Chapter 57: The Queen Mother's Fate

When Lu An woke up, he found that they were almost in the capital city, and he could faintly hear the lively hawking sounds outside.

He stood up and glanced at Pei Yan, and found that Pei Yan was sitting there reading a book. He felt thirsty when he woke up, so he picked up the teacup and took a sip of water. When he pursed his lips, he found that his lips seemed to hurt even more.

Lu An:? ? ?

Lu An looked at Pei Yan suspiciously. He didn't believe there would be mosquitoes in this season.

Lu An stared at Pei Yan closely, trying to see something, but he saw nothing. Lu An began to doubt himself.

[Is it because I didn’t take the medicine?]

[I didn’t eat anything? 】

[Luckily I didn’t ask just now, or I would be embarrassed again]

At this moment, Lu An was only thinking: "I have wronged Pei Yan," but he did not notice that the tips of Pei Yan's ears were slightly red.

As dusk fell and horses' hooves crushed the fallen leaves, a procession of honor returned from the hunting grounds.

The palace gates opened one after another, and the vermilion lacquer and gold nails shone coldly in the sunset. The eunuchs had already been kneeling on both sides of the imperial road, with their foreheads pressed to the ground, holding their breath and concentrating.

Pei Yan stepped down from the carriage, his boots stepping onto the white marble steps. The smell of grass and wood mixed with blood on his hunting robe diffused in the autumn wind.

Pei Yan ordered Eunuch De to send Lu An back to Mingguang Palace first, and told Lu An: "I will be back soon. If you are hungry, ask the imperial kitchen to serve dinner first, and you don't have to wait for me."

Lu An also knew what Pei Yan was going to do, so he said, "Your Majesty, please be careful," and led Xuanying and Eunuch De to the direction of Minguang Palace.

"Your Majesty." The eunuch in charge of the seal stepped forward and presented a hot towel with both hands.

The emperor wiped the greasy stains left by feeding Lu An cakes in the carriage just now, without raising his eyelids; "Where is the Queen Mother?"

"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother has prepared some warm wine in the Cining Palace, waiting for you to get rid of the cold."

Pei Yan did not stop, but a faint smile flashed across his lips. His cloak swept across the steps, startling a flock of crows. The cloud patterns embroidered with gold thread flickered under the palace lanterns.

In the distance, the glazed tiles of the Cining Palace were glowing with a cold light, as if reflecting the dragon robe - that was where the empress dowager had prepared wine and was waiting.

In the distance, the sound of evening drums came from the bell and drum tower. The palace lanterns lit up one by one, stretching his shadow very long and casting it obliquely on the red wall like a sword drawn from its sheath.

Lu An did not go to the Minguang Hall. He first went back to the side hall to pack up his and Xuanying's things before preparing to go to the Minguang Hall.

As soon as I came out of the side hall, I saw Long Qi standing at the door with a troubled look on his face. I wonder what he was thinking about? Lu An called him: "Long Qi, what are you doing?"

Long Qi was distracted and didn't notice Lu An approaching, so he knelt down and apologized, "I failed in my duty, please punish me, sir."

Lu An looked at Long Qi in confusion, "Why should I punish you? The punishment is done by Xuanying, but he can't speak." As he said this, he glanced at Xuanying.

Long Qi finally reacted and was so flustered that he didn't know how to explain it.

Seeing that Long Qi looked conflicted again, Lu An bent down and helped him up. Without asking any more questions, he turned and walked towards the Minguang Hall, thinking as he walked.

[Long Qi calls me master? 】

[Did Pei Yan give the order?] 】

[But that would be…]

The more Lu An thought about it, the more he felt it was impossible. He shook his head and simply stopped thinking about it.

At this time, the vermilion lacquered door of the Cining Palace slowly opened in front of Pei Yan, making a dull creaking sound.

The light in the hall was dim, with only a few palace lanterns swaying with faint light, stretching the empress dowager's figure long and casting it on the wall painted with auspicious cloud patterns.

Pei Yan raised his hand to stop Mo Yuan who wanted to follow him, "I have something to say to the Queen Mother, you all wait outside."

"But Your Majesty..." Mo Yuan hesitated and looked into the palace with worry.

"It's okay." Pei Yan adjusted the cuffs of his dragon robe.

As you step into the hall, the scent of sandalwood hits you in the face, but it can't cover up the faint smell of medicine.

Pei Yan's gaze fell on the empress dowager who was sitting on the carved rosewood chair. She was still wearing the bright yellow phoenix robe that symbolized her status, her hair was neatly tied up and pinned with the nine-phoenix golden hairpin bestowed by the late emperor.

If one did not know the inside story, who would have thought that this graceful and elegant queen mother would actually collude with the barbarians in the northern border and attempt to overthrow the Wei dynasty?

"The emperor is here." The empress dowager did not even raise her head, gently fiddling with a string of Buddhist beads in her hand, "I thought you would never set foot in this Cining Palace?"

Pei Yan taunted, "My mother colluded with the Northern Di and intended to kill me. I am banishing you to the cold palace for the sake of our relationship?"

The Queen Mother finally raised her eyes, and her phoenix eyes, which were exactly the same as those of the late Emperor, flashed with a cold light. "It's just banishment to the cold palace, not direct execution. Emperor, when did you become so indecisive?"

There was a brief silence in the hall. Outside the window came the sound of wind blowing through the bamboo forest, rustling like countless tiny whispers.

The Queen Mother suddenly laughed, and the laughter echoed in the empty hall, carrying a bit of sadness. She slowly stood up, and the gold thread on her phoenix robe flickered under the light.

You are just taking into consideration the aristocratic family behind me. If it weren't for my Xiao family, how could the late emperor have been able to secure his rule over the entire Wei Dynasty?

"I have wasted half my life, and what have I gained in return? The aristocratic families are powerful, the relatives of the emperor are in power, and my century-old Xiao family has been reduced to dust," she cried with tears in her eyes, "How can I accept this?"

Do you think that you can secure the throne by dethroning the Zhao and Wang families? madness

Pei Yan quietly watched the Queen Mother fall ill. Seeing that she had not yet faced reality, he said coldly, "Now the military power and the national treasury are in my hands. What can the Qinghe Cui family do?"

"The Queen Mother will go to the cold palace to enjoy her old age, and pray that your Xiao clan will make a comeback." But as far as I know, "the remaining members of the Xiao clan are in the Qinghe Cui clan."

"Tell me, if I tell the world about your collusion with the barbarians, will the Cui family still dare to protect the remaining members of your Xiao family?"

After hearing this, the Queen Mother sat down on the ground in dejection, realizing that she was doomed. She grabbed the Emperor's clothes and begged, "Let them go. You have no evidence to point to my collusion with the barbarians, so all this is Wang Su's one-sided statement."

Pei Yan squatted down and whispered like a devil: "I said that the Queen Mother has evidence of colluding with the barbarians, so there is evidence." After saying that, he turned and left.

The Queen Mother knelt on the ground and shouted, "Your Majesty, this is my fault. Please let Xiao go, Your Majesty."

As the vermilion lacquered door closed, the Queen Mother's pleading voice also disappeared from their ears.