Emperor Shunzhi was so excited that he could hardly control himself.

Wu Liangfu, with a pained expression, helped him up and told him to rest.

Shunzhi suddenly felt a bit self-deprecating.

He was on guard against the Mongols every day, but unexpectedly, among the princes, only Jingrong was exceptionally intelligent.

But he...

Yes, he abandoned his child.

Are the royal family also going to abandon him?

They even hoped he would die without an heir!

"Wu Liangfu, what's been happening outside lately?" Shunzhi's voice was hoarse and weak.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, everything is fine!" Wu Liangfu replied with a bow.

"Oh? Nobody wants to buy my life from you?" Shunzhi suddenly sneered.

"Your Majesty, this servant dares not!" Wu Liangfu immediately knelt down, his eyes sincere.

"Ha... Guards! Wu Liangfu is colluding with court officials! Execute him with a flogging immediately!" Shunzhi's eyes turned icy cold in an instant.

Wu Liangfu looked on incredulously.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent! Your Majesty—" Wu Liangfu could no longer speak.

At this moment, Shunzhi was somewhat paranoid, and he felt that everyone serving him was suspicious.

They could all be informants or have taken advantage of someone else to plot against him.

At this moment, he sat up weakly.

The servants who were attending to them were trembling with fear.

"Summon the Empress Dowager! Summon the ministers and high-ranking officials of the Six Ministries to an audience." After saying this, Shunzhi lay down again.

Yes, he also has his Empress Dowager!

The Empress Dowager was also unwilling for the throne to be passed to a collateral branch of the family.

Otherwise, he would have no face to face his father, the Emperor.

At the same time, the Cining Palace was bustling with activity and noise.

What they all had in common was that each prince and his wife was followed by 2-3 young princes.

The Empress Dowager's hair has turned much whiter in the past two days.

Back then, she was able to put her son on the throne with Dorgon's help.

Now, these people actually dare to scheme to make her imperial grandsons fall ill one by one.

The Empress Dowager's face darkened like water.

She couldn't care less about blaming anyone at that moment.

She had a terrible headache from listening to the constant chatter for several days.

What "planning ahead!"?

What do you mean, "An emperor cannot have any disfigurement!"

The idea that "the emperor must be in good health for the Qing Dynasty to be passed down through generations" is misleading.

She didn't want to see them, but these people were used to using their seniority to intimidate others.

They are incredibly arrogant, using the guise of protecting their ancestors' legacy.

The Empress Dowager was rubbing her temples when she heard that the Emperor had punished Wu Liangfu.

What surprised the Empress Dowager even more was that the Emperor actually sent someone to say he wanted to see her.

The moment the Empress Dowager stood up, her vision went black and she almost fainted.

The prince and his wife below had a very strange expression on their faces, a mixture of joy and sorrow.

So they didn't notice the little eunuch's movements.

The Empress Dowager hurriedly went to the Qianqing Palace.

A large group of people followed behind.

Shunzhi was already waiting. When the Empress Dowager came in with her handkerchief covering her face, she saw that Shunzhi's cheeks were sunken and his face was covered with pimples. Tears instantly welled up in her eyes.

Shunzhi had already received news of the eunuch's presence.

These past few days, the royal family members have been barely holding back!

He never expected that in the end, the only person he could rely on was his mother, the Empress.

"Fulin, you must take good care of yourself!" The Empress Dowager's voice was filled with sobs.

She gave all the little love she had to her children.

But...

"Empress Mother, your son is sorry!" Shunzhi sensed it; he knew he wouldn't make it through this ordeal.

"We are mother and son, what is there to say about right or wrong!" The Empress Dowager couldn't help but let tears stream down her face.

"My son feared the throne would fall, but little did he know, before he even died, some people were already getting restless!"

Shunzhi suddenly smiled with a touch of loneliness.

"Don't worry, your mother is here!" the Empress Dowager couldn't help but reassure her.

"My son has failed Jingrong and been abandoned. So this is what it feels like!" A tear rolled down Shunzhi's cheek.

"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived! Prince Jingrong has arrived!" The high-pitched voice of the eunuch outside startled everyone inside and outside the room.

Those princes, princesses, and noblewomen stared in disbelief at Shirley and Jingrong.

Some of them instantly frowned.

Sherry looked at these nobles with a half-smile.

Are you all here to pray for the Emperor's well-being at the palace?

"ah……"

"this……"

"Yes, yes, yes." There really was someone shameless enough to agree.

"Then why don't you go to the Fengxian Hall? Or perhaps you've copied some scriptures?" Shirley was quite relaxed at the moment.

She's about to become Empress Dowager, what is she afraid of?

Those people all looked extremely grim.

After finishing her sentence, Sherry was about to leave when she suddenly remembered something and turned back.

"Smallpox is spreading in the palace. Everyone should be careful. Even if you don't think about yourselves, you should think about the children."

What if we accidentally die without having any offspring?

Sherry didn't say a word after that.

Those people looked even uglier, and the children trembled with fear.

Shirley helped Jingrong put on a mask as they entered the Qianqing Palace.

He rolled his eyes at Shunzhi.

"Empress, what about your manners!" The Empress Dowager was furious upon seeing this.

"Your Majesty, it's alright!" Shunzhi couldn't care less about anything else at this moment. "Jingrong, come here!"

Jingrong bowed and greeted the Emperor, saying, "Greetings, Grandmother! Greetings, Father!"

Then he walked to the bedside and took off his mask.

The Empress Dowager's expression changed, and she glared at Xue Li.

Sherry sat on a stool to one side and secretly rolled her eyes at Shunzhi.

Emperor Shunzhi saw it but said nothing.

He patted Jingrong's head, then seemingly casually touched behind Jingrong's ear.

His expression visibly softened.

Sherry thought of the mole behind Jingrong's ear and remained silent.

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