Luck Reliant Beauty – CH 087

Chapter 87: Empress’s End

Objectively speaking, the fact that a jade pendant belonging to the Empress ended up in someone else’s hands only suggested collusion between the two. To say they had an affair was far-fetched. Moreover, Zhou Wenqing had just arrived in Later Shu; even if he wanted an affair with the Empress, he would need an opportunity!

But what Jiang Mi had just said was so accurate!

And what about Zhou Wenqing’s infamous reputation for womanizing?

…The hall was excessively silent. Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to look the Emperor of Shu in the eye.

At this moment, the only one who came to her senses was the Empress, who stood up hastily, her face pale.

Before the Empress could make any further move or say anything, the Emperor of Shu’s voice, barely containing his rage, rang out coldly, “Guards, take the Empress away!”

Instantly, Empress’s face turned ashen.

Tears welled in her eyes as she pleaded with the Emperor of Shu, but meeting his icy, ashen face, all her words died in her throat. The Empress knew that the more she spoke now, the more out of control things would become.

Identically, the Empress bit her lip, shook off several eunuchs, and strode towards the palace gates.

As the Empress walked, she stopped as she brushed past Jiang Mi.

Turning her head, Empress’s face was ashen, her glare filled with unspeakable hatred as she looked at Jiang Mi.

Jiang Mi remained unchanged, her chubby face and overly serious eyes giving this young lady a bookish charm.

But now, this adorable young lady appeared as terrifying as a venomous snake in the Empress’s eyes!

Turning her head away with difficulty, the Empress removed her gaze from Jiang Mi. As she walked out, she clearly saw that the civil and military officials seated on either side of the hall, as well as the noble ladies who had once fawned over her, were now looking at her with pity and schadenfreude.

Yes, everyone despised her. Everyone knew she was finished…

When Empress looked away, she caught sight of Prince Kang and the others. At this moment, the faces of her relatives were even more grim than her own—her son, her elder brother, and her father, all looking at her… Their eyes were filled with anger!

Yes, of course they were angry; of course they hated her! If she had behaved herself as the Empress, if she had not contacted that Zhou Wenqing, or even if she had, if she had not carelessly left the jade pendant as a token in his hands, none of this would had happened.

She had ruined their dreams! She had ruined her family!

…But, but, she only wanted revenge on a powerless orphan. She had finally gotten rid of Cui Zi Xuan; she had finally found such a greedy and lustful person among the envoys of various states.

The further she walked, the more disoriented the Empress became. The more she thought, the more confused and wronged she felt, because no matter how she thought about it, her plan was flawless, and her choice of person was perfect. Logically, today should had been the day Jiang Mi could not recover…

But why was the outcome so different?

The Empress grew increasingly confused. As she reached the side hall entrance, she could not help but turn back and glance at Jiang Mi.

Through so many figures, she looked at the girl who had not yet grown into a young lady, at her aloof posture, at her clear, bright, almost flawless eyes as she turned to look at the Southern Tang envoys, and suddenly… The Empress shuddered violently!

Almost suddenly, the Empress remembered something from long ago: someone had said, “I am not afraid of failure; I am only afraid of failing when I should not. It makes me think of fate.”

Even the proudest person could not defy fate. The usually indomitable Empress, suddenly realizing her string of unwarranted failures, felt a strange panic: she was born into a noble family, the center of attention from childhood, grew up to be stunningly beautiful, and smoothly became the Empress of a State. Someone like her was truly blessed by heaven. What did Jiang Mi have that made her so special? What did she have that made her special?!

As the Empress staggered away, the atmosphere in the hall remained frozen.

After what had just happened, the Emperor of Shu, feeling utterly humiliated, could not stay any longer. He glanced at Zhou Wenqing, then slowly placed his wine cup on the table, flicked his sleeve, and walked out.

After the Emperor of Shu left, the atmosphere in the hall remained strange. However, despite the strangeness, some faint whispers finally broke the silence.

