"I don't like to play tricks on you. You can doubt anyone, but please don't doubt my son."
"He has already given the throne to you. In fact, apart from your brother, no one from Prince Rong's mansion has served as an official in the past few years. Even Li'er was banished to such a remote place. No one can threaten your position. You really don't have to worry."
"It's best if this matter has nothing to do with you. If I find out that it was you who did it, Wei Yuchen, I will protect my son even if it costs me my life."
"Also, Ruyan is no longer Yun Ge's maid. She is my lady-in-waiting. She has been with me for twelve years. She is a considerate girl. Don't keep your eyes on her."
"Yun Ge has already been executed by you, and now you don't even want to let a maid go, and send her down to find Yun Ge?"
"Emperor, please forgive me when you can. You have done enough evil in your life. Why do I pray to Buddha every day?"
"It's because what you have done has endangered the foundation of our Rong family!"
"I am already half dead, and I am not afraid of offending you with my words. If I had known that you were so stubborn and suspicious of hegemony, I would never have let your brother help you become emperor."
"What a pity! One misstep can lead to eternal regret. It's a pity that such a brilliant and talented person like Wei Yi died in your hands in the end."
"Emperor, you take care of yourself!"
The Queen Mother's words were sonorous and powerful, with reluctance and anger on her face. She didn't even give Wei Yuchen a chance to retort, and waved her hand at him irritably, ordering him to leave.
Wei Yuchen's face became particularly gloomy because of her words, but she didn't even give him a chance to explain before she kicked him out.
Such a scene really made the emperor feel embarrassed and heartbroken.
He just asked a few more questions, but ended up with such an outcome. What made him feel even more aggrieved was that how could he possibly harm his own royal brother?
Because he was too aggrieved, and he couldn't vent his anger in front of everyone, he walked away with a gloomy face.
It is said that because of the empress dowager's attitude, the emperor was very angry after returning to the palace. Of course, this is a later story and we will not talk about it for now.
On the contrary, Ning Shuyuan had been standing nearby. Seeing the confrontation between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, she couldn't help but secretly break out in a cold sweat.
After the emperor left, he hurried forward and said, "Mother, weren't you too direct just now? What if you angered him or misunderstood him? Wouldn't that be...?"
Empress Dowager Wen didn't care at all. She looked at Ning Shuyuan and said coldly.
"Whether it was his doing or not, I will use this incident to teach him a lesson. Otherwise, he really thinks that we are easy to bully. Don't you see what happened to those who helped him?"
Upon hearing this, Ning Shuyuan lost her voice instantly.
Thinking of the massacre twelve years ago, her husband couldn't sleep for several nights.
It was just because he felt that he seemed to have helped someone who should not have been helped. If he had known that he would be so cruel after inheriting the throne.
It would have been better for him to sit on the throne himself.
Especially the Du family, who were heroes in the founding of the country. Not only were they ungrateful, but they even executed the entire family!
Now, the only bloodline left is Qiu Zhen, who helped the Wei family destroy the Du family.
Haha, this is such a huge irony!
God have pity on you.
Ning Shuyuan's eyes turned red unconsciously.
She saw that Zilai ignored all the affairs in the harem, and even Empress Dowager Wen was devoted to Buddhism and didn't care about worldly affairs.
Thinking of the incense that has never stopped burning in her Ningsheng Palace, she couldn't help but sigh in her heart.
"Mother, please don't blame yourself too much. No one wants this to happen. Although it has been twelve years, it always feels like it happened yesterday, especially since the prince is still suffering from this disaster. Mother, I don't understand why there are always people who can't stand seeing others doing well when the prince is so kind-hearted?"
Empress Dowager Wen only truly invests her emotions when facing her son and daughter-in-law, even though she usually seems to be isolated from the world and doesn't care about worldly affairs.
In fact, that was because those things had nothing to do with her directly. What did it have to do with her no matter how chaotic the emperor's harem was?
It would have been fine if this emperor was diligent and loved his people, but he committed a serious mistake that brought shame to both mother and son.
There are even various curses circulating among the people about the mother and son, just because they were blind and chose the wrong emperor, which caused the Siyou Kingdom to be unable to recover for many years. How many people were displaced and lived in fear?
