The Empress Dowager Zhuang cleared her throat and took the candy with a look of disgust, making sure Gu Jiao didn’t see her drool.
The flavour was just as she remembered, pleasantly sour and sweet, with a faint hint of plum aroma.
Unlike the sweetmeats in the palace, they were a little less sweet but unexpectedly tasty.
After finishing the three drops, the Empress Dowager Zhuang was still not satisfied.
Gu Jiao blinked and asked, "Does it taste familiar?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang responded seriously, "How can I tell from just three candies?"
"True." Gu Jiao hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a small paper bag from her pouch containing three more candies.
The Empress Dowager was silent as she watched the candies, then stared at Gu Jiao’s pouch.
The pouch was stitched by the Empress Dowager herself, a gift for Gu Jiao’s coming-of-age ceremony when she turned fifteen. It was embroidered with two quails and a few quail eggs. She wanted to embroider mandarin ducks originally, but unfortunately, the finished piece did not turn out as desired and looked like quails instead.
How could she have handed over such a silly thing?
The Empress Dowager was quite disgusted.
Indeed, people do foolish things when they lose their minds. This was a dark Chapter in Empress Dowager Zhuang’s life.
She finished off the other three candies as well.
When Gu Jiao still called her an old lady, she only allowed the Empress Dowager to eat three candies every day and five during the New Year. If she wanted to eat more, she had to figure out ways to hide them.
However, she couldn’t really hide that many as Zen Mind loved to check her things and would immediately go tattle if anything was found!
After eating six candies and still not satisfied, the Empress Dowager coldly huffed, "Familiar or not? I couldn’t even taste anything from these. Bring me a few more to taste!"
Gu Jiao shot her a suspicious glance, "Grand-aunt, you’re not deliberately trying to mooch off a few more candies, are you?"
The Empress Dowager choked, "How...how can that be possible!"
In the end, the Empress Dowager Zhuang did not get the seventh candy. Not only that, before leaving, Gu Jiao instructed Steward Qin not to let the Empress Dowager eat any sweets, including a few kinds of fruit high in sugar. She needed to control her diet.
Steward Qin accepted the order with a smile.
The Empress Dowager’s face turned completely black!
Meanwhile, when Zhuang Yuexi, crying, returned to Zhuang’s house, the Grand Tutor Zhuang asked her what happened. Was anything wrong with the Empress Doward? Why was she crying so heavily?
When the Empress Dowager was sent to the resort for treatment years ago, Zhuang Yuexi hadn’t even shed a single tear, although she was a little bit upset.
Zhuang Yuexi whined, "The Empress D... Empress Dowager drove me out of the palace..."
Grand Tutor Zhuang was baffled, "Why?"
Zhuang Yuexi recounted how she was caught climbing onto the Phoenix Bed and how Gu Jiao slapped her and she accidentally damaged the Phoenix Seal. "It was her fault... she hit me... I accidentally bumped into it! But the Empress Dowager blamed me for everything..."
Grand Tutor Zhuang frowned with confusion, "I thought the Empress Dowager was fond of you. How did this happen?"
How could Zhuang Yuexi tell him that the Empress Dowager was not actually fond of her, but of that maid?
It was strange though, the Empress Dowager didn’t act this way during the day. Yet at night, she was like a different person altogether. Something must have happened in between!
She shared her suspicions with her grandfather.
Grand Tutor Zhuang fell into a silence for a long time then said, "I understand. Go back to your room. I will visit the Empress Doward tomorrow."
"Yes," replied Zhuang Yuexi, with a wronged expression and teary eyes, before retreating to her room.
The day after, once the morning court was over, Grand Tutor Zhuang followed Empress Dowager’s sedan chair, "Your Majesty!"
Empress Dowager Zhuang raised her hand.
Understanding her signal, a kneeling palace maid softly said, "Stop."
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