Chapter 144: To Confront the Empress

Translator: Sissy That Walk

Luo Qianqian gained the upped hand in the beginning by using the artful moves Master Lingtian had taught her. However, the situation didn’t last long. Mu Chaoyang soon figured out Luo Qianqian’s movements and he successfully grabbed Luo Qianqian’s arms, Mu Chaoyang saw the flowers under Luo Qianqian’s feet, he took Luo Qianqian in a hand and took the flower in the other. With that Mu Chaoyang jumped on the ground with Luo Qianqian.

The empress heard the noises on the roof, she walked out with the maids, “Yang, who is that?”

Mu Chaoyang took a closer look at Luo Qianqian and exclaimed, “It’s you!”

Mu Chaoyang loosened his hand subconsciously, he even panicked a bit, “Qian… Qianqian?”

‘What is Qianqian doing here.’ Mu Chaoyang wondered.

Luo Qianqian straightened her collar and took the flowers in Mu Chaoyang’s hand, no trace of panic or bewilderment could be seen in her air, the composure she was demonstrating looked like she was here to send the flowers as gifts.

“Greetings, Your Highness.” Luo Qianqian nodded her head slightly, she didn’t want to kowtow to the empress since she had the emperor’s passing token in hand.

The empress took a look at the roof and took a look at Luo Qianqian, “Were you on my roof? What have you heard?”

Luo Qianqian showed a confused look and presented the flowers in hand, “I don’t understand what you are talking about, Your Highness, the Crown Prince attacked me as soon as I arrived, I didn’t have the opportunity to hear anything.”

The empress snorted then she changed colors on alighting on the flowers.

The mammy shrieked, “You… what are you doing with these flowers? Please get rid of them, Fourth Lady?”

Luo Qianqian blinked her eyes like she didn’t understand, “Getting rid of them? Why? Aren’t they pretty? I’ve selected them just for the empress.”

The empress covered her mouth and nose with a hankerchief, “Take them away from me, now!”

‘Taking them away? You know how to take care of yourself! And you asked Princess Ninth to send them to Xue! That was such a Greek gift! Xue is just too young and trusting, she thought Princess Ninth really meant it when she said she would like to become good friends with her! Xue took such good care of the flowers!’

Luo Qianqian decided to punish this empress, she instilled Internal Chi into the stems of the flowers, it became more fragrant.

Mu Chaoyang sniffed hard and took the flowers with a fawning smile on his face, “I like the flowers you’ve picked, Qianqian.”

The empress doted on Mu Chaoyang since he was born, she charged at Mu Chaoyang on seeing him taking the flower from Luo Qianqian, she threw the flowers on the ground and stamped on them like she was venting her anger.

“Mammy, bring some water.” the empress wanted use water to weaken the fragrance.

Luo Qianqian didn’t mean to poison anyone, she just wanted to irritate the empress.

Luo Qianqian crossed her arms and said, “It looks like you are the only one who likes my flower, Crown Prince. The empress doesn’t quite fancy them.”

Mu Chaoyang looked a bit upset, he raised his volume, “Mother! Why did you do that? This is a gift from Qianqian, how could you just ruin it?”

‘Qianqian visits my mother on her initiative, and she has brought a gift, does this mean she is accepting me slowly?’ thought Mu Chaoyang gladly, ‘But why did mother make such a scene!’

The empress gritted her teeth, “Yang, my son! She is here to hurt us, these flowers are poisonous!”

Mu Chaoyang looked startled, he didn’t believe it but no way would his mother lie to him. He turned around and pointed at the flowers on the ground, “These flowers? Are they poisonous?”

“Qianqian, mother has understood you, right? How can they be poisonous?”

Luo Qianqian smiled, “I can’t guarantee you anything, I brought these flowers from Princess Eleventh.”

Mu Chaoyang still looked confused, “From Princess Eleventh? Isn’t she poisoned? Why did you take her flowers?”

‘Why are you so dumb, Your Highness the Crown Prince?’

“Crown Prince, haven’t you heard that it was the empress who sent these flowers to Princess Eleventh? Doctor Lin said these two kinds of flowers were antagonistic, they would produce toxin together. The thing is, how come the empress knows about that?”

The empress’s heart sank, ‘How come Luo Qianqian is so different from the hearsay? Isn’t she a pushover? A good-for-nothing? An ugly girl? But she is nothing like that, she is quite the opposite!’

The empress clenched her teeth and glared at Luo Qianqian, Luo Qianqian had seen the same look from a lot of girls.

“What I have said is true, isn’t it, Your Highness the empress? Don’t tell me you want to deny it upon such solid evidence? What baffles me is why Princess Eleventh? She is such an innocent girl, why did you rack your brains in hurting her?” Luo Qianqian asked in a sincere tone, she couldn’t understand how come the empress had the heart to kill one of her daughters in name.

A vast array of emotions flashed across Mu Chaoyang’s face, he opened his mouth but he couldn’t utter a word. It was his mother on one hand, and it was the girl he loved on the other.

The empress looked livid, the mammy was so surprised, she had never seen the empress this mad.

“Guards.” the empress never indulged in empty talk, she always walked the talk.

“Your Highness.” a group of seven or eight guards showed up.

They were the empress’s trusted subordinate, they took orders only from the empress.

“Put this girl in the Maximum Security Prison! Nobody is allowed to visit her without my passing token! And keep her whereabouts confidential.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Luo Qianqian looked the guards up and down, she was surprised to find these guards were not the guards she had seen at the gate of Palace of Earthly Tranquility.

Luo Qianqian didn’t realized how reckless she was until now, ‘Of course the empress is holding back a trick or two to deal with me!’

“Your Highness, do you really want to arrest me?” Luo Qianqian asked, stalling for time.

“Are you scared now? My guards are loyal only to me! You threw my Princess Ninth into prison, good, now you go keep her company!” the empress shouted, “Guards, what are you waiting for? Grab her now!”

Luo Qianqian struggled desperately.

“Mother, don’t do this to her!” Mu Chaoyang tried to change the empress’s mind.

The empress glared at Mu Chaoyang, “You good-for-nothing! You are not the one who is in her heart!”