The fall of the God of War, the death of the virtuous queen, and the extinction of the military family were naturally unacceptable to the common people.
They could not pose any threat to the emperor, nor did they dare to, but they could slander the mother and son, a fact that the mother and son knew very well, but the targets were helpless common people.
What's more, what they said was absolutely correct. If they had not been so selfish back then, how could they have caused such irreparable consequences to the Du family and those affected families?
Therefore, over the years, Empress Dowager Wen would go to the Buddhist temple to kowtow devoutly regardless of wind or rain, and she would also copy Buddhist scriptures on weekdays, just to alleviate some of the sins of her and her son. However, who could have imagined that twelve years later, her son would receive such a retribution?
Is it retribution?
Queen Mother Wen smiled bitterly, then quickly remembered something and looked at Ning Shuyuan involuntarily: "This time, it was all thanks to Ling Yuan and the ghost doctor..."
In fact, Empress Dowager Wen was also very curious as to why Ruyan was subconsciously attracted to the ghost doctor. This was reflected in the support and reminders she had just given him. In particular, the ghost doctor was a grown man. Although it was hard to tell how old he was, it was impossible for Ruyan, who had been calm for many years, to be so concerned about him, right?
"Mother, I will definitely thank the Seventh Master and his wife this time, especially since they invited a ghost doctor for the prince. This kindness is so rare..."
The Queen Mother also sighed with empathy, "Seventh Brother did a good job this time, and it's worth it that I saved him all those years ago. This kid is thoughtful!"
Ning Shuyuan sighed, "Although my seventh brother has a cold face and a cold heart, he is very clear about gratitude and resentment. It is really touching that he can bring his seventh brother's wife here at the risk of offending the emperor. In comparison, the emperor's side seems too... I am not complaining to you, but look at the people the emperor brought just now. What did they find out?"
The so-called offense naturally refers to the time when Wei Yuchen was seriously ill, but Wei Jie never even showed his face. However, when the target changed to Wei Ziheng, he was busy taking care of him. Ning Shuyuan saw all of this and was naturally grateful to him.
Queen Mother Wen sneered, "What did he find out? Humph, even if he found out something, would he tell us? Remember, starting tomorrow, Heng'er will be completely handed over to the Seventh Old Family and that ghost doctor for treatment. No one else is allowed to get close to my Heng'er. I don't trust anyone except our family members."
"But the emperor..." Empress Dowager Wen's expression suddenly turned ugly. "What's wrong with the emperor? Does he want to disobey my words? If he did it himself, we must be on guard against him. If he didn't do it, we should take this opportunity to draw a line between us, so that if something goes wrong, we won't be able to explain ourselves."
It has to be said that Empress Dowager Wen was quite insightful. Although she had not been involved in worldly affairs for many years, it did not mean that she ignored some hidden crises inside and outside the court.
Especially since Wei Yuchen ruthlessly slaughtered the Du family, Empress Dowager Wen has been completely wary of him. Now that something like this has happened again, who else can she suspect if not him?
After all, compared to status, their Heng'er is the legitimate son, so what is he?
For a bastard who had lived a miserable life, it was already a favor from them to sit on the throne. It would have been fine if he had just been an emperor in an honest manner, but he was so ungrateful that he kept touching her bottom line again and again. How could she trust him again?
If she doesn't even have this sense of crisis, it won't be long before not only her Heng'er, but even Wei Li and Wei Ye will encounter accidents.
Only by eliminating those who have legitimate reasons without anyone noticing, can Wei Yuchen rightfully become the overlord of Siyou Kingdom.
Humph, do you really think that they and their mother are made of mud?
This time, she would never let him go so easily!
Empress Dowager Wen was really angry this time. Ning Shuyuan's persuasion was futile and she could only let her be.
It was originally thought that she would stay in Prince Rong's mansion, but Empress Dowager Wen clearly distinguished between public and private affairs, because she knew that even if she stayed, it would be of no use and would instead cause inexplicable pressure on others.
Besides, this incident was so strange that she had to investigate it thoroughly, so she prepared to leave that night.
