The young palace maid was sent by the Empress Dowager to monitor Mo Yun. She deliberately sent Mo Yun to invite Xu Zifan, wanting to see how Mo Yun and Xu Zifan would interact and what they would say. Mo Yun watched from afar as the young palace maid entered the Empress Dowager's bedchamber, then returned to his own room without showing any surprise.
She locked the doors and windows and opened the note. The note Xu Zifan had given her told her to go ahead and do as she pleased. He said that he had already gathered most of the power in the court and would be able to control everything in a while. He told her to leave the palace to her and make as much chaos as possible. He didn't care if the royal family lost face. He hoped that she would use these personal grudges and trivial matters to annoy the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, making them neglect the changes in the outside world.
The second note Xu Zifan gave her detailed the Empress Dowager's likes and dislikes. Mo Yun read it three times, memorizing the contents. With this information, she could become the Empress Dowager's most trusted confidante, winning her favor with every move. She didn't know why Xu Zifan had given her the note in two installments, but it had been a great help, and it came in handy now.
Mo Yun burned the two notes, sorted through her hidden medicines and weapons, and carefully checked the room again. She needed to gradually become one of the Empress Dowager's most trusted confidantes, and she had to be extremely careful. She couldn't let anyone discover her secrets, nor could she allow herself to be framed. This was a war; Xu Zifan had clearly stated his intention to seize power for the first time, and she was now strongly motivated to fight.
She had long disliked the Empress Dowager and her son, using Xu Zifan as a servant to gain a good reputation while leaving all the bad marks on him—utterly hypocritical. Since Xu Zifan had previously been very fond of the Empress Dowager, she couldn't say anything. She had originally planned to find a suitable opportunity to advise them, and if that failed, to find a way to leave. Unexpectedly, Xu Zifan suddenly changed his mind and sent her as a spy to deal with the mother and son. Since Xu Zifan trusted her so much, she certainly wouldn't let him down.
When the palace maid met the Empress Dowager, she described the scene of Mo Yun and Xu Zifan's meeting in detail. The Empress Dowager smiled with satisfaction when she heard that Mo Yun was only respectful to Xu Zifan and that Xu Zifan only asked Mo Yun a few questions about her indifferently.
Hearing that Mo Yun was deeply concerned about her health and had asked Xu Zifan to help her resolve her worries, find a renowned doctor, and obtain medicine, she was even more satisfied. It seemed that Xu Zifan had indeed found a suitable person for her when he sent someone over, rather than planting a spy. In her view, Xu Zifan had no reason to plant a spy for her, after all, he was deeply devoted to her and only showed concern.
So, it seems that Mo Yun, having been by her side for so long, has truly come to regard her as her mistress. According to Xiang Yun's investigation, Mo Yun was just an ordinary maid in the Prince's mansion, chosen because of her cleverness and eloquence, and recommended by Xu Zifan's steward, not a trusted confidante personally favored by Xu Zifan. Now, Mo Yun is already a first-class head maid by her side, and the next step would be becoming her most trusted servant. Everyone knows who to be loyal to, and the Empress Dowager is very satisfied.
The Empress Dowager dismissed the young palace maid and summoned Shishu, instructing her to relay a message to Xiangyun: find out who frequently visited the Prince's residence, and ideally, ascertain Xu Zifan's private influence. It would be even better if Xiangyun could offer herself as Xu Zifan's concubine. Often, men succumb to the power of pillow talk, and a close relationship would allow Xiangyun to gain a deeper understanding of Xu Zifan's power, perhaps even enabling her to subtly undermine it.
After Xiangyun's death, De'an had been impersonating her to contact the palace, handling all related matters personally. When the Empress Dowager inquired about Moyun, it was naturally he who sent false information to mislead her. Upon receiving this news, his lips twitched; he was truly speechless at the Empress Dowager's behavior. The Empress Dowager would use any underhanded trick to control Xu Zifan. He had thought it was naive of her to send Xiangyun to the Prince's residence to gather information; so that was her true purpose—to make Xiangyun Xu Zifan's bedmate. A bedmate sent by one's beloved—how utterly disgusting!
De'an shook his head and went to the study to tell Xu Zifan about it. Xu Zifan wasn't surprised. Shao Hua had read a lot of palace intrigue novels during this time and had summarized a lot of related schemes for him to see. Sending a spy concubine was a piece of cake. Besides, Xiangyun was already dead, so the Empress Dowager couldn't use any of her schemes.
However, if "Xiangyun" were to truly become his concubine, the Empress Dowager might find an excuse to bring her to the palace, which would expose the affair. Before he completely controls the court, he doesn't intend to let "Xiangyun's" affair be exposed, so he won't take that approach. In any case, if he doesn't pursue women, the Empress Dowager will still imagine he loves her deeply, and she won't be dissatisfied; instead, she'll be even more convinced that everything he does is for her sake, which is perfect for deceiving her and making it easier for him to act secretly.
Xu Zifan pondered the current situation for a moment and instructed, "Send a message to her in three days that the seduction has failed, send another message in ten days, and a third in a month. Also, give her a few incorrect lists of factions. The emperor has been making a lot of small moves lately and has started to cultivate his own forces in secret. The empress dowager must not know this. Since she is so concerned about the court, use her to get rid of the emperor's people."