Water Mirrored Moon - 水鏡月

Part IV - The Western Emerald: 71. Interests

The imperial harem was normally quiet late into the evening, but not everyone had retired for the night.

The dowager empress clenched her fist, leaning forward against the table as she read the last line of characters in front of her. Sitting back, she threw the letter down in a fit of fury, watching the paper furl and unfurl. Twisting in on itself, it rolled back into its original ball form and was picked up by her maid who simply tossed it into an incense burner. Vaporizing almost instantly, it barely made a puff of smoke.

"Empress Dowager?" her maid asked uncertainly. "It's not early...."

Can this information be trusted? the empress dowager wondered, ignoring her maid. If it's true, then it may put A'Wu in a worse position than the Seventh Prince...and all these years, though he no longer goes to her bed, the emperor has always liked Zhang Yan Yan because she never gets involved in the internal fights of the harem while the empress always causes him trouble with her arrogance. Still...

"Help me dress. I should see the empress."

"B-But...should I not just summon her here?"

"When does that woman not make a fuss? If we summon her here, the whole palace will know in half a shichen," the dowager empress snorted.

***

In the time of one incense stick, the empress dowager had already arrived at the empress's palace. Although the empress had been surprised to see her visitor, she had not shown it.

What does that tiresome old woman want now?

"Dispense with the formalities..." the dowager said, sweeping in and sitting without being invited.

"Well, Empress Dowager, why have you come to see me so late at night?" asked the empress, bowing. Her smile became razor sharp.

"That issue from before...You've still not taken care of it? Do you need me to act myself?" asked the Empress Dowager coldly.

"Bengong admits that I am useless, but so what? Why do you want her dead so badly?"

"Do you need to ask? That person is troublesome and doesn't hold the Imperial family in her regard. People who deserve to die should just die," the dowager empress said, skirting a direct reply.

"That's true, but it's not so easy now that she has become the Seventh Prince's concubine. He guards her very carefully."

"Since it's like that, this time I will cooperate with you to do something about that girl and that prince..."

"Why should I cooperate with you? You want to see the Fifth Prince become Emperor, but only my own son can sit on the dragon throne. We can't be anything other than enemies."

"No Empress...this principle you should already understand having been in the imperial harem for so long...Right now that girl and the Seventh Prince are a common obstacle. No one is an enemy forever...since we have a common interest, then work with me this time."