Consort Rou burst into tears as she spoke: "I only made a mistake by accident, but I never thought of dragging you down, and I didn't even use this name."
"If you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place. Mother, do you know that the Empress Dowager already knows about this? Not only that, Li Dazhu is in the Empress Dowager's hands."
"What?" Consort Rou was dumbfounded.
How did that old vile woman, Empress Dowager Xu, find out about such a secret matter?
Consort Rou anxiously grabbed Zhao Zhiyan's hand: "When your father was alive, I was not favored and was bullied and schemed against. I have been a widow for so many years. Even after he died, he still dragged me to guard the imperial tomb. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to persevere. Yan'er, do you believe that there are quite a few advisors around the Empress Dowager?"
Seeing that Consort Rou had revealed her true intentions, Zhao Zhiyan suddenly felt a little scared. In his heart, his mother was a gentle and beautiful woman who was humble, cautious, and always careful. She was definitely not such a shallow and shameless woman.
"Yan'er, if you become the emperor, who would dare to mention my past?" Consort Rou gritted her teeth: "Blame it on you for not marrying Song Yue back then. It was Xu Lingqing who dragged you down."
"Enough!" Zhao Zhiyan interrupted loudly, his face gradually darkening. Seeing her son's stormy expression, Consort Rou's lips trembled slightly, and she softened her tone, saying, "It's all my fault. I was confused for a moment. Yan'er, I'll go to the palace right now. At worst, the Empress Dowager will execute me. I will never tarnish your reputation."
As she spoke, Consort Rou stood up and walked outside.
They were almost at the door, but Zhao Zhiyan still hadn't called for a stop. Consort Rou clutched her chest, groaning in pain.
Zhao Zhiyan took a deep breath: "Someone, escort the Dowager Princess back to rest."
Consort Rou then grinned slightly and quickly left, afraid that if she lingered even a moment longer, she would be dragged into the palace.
"Prepare the horses!"
Ning'an Palace
Empress Dowager Xu slowly sat down in the chair, while a young palace maid knelt on the ground and gently massaged her legs. A faint fragrance of incense burned in the hall.
When news came from outside that the Eighth Prince had arrived, Empress Dowager Xu casually opened her eyes and said, "Please come in."
Zhao Zhiyan stepped inside.
Judging from Zhao Zhiyan's expression, Empress Dowager Xu knew that he had already verified some things.
"All of you, step back."
Empress Dowager Xu dismissed the servants.
It wasn't that she wanted to cover for Zhao Zhiyan, but she had suffered too many losses, and who knew if someone in Ning'an Palace had been bribed? She didn't want to be outmaneuvered.
"Did you bring the things?" Empress Dowager Xu asked.
Zhao Zhiyan, with one hand behind his back, said, "I want to see Li Dazhu."
Having even found out her name, Empress Dowager Xu smiled and sat up: "I'm not that foolish to let you see people for nothing. Hand over the things, and I'll let you see them naturally."
After saying that, he opened his palm towards Zhao Zhiyan.
Zhao Zhiyan scoffed: "The Empress Dowager is just making things up."
Judging from this, they weren't planning to hand over the goods. Empress Dowager Xu's face fell: "Eighth Prince, Consort Rou is unruly. Adultery is a capital offense! Do you intend to watch your mother die?"
“If a mother makes a mistake, she should naturally bear the consequences.”
"You!" Empress Dowager Xu said angrily, "So your filial piety was all an act, Eighth Prince, how could you be so heartless as to abandon your mother?"
Zhao Zhiyan wasn't angry at all. Instead, he continued, "Over the years, the Empress Dowager has had quite a few advisors. If Mother is forced to her death, it would be a fair sacrifice to have the Empress Dowager buried with her. As for Mother's reputation, I will definitely recant her testimony and clear her name in the future."
"Eighth Prince, are you threatening me?" Empress Dowager Xu's eyes flashed with anger.
"Likewise."
The two disagreed and neither was willing to back down.
Empress Dowager Xu was so angry she couldn't do anything about Zhao Zhiyan: "What are the conditions besides the pardon?"
"I agree to the Empress Dowager's request!"
"Fine!" Empress Dowager Xu gritted her teeth and agreed.
Zhao Zhiyan continued, "I will deal with those advisors for the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager should hand Li Dazhu over to me to prevent him from falling into the hands of others and causing her to lose face."
When threatened in return, Empress Dowager Xu's eyes were filled with coldness.
After a long pause, he finally said, "Li Dazhu lives in a village fifty li outside the city."
Having obtained the address, Zhao Zhiyan immediately set off.
Watching the other person's back, the anger in Empress Xu's eyes turned into murderous intent, and she cursed, "Despicable and shameless!"
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