Planning

After Prince Xiao and Jie You left, Consort Yao was summoned to Empress Mei Wu's Golden Palace. Consort Yao didn't get a chance to even greet the woman when she felt her heart race. The Empress slammed her hand hard on the wooden table. She furiously glared at Consort Yao, "Tell me what happened? Why was I not informed?" Consort Yao really wanted to let the empress know but out of fear that Da Ying would find out, she kept her mouth sealed.

"You know how Jie You is. She has always been in love with Prince Xiao but was not willing to lower her pride and tell me until last minute. Even I was surprised?" Consort Yao laughed it off.

"Kneel!" Consort Yao immediately went on both knees in front of the malicious empress. If anyone knew what the empress was really like, they would fear her just as much as Consort Yao did. "Consort Yao, do you know what you did wrong?"

"Please spare me. I didn't mean to. It was all too sudden,"

"Do you think I am in the mood to hear your pleads? Even though Da Ying is weak and timid, she is a thorn in my eyes. If you had just told me earlier that your daughter wanted to marry the Prince of Liang, do you think I would have spent so much effort bringing that woman back? I will give you one week to figure out how to get rid of her,"

While Consort Yao and Empress Mei Wu were scheming against Da Ying, she too, was planning her own counter attack. Bai Zhi had just returned with news of Consort Yao meeting with the Empress. Da Ying paced back and forth her room, analyzing the current situation. "Xiaojie, with one word, I'll tear that woman's heart out to silence her," Bai Zhi ruthlessly suggested. "No, it's not time yet. Knowing Consort Yao's personality, she has thought it through. If she tells the empress that I've gotten a hold of her secrets, the empress would get rid of both her and her father, Prime Minister Yao,"

"Xiaojie, Prime Minister Yao has been supporting Empress Mei Wu even before she got onto the throne. He is a key player to her power; would she really kill him just because of this one reason?" Ban Shiang asked.

"Prime Minister Yao has indeed been secretly helping that woman but once he is of no more use, she will toss him away. He is not the only one who is aiding the empress, I remember three other corrupt officials who sided with her to kill my mother. I won't let any of them go."

"What do you plan on doing?" Bai Zhi walked over to her, eagerly waiting for her one word, kill!

"If my guess is right, Consort Yao is keeping silent and the empress is still in the dark about what happened. In the next couple of days, she will be targeting me," Da Ying grinned evilly when she figured Consort Yao out. Da Ying turned to Bai Zhi, "Have Tang Wei and Li Ping find out whom else is aiding the empress in secrecy. Once you find out something, report to me immediately,"

"Ban Shiang, as long as Consort Yao makes a move in the next couple of days; secretly send the account book to Royal Deputy Sheriff, Wu Tan."