Chapter 510: Deposed Queen
"Miss, it's windy outside, please come in quickly." Luzhu helped to hold down the hood that was blown up by the wind, fearing that her princess would be seen by others and cause unnecessary trouble.
"Don't be nervous." Wei Ming Yu Jin retracted his head and reached out to close the car window. "I have disguised my face, so no one will notice."
Luzhu helped her adjust her hood, still feeling nervous.
——I finally made it out of the palace, I hope there are no accidents at all.
At this moment, the curtain of the car door was lifted by a white and broad hand. The man, who had grown into a young man, had a tougher outline than when he was a teenager. If he did not deliberately dress up to cover up, he would no longer be mistaken for a woman.
His eyes curved slightly, his smile was brilliant, and he spoke fluently in Mandarin, "Where are we going?"
"Let's go to Gaochang first." Wei Ming Yujin couldn't help but smile just by seeing this person. "Ashan, my friend is there. I want to give her a surprise."
"A-choo!" Someone who was training suddenly sneezed towards the sky, rubbed his nose, and muttered, "Emperor Shunguang is so stingy. He favors only one person and still won't give me the crybaby. Bah! Men's mouths are deceitful. I hope Miss Chu doesn't believe Emperor Shunguang's lies."
"A-choo!"
In the Yangxin Palace, Chu Liuzheng, who was sitting on the bed in her clothes, suddenly sneezed. Chen Xing was so frightened that he quickly took a cloak to wrap her up to prevent the cold from getting worse.
Chu Liuzheng pinched his nose and drank a bowl of medicine, his whole face wrinkled with bitterness.
"We're both human, but why is it that Brother Xiaoyao can lie on the ice and catch a carp without catching a cold, while I caught a cold after just skating on the ice for a while? Are the differences between people really that great?"
[Ah~ I really miss Doctor Feng's pills. Although they taste a bit weird, they can be swallowed raw with water.]
Chen Xing stuffed a candied fruit into her mouth. "The imperial physician has instructed that Sister, this is an evil wind that has entered your body. You must take good care of yourself and not stand on the ice like you did yesterday."
Chu Liuzheng responded, and a small bump appeared on his cheek from the candied fruit.
Chen Xing urged her to rest.
"You've slept all day. If you sleep any more, you won't be able to sleep tonight." Chu Liuzheng wrapped in a cloak and sat cross-legged on the bed. "You didn't finish the book yesterday. Continue. It's just in time for dinner."
Hearing this, Chen Xing perked up. She cleared her throat and was about to continue yesterday's story when Mi Yue walked in holding a piece of red cloth, instantly attracting their attention.
Chu Liuzheng asked, "Is this a reward from His Majesty?"
"It was a gift from the Empress Dowager," Siyue said. "When the Empress Dowager heard that my sister was ill, she specially ordered Madam Zhao to come and visit her. My sister was still sleeping, and Madam Zhao said it was inconvenient to disturb her. She left this piece of cloth and a few boxes of ginseng and bird's nests and left."
The Queen Mother saw that I could eat two bowls less of rice, and she actually sent someone to bring me some supplements. Is this the sun rising from the west?
"There's nothing else to worry about. Sister, take a closer look at the embroidery on the cloth." Siyue said as she and Chenxing pulled open the rolled cloth, motioning Chu Liuzheng to take a closer look.
Chu Liuzheng took a closer look.
[Holy crap! A Hundred Children Picture?! !]
Is the Queen Mother trying to urge me to give birth, or is she hinting that I'm just occupying the toilet without doing anything?
Wait! Did I accidentally compare a tyrant to a toilet?
[Uh...even if it's a toilet, the Tyrant's is definitely the most luxuriously decorated one.]
One more glance and he could feel the strong malice coming towards him. Chu Liuzheng's eyes twitched wildly. After thinking for a moment, he ordered Siyue, "Send it to His Majesty for a look."
Whoever's mother is responsible will deal with it.
In the Wenhua Hall, Xiao Jingfan calmly waved his hand when he saw the Hundred Children Picture, "Put it away first."
The house isn't even complete yet, so where does the child come from?
At the morning court today, all the officials had just submitted a petition to the emperor to select concubines to fill the harem, and the empress dowager then did this. The emperor, who was forced by all the officials and the empress dowager, felt a little unhappy, and was also worried that Chu Liuzheng would be unhappy.
