The Empress thought for a moment, then simply set aside her confusion and asked, "Does this have anything to do with Prince Dai?"
Water Cloud Shrine had become a den of debauchery, and Prince Lu had been dragged into it. It was hard for the Empress not to connect it to Prince Dai, especially since Prince Dai had been ordered to deal with the Divine Shrines not long ago.
The palace maid replied, "Your Majesty, this matter was brought to light when the Dao-Brahma Sects moved against Water Cloud Shrine."
"Nothing else?" the Empress asked.
"Some of the female relatives of powerful families in the Capital City have also been implicated, but the rumors about them are nowhere near as widespread as those about Prince Lu."
There were no rumors concerning Consort Wei. Yet what had happened between Consort Wei and Prince Lu should have been even more serious. The Empress vaguely guessed something and ordered, "Go investigate Consort Wei."
After saying that, she gave another order. "Prepare my carriage. I wish to see His Majesty."
The phoenix carriage was swiftly readied. The Empress boarded it, and since her residence had been moved closer than before, she soon arrived at the Emperor's quarters.
After disembarking and reaching the hall doors, she saw Eunuch Zhao, the Emperor's chief eunuch, about to come out. Seeing her, he hurriedly dropped to his knees in salute.
Noticing that his face was somewhat deathly pale, the Empress quickly stopped him.
"Are you ill? Your complexion does not look well," the Empress asked with apparent concern.
"This old servant is fine. I merely came out to get some air," Eunuch Zhao said with a hurried, ingratiating smile.
From that single encounter, the Empress already understood the situation inside. She steadied her emotions slightly, put on a