I swept the harem by pretending to be weak

Liu Zhirou couldn't stay here for long. She had to be on guard against the Queen Mother looking for her at all times, so she had to quickly comfort Ai Ziyi and left.

Although such a big thing has happened, it is still unknown whether the Queen Mother's schedule will be disrupted.

Although the emperor fell into the water and was frightened, nothing serious happened in the end. There was the empress in the palace who was in charge of the harem and took care of the emperor.

As the legitimate mother, it was not particularly important for the Empress Dowager to stay or not. Moreover, to put it bluntly, there was already a gap between the legitimate mother and the illegitimate son, and staying would only add to the embarrassment.

If the Empress Dowager wants to leave, then Liu Zhirou, the bargaining chip that the Emperor promised to give to the Empress Dowager, will of course have to leave with her.

As soon as Liu Zhirou returned, she ran into Tan Xiang, who was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot.

"Your Majesty, where have you been? Hurry up and get dressed, the Queen Mother said she wants to see you." Tan Xiang was overjoyed when she saw Liu Zhirou coming.

During this period of time, she was indeed under a lot of pressure. Although the Queen Mother was her former master, after she was given to Liu Zhirou, she became Liu Zhirou's person. In this situation, the two of them would rise and fall together.

If Liu Zhirou was really disliked by the Queen Mother, Tan Xiang would not have any good results.

Liu Zhirou knew she was in the wrong, so she hurriedly put on her makeup with the help of Tan Xiang before going to visit the Queen Mother.

"My Lord Buddha, Concubine Chun is here." The old nanny beside the Empress Dowager reminded.

The Queen Mother then opened her eyes as if awakened from a dream: "Let her come in."

"Your concubine greets the Empress Dowager." Liu Zhirou entered the room and immediately bowed respectfully.

"Stand up and look up so I can see you. Hmm, you are quite a pretty person." The Queen Mother first praised him, then asked casually, "Where did you go before?"

The Queen Mother understood very well the multiple steps required to win over a person. She and Liu Zhirou were not familiar with each other, nor did they have any blood relationship. To put it bluntly, Liu Zhirou was a chess piece given by the Emperor. The Emperor wanted to divert the Queen Mother's attention and stop her from having any connections with people in the court, so that she could focus on competing for favor in the harem. He hoped to influence the government by having his people whisper in her ear, thereby further reducing the power in the hands of the Queen Mother.

If the Queen Mother herself had not held this idea, this matter would not have been possible at all.

The Queen Mother took the initiative to reduce her power, of course, not because she was stupid. Her thoughts were very clear.

Now, no matter how powerful she is, the possibility of her actively influencing the imperial power has become very small. As long as the emperor does not die suddenly in an accident, the possibility of turmoil in the court situation is still very small.

In this case, it would be better for her to take the initiative to reduce her power to appease the emperor and avoid him becoming suspicious of her or even killing her family.

In this situation, she needs to treat Liu Zhirou well. Not only that, but she also needs to support her as much as possible and express her attitude.

Liu Zhirou herself is not important to her, but she has to act as if this person is particularly important.

"I went to visit Lady Lan." Liu Zhirou had no idea what the Queen Mother's intention was. It would be quite rash to speak without being asked as soon as they met, so she answered truthfully.

Although the Queen Mother had not been in charge of affairs for many years, Liu Zhirou never doubted the ability of this kind-looking old lady. As long as she wanted to find out her whereabouts, the Queen Mother would definitely be able to find out.

In this case, there is no need to hide anything. Moreover, Ai Ziyi is now pregnant with the emperor's child. No matter how big the mistake is, there will be a certain degree of forgiveness. What's more, Ai Ziyi herself is a victim in this matter and has done nothing wrong.

"Why did you suddenly think of visiting her?" asked the Queen Mother.

"Since I entered the palace, I have received a lot of care from Lady Lan. Now that she has met with an accident, I feel that I should help her wherever I can."

"You are a kind-hearted person, but you'd better stay away from Miss Lan." The Queen Mother said with a sigh.

She now has a pretty good feeling about Liu Zhirou. At least on the surface, she seems to be a loyal and righteous person. As for whether she is just pretending, they still have a long time to test each other and get a result.

"I obey your command." Liu Zhirou agreed neatly.

Although we agree, it is still unknown whether we will follow the Queen Mother's wishes.

"Don't you ask why?" The Queen Mother was a little surprised.

"If it is something that I can know, Her Majesty will naturally tell me. If it is something that I cannot know, why should I bother myself?" Liu Zhirou answered calmly.

She had some guesses about what happened between the Emperor and Ai Ziyi, and the special importance of the bridge, but she was not sure.

"Don't you want to continue helping her?" the Queen Mother continued to ask.

"If I have the ability, I can help her without seeing her. If I don't have the ability, even if I stay with her every day, I can't change the fact that the misfortune is coming." Liu Zhirou gradually relaxed. She was now very sensitive to emotions and could naturally feel that the Queen Mother had no ill will towards her and could basically be regarded as a friendly unit.

"What you said is somewhat similar to what the late queen said." The empress dowager mentioned the word late queen again.

The Queen Mother was also a little emotional. It seemed that the Emperor still hadn't let go of what happened in the past. Otherwise, why would he blame the pregnant concubine for a wooden bridge that should have been demolished long ago, and allow a woman from a merchant family to be promoted to the main lady of a palace at such a fast speed?

But this is normal. Having such a beautiful wife, how could he let a bunch of vulgar women catch his eye?