Before leaving, she called Ruyan to her side and asked directly, "The emperor has doubted your attitude towards the ghost doctor. Yan'er, do you have anything to say to me?"
Ruyan raised her eyebrows calmly, and then bowed to the Queen Mother expressionlessly: "What virtue and ability do I have to deserve the attention of the Emperor? Haha, if the Queen Mother must give Ruyan an explanation, then there is only one. I was sent by the Queen Mother to assist the two doctors. The ghost doctor has a special status, so I will do my best. What's more, he is a man and Ruyan is a woman. There are differences between men and women, and Ruyan understands this better than anyone else. I hope the Queen Mother will understand."
Empress Dowager Wen didn't seem surprised at all by Ruyan's directness. On the contrary, she not only didn't hate it, but she liked it very much.
Especially Yan, who has met several of them. It would be ridiculous to suspect that there is something between them just because Ruyan is too respectful and caring to the ghost doctor.
Thinking of this, the Queen Mother nodded slightly at her, "In that case, you should stay with Princess Feng until Heng'er recovers. By the way, you can also help me pass on Heng'er's situation anytime and anywhere."
Ruyan looked up in surprise, looking at Empress Dowager Wen in disbelief, with uncontrollable excitement in her eyes: "Empress Dowager, is this really okay?"
"Why not? You learned a lot from your master. If you hadn't been by my side to help me take care of myself over the years, my health wouldn't be this good. Your skills will definitely help Yuan'er, so kid, I believe in you."
Ruyan's nose felt sore, and she couldn't control her tears anymore. She knelt down in front of Empress Dowager Wen with a plop. "Your Majesty, I will never be able to repay your kindness in my lifetime. I only ask that you take good care of yourself when Ruyan is not around. It's cold at night, so don't stay in the temple for too long. Your legs..."
Queen Mother Wen glanced over, and the maid beside her hurried forward to help Ruyan up. The Queen Mother stepped forward and held her hand, "Silly girl, that's enough. Why are you crying so much? It's bad luck. Hurry back. It may not be easy for you to stay here. Help me take care of Heng'er, okay?"
"Please rest assured, Queen Mother, Ruyan will not let you down."
Empress Dowager Wen nodded slightly without saying much, and left with a crowd of people in Prince Rong's mansion in a grand manner, with everyone bowing to them.
Ning Shuyuan turned around and took Ruyan's hand, "Ruyan, I'm going to trouble you during this period of time."
"Your Highness Princess, that's not right. How could Ruyan deserve such kindness from you? I am just a servant. No matter who I stay with, I have never forgotten my duty. I hope your Highness Princess will not treat Ruyan as an outsider. Taking care of the prince is also the order of the Queen Mother. I am just following your orders."
This was not the first time Ning Shuyuan had come into contact with Ruyan, and she knew her personality to some extent, so she curled the corners of her lips and patted her shoulder nonchalantly.
"Okay, I won't put any pressure on you. You can do whatever you want in the palace. Since you will be following Princess Feng, you two can live in the same courtyard, so I don't have to choose another courtyard for you."
"Ruyan thanks the princess for her kindness." Having said that, she knelt down respectfully.
Since Ning Shuyuan couldn't stop her, she could only let her go.
Now that she could get Ruyan's help on Ling Yuan and the ghost doctor, Ning Shuyuan no longer had to worry about finding someone to stay by their side and help them.
Ruyan understands basic medical knowledge, so she can rest assured with her being their assistant.
Because of the ghost doctor's physical condition, the Queen Mother specially allowed him not to be seen off.
Therefore, she had no idea about the Queen Mother's arrangements.
In fact, even if the ghost doctor was there, he might not go to see him off, right?
The Queen Mother knew his character well and knew he would not seek trouble for himself, so she took the initiative to make such arrangements so that she could save face.
After all, the ghost doctor's gimmick is actually quite big. What an honor it is for the mother and son to have the ghost doctor come to rescue them.
At least, Wei Yuchen had never received such special treatment.
This alone indirectly proves that even if Wei Yuchen ascended the throne, he would not have the same noble status and position as Wei Ziheng of their family.
A concubine is, after all, a concubine!
