Chapter 74 The Empress Dowager's Secrets

Empress Dowager?

Chu Yunjin was shocked. She turned and exchanged a glance with Yan Cang, never expecting that the mastermind behind it all was actually the Empress Dowager.

Sure enough, there were many hidden secrets involved.

After a moment of silence, Chu Yunjin frowned and asked, "The Eldest Princess is the Empress Dowager's daughter. Why would the Empress Dowager do this?"

Dr. Zhang replied, "The Empress Dowager said that the Eldest Princess is her only daughter and her most beloved daughter. She doesn't want the Eldest Princess to suffer the pain of childbirth, let alone the dangers of childbirth."

Chu Yunjin asked, "Do you think the Empress Dowager was telling the truth?"

Doctor Zhang shook his head: "This humble subject dares not speculate on the Empress Dowager's thoughts."

Yan Cang's gaze deepened slightly, his voice unreadable: "Doctor Zhang used to serve the Empress Dowager?"

Doctor Zhang was taken aback, then, as if he knew what Yan Cang was going to ask, his expression tightened slightly, and he nodded with his eyes lowered: "Yes."

"Did the Empress Dowager have any lovers when she was young?"

Chu Yunjin's expression changed slightly; she hadn't expected Yan Cang to ask so bluntly.

Is this considered a royal secret?

Chu Yunjin remained silent for a moment, then got up and went into the room, bringing out a small chair and placing it at the head of Yan Cang's table: "Old sir, please sit down and talk."

Influenced by the fine tradition of respecting the elderly and caring for the young, she really couldn't bear to see such an old person looking so fearful.

Doctor Zhang's expression changed: "No, no, this humble subject dares not, Your Highness is too kind to this humble subject—"

"Please sit down," Yan Cang said.

Dr. Zhang hesitated for a moment, then bowed his head and replied, "Yes," before sitting down on the small chair and awkwardly placing his hands on his knees.

"Besides the matter of the Eldest Princess, I have some questions for the Empress Dowager that I need to ask you today." Yan Cang's tone was indifferent, without any emotional fluctuation. "Just answer my questions, and I will guarantee the safety of your entire family."

Doctor Zhang's expression immediately changed, and he nervously gripped his robe: "Your Highness..."

"Don't worry, sir. If the Prince of Yan says he will protect your family, he will protect your family." Chu Yunjin smiled gently, soothing his emotions. "I know that you have served the royal family for many years and have many fears of the masters in the palace, but the Prince of Yan is a prince who protects the country. His men kill enemies of the Yong Dynasty or criminals. He would never harm innocent people. Please rest assured, sir."

When Dr. Zhang met Chu Yunjin's gentle eyes, his previously anxious heart gradually calmed down, and he slowly nodded: "Yes."

He paused, then lowered his eyes and said, "May I be so bold as to ask if my grandson may leave this place temporarily?"

Yan Cang turned his head, glanced at the young man still kneeling anxiously to the side, and slowly nodded: "Okay."

Dr. Zhang breathed a sigh of relief and turned to order, "Fan'er, go home first and come back early tomorrow morning."

"grandfather……"

"Grandpa is fine," Doctor Zhang said calmly. "What was said today is not something you should hear. The Prince and Princess will not do anything to me, but you cannot hear a single word of things that are not your business. Go home."

The young man hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes."

Although he was somewhat uneasy, he still got up and left as his grandfather had instructed.

Chu Yunjin watched the young man leave, then turned around and said, "Although the Prince of Yan looks cold, he is not one to take lives lightly. You can rest assured, sir, that we will never leak what you said today."

Physician Zhang responded with a "yes," and after a moment's consideration, said, "Whether this humble subject lives or dies is not important. I only beg Your Highness and Your Highness to spare my son and daughter-in-law's family. They know nothing about what's happening in the palace."

Yan Cang said calmly, "I agree."

Physician Zhang breathed a sigh of relief. When recalling the events of that year, his expression was somewhat dazed: "When the Empress Dowager was young, she did indeed have a lover with whom she shared mutual affection."

Chu Yunjin's heart began to pound.

She felt that listening to the Empress Dowager's love history was much more exciting than listening to modern people fight against mistresses. After all, this was a feudal imperial society, and few people dared to mention the love history of an Empress Dowager.

Moreover, this matter may very well involve the blood relationship between the children.

Chu Yunjin sat between Yan Cang and Physician Zhang, which allowed her to better ease the tense atmosphere and soothe Physician Zhang's emotions when necessary.

"The Empress Dowager was in love with Scholar Wen, who is the father of the current Prime Minister Wen and Prince Consort Wen. This Scholar Wen was handsome and talented, attracting the hearts of many women." Doctor Zhang lowered his head, and the color in his eyes could not be seen. "They were in love and were about to get married, but a month before the wedding, the palace issued an edict that the Empress Dowager had been chosen by the late Emperor and would enter the palace as a concubine a month later."

Yan Cang listened in silence, without uttering a word.

Chu Yunjin felt that this scene was very familiar.

Could it be that the emperor enjoys this kind of drama of breaking up lovers and taking away a minister's wife? Or did the empress dowager's father offer her to the emperor for the sake of his family's interests?

"Upon hearing the imperial edict, the Empress Dowager was devastated. She immediately wept and begged her father to persuade the Emperor to rescind his decree, but no one could disobey the Emperor's edict."

"Back then, the Empress Dowager's family was not prominent. Her father would not have sacrificed the entire family for her alone. So she went to see Scholar Wen, who was a young man who had just entered officialdom and had no foundation in the court. How could he dare to confront the imperial power?"

Therefore, without any doubt, the Empress Dowager could only enter the palace as a concubine.

Upon hearing this, Chu Yunjin couldn't help but interject, "Um... after the Empress Dowager entered the palace, did Scholar Wen rise through the ranks, or was he suppressed?"

Physician Zhang shook his head: "There was no suppression. Scholar Wen's career has developed quite well. Later, he married a daughter of an official and had a son—who is now Prime Minister Wen."

However, the Wen family at that time was not as prominent as it is now.

Back then, Wen Zhuangyuan was a rising star in the court without any family background. He walked cautiously in his official career. Although he had the support of his father-in-law, he never dared to be too flamboyant because of his old relationship with the Empress Dowager.

Unexpectedly, many years have passed, and his son has become the head of all officials.

Chu Yunjin and Yan Cang exchanged a glance, and then Chu Yunjin asked, "After the Empress Dowager entered the palace, did she still see this Scholar Wen often?"

"No." Physician Zhang shook his head. "The Empress Dowager harbored some resentment towards him back then. After entering the palace, he was bound by palace rules in every way, and he didn't meet with the ministers of the previous dynasty very often. Scholar Wen had a low status in the court, and he had even fewer opportunities to meet with the concubines."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "But perhaps fate played a cruel trick on him. Scholar Wen was in his prime... well, probably around thirty-five or thirty-six years old, when he suddenly fell ill and passed away, leaving behind two sons and a daughter."

He sighed, "Wen Yushu, the eldest son of the Wen family, is only eleven years old, Wen Yishu, the second son, is nine years old, and Wen Lan, the daughter, is only six years old."