Inside the Imperial Palace of the [Royal Court], a group of noble masters stood with anxious expressions.
They had arrived at the Imperial Palace early that morning... naturally, they had come to see Queen [Fenghua], but she had yet to appear.
"Lady Bu Ji, it's almost noon. Has the Queen still not woken up?"
"The Queen devoted herself to official business last night and only retired at dawn. There is no need to worry, my lords."
Bu Ji... the chief court lady, and naturally one of Queen [Fenghua]'s closest attendants. Though her official rank was not particularly high, she wielded very real power.
Incidentally, [Lady Zhaorong] had once held this same position during the Empress's reign.
The nobles exchanged looks and sighed. This was clearly just an excuse. What was one sleepless night... staying awake for an entire month would hardly be a problem.
Just then, a maid entered and handed Bu Ji a written decree.
"Please return home, my lords." After reading the decree, Bu Ji said impassively, "The Queen is already aware of your requests. Go home and wait with peace of mind."
"Then... does that mean the Queen is awake? Could she grant us an audience?"
"The Queen said that you should return home and wait." Bu Ji swept her gaze around them. "My lords, I do not wish to repeat myself a third time."
"Then... very well!"
The nobles left, whispering among themselves. Only then did Bu Ji head toward Queen [Fenghua]'s study... outside its doors, the maids knelt in apprehension, barely daring to breathe.
Bu Ji frowned before pushing the door open and entering.
Inside the study, Queen [Fenghua] rested her forehead on her hand, eyes closed in thought. A lingering trace of anger remained on her face.
"Have those people all left?"
She had