In my past life, I was buried alive! Reborn, I'll overturn the capital.

Chapter 94 Seize the opportunity

Seeing Jiang An and the others flee in disarray, Jiang Qingyue felt instantly relieved.

In my past life, I truly suppressed far too much.

Next, it's their turn to be terrified; at least, they won't dare to show their faces in front of them again.

Jiang Qingyue left the palace feeling refreshed. As soon as she stepped out of the main gate, she saw Qin Jinghao waiting in the pavilion.

Jiang Qingyue raised an eyebrow slightly, stepped forward slowly, and calmly bowed, "This humble woman greets Your Highness the Crown Prince..."

"Get up!" Qin Jinghao offered a slight gesture of support, glanced at Jiang Qingyue, and his eyes held a complex expression.

"Does Your Highness also believe that I framed Jiang Chuchu?" Jiang Qingyue preemptively asked.

"No, I didn't mean that. I'm waiting for you here just to say that I've failed you in this matter." Qin Jinghao knew that he had to seize this opportunity to appease Jiang Qingyue.

Jiang Qingyue shook her head. "Your Highness, I know that this matter cannot be entirely blamed on Your Highness. I didn't expect it either... Now that things have come to this, Your Highness has achieved your wish."

Jiang Qingyue directly saw through Qin Jinghao's thoughts. Qin Jinghao was not angry; instead, he felt even more guilty.

Qin Jinghao wanted to say something, but Jiang Qingyue simply gave a slight curtsy and said, "Your Highness, I am not feeling well and will take my leave now."

After saying that, Jiang Qingyue didn't give Qin Jinghao a chance to stop her and turned to leave, but her back view looked rather lonely.

Qin Jinghao didn't appear again after that. When Jiang Qingyue heard news about Qin Jinghao, she heard that the East Palace had sent a small sedan chair to bring Jiang Chuchu into the palace. After that, Jiang Qingyue didn't know much.

Moreover, she had no time to pay attention to Jiang Chuchu, because Wuming had once again secretly sneaked into the palace.

He received news that a maid who used to serve Jiang Qingyue's mother was still alive, but had become mute and was living in a small mountain village.

Upon learning this, Jiang Qingyue's first instinct was to rush over and find out what was going on, but she was still inside the palace...

Jiang Qingyue was considering how to leave the palace in a legitimate way without arousing their suspicion.

It seems like even God is on her side.

That evening, news arrived in the palace that the Empress Dowager had suddenly fallen ill at Qingping Temple, but refused to return to the palace and refused to be served by the palace maids, leaving the emperor at his wits' end.

The Empress Dowager always doted on her youngest son, Qin Xuanyu. She even initially intended for him to inherit the throne, just like the late Emperor. However, Qin Xuanyu had no such intentions whatsoever.

Furthermore, given the current emperor's apprehension towards Qin Xuanyu, the Empress Dowager ultimately did not want to see the brothers killing each other. She chanted scriptures and prayed to Buddha day and night, trying to stop them from continuing their endless struggle.

Unexpectedly, Qin Xuanyu chose to retire from the martial world in order to end everything. The Empress Dowager's resentment towards the Emperor deepened, so she went to Qingping Temple to cultivate herself, and she stayed there for many years.

During the journey, the emperor sent palace maids and nannies to serve him on several occasions, but the empress dowager refused each time, leaving only the most trusted nanny by his side.

So many years have passed, and many people have almost forgotten that the Empress Dowager existed.

Although the emperor was also angry about the empress dowager's favoritism, she was, after all, his mother, and he could not abandon her for the sake of his reputation.

Unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager suddenly fell ill, and he immediately tried to take the opportunity to bring her back, but was still refused.

They were at their wits' end and were having a real headache.

This matter was not a secret; many people knew about it, so Jiang Qingyue also overheard it.

She hesitated for a moment, but finally found a solution.

She took the initiative to request an audience with the Emperor and Qin Jinghao, and volunteered to go to Qingping Temple to accompany the Empress Dowager.

Because Qingping Temple is not far from the place Wuming mentioned, isn't that heaven helping us?

The Emperor and Qin Jinghao were extremely surprised by Jiang Qingyue's request. They never expected that Jiang Qingyue would take the initiative to make it. Being suspicious, their first thought was that Jiang Qingyue had some ulterior motive.

"Your Majesty, I have now learned the etiquette in the palace quite well. I would like to take this opportunity to go to Qingping Temple to pray for Your Highness and also to visit the Empress Dowager on Your Highness's behalf. If possible, I would also like to humbly try to persuade the Empress Dowager to return."

To the emperor, Jiang Qingyue's words sounded like utter boasting.

Many people have been helpless over the years, so what could she possibly do?

However, there is indeed no better solution now, since the Empress Dowager rejects all palace maids and there is no way to get close to her.

Jiang Qingyue is the granddaughter-in-law of a grandson's generation, so both in terms of sentiment and reason, the Empress Dowager should make some kind of gesture.

Thinking of this, the emperor nodded and agreed to Jiang Qingyue's suggestion, "Alright, I agree. If you can do it, I will reward you handsomely; if you fail, I will not punish you. After all, this matter is not easy, and it is already very good that you have such a heart."

Since the emperor had already spoken, Qin Jinghao had nothing to say and nodded in agreement.

So, the next day, Jiang Qingyue packed her bags. She didn't choose to go back to the Prime Minister's residence to say goodbye. After all, they didn't treat her family like family, so why should she care?

Therefore, Jiang Qingyue went directly to Qingping Temple.

To protect Jiang Qingyue's safety, the emperor specially assigned two people to guard her, ostensibly for protection, but actually to keep an eye on her.

Jiang Qingyue understood, so she cooperated fully.

She slowly walked to Qingping Temple and saw an old woman kneeling in front of the Buddha statue, chanting sutras and praising the Buddha. She must be the Empress Dowager.

The moment the abbot saw Jiang Qingyue, he shook his head, as if he had already foreseen the same outcome.

Jiang Qingyue did not back down. Instead, she stepped forward and knelt beside the Empress Dowager to make a wish.

When the Empress Dowager heard the noise, she only opened her eyes slightly to glance at Jiang Qingyue before closing them again, not taking Jiang Qingyue seriously.

After Jiang Qingyue finished her bow, she turned to face the Empress Dowager and said, "This humble woman, Jiang Qingyue, greets the Empress Dowager. May the Empress Dowager live a thousand years!"

However, the Empress Dowager did not raise her head, kept her eyes closed, and said, "I have already told the Emperor not to waste his energy anymore. I will not return to the palace."

Upon hearing Jiang Qingyue's self-designation, she guessed that it was probably someone sent by the emperor again, only this time it wasn't a palace maid.

"No, I did not come to persuade the Empress Dowager to return," Jiang Qingyue denied directly.

This surprised the Empress Dowager. She finally raised her head and looked at the beautiful Jiang Qingyue in front of her. She was neither humble nor arrogant, and her demeanor was dignified, which was quite rare.

Therefore, the Empress Dowager was unusually interested in having her personal nanny guide Jiang Qingyue.

In the side room, only the Empress Dowager and Jiang Qingyue were present.

"Speak up, since you weren't sent here to return the goods, what are you doing here?"

The Empress Dowager's tone was calm, yet dignified.

"Your Majesty, it was His Majesty who sent me."

The Empress Dowager's usually impassive face finally showed a slight change. "You just said you weren't here to persuade me? Young lady, one should not lie before Buddha." The Empress Dowager was not angry, but only slightly reprimanded Jiang Qingyue.

"Your Majesty, I am not wrong. It was His Majesty who sent me to persuade you, but I do not wish to do so!"