First Lady of the Blue Moon Kingdom
"Did you find out something?" Consort Vivian fixed her sharp gaze on her. "Is someone trying to harm me?"
"Although I haven't had much interaction with Your Grace before, Little Bao and I are close friends. He often told me how much you cared for him," Grace replied. "That's why I'm telling you this. As for the rest, please forgive me for not being able to say more."
Consort Vivian looked at her for a long moment before finally nodding. "Thank you, Grace."
Grace smiled.
As Grace was leaving Consort Vivian's palace, she ran into Molly Mo, the Empress's trusted attendant, who was leading a group of young palace maids to deliver gifts to Consort Vivian.
Molly Mo scrutinized Consort Vivian but saw nothing unusual, so she couldn't help but glance at Grace twice.
Grace pretended not to notice and took her leave.
Molly Mo was probably there to check on things.
Seeing Consort Vivian safe and sound, she was surely left with doubts.
Let her be confused, then... It's not like they could just come out and ask, right?
Grace Wan didn’t want any son born from the other noble families’ consorts to be made Crown Prince. Grace could understand that.
But she was using Grace to do her dirty work.
Was she planning to get rid of Grace too?
Hadn’t she always wanted Grace to enter the palace? Did she change her mind now?
Probably not yet...
After all, besides her, there was Zoe Zhu.
She was always protective of her little sister, Zoe.
So, maybe she was confident the Spirit Alchemist wouldn’t find out?
The scent of musk and rouge was easy to tell apart. How could the Spirit Alchemist possibly miss it?
Unless... she already controlled the entire Imperial Medical Bureau, or was even colluding with the higher-ups in the Spirit Alliance?
The more Grace thought about it, the more she realized just how cunning Grace Wan really was...
...
Back at the Prime Minister’s residence, Grace spotted two eunuchs the moment she walked in.
The whole household—masters and servants alike—were kneeling everywhere.
Grace was familiar with everyone around Evan Gu.
These two eunuchs were Evan’s trusted aides, the ones who went around announcing imperial edicts.
Grace’s heart skipped a beat, suddenly recalling the cold, predatory look Evan gave her in the Imperial Garden.
What was he up to now?
She knelt down with the crowd, and listened as the eunuch read the decree: “By the Mandate of Heaven, His Majesty decrees: Empress Zhuo, gifted and virtuous, is the paragon of all women. Her birth mother, Grace Wan, is hereby granted the title of First Lady of the Blue Moon Kingdom. Thus is the imperial will!”
After the announcement, the eunuch beamed at Grace Wan. “First Lady, please accept the decree!”
Grace Wan was overjoyed as she accepted the decree, then happily rewarded the head eunuch with a hefty pouch of silver.
Grace pursed her lips, her brows furrowing tightly.
First Lady of the Blue Moon Kingdom...
Same rank as the Dowager Lady.
There are fewer than ten people with that rank in all of Blue Moon Kingdom.
From now on, everyone in the Zhuo family—men, women, young and old—except the Dowager Lady and her father, would have to bow to Grace Wan...
Is this what Evan meant by making her regret things?
He gave the title that was supposed to go to her mother, to Grace Wan instead?
Maybe... he really did understand Grace Wan’s true nature!
He knew that now she’d risen to power, Grace and her mother wouldn’t have an easy life...
Grace looked at Grace Wan, watching as she walked up to Prime Minister Zhu, bowed her head, and said, “Prime Minister, this title should have gone to Mrs. Wan! I am overwhelmed!”
Prime Minister Zhu replied gently, “You are the Empress’s birth mother. You deserve it.”
“Prime Minister...” Grace Wan called out, tears in her eyes. “From now on, I will serve you and Mrs. Wan with all my heart—I dare not slack off for even a moment!”