However, in just a few days, the Empress Dowager did not actually suffer any severe torture in the imperial prison.

Even her straw was newly changed, and her bedding and bed were clean. The Empress Dowager could also eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures inside.

But when Emperor Guangqi first stepped into her prison cell, he found that the once kind and dignified Empress Dowager had aged twenty years in an instant without the nourishment of power.

At this moment, she not only looked much thinner, but the wrinkles at the corners of her mouth and eyes were also deeper, and she even had a lot of white hair, making her look like a very old woman.

Emperor Guangqi stepped into the prison cell and his eyes narrowed slightly when he saw her appearance.

But the Empress Dowager heard the commotion outside, yet she remained kneeling in place, staring at the impenetrable wall, muttering something to herself, her back ramrod straight.

The sounds of Buddhist chants filled the air, seemingly transforming the cramped and confined prison into a serene and sacred space.

Emperor Guangqi stood quietly in place, listening for a moment before speaking to the Empress Dowager's thin back:

Do you really believe in Buddhism?

"Was everything from the moment you became a Buddhist a preparation for this moment?"

"I like Master Yuanhui. He eats vegetarian food and chants Buddhist scriptures to gain a reputation for compassion, making everyone in the world think that he is the real Buddha. But who knows that he is a wolf in sheep's clothing. While chanting Buddhist scriptures, he killed his own daughter-in-law and grandson."

"While eating vegetarian food, you treat human life like dirt, murdering the entire Han family and Su Mingyue, all for the sake of obtaining my imperial seal and trying to overthrow the entire Daqian empire?"

"I've been searching for over a decade! I've been searching for the Western Rong spy who has been lurking in Daqian for over a decade! But who knew that this Western Rong spy was right before my eyes!"

Emperor Guangqi's voice was deep and his dark eyes seemed devoid of emotion: "You are already the most honored woman in the world, what more do you want?"

"You have no resources left, so what are you still resisting for?"

The Empress Dowager ignored his words, simply chanting scriptures without moving her body or reacting at all.

Emperor Guangqi stood behind her for a moment, waiting. Seeing that she hadn't said a word, Emperor Guangqi gave a cold smile, a smile full of sarcasm.

"Since you don't want to say it, then let me say it for you."

"Is it because of Prince Ning?"

He raised an eyebrow slightly, his facial muscles twitching slightly: "Because of Prince Ning, you want to overthrow the Great Gan dynasty and let the Western Rong bloodline secure the throne."

“You were once a spy of the Western Rong, but after I was born, for a moment you thought of submitting to Da Gan. But when the Western Rong prince came to Da Gan to pay homage twenty-five years ago, everything changed.”

"Twenty-four years ago, Prince Ning was born."

"Your heart has changed since then, hasn't it?"

After speaking calmly, Emperor Guangqi unleashed a furious rage, violently kicking over the Empress Dowager's bed and food.

With a few crisp sounds, chaos erupted in the prison.

The Empress Dowager, who had been unmoved, tensed up instantly upon hearing these words.

Tears streaming down her face, she turned around and almost pleaded as she grabbed Emperor Guangqi's leg, then cried out in a panic, "It has nothing to do with Prince Ning! It has nothing to do with Prince Ning!"

"Your brother did nothing! He knows nothing!"

The Empress Dowager was practically weeping uncontrollably: "You are his elder brother, you are like a mountain pressing down on him, so he dares not do anything, dares not have any ambitions, and even dares not leave behind his own bloodline!"

"He's twenty-four! He can only immerse himself in poetry and books, live a carefree life, all alone, just to escape the struggle..."

Upon hearing this, the emperor merely smiled, his voice growing even hoarser: "Then how old am I? Do you still remember?"

The Empress Dowager paused, and her weeping abruptly stopped.

The emperor's smile deepened, his eyes flashing with ruthlessness: "He truly knew nothing, so on the day of your palace coup, he committed suicide in the Prince Ning's residence."

The Empress Dowager's eyes narrowed sharply, her face turning deathly pale. She saw the cruel smile on Emperor Guangqi's face and almost hysterically broke down:

"You killed him! You killed him!"

Emperor Guangqi shook his head, placed his hands on her shoulders and pressed down, then spoke soothingly, "No, Mother. You killed him."

"He has been rescued, but his life hangs by a thread. Whether he has medicine, what kind of medicine he should take, and whether he can survive are all up to you."

After saying this, Emperor Guangqi straightened up slightly and prepared to turn and leave: "There are uprisings all over the country now, and I am too busy to even take care of my younger brother... I have to go back to review the memorials."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager abruptly stood up and blocked the Emperor's path, her eyes filled with obvious tension: "I will exchange one of my people for the life of Prince Ning, a life for a life."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Guangqi's eyes darkened slightly: "Who?"

The Empress Dowager then quickly spoke up: "He Jingyan."

"Can I trade He Jingyan's life for your brother's?"

“He knows nothing. Even if you demote him to a commoner, at least you can save his life.”

The emperor gazed intently at her: "What would it mean to spare his life?"

The Empress Dowager lowered her eyes slightly and spoke again: "Take me to the city wall and watch Prince Ning ride away and leave the capital. Then I will tell you the whereabouts of He Jingyan."

The emperor, upon hearing this, remained noncommittal.

He didn't say anything, and turned to leave.

The Empress Dowager tried desperately to grab his robe, but she couldn't hold on and fell to the ground in sorrow.

"The Marquis of Anding and his family have served you faithfully and devoted themselves to you. I arrested him and subjected him to severe torture, but he refused to say anything. He even plotted to expose the fake He Jingyan, ruining my grand plan!"

"Emperor, even so, you are unwilling to save him?"