Chapter 568 Aunt Zhou Returns to the Palace
The emperor was so blinded by the illusion before him that he not only entrusted all the affairs of the palace to Zhou Ruiyuan, but also temporarily put aside the matters concerning Zhou Da Niang and the Third Prince.
However, he would suddenly wake up every night, dreaming of his family of three being happy together, and his heart would ache.
He sat bolt upright in shock, his mind filled with nothing but thoughts of how to tear them both to pieces.
But when he saw Xiao Mianmian the next morning, his resentment immediately dissipated, and he felt that his current life was not bad at all.
With Dr. Xu's repeated instructions, he immediately abandoned his murderous intent and took Xiao Mianmian to travel around the capital.
And so it went, and the effects of the medicine on the emperor gradually wore off.
The Third Prince and Aunt Zhou also arrived in the capital smoothly.
The two of them pretended to be merchants passing through the area and found a secluded courtyard to stay in.
After a bumpy journey, the two finally found a place to stay.
Zhou Feng and Han Yan'er didn't dare to meet them directly, so they secretly sent some things to their trusted confidants.
Soon the emperor fell ill again, and this time his condition was several times more serious than before.
He collapsed on the bed, coughing up black blood, his face pale and his breathing weak.
The imperial physicians at the Imperial Hospital were all at a loss, and eventually they had to invite Doctor Xu to come.
After examining the emperor's pulse, Doctor Xu truthfully informed him of his condition, saying, "Your Majesty, your time has come, and this humble subject is powerless to help you."
The emperor was now too ill to speak a word. He could only reach out his trembling hand to grab Doctor Xu, his throat making a hissing sound as he tried to ask him for medicine.
Dr. Xu shook his head; he truly had no other choice.
Du Wanchun's medicine has given him a few more days of life.
Who told him to indulge in pleasure all these years? Not only did he contract a disease, but he also ruined his health. Now, even if a celestial being came, there would be no way to save him.
Dr. Xu bent over and slowly retreated.
Zhou Ruiyuan strode over, squatted down beside the emperor, his eyes filled with complex emotions, and remained silent for a long time.
With the emperor's illness worsening, all affairs of the court naturally fell under the control of Crown Prince Zhou Ruiyuan.
The emperor was completely bewitched by this family and had long since lost all suspicion of him.
Now that he is ill, even his own palace, inside and out, is filled with Zhou Ruiyuan's people.
Zhou Ruiyuan withdrew his gaze, his tone calm yet cold, "Father, you are not well now, so don't worry about anything else. Don't worry, I will make all the arrangements. You just need to focus on recovering."
He raised him for over ten years, and he took care of him in his old age and saw him off in his final days; it all seemed perfectly reasonable.
The emperor, seeing his expression, suddenly became agitated and tried to reach out and pull him away, but unfortunately, he no longer had the strength to fight against his own son.
He lay on the bed coughing violently, breathing heavily.
Zhou Ruiyuan patted his back, "Father, take care of yourself. Getting angry will only worsen your condition."
The emperor lay on the bed, glaring at him fiercely.
Even at this moment, the emperor has not truly repented for his mistakes, whether it was during his years of searching for the mother and her four children, or now.
He didn't have any.
He is the emperor, the ruler of a country. He can have many, many children. Even without Zhou Ruiyuan, there are other princes.
He can have many women; if the empress is gone, he can install another.
But after all these years of busy work, it seems he has nothing now.
However, the sorrow in his heart could not overcome his selfishness. Lying on his sickbed, the emperor thought at this moment, "If I had known it would turn out this way, I would have given Zhou Ruiyuan a cup of poison when I deposed him. Then nothing would have happened."
Zhou Ruiyuan had initially been mindful of their father-son relationship, but his heart sank when he saw the fierce look in the man's eyes.
He sat alone beside the emperor for a long time, then got up and left dejectedly.
The emperor watched his retreating figure, his throat rumbling, wanting to utter a curse, but unable to utter a single word.
As the emperor fell seriously ill, Zhou Ruiyuan gradually seized power, and those in the court who had plotted against the Lu family were filled with unease.
Zhou Ruiyuan used the excuse that the emperor was seriously ill to urgently summon the Third Prince back to the palace.
Aunt Zhou returned with the Third Prince, revealing her identity as the Third Princess.
As for the Empress, she is already dead; she died on the way to exile.
With this imperial decree, Aunt Zhou was finally able to enter the palace openly and generously with the Third Prince, but her status had changed drastically; she was now the Third Prince's wife, surnamed Zhou, whom he had married during his southern journey.
Du Wanchun sent a palace maid to bring them to the East Palace.
She knew that Aunt Zhou must miss Xiao Zhouzhou terribly.
From the moment she got off the carriage, Aunt Zhou jogged all the way, looking at the familiar scenes in the palace, and for a moment it felt like a lifetime had passed.
She strode into the courtyard of Du Wanchun's palace and saw her daughter playing with Xiao Feifei. Tears streamed down her face.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
