Lu Xiaoyun didn't care, since she had never regarded the old emperor as her father anyway; it was Zhu Yu who suffered.
The stark contrast between his life before and after his fifth birthday, the indifference of his father and mother, the bullying from the palace servants, the life-and-death experiences on the battlefield, and his exploitation by Ren Yong'an—he has endured far too much in his twenty-plus years.
If it weren't for the Empress Dowager's decree, she wouldn't have wanted Ayan to save that scoundrel emperor.
The Empress Dowager looked at Zhu Yu and smiled slightly: "Lu girl, come to my side."
Zhu Yu obediently walked over and bowed to the Empress Dowager, saying, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."
The Empress Dowager patted the back of his hand: "Thank you for today."
Zhu Yu hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty is too kind. This is my duty, and I dare not accept a word of thanks from Your Majesty."
"I heard your brother was injured a while ago, how is he? Is he feeling better?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My brother is fine now and will fully recover after a period of rest."
The Empress Dowager nodded: "I have also heard about your birth mother's affair. She has passed away, and the murderer has received his due punishment. Live a good life from now on."
All three people present understood the Empress Dowager's meaning.
"yes."
Seeing that "she" spoke very little, and noticing that the fourth prince's eyes were always fixed on "her," the Empress Dowager recalled what a eunuch had told her a few days ago about the fourth prince asking the emperor to marry Lu Xiaoyun, and she roughly understood the situation.
This child is quite good. She made great contributions during the last palace coup and saved the emperor again today. She should indeed be rewarded.
Before long, a eunuch came to report that Mr. Lu had arrived.
"Quickly, invite him in."
Lu Yuyan entered and bowed to the Empress Dowager, who waved her hand and said, "No need for formalities. Quickly check on the Emperor and see how he is."
"yes."
Oh, what a wonderful child! It's just that Ruoling doesn't have the fortune to be born into the imperial family. If there is an afterlife, I hope they will never be born into the imperial family again.
Lu Yuyan put down his medicine box and focused on taking the old emperor's pulse. After a while, he cupped his hands and said to the Empress Dowager, "Your Majesty, the emperor's injuries are very serious, and he has taken too many pills in the past six months. I am not very confident."
The Empress Dowager waved her hand: "It's alright. I know the Emperor's health very well. Even if you revive him, he won't live much longer. Just give him acupuncture. Once he wakes up, just write his will."
Everyone was slightly taken aback; the emperor was the empress dowager's own son.
The Empress Dowager laughed and said, "You don't need to look at me like that. The Emperor doesn't cherish his own health and doesn't listen to other people's advice. I knew this day would come."
Several people waited outside the hall. Zhu Yu was the last to go out. He glanced at Lu Yuyan.
Lu Yuyan was taking silver needles out of his medicine box and didn't look at Zhu Yu.
All the civil and military officials gathered outside the palace, awaiting the emperor's response.
The Empress Dowager summoned the Minister of Rites and instructed him to begin preparations for the Emperor's funeral and the Crown Prince's enthronement ceremony.
The Minister of Rites knelt on the ground, choking back tears. The Empress Dowager said calmly, "What are you crying for? Hurry up and get ready!"
The Minister of Rites stumbled to his feet.
Then the Empress Dowager met with the Right Chancellor Bu Feizhang and several other ministers, instructing them to handle matters related to the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne, as stabilizing the court depended on these veteran ministers.
Lu Xiaoyun and the others watched as the Empress Dowager arranged everything in an orderly manner, and it would be a lie to say they didn't admire her.
The Empress Dowager and the late Emperor spent half their lives on the battlefield, conquering the Great Zhou Dynasty. She saw the late Emperor go, she saw Princess Changning go, and now she has to see her son, the Emperor, go.
She spent the first half of her life fighting, and the second half confined to the square space of the palace. People say that her husband was the emperor in the first half of her life and her son was the emperor in the second half, enjoying the wealth and honor that ordinary people could not have.
