His Majesty And I ✔️

Give Back

Chapter 31

Dowager Empress Wang
Cold Palace

"She slept at the dragon palace, Your Highness. Li Lian is willful. Who does she think she is?" Consort Wang complained.

They stood from each other, separated by the steel black-barred gates of the Cold Palace. It was not every visitor that the Dowager Empress could ask to be let in. Visitation was prohibited in the lone palace and threatening the guards to open the gate didn't always work, depending on who was on duty.

"She thinks she is the woman who will be empress. Good for her because she is working hard more than you have ever done, Consort Wang."

"Your Highness!"

"Go back and think about how you will strengthen your position. I am busy with other things and what you should be doing is thinking of ways to make my load lighter." The Dowager Empress dismissed her, "Be on your way."

The only servant she was left with when she was cast out, her court lady, came to her aid so they could go back inside. It was cold on this day.

Consort Wang also reluctantly withdrew, pulling up the hood of her cloak. The Cold Palace was freezing compared to any other place, proving its name by its harsh temperatures. The stony floors maintained the frigid temperature.

"Dowager Empress!" A voice she had not heard for years called her. Her head snapped in shock.

Her second visitor's face was as biting as the tone of her words. A scowl she always wore did not melt away due to the many summers that have passed since they last saw the other. She was still a bitter woman, weary and punished by life.

"Open the gate," the Dowager Empress ordered the palace guard.

The stubborn man looked away. He was the only one who had no family she could threaten him with to abide to her demands. This one was a loner.

The Dowager Empress looked around for anyone watching. "What are you doing here, Court Lady Ki?"

Her previous court lady humphed. "For a minute, I thought you didn't recognize me."

"Leave. Right now." Dowager Empress Wang wanted the woman gone as soon as possible.

"You have not been answering my letters."

"Yang Liu's identity is known by the world. I don't owe you anything anymore." Before, Court Lady Ki would exhort her with this secret but now with everyone knowing this, she was free from her demands.

"Is that how it works? You have your child but what about mine?" Court Lady Ki derided.

"I told you what I know."

Dowager Empress knew when Court Lady Ki fell pregnant, she should have exposed her. It wouldn't be costing her till this day. The dog sometimes bit the hand that fed it but Court Lady Ki was so faithful at that time, it looked right to protect her.

"I went to the place you spoke of. The woman you gave my son to is dead."

"How is that my fault?"

"Everything is your fault! You promised me that the woman you gave my son to was a wealthy woman who would look after him properly. You said she had a kind heart and she would care for him because she had been yearning for children."

When Court Lady Ki was pregnant, they hid this news and had to get rid of the baby when it was born. That way she could continue to live and be a court lady, serving Dowager Empress.

"Court Lady Ki, let the past stay as past. I released you from the palace, live a good life."

"If you knew your child was alone, somewhere in this cruel world, would you live a good life?" Court Lady Ki walked to the gate and held its bars. "Do you know the woman you gave my son to was abusive? They said he was beaten, left to starve, and lived the life of a beggar."

"He was living. That is what matters. If it wasn't up to me, the palace would have killed him at birth."

The veins of Court Lady Ki imprinted on her neck as she cried, "Give me back my son!"

"You are crazy! I don't know where he is."

"No, you have him. They said a royal woman came for him. Give me back my son!"

This woman had lost it. "Am I the only royal woman in the Grand Palace?"

"Except you, nobody knew this secret." Fat tears gushed on Court Lady Ki's cheeks. Something Dowager Empress never imagined to be possible. "Please... I beg of you." Her cheeks reddened as her eyes.

This was what is called, paying for your past mistake. Why would she take Court Lady Ki's son? She is a woman who has no sons but daughters solely.

"I don't have him, I am everything bad but I wouldn't steal your son."

"Liar! You are a liar!" were the sobbed accusations.

Court Lady Ki was a bright naive palace maid when she first started serving Dowager Empress. Because of unfortunate life events, she was barely an image of that girl. They used to share friendship, a deep one at that. But now Dowager Empress thought, maybe it was only a dream.

"I'm leaving," Dowager Empress announced. She wouldn't stick with the past.

"No! Give me my son. Dowager Empress!"

Dowager Empress turned to go back to the stony two-story building. The sky was grey and sad as well.

"Dowager Empress! I will tell them all your secrets! Come back here!" Court Lady Ki still screamed.

Dowager Empress had General Feng to worry about and now she had Court Lady Ki too? What was this life?

General Feng was not reciprocating her attempts to convince him to hurriedly marry Yang Liu. She suggested here and there her aspirations for him to be a Grand General but he seemed not interested. He didn't want her help. He had the South Clan to back him, of course he would not give up his clan to join the North Clan just because of a woman and a fancy position. This problem, she had not thought of carefully.

"Dowager Empress! I will tell them how you poisoned all the concubines so they wouldn't bear children except you!"

Dowager Empress Wang took the steps and grunted. This woman was quite ungrateful, wasn't she?

"I bet you are also poisoning the current emperor's concubines too. I will tell them!"

Court Lady Ki was annoying. She should have seen her chameleon nature from long before. "Find out if we can shut her up," Dowager Empress whispered to her accompanying court lady.

Author's Note

Weirdly this was short.

S.V