Shangguan Qingxi, who was lying on the bed with her eyes closed, suddenly heard a voice. The moment she raised her eyes, she saw Ruyan, who was wearing a green dress, coming back.
He immediately widened his eyes, supported his body in disbelief, and was about to sit down.
Ruyan took two steps at a time and came to her side, pushing her sitting body back.
"Master Ghost Doctor, you should just lie down. You are still very weak. What would you like to eat? I will ask the kitchen to prepare it."
Shangguan Qingxi stared closely at Ruyan in front of her, as if to prove that what she saw was not an illusion.
Her hands slowly rose up, gently caressing her forehead, her eyebrows, her nose, her cheeks...
Every time she arrived at a place, her eyes became redder, as if she couldn't believe that she could see them again in this life. She cherished them especially and was especially excited...
So much so that in the end, as her arms fell vertically, she hugged Ruyan tightly in her arms and shouted excitedly with a trembling voice.
"Yan'er, my Yan'er, thank God you are still alive, thank God you are still alive, wuwuwu, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's me who hurt you, it's me who hurt you, wuwuwu..."
Ruyan had been trying hard to hold back her emotions, but when she saw her master burst into tears, how could she hold back any longer? Her tears immediately fell like beads from a broken string, pattering down onto Shangguan Qingxi's back. The master and servant suppressed their cries, hugged their heads and cried in low voices...
I don’t know how long it took, but it was as if all the water in their bodies had drained away. Gradually, they stopped crying, but their shaking shoulders still revealed the pain in their hearts.
The pain did not only come from the reunion after separation, but more from the fact that among the five people who clearly had a deep affection for each other, in the end, only the three of them, the master and the servant, were left.
While they mourned the loss of their sisters, they also sympathized with the suffering and pain they had endured over the years. What was even more uncontrollable was their overflowing hatred and determination.
Shangguan Qingxi looked at Ruyan's no longer young face with tears in her eyes and said with a sob.
"Silly child, why don't you leave there? Why do you all want to go back? You are already thirty years old. How many more thirty years old can you have in your life? You should find someone to marry and live a good life. Even if I really die, I will rest in peace. But how can I live with my conscience when you are like this now?"
Ruyan smiled gently, wiped away the tears on her face, and shook her head gently.
"At that time, I was also very scared. I was favored by the Queen Mother and was kept in Ningsheng Palace. She helped me make arrangements, but in return, I was assassinated again and again."
"Hehehe... That man must be extremely scared, right? He tried every possible way to get rid of me. Fortunately, I was protected by the people around the Queen Mother, so I escaped death several times."
"After several disasters, I suddenly came to my senses. Why did I leave the palace? Why did I give him the opportunity to take my life? Since someone has the ability to protect me, why don't I stay and wait for the opportunity to act in the future?"
"It was the Queen Mother who gave me this opportunity. That's why I am no longer timid, no longer hesitant, and no longer desperate."
"I stayed in Ningsheng Palace every day to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures with her. When I knelt in the Buddhist hall and kowtowed to your tablets, I always secretly swore that as long as I was alive, I would definitely avenge you. I would definitely do it."
"I didn't expect that God would really give me this opportunity. When I found out that Liuying not only didn't die, but also turned into a palace maid and came to that person, do you know how happy I was?"
"Because, if I rely on my own strength, it is really too weak. What's more, I am always being watched by that dog emperor. It is really too difficult to do anything I want."
"And Liuying's appearance just gave me the motivation to hold on. Only if we work together, one in the light and one in the dark, can we possibly deal the heaviest blow to the opponent."
"But I really underestimated that man's strength. Liuying and I have been secretly planning for so many years, and every assassination attempt has ended in failure. Perhaps that dog emperor has too many enemies, so his defense is very strong."
"Gradually, we chose silence. If we don't explode in silence, we will perish in silence."
"But at this time, Liuying told me that there is an organization called Zihuang Palace, and among them there is a man called Shi Wei. Shi Wei, Shi Wei!"
"But we never expected that this person would be you? What we didn't expect was that the princess Liuying saved back then actually had your soul hidden inside her. Miss, will God not let us die? This is a chance God has given us!"