But who could have known that the late emperor had many concubines, and he had little affection for her?
Her son was heartless and ungrateful, showing only superficial filial piety towards his mother.
She was lonely in the harem.
Half an hour later, Lu Yuyan opened the door and said to the Empress Dowager, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has woken up. However, I am incompetent, and the Emperor can only hold on for three more days at most."
The Empress Dowager smiled faintly: "Thank you for your hard work."
"I dare not accept the title of Empress Dowager."
The Empress Dowager entered the hall first. The old emperor lay on the bed, his eyes, as lifeless as a dead fish, staring at the Empress Dowager as she walked towards him: "Jiang, Jiang Lianying, Jiang Lianying, get out of here!"
Physician Jiang scrambled in and knelt down beside the old emperor's bedside, not daring to utter a sound.
The old emperor, panting heavily, said, "Jiang Lianying, you, you have such audacity! You dare to disobey the secret decree I gave you!"
Physician Jiang, his forehead covered in cold sweat, kowtowed tremblingly: "Your Majesty, your injuries are severe, and this old minister is incompetent. Only Mr. Lu may be able to save you. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
"How dare you! Who, who gave you permission to call him here to treat me! I, I will kill you, and exterminate your entire family!" The old emperor gasped for breath as he spoke.
"It was my order, and Imperial Physician Jiang dared not disobey!" the Empress Dowager said coldly. "You're about to die, and you're still doubting this and that. Emperor, don't you ever think about why?"
The old emperor was panting heavily.
Lu Yuyan glanced indifferently at the old emperor who was barely clinging to life, then packed his medicine chest and left.
"Come in, everyone."
Lu Xiaoyun, Zhu Dan, Bu Feizhang, the Duke of Zhenguo, the Ministers of the Six Ministries, and other important officials of the court entered the hall in succession.
The Empress Dowager said calmly, "All the important ministers are here. Emperor, write your will."
The old emperor lay on the bed, his face ashen, stretching out a withered hand: "Mother, Empress Dowager..."
The Empress Dowager looked down at her son, who was now on his deathbed and had brought himself to this state. She sighed softly, her voice softening slightly: "Emperor, I have summoned all the ministers. Write your will now, and after your death, appoint Crown Prince Zhu Dan to ascend the throne. Let the Great Zhou Dynasty be at peace!"
The old emperor sneered: "Dan'er is my own son, the crown prince I personally appointed. Once I die, he will naturally become the new emperor. Why does the Empress Dowager insist that I write this edict?"
The Empress Dowager sneered, "The only thing you did right in your life was making Dan'er the Crown Prince. I asked you to write this edict so that you would still have the face to meet the late Emperor and the ancestors of the Zhu family in the afterlife, and also to put the minds of the people at ease!"
Lu Xiaoyun glanced at Zhu Yu; the Empress Dowager's words were too cruel to him.
How ridiculous! Zhu Yu never cared about the throne, so why did he have to let the dog emperor write this edict in front of the entire court?
"Zhang Zhongwei, help the emperor up."
Zhang Zhongwei went over, helped the old emperor up, and handed him the pen.
The old emperor began to write with trembling hands.
Finally, he wrote another edict granting the Huainan region to Zhu Yu as his fiefdom, stipulating that after the new emperor ascended the throne, he should set off for his fiefdom and not enter Shengjing without an imperial edict.
Zhu Dan knelt beside the emperor: "Father, your son is of shallow talent and still needs the assistance of my fourth brother. Please, Father, withdraw this imperial edict."
The old emperor waved his hand, lay down, and closed his eyes without saying a word.
Lu Xiaoyun snorted coldly. That was perfect. She couldn't wait to leave Shengjing with Zhu Yu. Before Zhu Dan could say anything more, Lu Xiaoyun went forward and helped him up.
He walked to the old emperor's bedside and kowtowed, saying, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness!"
Zhu Dan's gaze was fixed on Lu Xiaoyun, and tears welled up in his peach blossom eyes.
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