Watching Jiang Mi hesitate for a moment before turning and walking towards a corner of the hall, Zhou Wenqing’s face was extremely grim.

In fact, not only him, but all the Chu State envoys behind him looked extremely grim, especially Zhou Wenqing’s close associates, whose faces were so bitter they seemed to drip with pain.

After the buzzing in the hall finally grew louder, Zhou Wenqing, finally freed from everyone’s gaze, leaned back, lowered his voice, and suppressed his panic, asking the crowd, “Are things bad?”

A loyal follower replied with a very grim expression, “From now on, the lord’s safety must be tightened.”

At this moment, another loyal follower said, “In my opinion, the lord should leave Shu State tonight while the Emperor of Shu is still inactive!”

Leave Shu State tonight? Zhou Wenqing’s face turned ashen. He muttered, “Are things really that bad?”

The crowd glared at the Southern Chu envoy with hatred and anger. One envoy coldly said, “Official Zhou can stay if he is willing to give up his life!” Then, in a low, angry voice, the envoy added, “What grudge does Princess Yihua have against you, sir? Why were you targeting her like this? Now look what has happened! You’ve tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead; you cannot even save your life now!”

Upon hearing even his supposedly wise deputy speak like this, Zhou Wenqing finally realized the gravity of the situation. His legs went weak with fear, and after trembling for a moment, he stammered, “I will go, I will go, I will leave tonight…”

On the other side, seeing Jiang Mi approaching, all the Shu people turned their heads.

“Emperor Wang’s wrath is known for its destructive power; even a commoner’s anger can cause bloodshed.” The secret Jiang Mi just revealed was absolutely intolerable to the Emperor of Shu, whether as Emperor Wang or an ordinary man. Therefore, not only had she finished speaking out, but Jiang Mi, by publicly exposing this matter and tearing the Emperor of Shu’s face to the ground, was also doomed!

Fan Yuxiu sat in the crowd, trying several times to call out to Jiang Mi, but her hand was gripped tightly, and her relatives glared at her menacingly.

As for Yu Man, Wang Yu, and the others, they all lowered their heads.

No one paid any attention to Jiang Mi; in fact, as she passed by, those around her spontaneously took a step back.

As everyone instinctively shunned her, Jiang Mi moved to a corner and slowly sat down on a couch.

While the Shu people avoided Jiang Mi, the envoys from the Southern Tang were unafraid. At that moment, the Young Masters and other nobles turned their heads curiously, scrutinizing Jiang Mi with great interest.

Jiang Mi had chosen this spot long ago.

Although it belonged to the Shu State nobility, it was very close to the Southern Tang envoys.

After Jiang Mi sat down, she noticed the people in the hall whispering in small groups, some of the envoys even moving around with wine cups. She thought for a moment, then slightly bowed to the Southern Tang envoy and asked softly, “Young Master, is my elder brother Jiang Wu with you?”

Unexpectedly, this young lady, who was about to be killed by the enraged Emperor of Shu, did not seek help at this critical moment but instead asked about her elder brother. For some reason, the Southern Tang envoy felt a pang of pity.

He sighed softly and nodded, saying, “Yes, he was taken away by my family.”

Almost as soon as the Young Master finished speaking, Jiang Mi flashed a radiant smile.

Seeing her smile so happily even on the verge of death, the Southern Tang envoy sighed softly and said, “My family name is Li. If nothing unexpected happens, your elder brother should be a direct descendant of the Li family… so you do not need to worry about him.”

Jiang Mi smiled sweetly at him and said happily, “Thank you for informing me, Young Master.”

To the side, the Southern Tang deputy envoy, whose appearance was extremely handsome, comparable to Cui Zi Xuan, finally turned around. He asked Jiang Mi curiously, “Your Royal Highness, are you not afraid?” His voice was as clear as ice and as beautiful as jade.