Chapter 209 The Empress Dowager's Considerations
Royal palace, small Buddhist shrine.
The Empress Dowager was kneeling on a prayer mat, having removed all her ornaments and wearing only a clean robe. Her long, silver hair was loose, and she held a string of Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, slowly turning them. Her gaze was indifferent as she looked down at the person kneeling and answering her question, her brows slightly furrowed.
"What did you say!" The old nanny beside the Empress Dowager asked coldly, "Why are you stammering when answering the Empress Dowager? Speak clearly!"
The black-clad guard kneeling below, still bearing wounds and bloodstains at the corner of his mouth, kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, this servant dares not be entirely certain. The person who injured me truly bears a striking resemblance to the Imperial Preceptor. I fear I was poisoned during this journey and nearly lost my life. In our Great Jing, the most skilled in using poison is none other than the Imperial Preceptor. This servant suspects that perhaps this person is indeed the Imperial Preceptor."
"Imperial Preceptor," the Empress Dowager murmured softly, her fingers fluttering slightly as she twirled her prayer beads. After a moment, she frowned and asked, "Besides this person, are there any other suspicious individuals in the courtyard? Have you seen the Sixth Prince?"
The guard pondered, "Something's not right at that house. Because of that person, I didn't dare to get close. I only caught a glimpse of General Li. However, the thief we caught last time bit his tongue and committed suicide, but I found the mark of the royal guards on him. He should be from the Regent's Palace."
As he spoke, his face paled even further: "It seems the Empress Dowager's guess was correct; the Sixth Prince has likely been poisoned. The poison in question likely originated from the same source as the Emperor's, and there is no antidote."
"presumptuous!"
At this point, the Empress Dowager suddenly sneered: "How dare you curse the Sixth Prince like this? Who gave you the audacity?"
With this rebuke, the Buddhist prayer beads in the Empress Dowager's hand snapped and scattered all over the ground.
"This servant wouldn't dare." Cold sweat poured down the guard's forehead as he kowtowed to the ground.
"What exactly is this guy surnamed Jing up to? Is he really trying to share a job with the Regent?"
The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes slightly: "Investigate! Investigate again! I want to see him alive or dead! Bring another large contingent of troops there. I refuse to believe that this empire is already Jing Wanning's."
"Your Majesty, please take care of yourself. Your health is paramount." The old woman crawled forward on her knees, tenderly holding the Empress Dowager's hand, carefully trying to remove the silk thread from the prayer beads little by little. The thread had already drawn blood from the Empress Dowager's fair fingers. However, the Empress Dowager seemed lost in thought, and hesitated to let go. The old woman immediately urged again:
"Empress Dowager, please don't worry too much. I suspect the strange poison that His Majesty is suffering from is from the Imperial Preceptor. If the rumors are true, perhaps the Imperial Preceptor has a way to cure it."
Furthermore, this matter may not be without hope. The Regent has spent considerable manpower and resources searching for the Imperial Advisor. But if that person truly is the Imperial Advisor, and he has been living in seclusion in the Great Wilderness, even staying with our Sixth Prince, doesn't Your Majesty find this very suspicious?"
The Empress Dowager turned her head to look at her, still frowning and remaining silent.
The old woman carefully pulled the silk thread from her hand, secretly relieved. She immediately took a clean handkerchief to treat the wound. While treating it, she continued to gently advise, "The Imperial Preceptor's attitude is still uncertain; he may not be on the same side as the Regent. Furthermore, as the Empress Dowager just said, we haven't even seen the Sixth Prince yet. Perhaps he is safe and sound. Your most important thing now is to protect your health; otherwise, wouldn't you be playing into the Regent's hands?"
The Empress Dowager, in a daze, sat back down on the prayer mat, letting the nanny apply medicine to her. Staring at the beads on the ground, her voice returned to its previous calm: "That makes sense. Little Six has suffered. It would be best if he were here. However, if something happens to him, it's time to make preparations in advance."
As they spoke, she suddenly looked at the old nanny and asked, "A-Su, how's your investigation going with the child that Consort Shu lost to the common people back then?"
Granny Su's pupils contracted: "Reporting to the Empress Dowager, there is some progress on this matter. Some time ago, news came that he seems to have been stranded in the Great Wilderness. My men have not dared to relax their vigilance, and I believe that good news will arrive soon."
The Empress Dowager sighed softly, "I wonder if it's a boy or a girl."
Granny Su smiled and said, "Back then, the Regent went through so many twists and turns; he should have been a little prince."
The Empress Dowager's eyes were indifferent as she subconsciously rubbed the few broken beads in her hand: "Yes, it must be a man."
Granny Su's expression flickered slightly, and her heart skipped a beat, but she could only smile and respond.
I hope this child is a prince; if it's a princess, she probably won't have a good life.
Just then, they heard a noise outside, and the next second they saw An Dehai, his face pale, being helped into the house. As soon as he entered, he knelt down on the ground with a thud.
"Empress Dowager, have you found the Sixth Prince? Where is he? Has he suffered these past few days?"
The Empress Dowager frowned, her face showing signs of fatigue: "You're still injured, why did you come out? We didn't find Xiao Liu this time."
"How could that be? This servant got lost from His Highness in that grove of trees. His Highness is intelligent; the grove isn't far from the village, so he should be able to find a place to ask for help."
Having said that, he grabbed the collar of the guard beside him tightly in a daze: "Have you searched that mountain inch by inch? His Highness is small; it's possible he's hiding."
"Your Majesty, this servant requests permission to personally go and find His Highness."
The guard who came back to report was already poisoned, and after being pulled and pulled by An Dehai, he coughed up a mouthful of blood in a daze.
When Granny Su saw the Empress Dowager frown, she immediately snapped in a cold voice, "Guards! Take her away and treat her properly!"
Then he looked at An Dehai and said, "An Dehai, how can you be so presumptuous? Why are you pulling and tugging like this in front of the Empress Dowager? You have defiled the Empress Dowager's Buddhist hall. Quickly kowtow and apologize."
"Alright, he's just worried about Xiao Liu." The Empress Dowager waved her hand and sighed, "Why are you doing this? I've already sent people to look for him. You're injured like this, and the poison in your body hasn't been cleared yet. You should rest. If you go out and cause trouble, I'm afraid you won't even live to see Xiao Liu return."
"Your Majesty, it was this servant who lost the Sixth Prince. This servant is willing to go and find him." An Dehai kowtowed to the ground again: "This servant has been poisoned and will not live for many more days. If this lowly life of mine dies on the way to find the Prince, it will be a worthwhile death. I beg Your Majesty to grant my request."
(End of this chapter)
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