Emperor Wen suddenly fainted, and the Empress and the Crown Prince rushed over. Upon entering, the Empress saw Concubine An sitting by the bed, while An Qingxuan stood quietly nearby. The Empress's eyes flickered for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. She turned to the Imperial Physician and anxiously asked, "How is Your Majesty now?"
The imperial physician replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty is simply suffering from anger, and nothing serious is wrong. I will prescribe some liver-soothing and qi-regulating medicine. For the time being, Your Majesty needs more rest and should avoid excessive worries."
After a long time, Emperor Wen finally awoke. He saw Concubine An, tears streaming down her face, beside his bed, and a wave of emotion welled up in his heart. He reached out and gently stroked Concubine An's face, whispering, "My beloved, please don't worry too much. I was just a little angry. Cough, cough..." As he spoke, Emperor Wen began to cough again.
Concubine An quickly grasped Emperor Wen's hand, her eyes filled with concern and worry. She choked back tears and said, "Your Majesty, you must take good care of yourself! The Empress Dowager... has passed away."
The queen despised in her heart: An Qinghuan, this bitch, is the best at acting!
She was secretly delighted, thinking: Why not leave the Empress Dowager's funeral to that bitch An Qinghuan? That way, if anything goes wrong at the funeral, there will be a lot of drama! Emperor Wen has always valued filial piety, and when that happens, An Qinghuan will definitely be in trouble!
Thinking of this, the Queen's eyes rolled and she said, "Your Majesty! The Queen Mother loved Sister An the most when she was alive. Why not let Sister An take care of the Queen Mother's funeral?"
At this moment, An Qinghuan suddenly sobbed and said in a choked voice: "Your Majesty! The Queen Mother has ascended to the Pure Land of Bliss! My heart aches! I..."
An Qinghuan was so excited that his body shook a few times and then he fainted on the ground!
Upon seeing this, Emperor Wen anxiously shouted, "Imperial Physician! Save Concubine An!"
For a moment, the entire palace was in chaos as the imperial physicians rushed to treat Concubine An. After a lot of effort, they finally managed to revive An Qinghuan. Afterwards, the imperial physician reported to Emperor Wen: "Your Majesty! Concubine An is extremely heartbroken and needs to rest!"
Emperor Wen felt sad, remembering that the empress dowager loved An Qinghuan the most during her lifetime, and they had a close relationship like mother and daughter.
Emperor Wen lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "There is widespread outrage throughout the country. It would be wise to keep the Empress Dowager's funeral low-key. Empress, you will be responsible for arranging this matter."
Even though the queen was somewhat dissatisfied, she could only reply respectfully, "I obey your order."
An Qinghuan sneered in her heart. The Queen wanted to set a trap for her, but her tactics were not clever enough! She would not be fooled!
Emperor Wen sighed and continued, "For the next period of time, the Crown Prince will govern the country, and I will go to the Imperial Mausoleum to mourn for the Empress Dowager."
The prince responded respectfully, "I obey your order."
An Qingxuan raised an eyebrow. Emperor Wen actually decided to give power to the Crown Prince? This surprised him.
Emperor Wen then said to the Crown Prince, "Prince, this incident must be handled properly. It must not damage the reputation of the royal family."
The prince's eyes darkened, and he lowered his head to hide the anger in them. He replied docilely, "Father, please rest assured. I will live up to your trust."
Emperor Wen waved to everyone and said to Concubine An, "My beloved concubine, please stay and accompany me!"
The queen's eyes instantly became icy cold. She glanced at An Qinghuan and retreated with the prince.
After everyone had left, Concubine An said to Emperor Wen, "Your Majesty! Please accept my condolences!"
Emperor Wen nodded and said to Concubine An, "There is a war in Beiyuan. I want to call Chengjin back!"
Concubine An said with a firm look in her eyes: "A man should protect his country! With General Luo here, Chengjin will be safe!"
Emperor Wen sighed and said, "I know, but I don't want Cheng Jin to be in danger!"
Concubine An walked up to Emperor Wen, took his hand, and said softly, "Your Majesty, you must trust Cheng Jin. He has grown up and can stand on his own!"
Emperor Wen was silent for a moment, then said, "Okay, then let Cheng Jin go and gain some experience!"
Concubine An whispered, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, Chengjin will definitely return safely!"
Emperor Wen nodded, but a hint of worry still flashed in his eyes.
Concubine An leaned against Emperor Wen's chest like a lazy cat, her charming eyes gleaming with tenderness and love. "Your Majesty! I am willing to accompany you to guard the mausoleum, but can Your Majesty really rest assured about the Crown Prince's role as regent?"
A chilling light flashed in Emperor Wen's eyes, as if it could penetrate all lies and disguises. "I understand your concerns, but this time guarding the mausoleum is also an opportunity for us. If the Crown Prince dares to have any improper thoughts or actions, I will have the opportunity to depose him from the throne!"
The Queen and the Crown Prince returned to Kunning Palace, where Prime Minister Li Mingfu had been waiting for a long time.
As soon as he saw the queen, he immediately came forward and asked with concern, "How is your majesty?"
The queen looked displeased and said unhappily, "You're not going to die yet!"
Li Mingfu frowned and reminded worriedly, "Queen, be careful with your words! If these words reach His Majesty's ears, it will be disastrous!"
The Queen snorted coldly and said disdainfully, "Hmph, what are you afraid of? I have my people here! Your Majesty, that old fox, actually asked me to handle that old woman Yu's funeral! How unlucky! However, I never expected that he would actually agree to let the Crown Prince govern the country!"
After hearing this, Li Mingfu's eyes flashed with cunning, and he whispered, "Since that's the case, why don't we take advantage of this opportunity..."
However, the prince suddenly interrupted Li Mingfu in a deep voice and said firmly: "If you want the Li family to be confiscated and exterminated, then go ahead and do it!"
Li Mingfu was shocked when he heard the Crown Prince's words. He quickly tried to persuade him, "Your Highness, are we going to give up such a rare opportunity so easily? Rumors are spreading that Emperor Wen ordered Xiao Jingyi to kill Prince Wu'an, and the Queen Mother is just a scapegoat! If that's the case, why don't we seize the opportunity and claim the throne?"
However, the prince sneered and replied firmly, "Do you really think His Majesty has no backup plan? In this situation, it is best for us to do nothing, remain calm, and bide our time."
Li Mingfu frowned slightly, a hint of doubt in his eyes. He continued, "But if the Third and Fourth Princes take action, then wouldn't we lose the initiative? That wouldn't be a good thing for us!"
The crown prince's lips curled up slightly, his eyes gleaming with confidence. He slowly said, "I am waiting for them to make a big move, so that they will lose their composure. Then, Your Majesty will naturally step in to deal with them, and everything will become clear."
After saying this, he picked up a cup of tea and took a sip, as if he had already seen how the situation would develop in the future.
The Queen and the Prime Minister looked at each other and both felt that the Crown Prince had become a different person. How should I put it, it was as if he had become more capable of planning and strategizing!
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