I insist

Chapter 258: I'm Going to Kill You

Soon the Empress Dowager realized that something was wrong.

She felt that things were going very strangely off track, and if things continued to develop as they were, she and the Emperor would definitely become enemies.

The Empress Dowager instantly realized that someone was plotting against her. She frowned deeply and quickly summoned Granny Hua. Looking at Granny Hua, she asked in a deep voice, "Granny Hua, don't you feel that something is amiss right now?"

“Something’s not right?” Granny Hua mocked herself for being slow-witted. She took a step back, bowed to the Empress Dowager, and said, “Your Majesty, I am slow-witted and hope that Your Majesty can give me some guidance.”

"Oh!" The Empress Dowager gave Hua Mama a reproachful look. Ever since she became the late Emperor's Empress, Hua Mama had always been by her side, which made the Empress Dowager trust the person in front of her very much.

She quickly pulled Granny Hua aside and told her what she thought, "You know, at the beginning, the Emperor and I were deeply in love and inseparable, but now it's very strange."

The Empress Dowager shook her head, smacked her lips, and tried to describe the feeling to Granny Hua, but couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Later, the Empress Dowager simply gave up. She looked up at Granny Hua and said in a deep voice, "Granny Hua, you should investigate the recent events thoroughly for me!"

The Empress Dowager had a feeling that someone was constantly pushing everything to happen.

Granny Hua had been sending people to investigate and gather intelligence, but the task ultimately fell to Song Miqiu.

When she heard the news, Granny Hua was a little surprised, because she did not expect that the person who caused the Empress Dowager and the Emperor to turn against each other was Song Miqiu.

She had been helping Song Miqiu in every way before, but in the end she helped the wrong person!

Thinking of this, Granny Hua frowned and irritably pinched her sleeve, but she did not hesitate to bring the news to the Empress Dowager.

Although she had given Song Miqiu some pointers and help several times before, it was just Granny Hua helping a younger generation.

Having been through it all, she naturally didn't want people to be punished simply for not understanding the rules. She would give them a few pointers, and if they understood, that was fine, but if they didn't, then Granny Hua had no other choice, because she had already done everything she could.

Granny Hua immediately informed the Empress Dowager, whispering, "Your Majesty, this matter..."

The Empress Dowager truly did not expect that it was Song Miqiu.

She thought about it carefully and realized that Song Miqiu had indeed been involved in many things. The Emperor and the Crown Prince and Empress had previously discussed their male favorites, and it was Song Miqiu who had informed them of this.

Furthermore, when Song Miqiu came to diagnose him, she kept talking nonsense beside him.

Although the Empress Dowager did not heed what Song Miqiu said, it is undeniable that what Song Miqiu said had some influence on her.

But the thought that she, a dignified empress dowager, was completely fooled by a mere imperial physician was unbearable!

Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager slammed her hand on the wooden table beside her in anger and said sternly, "How dare they! They actually tricked me like this!"

She gritted her teeth and sternly ordered Granny Hua, "You must continue the investigation immediately! I want to see what other tricks Song Miqiu has up her sleeve!"

As she spoke, the Empress Dowager also got up and went out. Granny Hua followed behind the Empress Dowager. After the Empress Dowager left, the two of them went their separate ways.

As soon as the Empress Dowager arrived at the Imperial Kitchen, she smelled a strong odor of smoke. She waved her hand like a fan in front of her face a few times before striding inside.

Upon seeing the Empress Dowager arrive, the people inside quickly bowed to her.

The head steward of the imperial kitchen rubbed his hands together, strode up to the Empress Dowager, bowed, and chuckled awkwardly, "I don't know what brings Your Majesty here..."

"Make room for me." The Empress Dowager strode to a stove, rolled up her sleeves, and draped them over her arm.

She skillfully produced a piece of dough and then cut it into different sizes.

Many cooks stood by, at a loss, completely unsure how to face the Empress Dowager. After all, her sudden outburst had taken them all by surprise.

The head steward, emboldened, approached the Empress Dowager and asked, puzzled, "Your Majesty, what is this...?"

"Can't you all see what I'm trying to do?" The Empress Dowager gave him a disdainful look and waved her hand. "You've chosen a very good head eunuch."

The head eunuch stood aside with a very unpleasant expression after being criticized for no reason, but his expression vanished completely when the Empress Dowager raised her face.

He smiled and agreed a few times before quickly leaving to go elsewhere.

After finally finishing making the pastries, the Empress Dowager had a few patches of white powder on her face. She quickly went to the basin of water to wash her hands clean before putting the pastries in a lunchbox and striding away from the imperial kitchen.

She smiled as she looked ahead, glancing at the pastries in her arms, and muttered to herself, "These are the Emperor's favorites when he was young. He's in a bad mood now, but eating them will surely cheer him up!"

When the Empress Dowager arrived at the Emperor's bedroom, she was about to enter when she was stopped by the chief eunuch standing at the door.

Seeing this, the Empress Dowager took several steps back, looking at the person in front of her impatiently, "What are you doing? I'm going in to deliver some pastries to the Emperor, why are you stopping me?"

The chief eunuch chuckled dryly and explained apologetically to the Empress Dowager, "His Majesty has stated that no one is allowed to go in to see him for the foreseeable future."

"But these are pastries that I sent to His Majesty as a gift. His Majesty loves these the most." Seeing that the chief eunuch was not letting her in, the Empress Dowager simply compromised and let the chief eunuch bring the food in.

The eunuch was so embarrassed that he didn't know what to say. He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the Empress Dowager and said helplessly, "Your Majesty, it's really not that I don't want to help you, but the Emperor really doesn't want anything!"

The Empress Dowager was both angry and pained. She knew that even when the Emperor was in a bad mood, he would still see her and comfort her.

Now it's her turn to coax the Emperor, and she even brought his favorite pastries, but the Emperor still won't come to see her!

She panicked even more. The Empress Dowager knew that Song Miqiu's attempt to sow discord had been very successful.

Just as the Empress Dowager was at a loss for what to do, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Song Miqiu.

Upon seeing Song Miqiu, the Empress Dowager realized that the current stalemate between her and the Emperor was all Song Miqiu's fault. Enraged, she shouted at Song Miqiu, "I'm going to kill you!"

As the Empress Dowager spoke, she took a gold hairpin from her hair, put the lunchbox aside, and rushed towards Song Miqiu with the hairpin in her hand.