Detective Ghost Empress

272 don’t be an endless pit

” Your majesty, that’s not ….” Ji Yu wanted to tell her aunt that there was no need for her to worry about anything and that she will deal with this matter on her own but the Grand Dowager Empress did not give her the chance to do so, she raised her hand and stopped Ji Yu from talking before she walked over to the tea table and sat down on the wooden chair after a soft flick of her sleeves.

The Grand Dowager’s gaze fell on the cups that were placed on the table and then she tutted lightly before turning to look at Ji Yu as she asked, ” Are you still drinking that tea from that old shop? I told you that you are now the imperial concubine, you should be making use of the finest clothes and everything that your hands touch, why is it that you are still buying tea from that broken old shop?”

” I was just doing some charitable work and it was too much of a waste to throw it all away,” Ji Yu clenched her fingers behind her back as she lowered her head, when she was young she was helped by a street vendor who had a small shop in the town.

Because she felt pity for the old shopkeeper who did not make much living with the homegrown tea leaves that he sold, she would send Xiaolin to buy them for her. She only did it because she wanted to help the old shopkeeper but when she brewed the tea leaves that were grown by him, she ended up liking it and started drinking it every now and then.

Xiaolin must have taken the tea leaves out to cheer her up but because the grand Dowager Empress arrived all of a sudden she ended up brewing this tea for the old woman as well, mistakenly forgetting that the Grand Dowager Empress was someone who prided herself on being the wife of the late Grand Emperor and only used the finest things.

Even though the things that she now used were not as flashy and gaudy as they used to be when she married the Late Grand Emperor, they were still pretty expensive for example the dress she was wearing right now was made from cloud silk, the finest silk that was sold for more than a hundred gold taels for a single clothing piece.

” How many times do I have to tell you this?” The Grand Dowager Empress released a long annoyed sigh as she looked at Ji Yu, but instead of raising her voice, she did the exact opposite. She lowered her voice and continued speaking in a disappointed voice, ” I have been trying to understand you, Ji Yu. I really am but you cannot expect to act like some groundless, worthless street rat and then hope that you will be able to become the Empress, if you want to become the Empress then you need to step up first and become a deserving candidate for the throne of the Empress.”

She turned her head to the teapot and flicked it down with her hand causing the porcelain teapot to break into thousands of pieces and the tea to splatter all over the floor.

The Grand Dowager’s actions caused Ji Yu to flinch as she curled her feet on which the hot tea drops has fallen just now but she did not make a sound. This was her aunt, what she was doing was right. She was only doing this because she cared about her and wanted to see her succeed and nothing else.

.....

” Forgive me, your majesty, I will keep this in my mind later on,” Ji Yu bowed her head as she asked for forgiveness, she had done something wrong and made her aunt get angry. It was only right for her to lower her stance and apologize, having done that she wanted to crouch down and pick up the shards of the cup but was stopped by her aunt who hissed sharply.

” What are you doing? Is this your job?” The Grand Dowager Empress glared at Ji Yu who dropped the shard that she has picked up and awkwardly stood back up in her position as she was earlier. The Grand Dowager Empress rolled her eyes and then rubbed her forehead as she muttered, ” It would have been so good if Tianyu befriended your cousin instead of you, she is so much smart and knows what she needs to do.”

Ji Yu stiffened and lowered her head, she could feel her eyes burning but she did not let the tears that were almost on the verge of seeping out fall, instead, she bit her lip and pretended to hear what the Grand Dowager Empress was telling her.

Seeing that Ji Yu was not saying anything the Grand dowager Empress to realised that she might have overstepped her boundaries which was why she cleared her throat and then said in a much more softened voice, ” I am not saying that you are wrong Yu’er but you need to understand that you cannot win the throne if you continue to act like this, you have to get smarter with time, do you understand that?”

” Your father wanted to bring your cousin to the imperial palace given your situation he did not want our Ji family to not give birth to an heir to the throne, it was I who stopped him or else you would have to fight with your cousin along with the Empress, I was worried that you will have a tough time and which is why I took this risk even though when I knew that you cannot give birth to a child.”

” I have done so much for you, Ji Yu…the least you can do is listen to your aunt and follow what I tell you to do lest you make all my sacrifices fall into an endless pit? You don’t want to be an endless pit do you, Ji Yu?” Grand Dowager Empress asked with a soft and endearing voice causing Ji Yu to shake her head as she replied, ” I don’t aunt.”

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