Chapter 561 Tricking the Emperor Back
The emperor and Consort Li left Xuzhou along the path with a small boat.
Lu Yan's men chased them to the outskirts of the city, only to find that they had already taken another route and boarded a ship to the capital.
Left with no other choice, the Third Prince decided to personally go to the capital to find the child.
Aunt Zhou was depressed for two days because of this, and wanted to go with him.
However, the Third Prince stopped him, saying, "You stay here with Ling'er and the others until I bring the child back."
Aunt Zhou shook her head. "No, I can't let you go alone. What will I do if something happens to you again? You should take me with you."
The Third Prince held her hand, truly unwilling to take her back to the palace.
Aunt Zhou gradually calmed down and said seriously, "Don't worry, I'm not that easy to get into trouble with. Even if the emperor wants to kill you, he won't kill me. Rather than putting you in danger, I'd rather take matters into my own hands."
Her guess was correct. If the emperor really wanted to kill her, he would have already taken action during his trip to Xuzhou. The fact that he only took the child this time must have been due to a sudden change of events.
After hiding for so many years, it's finally time for the two of them to settle things once and for all.
Seeing her insistence, the Third Prince realized that even if he insisted on not letting her go, she would probably still go. After hesitating for a long time, he had no choice but to agree to take Aunt Zhou back with him.
The two of them boarded a carriage that day and left Xuzhou City under Lu Yan's escort.
Before leaving, he wrote a letter to Zhou Ruiyuan and Du Wanchun.
The letter was delivered to Zhou Ruiyuan and Du Wanchun five days later by express courier.
Du Wanchun opened the letter and her expression changed from joy to worry. "Ruiyuan, the Emperor has returned from Xuzhou."
Zhou Ruiyuan was also delighted, "It seems this method really works."
Some time ago, the emperor took Consort Li away, saying he was going to recuperate. Du Wanchun and Zhou Ruiyuan quickly realized something was wrong, especially when they found a string of beads left behind by Consort Li on the way.
The two of them immediately realized the seriousness of the situation.
Zhou Ruiyuan sent someone to the Imperial Hospital to inquire, only to learn that the emperor's condition had worsened and he probably only had one month left to live.
He secretly took Consort Li out in the last month, which must have meant he discovered where Aunt Zhou was.
This time, I'm afraid I don't plan to come back alive.
Even if the two of them rushed to Xuzhou now, they couldn't stop the emperor from wanting to die together with them.
Du Wanchun had a sudden inspiration and immediately found Doctor Xu from Cheng'an County. He also sent someone on horseback to Xuzhou to spread the news that there was a divine doctor in the capital who could cure the emperor's illness.
Doctor Xu's medical skills are indeed excellent, but it is impossible for him to save the Emperor.
This was nothing more than a pretext to lure the emperor back to the capital.
Upon hearing this news, the emperor, just as Du Wanchun had thought, did not continue his fight with Granny Zhou and the Third Prince, and set off for the capital overnight.
But they never expected that the emperor, in his haste to return to the capital, would also tie up Xiao Zhouzhou.
As Zhou Ruiyuan read the message, a look of worry gradually appeared on his face.
"The Emperor regarded this child as an illegitimate child, and I wonder how he is now."
Du Wanchun carefully put the letter away and burned it on a candle beside her.
"Don't worry, my lord. The Emperor will be arriving in the capital in a couple of days. With us here, Xiaozhouzhou will be fine."
Zhou Ruiyuan turned to the desk, took out paper and pen, and wrote a letter to Aunt Zhou and the Third Prince, telling them to be careful on their journey and not to make mistakes due to panic.
After writing the letter, Zhou Ruiyuan turned to Du Wanchun and asked, "Can Doctor Xu really cure the Emperor's illness?"
Du Wanchun shook her head. "No, at most we can only prolong his life by a few more days."
Zhou Ruiyuan had a sudden inspiration, "Alright, let's keep him calm for now and talk about it when he returns to the capital."
Du Wanchun came to his side, a faint smile appearing between her brows. After responding, she went to Doctor Xu's courtyard.
Doctor Xu was originally working as a casual doctor in a village in Cheng'an County, but after receiving Du Wanchun's letter, he immediately rushed over.
When he saw Du Wanchun arrive, he stood up to greet her, saying, "Your Highness, the Crown Princess."
Du Wanchun quickly helped him up and said, "Dr. Xu, there's no need to be so polite. Just call me Manager Du."
This was Doctor Xu's first time entering the palace, and he was quite nervous. He bowed and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, replying, "Yes, Manager Du."
Du Wanchun took out a small pill from her bosom and said, "If the Emperor summons you to treat his illness in a few days, give him this pill and tell him that it can cure his illness."
Doctor Xu took the pills from her hand. "What are these pills for?"
Du Wanchun explained with a smile, "These pills are a tonic I made myself while collecting herbs in Cheng'an County. Although they can't cure diseases, they can make people feel comfortable and energetic for a while."
Upon hearing this, Doctor Xu immediately understood her meaning and carefully put the pills in his pocket.
After explaining everything, Du Wanchun returned to her bedchamber.
These days, with the emperor away from the palace, they are much freer than before, and Zhou Ruiyuan has unknowingly replaced some of the palace guards and eunuchs.
In the shortest amount of time, they turned this originally unfamiliar place into their territory.
The emperor left the capital with the intention of dying and had no intention of ever returning.
Now that he has suddenly returned to the palace, he can no longer go back to the way things were before.
Three days later, the emperor returned to the palace with Consort Li and Xiao Zhouzhou, and announced to the public that Xiao Zhouzhou was his and Consort Li's daughter.
Zhou Ruiyuan and Du Wanchun were both very surprised when they heard about this.
They never imagined that the emperor would use Xiao Zhouzhou as leverage, but they never expected that he would treat her as his own daughter.
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