"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is resting."

The voices coming from behind stopped abruptly, because the Emperor had already bypassed the obstructing screen and stood before Empress Dowager Niohuru.

Niohuru was lying in bed resting with her eyes closed when she heard a noise nearby. She opened her eyes with difficulty and effort.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

"Emperor's Mother"

Hongli waved his hand behind him, signaling the maid who had followed him in to leave quickly.

"Why has Your Majesty summoned me here?"

Hongli sat calmly on the round stool, somewhat unable to accept Niohuru's aging.

She was such a spirited old lady just a while ago, how come she's changed so much in just a short time?

He seemed to have lost all his energy and spirit; he was skinny and emaciated.

Hongli felt disgusted with Niohuru lying on the bed, unaware that his current appearance was also something Niohuru found repulsive.

"Your Majesty, I ask you, how is your health?"

As soon as Niohuru opened her mouth, Hongli lost his temper, because what she cared about most was still Hongli and the choice of the emperor under his nose.

Hongli's expression changed instantly, his whole body tense up like a small beast ready to attack at any moment.

Looking at Niohuru with a serious expression, Hongli said with a half-smile, "My health is very good. Instead of worrying about my health, Empress Dowager, you should worry about yourself and recuperate in Cining Palace. Don't make me worry."

Doesn't he look healthier than the Empress Dowager? Why is she constantly inquiring about his health? Is she perhaps eyeing the throne? He won't easily appoint an heir.

Empress Dowager, "..."

The Empress Dowager was so angry by Hongli's two sentences that she began to gasp for breath, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Thus, Hongli was certain in his heart that the Empress Dowager's health was indeed not very good.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. I have the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital by my side to examine my pulse and they will surely help me recover."

"But Your Majesty, I heard from the imperial physician that you don't take medicine often. That won't do; you must prioritize your health."

Hongli began to feign concern for the Empress Dowager's health.

However, judging from the unethical way Hongli spoke, it didn't seem like he genuinely hoped for the Empress Dowager's well-being.

Is there really such a deep grudge between mother and son? Chen Yuwei lay on the couch in Yikun Palace, watching the projected screen while pondering whether her previous thoughts had been somewhat naive.

There was no need for the two of them to get angry at each other; the Empress Dowager was clearly no match for Hongli.

Look how easily Hongli angered the Empress Dowager with just a few words. Tsk tsk tsk, it's better to have a piece of barbecued pork than a son like this.

Chen Yuwei, hiding in Yikun Palace, still had the leisure to enjoy the show while making sarcastic remarks, while the two main actors had already parted ways.

Oh, that's not quite accurate. It was purely Hongli's unilateral act of leaving, because the Empress Dowager was in such a state that she couldn't even speak properly, so there was no way she could start an argument.

Seeing the pitiful old man lying in bed, Chen Yuwei happily ate an extra bowl of rice.

As Hongli left Cining Palace, he grew angrier and angrier. Unwilling to return to the cold and indifferent Yangxin Hall, he simply turned his sedan chair around and went to find his beloved concubines.

That night, Hongli once again indulged in a life of debauchery and pleasure.

All the concubines in the palace were happy to fawn over him.

Even when he was in bed with the emperor at night, he was never alone; he was always in pairs, and they would party until very late every night.

Gao Yu, who was by the emperor's side, was the first to lose patience and sent the news to palaces with high-ranking concubines, such as Yikun Palace and Yongshou Palace.

The implication was that they wanted these ladies to persuade the emperor not to risk his life so much.

Unfortunately, Gao Yu's intentions were good, but neither Chen Yuwei nor Wei Hanyu cared about Hongli's life.

Even more than Hongli's own life, the two of them cared about the throne beneath him.

This person is quite remarkable; he hasn't secretly designated an heir even now.

Hey

They simply refused to appoint someone, and court officials would submit memorials saying that they were in good health and did not need anyone; or they would say that there was no definite candidate and that they needed to continue to consider various factors.

This outcome by Hongli forced the ministers of the previous dynasty to start taking sides.

No one knows who the emperor will choose, which means that all the remaining princes and noblemen have a chance to ascend to the throne.

Given this, ambitious courtiers would certainly choose to take matters into their own hands and fight it out.

With the opportunity to change allegiance so close at hand, who would be willing to give it up?

It is said that taking sides in the struggle for the new emperor can lead to complete defeat if one is not careful. But throughout history, how many times have there been opportunities to soar to the top?

Why do incidents always occur at the end of a dynasty's term or during periods of transition between the old and new regimes? It's because these are the periods with the most opportunities.

Did Hongli, being in the thick of it all, understand the situation? Yes. But Hongli simply didn't want to relinquish the power he held.

An emperor who holds power is still an emperor, but if he loses power, he is just a tiger without claws, and he has no deterrent power.

He had already cleverly planned to wait until his last breath before placing the imperial edict of succession on the plaque of "Upright and Bright".

Hongli planned to learn from his grandfather's skills when he was alive: to manipulate his own sons into fighting each other, thus leaving himself enough safe space.

All his uncles and elders are now dead.

But Hongli grew up listening to these stories, so there was nothing he couldn't learn.

'With enough effort, one can master the intrigues and schemes of the imperial harem without ever being taught.'

Chen Yuwei waved the finger she was using to block her eyes, as if admiring something, or perhaps just spacing out.

At this point, half a month had passed since the confrontation between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!