He had recently taken the Panacea and was in a state of heightened excitement. Although he was kneeling outside the Imperial Study in the freezing cold, he felt as if he were already the emperor, with Prince Qi and Prince Jin kneeling before him, begging for his forgiveness.

So even though he was kneeling, he had a smile on his face.

Fortunately, it was nighttime, and others couldn't see clearly; otherwise, His Majesty would have been furious.

At the end of the Xu hour, when the weather was freezing cold, His Majesty finally sent word through Hua Zisheng: "Empress, please return home. Crown Prince, please keep vigil for the Empress Dowager. Tomorrow, summon Duke Cheng'en to the palace to discuss the Empress Dowager's funeral arrangements."

The empress swayed slightly, then immediately knelt down and loudly expressed her gratitude.

Jin Ge helped the Empress back to the central palace step by step, while the Crown Prince also returned to the funeral hall.

The Empress immediately sent someone to inform the Duke of Cheng'en that he would be entering the palace the next day.

The Duke of Cheng'en behaved improperly in front of the palace. According to the laws of the Great Gan Dynasty, beheading, confiscation of property, and exile would be quite normal. However, His Majesty did not issue an edict to punish the Duke of Cheng'en. Instead, he summoned him to the palace the next day to discuss the Empress Dowager's funeral arrangements. This shows that the Emperor held him in high esteem but then gently laid him down.

The Duke of Cheng'en escaped danger.

That night, the Empress ordered the off-duty imperial physician to go to the Duke of Cheng'en's residence to examine him repeatedly and confirm that he was in good health.

The next day, Duke Cheng'en, dressed in his official robes, entered the palace in a carriage driven by Zhu Tou, with guards clearing the way.

He was traumatized and tied the cuffs of his cotton trousers with a rope, so that even if he shed, he would only tuck the tears inside his trousers to prevent them from leaking out again.

Before attending court, he consulted the imperial physician again to confirm that he was alright, and then, with renewed vigor, went to court.

Before he even reached the Hall of Diligent Governance, the familiar stomach pain returned as expected, causing him to curl up in agony.

The imperial physician hurriedly gave him painkillers, but no medicine worked. The pain lasted for half an hour before it gradually subsided.

They weren't fools; his pain came on suddenly and in a very regular pattern.

He's not sick, he's poisoned!