As soon as dawn broke, the first light of day shining through the latticed windows, she hurried to her wardrobe, donning the fine silk clothing and jewelry that had been sent by the Xiao family. She then led Zhaomei and a few other maidservants off to Xin Ning Palace.
She instructed Chu Wei to wait outside, pushed open the door herself, and called out with a smile.
"Mother."
After being kept under house arrest, Empress Wei had only seen Zhou Zheng, but that didn't mean she wanted to see Zhou Xie.
"Get out! I do not wish to see this scoundrel of yours." Her tone was filled with unhidden disgust, as if Zhou Xie was not her daughter but her nemesis.
However, it is indeed so. She never treated Zhou Xie as her own daughter. From the moment she conceived her to the moment she was born, she viewed her as a tool to gain a foothold in the palace.
Whenever she saw Zhou Xie, she would recall her forced separation from her lover and how the previous emperor had forced her to conceive Zhou Xie. Thus, she would only grow to detest Zhou Xie more.
Zhou Xie paid no heed to her mother's disgust. She sat down beside Empress Wei, reached out and touched the teapot, smiling, "This tea is cold; why hasn't anyone changed it for you?"
Empress Wei was so angry that she picked up the teapot and threw it at her, ordering, "Get out! I don't need your fake concern. Get out!"
Zhou Xie ducked her head to avoid the teapot without being angered, poured a cup of cold tea, took a sip, and smiled, "Even though it's cold, I can still taste that it's good tea. It seems that Zhou Zheng is still taking good care of you."
After saying that, she shifted the subject, "What do you think, if he found out that you were the one who wiped out his entire family, would he still be so filial to you?"
Empress Wei's face turned white, and she stood up abruptly from her seat, shouting angrily, "Hold your tongue! Don't say such nonsense!"
"Do you think I'm saying nonsense? Isn't it the most obvious thing for you to understand, Your Majesty?" Zhou Xie played with the teacup in her hand, watching Empress Wei with a half-smile and half-smirk.
Empress Wei clutched her sleeve tightly, her voice cold, "I do not want to see you. Get out."
Zhou Xie did not say much more, putting down her teacup and rising to her feet, "Since Your Majesty does not wish to see me, I will not disturb you. I am sure Zhou Zheng will be interested in hearing me tell a story."
Upon hearing this, Empress Wei took a quick step forward and grabbed Zhou Xie's hand tightly. Her teeth clenched as she spoke through gritted teeth, "Zhou Xie, are you determined to force me to my death?"
"Mother, I don't understand what you're saying," Zhou Xie said, smiling at her. But the smile did not reach her eyes.
Empress Wei knew that Zhou Xie was no longer the person she could control, but she still wanted to fight for her own and Yaoer's life.
After thinking for a moment, she "thud" knelt down and sobbed, "Xi, it was your mother who wronged you in the beginning. But the past is past. Forget those bad things. We will live our family life happily and harmoniously. Will you please forgive me?"
"Forgot?" Zhou Xie laughed as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world, unable to control herself. She reached out to wipe away the tears that laughter brought to her eyes and looked at Empress Wei, "I endured all kinds of mistreatment and humiliation in Xiliang, barely holding on until today. For you to just say 'forget' and sweep everything under the rug is too ridiculous, isn't it? Mother."
Empress Wei did not believe that Zhou Xie had no affection for herself in her heart. After all, even when she was on her deathbed, Zhou Xie didn't visit her. Even after she recovered, she still clung to her.
"Xi, your mother knows she did something to break your heart back then. But I was also forced into it. Língjiāng couldn't match Xiliang's strength, but they insisted on a princess for marriage. Yaoer was still so young at the time. If she were to go to Xiliang as a concubine, she would surely die there. You were your father's favorite daughter. Even if Xiliang didn't care much about us, they wouldn't……"
"Compelled?" Zhou Xie laughed coldly, cutting her off: "Mother, do you take me for a three-year-old child? You gave me medicine to forget those things and then arranged for me to go to Xiliang as a concubine. Wasn't that because you hoped I would die with your dishonorable secrets in Xiliang?"
After saying that, she stepped forward, looking down on her from a higher position: "Your plan was indeed correct. I almost died at Chu Yǔ's hands. But what you didn't expect was that, when I was suffering from a high fever and near death from the torture of Chu Yǔ, I remembered all those disgusting and revolting things you did."
"Shut up, shut up, you're giving me a headache," Empress Wei roared as she got up from the ground and ran towards Zhou Xie, wanting to hit her.
Zhou Xie grabbed her hand with one hand and laughed coldly, "Don't you think that without me speaking up, Lǚyáo wouldn't be the child of your illicit affairs with others, and Lóu Zhēng wouldn't be the one you betrayed your family to gain favor?"
"Shut up, shut up," Empress Wei shouted, trying to pull back her hand. But no matter how hard she pulled, she couldn't free it.
Zhou Xie was very satisfied with this look, she wiped her hand with a handkerchief, smiling softly: "Mother, what do you think if Lǚyáo and Lóu Zhēng find out about these things? It's really exciting to see their reactions."
Empress Wei suddenly became calm. Looking at Zhou Xie, she said, "You won't tell Lóu Zhēng about this. If you do, you won't be able to hold onto your position as the Princess."
She was gambling, hoping that Zhou Xie would not dare to tell Lóu Zhēng. After all, no matter what, Zhou Xie was still her daughter.
And she was the murderer of the Lóu Zhēng family, and if Lóu Zhēng found out about these things, he would never forgive her. She gambled that Zhou Xie would not dare to tell her.
Zhou Xie understood her meaning all too well. She walked up to Empress Wei, her mouth curved into a knowing smile.
"Mother, you should not know this. I stayed in the palace last night and slept on the same bed with Lóu Zhēng."
Empress Wei was taken aback upon hearing this and reacted, "Zhou Xie, you are a madwoman, a beast."
She covered her chest, gasping for breath. Zhou Xie knew about Lóu Zhēng's origins, but Lóu Zhēng did not. In their eyes, what they had done was...
Although Lóu Zhēng was not her biological son, she had raised him since he was a child and he had become as dear to her as her own flesh and blood. Now, however, he had been ruined by Zhou Xie.
"Mother, since Lóu Zhēng is not your biological son, why are you so excited?" Zhou Xie couldn't be happier to see Empress Wei's reaction. She didn't mind adding more fuel to the fire.
"And by the way, it was Lóu Zhēng who coerced me last night. So, in the end, you raised two madmen all by yourself."
"Ah! Shut up, shut up. I can't take it anymore." Empress Wei covered her ears, not wanting to hear Zhou Xie say another word.
"Get out, get out, you get out of here."
Zhou Xie gave her a cold glance, then turned and walked out. Although she wanted to force her to hand over what she wanted, her understanding of Empress Wei made her hesitate.
As long as she knows that there is something she wants in her hands, she will try to control herself. She won't give her the opportunity.
She would rather drive her mad and then force her to reveal the location of the things she wants. As long as she gets what Emperor Ning left behind, it won't be far from her achieving her goal.
After leaving the Chinen Palace, Zhou Xie took Chu Wei and the others and left the palace directly. Although she had broken the bond with Lóu Zhēng, she would not stay in the palace as his golden sparrow or let him think he could control her.
Although she also enjoyed spending time with Lóu Zhēng, compared to her grand plans, the trivial matters of love and attachment were nothing.
As Zhou Xie passed a corner, a voice sounded from behind her: "Auntie Xi, please wait."
She stopped and turned back to see who was calling her, her eyes narrowing dangerously.
Indeed, it's a narrow path to meet an enemy.
