’t come, I fear her illness is serious."
After hearing this, the Empress nodded and said, "Indeed, I shall have to visit her another day."
A consort seeking favor giggled, "Your Majesty, it’s not just Madam Ru who hasn’t come today; Noble Consort Sheng hasn’t come either."
The faces of the assembled attendees changed dramatically.
The Empress also rarely furrowed her brows.
She was well aware that Noble Consort Sheng hadn’t come; how many times had this contemptible woman flaunted the Emperor’s favor to slight her over the years?
But in front of all these people, the Empress still maintained her composed and noble demeanor, asking with a smile, "And why hasn’t Noble Consort Sheng come?"
"I heard that she is also ill, Your Majesty. How come she’s sick again?"
The Empress felt her teeth itch with annoyance but responded coolly, "Noble Consort Sheng has always been frail; I should also visit her one of these days."
With that, she cast a cold glance at the overly talkative consort, silencing her.
The topic of Madam Ru and Noble Consort Sheng was quickly dropped, as the Empress turned to the conspicuously ’special’ Madam Lu and asked with a smile, "Madam Lu, I’ve heard that your son intends to discuss marriage this year? I wonder if there is a Miss from a particular family that Madam Lu has taken a liking to?"
Madam Lu, upon being addressed by the Empress, was flattered and startled, hastily swallowing the meat in her mouth before replying, "Replying to Your Majesty, his father is looking on his behalf. It seems he hasn’t taken a fancy to anyone just yet."
Madam Lu, naturally comedic, triggered laughter from the court ladies with her manner of response, as they covered their mouths in snickers.
Knowing they were mocking her, yet daring not to act out in front of the Empress, she only looked sternly at those who laughed loudest, quietly taking note of them.
This put the Empress in an awkward position, so she coughed once and everyone immediately quieted down.
Only then the Empress continued to Madam Lu, "Madam Lu really is... straightforward. However, with only one son between you and General Lu, the matter of his marriage should be carefully considered by you as his mother. A warrior like General Lu might not be as meticulous as Madam Lu, a woman’s heart being finer, isn’t it?"
This made Madam Lu’s heart blossom with pleasure.
People often judged her by her appearance, thinking of her as crude and mannish; no one had ever spoken to her this way, suggesting she had a delicate sensibility.
Madam Lu eagerly responded with a smile, "Yes, yes, what Your Majesty says is true."
The Empress, imperceptibly, took another sip of the soup brought by the Palace Maiden, and continued to ask, "So, Madam Lu... do you have any suitable candidates in mind?"