Chapter 361: Using Jiangshan as Bait
Rongjing Palace.
Concubine Shu lazily leaned against the window. The old nanny came over and whispered, "Your Majesty, the people who went to Heihe Village are back."
Concubine Shu sat up straight instantly, "She returned to the palace?"
"No, she said she didn't want to go back. I heard her family over there cares a lot about her." The nanny's tone was filled with joy. "I heard that the treasure was returned to her!"
Concubine Shu said calmly, "Madam, there's no need to be so happy about her mention. From the moment I made the choice to abandon her, I will never have any contact with her in this life."
At this time.
The palace maid outside the door hurried in, "Your Majesty, Princess Mingzhu has had a heart attack. The Emperor wants you to come over. The sedan chair is waiting outside the door."
"I understand. I'll come right after I change my clothes."
The maid retreated.
The old nanny was a little dissatisfied. "Your Majesty, this palace lady keeps saying she has a heart attack every few days. Every time, Your Majesty has to be by her side to take care of her. Is she deliberately torturing Your Majesty?"
"It doesn't look like she's pretending." Concubine Shu changed her clothes nonchalantly. "Ever since she lost the golden seal on her forehead during the last rain prayer, her health has indeed been getting worse."
The nanny's face showed disdain. "I almost forgot that she was born with congenital deficiencies and looked sickly. If I hadn't taken that treasure for myself, how could this scourge like her have the chance to pretend to be so doted on? Now it seems that her good days are almost over."
"I remember what Zen Master Huineng said: 'Good and bad fortune are interdependent, but one grows while the other declines.' He told the Empress not to worry. As long as she takes good care of the blessed fetus, the unlucky fetus will naturally disappear! The one in Heihe Village is getting better and better, but I'm afraid the one in the palace can't hold on any longer!"
"I don't want her to die so soon," said Concubine Shu with a cold expression. "If it weren't for her, I would never have found such a good opportunity in my life. And next, the Emperor will definitely spare no effort to deal with the one from Heihe Village for her. How can he deal with the reincarnation of the lucky star? Just thinking about that ending makes me excited!"
Mammy's eyes were filled with pity and reluctance. "Your Majesty, the dead cannot be resurrected. Let the past be the past. With hatred in your heart, when will Your Majesty be able to live a happy life?"
"I will never be happy in this life." Concubine Shu walked out slowly. "Only revenge can make me feel that my heart is still beating warmly."
The nanny looked at Concubine Shu's back with a sad face.
The young lady is only twenty-five years old this year, but her mentality is even more desolate than that of an old man like her.
The lively and cheerful lady who lived like the sun will never come back.
This damn emperor is to blame...
…
Wuji Palace.
Princess Mingzhu was sleeping in bed, and the imperial doctors stood by helplessly.
The emperor was furious. "What use is there for me with useless trash like you! Why don't you find a solution?! If you can't save Mingzhu, none of you will survive!"
The imperial doctors hurried out.
Concubine Shu walked in slowly.
"Your Majesty, you may be angry, but please do not harm the dragon's body."
The emperor pressed his forehead wearily. "My beloved, how can I not be anxious? Every doctor of some repute in the country has been summoned to the palace for diagnosis, but Zhu'er's heart disease hasn't improved at all! At such a critical moment, that evil creature from Heihe Village refuses to return to the palace. It's infuriating to the point of killing me!"
Concubine Shu pretended to be clueless, "Why? She refuses to come back?"
The emperor said nothing, his face ashen.
"Your Majesty, this is going to be a difficult situation." Concubine Shu pretended to be anxious. "Your Majesty previously announced that he would go to Heihe Village to bring Princess Fuxing back to the palace. Now that he hasn't brought her back, the people's joy was in vain. I'm afraid the capital will be in turmoil again!"
The emperor held his forehead coldly. "Lucky star? I wanted to trick her into the palace, control her, and let her clear Mingzhu's name! But I didn't expect her to be so cunning and not be fooled at all! I underestimated her!"
At this time, a notification sounded outside the door.
Then a minister came in.
"Oh no, Your Majesty! A massive riot has broken out in the capital!"
The corners of Concubine Shu's lips secretly rose.
To her surprise, the emperor was very calm.
He calmly picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea. "Big riot? How big is it?"
The minister said, "Your Majesty, when the people heard that Princess Fuxing refused to return to the capital, they all went crazy and besieged the city gates, hoping to escape! The soldiers have already sent troops to suppress them!"
The emperor hummed, "Shouldn't such a riot be resolved in just three or two hours?"
The minister looked at the emperor in surprise. What did the emperor mean?
Do you think this riot isn't big enough?
"Your Majesty, do not underestimate this riot. In the past month, civilians outside the city have suddenly stopped entering. The capital is experiencing shortages of water, food, and manpower. Even many wealthy merchants have begun to complain..."
As he was speaking, the sound of hurried footsteps was heard outside the door again.
"Your Majesty! A large number of peasant soldiers have appeared outside the city! They are colluding with the rioters inside and are attacking the city gates!"
"The Prime Minister will be in charge of the entire task of suppressing the rebellion. I am tired, so please withdraw!"
The ministers withdrew.
Concubine Shu asked, "Why did the Emperor entrust the task of quelling the rebellion to the Prime Minister?"
The emperor laughed. "Even my beloved concubine knows this man has ulterior motives? I handed this matter over to him simply because I wanted to use him to stir up the situation even more. I hope he won't let me down."
"Why?" Concubine Shu was truly confused this time. "The Emperor doesn't care about the Xiao family's kingdom?"
"Because I'm waiting for someone." The emperor's eyes shone with anticipation. "If he's still alive, he'll definitely not let the Xiao family's kingdom fall into the hands of others! I've been waiting for him to show up for over twenty years!"
Concubine Shu was puzzled and asked, "Who is this person? Why does he care so much about the Xiao family's empire?"
"I will tell my beloved concubine the day he appears."
"From what the Emperor said, he has disappeared for over twenty years. Is the Emperor so sure that he will show up?"
"I'm not sure." The emperor's voice faded. "Perhaps, he is really dead..."
Gao Sui, who had been waiting in the corner, said, "Your Majesty, whether he is dead or alive, I hope you will value the country!"
Looking at Gao Sui, the emperor's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Gao Sui, you served him in the past. You also think my suspicion is reasonable, right? There is clearly a scar on the inside of his right arm. I accidentally stabbed him when I was a child! But the right arm of that corpse has no scar! So, that corpse is most likely not him, right!"
Tears welled up in Gao Sui's eyes. "Your Majesty, the wound on his right arm wasn't serious to begin with. It's normal to not see any scars after a few years. That doesn't mean the body is fake! I beg Your Majesty not to gamble with your kingdom. He... is truly gone!"
"Let me be willful just this once, for the last time," the emperor murmured. "If he still doesn't show up this time, then I will definitely be a good emperor from now on."
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