Chapter 354 Heart Palpitations
"Her Majesty, wait a minute!"
The emperor stared at her back and asked, "The person who said those words in the Temple of Heaven was arranged by the Empress Dowager, right?"
The Queen Mother didn't even turn her head, her tone cold, "Your Majesty, you worry too much. Although the bond between me and Your Majesty is shallow, I will never betray the late Emperor. I still cherish the Xiao family's kingdom."
"But I don't see how much the Queen Mother cherishes it." The emperor coughed a few times.
The palace maids and the imperial physician had already left, leaving only the two of them in the room. The ambergris in the incense burner curled up, but it only brought with it a depressing and dull atmosphere.
The Queen Mother sneered and sat down again.
"Your Majesty, you are my only remaining son. I still hope that you can maintain your throne. What happened at the Temple of Heaven today was definitely not my fault."
"I don't really care who did it." The emperor's indifferent gaze fell on the empress dowager's face. "After all, they are not wrong. It was indeed I who killed the regent!"
The Queen Mother glanced at him with dissatisfaction, "Don't forget that you are the emperor, you are responsible for the Xiao family's rule!"
"Empress Dowager, I can't be a good emperor without my uncle!"
The emperor's face was pale, and his messy hair made him look a little crazy. "I no longer care about the throne! What I care about is why what happened back then happened!"
"The Emperor should let go of what happened back then," the Empress Dowager said, her tone slowing. "You were only twelve years old back then. You made a mistake in the heat of the moment, so what? Who doesn't ascend to the throne by stepping over the corpses of countless others? Your indecision will only sink you deeper into the mire!"
"Empress Dowager!" The emperor suddenly ripped off the gauze wrapped around his hand, revealing the flesh burned by the thunder. "Look at my wound? Does it hurt? But my heart has been in this pain for the past twenty-one years!"
The Queen Mother's eyes were cold and she said nothing.
The emperor said in frustration, "You are right. I was young and ignorant back then, which is why I became the Queen Mother's pawn to get rid of the Emperor's uncle! In the end, it was I who harmed the Emperor's uncle!"
"So you think Xiao Chuchen shouldn't have died?" The Queen Mother stared at him fiercely. "Have you forgotten how your brother, the Crown Prince, died? Shouldn't you have avenged your brother?"
"That's his own fault! The Emperor was merely ill, and he got so angry that he launched a mutiny and attempted to usurp the throne! The Emperor's uncle was supposed to be the regent, but he simply imprisoned him! My brother, knowing his life was hopeless, committed suicide by cutting his own throat! What does this have to do with the Emperor's uncle?"
The Queen Mother said excitedly, "But if Xiao Chuchen hadn't constantly told your father that your brother was tyrannical and unfit to be the crown prince, your father wouldn't have wavered! Without your father's wavering, your brother wouldn't have started a rebellion to usurp the throne! All of this is the fault of Xiao Chuchen!"
"So, the Empress Dowager used the twelve-year-old me to get rid of the Imperial Uncle?" The Emperor's eyes were dark and blazing, like will-o'-the-wisp. "You always tell me that the Imperial Uncle is unkind and too harsh on me? You always speak up for me, saying that the Imperial Uncle monopolizes all power and is just making me a puppet emperor? You tell me that I can never escape the control of the Imperial Uncle for the rest of my life?"
The Queen Mother sneered, "For so many years, you have always hated me for this matter? But Your Majesty, I was just talking. I didn't ask you to drug him. You drugged Xiao Chuchen, but blamed it on your own mother. Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"
The emperor's face turned pale as he looked at the empress dowager in agony. "You deliberately let me see the poison back then. Under your constant instigation, I lost my mind and did something I will regret for the rest of my life! Mother, you only love my brother, so why do you scheme against me like this? I am also your own son!"
The Queen Mother looked at him expressionlessly. "Although you are my biological child, you have never been on the same page with me. Your brother is gone, but you have become even closer to Xiao Chuchen! My heart has long been with your brother. He is the only choice for the throne. It's a pity that God is jealous of talented people. And you were forced onto the throne by Xiao Chuchen..."
The emperor's eyes were sinister, and a smile appeared on the corner of his lips. "So the Queen Mother thinks that the Du family should rule this country?"
The Queen Mother angrily said, "I will say it again, I will not do anything to let the late Emperor down!"
The Emperor laughed and said, "But now, I'm afraid even the Queen Mother can't control the Du family's ambitions. Did my uncle inform the Queen Mother in advance and tell her the truth about the Regent's death?"
The Queen Mother's face turned pale.
The emperor continued, "Empress Dowager, please tell my uncle a message. Although I am an incompetent monarch and can turn a blind eye to the Du family's actions, it is not the Du family's turn to covet the Xiao family's kingdom! If my uncle persists in his delusion, be careful that the regent's ghost returns and kills him without a single piece of armor left!"
The Queen Mother left without saying a word.
The emperor raised his lips and murmured, "Uncle, your incompetent nephew is about to lose the Xiao family's kingdom. If you don't come back, this kingdom will really change hands..."
…
"Father, please save me..."
Princess Mingzhu's voice was heard, and then two palace maids carried a sedan chair and brought Princess Mingzhu in.
"Mingzhu, you're here?"
The emperor endured the pain and got out of bed, walked to Princess Mingzhu, his eyes showing heartache.
"Why is Mingzhu crying? Is her heart palpitations coming back again?"
Strangely enough, Princess Mingzhu has been complaining of heart pain from time to time since she was struck by lightning, and the entire Imperial Medical Bureau cannot find the cause of her illness.
Princess Mingzhu dismissed the servants.
"Father, I just had a dream. I dreamed that when my mother gave birth to me, she also gave birth to another baby girl. She and I are twin sisters, is that true or not?"
"It really happened, but your twin sister died at birth, so you are the only one left."
"I'm afraid not!" Princess Mingzhu shook her head desperately, "Father, she's still alive! Not only is she alive, she also stole the golden mark on my forehead! That was my magical weapon to protect me, and that's why I'm having heart palpitations!"
"What did you say?" the emperor asked in surprise. "She's still alive? How is that possible? Pearl, are you mistaken?"
Princess Mingzhu clutched her chest weakly, "Your Majesty, please believe me. She is definitely still alive. Why don't you ask Mother?"
The emperor pondered for a moment, "Zhu'er, tell me first, where is she now? And how did she manage to steal your magic weapon?"
Princess Mingzhu said bitterly, "Where else could it be? It could only be Heihe Village! She used a master to steal my fortune! This is why Heihe Village is becoming increasingly popular! If Father doesn't intervene, not only will I die, but she will steal the entire nation's fortune!"
The emperor's face was gloomy and he gently patted Princess Mingzhu's back.
"Don't be afraid, Zhu'er. If it was the one from Heihe Village, the imperial guards sent by our father would have dealt with her by now."
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