Chapter 249 Did I Do Something Wrong?
After punishing and warning the concubines, Xiao Heng turned around and looked at the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother kept twirling her Buddhist beads and chanting scriptures from beginning to end.
It seemed that the previous words had touched a sore spot in her, or that she was deep in thought and refused to open her eyes.
Xiao Heng said in a deep voice, "Now, the harem is taken care of by the Empress and Concubine Xi, so you, the Empress Dowager, don't have to worry about it. You can stay in Shoukang Palace and enjoy your remaining years, or you can move to the Buddhist temple and live there forever."
The Queen Mother's fingertips that were twisting the Buddhist beads suddenly froze, and after a moment she slowly opened her eyes and looked at Xiao Heng.
I thought she would be angry and scold Xiao Heng, but apart from looking a little ugly, she didn't say a word.
The concubines looked at each other in bewilderment. The emperor's seemingly light words were actually a disguised order for the empress dowager to be confined to her house and told her not to interfere in the affairs of the harem anymore.
Xiao Heng ignored the Queen Mother's expression, held Liu Yuetang's hand and said softly, "Let's go, I will accompany you back to the palace."
Seeing that Xiao Heng had left, the concubines also timidly bowed and took their leave.
The Queen Mother sat there stiffly, her eyes filled with shock.
Nanny Zhu whispered, "Empress Dowager, are you okay?"
The Queen Mother's eyes fell on the flickering candlelight.
Suddenly she remembered the fire that night, and she rushed in to protect Heng'er's spirit tablet in her arms. She turned around and scolded Xiao Heng, asking why he set fire to the mourning hall.
At that time, his scarlet eyes were full of tears as he stared at himself, seeming to be sad and resentful.
That resentment was very similar to the look he gave her when he was protecting Concubine Xi just now.
Concubine Xi said that she was the one who killed her filial and sensible son...
Perhaps, that son was really killed by her own hands, in that fire.
From then on, the look in Xiao Heng's eyes when he looked at her was no longer as affectionate as before.
"Zhu Yi, did I do something wrong..."
Nanny Zhu knelt down, looked at the Empress Dowager, and said softly, "Empress Dowager, this is not your fault. You were only concerned about the heir. Besides... you didn't know the people at the Imperial Observatory had been bribed. The next time you encounter something like this, Empress Dowager, please let the Empress or the Emperor handle it, so as to avoid further hurting the relationship between you and the Emperor."
The Queen Mother shook her head in astonishment: "No... This is not what I am talking about."
"I've just been thinking, should I have listened to the mage's slander and believed that it was the emperor who killed Heng'er?"
Nanny Zhu was slightly stunned.
Back then, she had tried to persuade the Empress Dowager earnestly for a long time, telling her that Prince Rui's death was God's will, but the Empress Dowager firmly believed that it was the Emperor who had killed Prince Rui, and she also thought that the Emperor was angry and wanted to burn Prince Rui's mourning hall.
Prince Rui was indeed more likable than the emperor. He had round eyes and loved to laugh during his confinement. The late emperor loved him very much.
Therefore, the Queen Mother had high expectations for Prince Rui and put all her attention on him.
But unexpectedly, Prince Rui had a bad fate and died early.
The Queen Mother was heartbroken and refused to listen to anyone. She simply believed that the Emperor had killed Prince Rui.
Later, Empress Wen Yi also sent people to look for the wizard, but unfortunately there was no trace of him.
If we really have to decide who is right and who is wrong, the Queen Mother is at fault.
But the Empress Dowager was suffering no less than the Emperor, and only Nanny Zhu knew it.
The Queen Mother's cloudy eyes were bloodshot, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes shone with a gleam of water. "I wonder if that mage...was bribed, just like Chu Qichi was today?"
Nanny Zhu was shocked. She never thought that after so many years, the empress dowager would suddenly come back to deal with this matter in detail.
I think it was this incident that made the Queen Mother question the Master's affairs and finally come to her senses.
Nanny Zhu stroked the Empress Dowager's hand and choked up, saying, "Empress Dowager, the late Emperor and Empress Wen Yi also advised you back then that you shouldn't trust everything the celestial phenomena say..."
The Queen Mother's lips trembled, a dull pain surging in her chest. "Back then, I believed in those celestial phenomena because I kept having dreams... I dreamed that Heng'er was strangled to death by his brother, and that's why I..."
She clutched her aching chest and slowly closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face. "Could it be... that I have wrongly accused the Emperor?"
"That mage was bribed just like Chu Qichi? His goal was to alienate us, mother and son?"
She looked at Nanny Zhu in fear and surprise.
Nanny Zhu tearfully said, "Empress Dowager, the past is the past. Don't blame yourself too much. Back then, you loved your son so much that you believed the wizard's words. Now that you've come to your senses, it's a good thing. You should make amends to the Emperor in the future..."
Before he could finish his words, the eunuch came in and reported, "Empress Dowager, when the Emperor left, he sent for the imperial physician for you."
"Why did the Emperor invite a royal physician to help the Empress Dowager?" asked Nanny Zhu.
The eunuch looked at the Queen Mother with fear and stammered, "The Emperor said... that you, Queen Mother, are mentally deranged and need to be treated by an imperial physician, and then rest well. He also said..."
He paused, wanting to say something but stopping himself, not daring to continue.
Madam Kong glanced at the Queen Mother's sorrowful expression and asked softly, "What else do you want to say?"
The eunuch lowered his head and whispered, "The Emperor said that he will not come to pay his respects to you for the next few days. He wants you to stay in Shoukang Palace and recuperate. Don't go out and get sick."
The Queen Mother's body suddenly froze, and the sandalwood Buddhist beads in her hand fell to the ground with a clatter.
She closed her tearful eyes.
Perhaps there is indeed a hidden story behind the matter of the mage.
But she realized it too late.
Now, because of the incident with Concubine Xi, the gap between mother and son has become deeper and deeper...it is difficult to bridge.
It was so deep that the emperor completely disregarded filial piety and confined himself to his room.
Invite the Moon Palace.
The candlelight flickered, and two shadows overlapped and nestled on the ground.
At some point, a light rain began to fall from the night sky, and the bead curtains from the eaves hung down intermittently, making the night even more moist and hazy.
Liu Yuetang leaned against Xiao Heng's chest and whispered, "Your Majesty, you have been holding me for a long time."
Xiao Heng placed his chin on her cheek and hugged her tighter, "I'll hold you for a little longer... just a little while..."
Listening to the strong heartbeat and feeling his uneasiness and heartache, Liu Yuetang slowly lowered her eyes.
No wonder everyone in the palace wants to give birth to an imperial heir.
Ever since she became pregnant, Xiao Heng has doted on her and cared about her even more.
No, I can't say I care about her.
All he cared about was the baby in her womb. Even the concubines in the harem whom he disliked would be treated preferentially because of the baby.
Since I have his holy heart, I will naturally be special.
As for what he said in front of the Queen Mother, if he really had to choose between the crown prince and himself, he would definitely choose himself.
Of course, she would never believe this answer.
Xiao Heng said this simply to rebel against the Queen Mother.
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