With only one year left in the bet, some things have to be accelerated.
The slender fingers held the wolf-hair brush, and as they waved, they slowly wrote the word "win" on the paper.
The next day, after the morning court session, Zhou Yuande went to Changchun Palace holding a scroll of imperial edict.
"Empress Zhong is cruel and unkind. She fabricated rumors and fomented trouble, framing innocent people... She is unfit to obey Heaven's will. She is now demoted to a commoner, stripped of her imperial seal and ribbon, and forced to retreat to Jianping Palace, where she must worship Buddha and reflect on herself, and is forbidden to leave for the rest of her life."
After listening to the imperial edict quietly, Empress Zhong, who was dressed in a plain robe... no, the commoner Zhong Wenlan kowtowed to accept the edict.
Eunuch Zhou couldn't help but sigh. He ordered his men to help Zhong Wenlan up. "The carriage is already waiting at the door. Please have someone pack up some useful things. We will come back in an incense stick."
He left Zhong Wenlan one last bit of dignity, and Zhong Wenlan was grateful. He bowed to the fat eunuch and said, "Thank you, eunuch."
Zhou Yuande sighed lightly, bowed in return, and left with his men.
"Master, His Majesty is really so cruel." Qiu Sui's eyes were filled with tears and her face was full of panic.
Although she knew that her master's ending would not be good, she still had a glimmer of hope in her heart. What if His Majesty was willing to pardon her master because of their past relationship?
Now that the imperial decree has been issued to depose the empress, there is completely no hope.
"Why are you crying? Hold back your tears, it's ugly." Zhong Wenlan's face remained calm. He gripped the imperial edict tightly and said in a deep voice, "Pack your belongings quickly. We only have one stick of incense. Don't embarrass Eunuch Zhou."
"But the palace is far away. I'm afraid there's no chance of returning once you leave." Qiu Sui felt sorry for her master. "If you don't think about yourself, think about the Crown Prince too. The Duke's Mansion is gone. If you leave again, the Crown Prince will be left alone and helpless."
She subdued her voice and advised, "They say a marriage lasts a hundred days. Go and ask His Majesty, and he will show mercy. Even if you find a nunnery in the capital to practice cultivation, it's better than going to a remote palace. Those places are inhabited by madmen and fools. You've never suffered hardship since childhood, so how can you go to a place like that?"
"My son is a prince." His slender fingers stroked the golden dragon pattern on the imperial edict, and a dark light ignited in Zhong Wenlan's eyes. "It would be bad for him if I stayed."
Qiu Sui was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood what Zhong Wenlan meant.
If his master were to be an eyesore to the emperor in the capital, it would cause the emperor to be displeased with the eldest prince. If he were to stay away, the eldest prince might still have a chance.
Zhong Wenlan glanced at her, with a soft look in his eyes: "It's hard for you to accompany me to that kind of place. If you don't want to, I can find a way to help you leave on the way, and you can go and live your own life..."
"What are you talking about?" Qiu Sui raised her sleeve to wipe away her tears and interrupted, "Wherever you go, I will go. Although I am not very useful, I can still serve you tea and water. Don't think of abandoning me."
"Silly girl." Zhong Wenlan took out a piece of silk and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Hurry up and pack. Bring something light."
"Yes." Qiu Sui agreed and ran to pack up.
Zhong Wenlan looked down at the tear-stained silk, loosened his fingers, and the thin, soft silk fell into the brazier at the door and turned into ashes as it burned.
She leaned against the door, looked up at the gray sky, and thought to herself: This day is so similar to the day of the birthday party.
That was her first time meeting the emperor.
The young man, who was not yet twenty, had a beauty that could not be suppressed by gorgeous clothes, and a dignity that was difficult for ordinary people to achieve. Simply standing in the crowd, he was like the brightest gem in the dark night, impossible to ignore.
Grandfather had said he might be able to.
So she walked over, pretending to have just seen the chess pieces he had set up, and pretending to have solved the game by chance. Under the boy's gaze filled with joy and admiration, she happily sat down and had a great chat with him.
Three months later, the late emperor granted them marriage and she became his fiancée.
It was all a calculation from beginning to end.
The corners of the woman's lips curled up in a mocking arc.
She was plotting against him, and he was also plotting against her. There was never any sincerity between them.
(End of this chapter)
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