"Empress Dowager, you truly deserve to be the first wife of the Holy Ancestor and the mother of the late Emperor!"
Wang Yu sat cross-legged in front of the Empress Dowager, his voice low, yet every word struck a chord with her.
These words, on the surface, were a compliment, but in reality, they were a veiled criticism of the Empress Dowager's cunning.
Yes, a cunning old fox who has spent decades in the harem, would she really have no backup plan?
After Empress Xie took charge of palace affairs, she did indeed implement one, two, or three reforms, removing the vast majority of spies and informants.
However, with so many people, there are always a few who slip through the net.
Moreover, a certain force, if cultivated for a long time, can become extremely powerful and deeply entrenched.
Even if the branches and leaves are cut off, as long as the roots and stems are still there, new buds can still sprout.
The Empress Dowager held many trump cards, deeply hidden within the palace.
Three years ago, if the Empress Dowager really wanted to kill them, she could have silently killed the four little ones in Empress Xiao's Yong'an Palace.
In fact, the Empress Dowager had already prepared a colorless and odorless poison, intending to harm the children.
Yes, the Emperor and Empress are in critical condition. If anything happens to the four children, the Great Zhou Dynasty will have no legitimate heir.
Empress Xiao was in charge of supervising the four children.
The child got into trouble while she was in charge. Even if she was quick-witted enough to clear herself of suspicion, she could not escape blame.
The Empress Dowager could then act like an elder and order Empress Xiao to reflect on her mistakes behind closed doors.
The decision on the new emperor will be left to her.
When the time comes, by supporting a young emperor who is close to her, the Empress Dowager will once again become the most honored woman in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Just before the decision to poison was made, Nanling arrived. After a casual chat, the Empress Dowager was awakened.
The Empress Dowager immediately stopped and cleaned up all the traces.
At least at that time, the Empress Dowager thought she had cleaned up the mess.
At this moment, Wang Yu approached her rashly. Although he didn't say it too bluntly, the Empress Dowager already realized that the matter had been exposed!
Otherwise, a powerful figure like Wang Yu wouldn't have approached an old woman who had long since retired from public life.
She would never say something like, "She truly deserves to be the first wife of the Holy Ancestor and the mother of the late Emperor!"
This is absolutely not a compliment.
"Lord Wang, I don't understand what you're saying."
Although she knew that Wang Yu might have caught her red-handed, the Empress Dowager still wanted to make a move.
She asked, feigning confusion.
"Physician Zhao!"
Wang Yu didn't keep anyone in suspense and directly revealed a name.
The Empress Dowager's gentle smile slowly faded.
He really did catch them red-handed!
Physician Zhao was an inconspicuous physician in the Imperial Medical Academy; on the surface, he was not on anyone's side.
However, upon closer investigation, it was discovered that Empress Xiao had once been kind to his father.
Following this line of thought, the first reaction people would have is that: Physician Zhao is one of Empress Xiao's people.
In fact, Physician Zhao was indeed won over by Empress Dowager Xiao and became one of her pawns in the palace.
But the truth is that Physician Zhao was a man of the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager wanted to use him to poison the four children.
Once the matter is exposed and investigated, people will also suspect Empress Xiao.
Absolutely no one would have thought of the Empress Dowager.
"The Empress Dowager is quite shrewd. Physician Zhao is a filial son, but he is also a devoted lover."
"Who would have thought that Physician Zhao would still remember his fiancée who was punished and confiscated by the government because of his father's dereliction of duty?"
Coincidentally, his fiancée was a palace slave under the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager's men took his fiancée into their service and used her to drag Physician Zhao into their schemes.
Three or four years ago, the Empress Dowager sent the pregnant woman out of the palace.
On the surface, the palace maid had died of illness, but in reality, she had been given a new identity and arranged by the Empress Dowager to be placed in a very secret place.
At that time, the Empress Dowager probably did not intend to poison the four children.
However, with a royal physician as a pawn, the Empress Dowager can do many things.
This is what makes a true master of palace intrigue: planning ahead in advance so that you can act with ease when it matters, instead of resorting to last-minute cramming.
"You have Yunnu and her son in your hands?"
At this point, it's no longer possible to play dumb.
The Empress Dowager stared intently at Wang Yu and asked the question with certainty.
Wang Yu didn't say anything, but took out a longevity lock from his sleeve and threw it directly in front of the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager glanced at it, and her heart sank—
This longevity lock was a "first birthday gift" given by the Empress Dowager to the son of Physician Zhao and Yunnu three years ago.
It's called a gift, but it's really just a guarantee—
Physician Zhao risked his life to do things for her, and in return, she made arrangements for the future of his beloved woman and son!
Although the Empress Dowager interrupted the plan at the last minute, there was no reason to take back what had already been bestowed.
Yunnu has worn this longevity lock around her son's neck for three years without ever taking it off!
Now, however, the longevity lock has been taken by Wang Yu.
The Empress Dowager squeezed her eyes shut. "Speak! What do you want to do?"
If someone catches you red-handed, you have to accept your fate.
The Empress Dowager was truly decisive and lost decisively.
"Empress Dowager, you are indeed the venerable ancestor who has stood firm in the palace for many years."
"We can still use Physician Zhao as a chess piece one more time."
“The period of mourning for the emperor has passed; it is time to select beauties to fill the harem.”
"However, the Xie family is jealous and opposes it in every way!"
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