Chang'an Palace!
Bai Zhong hurried into the study, "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother is here. She's already outside the door."
Gu Jiu put down what he was doing, stood up and went to the door to greet him.
Empress Dowager Pei rushed in with her men like a gust of wind.
"Where are the emperor's people?"
Empress Dowager Pei looked around, but Liu Zhao was not there?
Gu Jiu bowed and said, "Your Majesty should be in Xingqing Palace right now."
"The emperor is not in Xingqing Palace. I just came from there. Tell me, did you hide the emperor?"
Empress Dowager Pei was both fierce and impatient.
Gu Jiu was at a loss for words. "My Queen Mother is such a joke. How could I possibly hide His Majesty? His Majesty is really not here. He might be in the training grounds."
"Is he really not here?" Empress Dowager Pei was skeptical.
Gu Jiu nodded heavily, "I dare not lie to my mother, Your Majesty is indeed not here."
Empress Dowager Pei did not leave, but sat down on the soft couch.
Um!
The soft couches in Chang'an Palace are very comfortable, and seem to be more comfortable than those in Weiyang Palace.
"So many censors have been impeaching the Fourth Prince, and it's been a huge uproar for days. What's the emperor doing? Why doesn't he clear the Fourth Prince's name? Does he believe the censors' nonsense?"
"The Fourth Prince has indeed been quite decadent in recent years and has made some mistakes, but I can guarantee that he has absolutely no intention of disloyalty, let alone rebellion. Those censors are all slandering the Fourth Prince. Why didn't the Emperor arrest them, instead allowing them to slander the Fourth Prince?"
"What is the Emperor thinking? His throne is secure, so why would he not want his brothers to have an easy life? Will he not stop until they are completely wiped out?"
As soon as Empress Dowager Pei sat down, she started asking a barrage of angry questions.
Spit flew everywhere, his voice was sharp and piercing. He had already lost his composure.
Gu Jiu brought a cup of tea, "Have some tea, mother. You must be thirsty after talking so much."
Empress Dowager Pei originally wanted to be reserved and put on some airs.
But her throat was about to smoke.
Screaming at the top of your lungs is indeed a very hurtful thing.
In the end, she did not refuse Gu Jiu's kindness and took the teacup and drank it all.
"Mother, go slowly. Be careful not to choke."
“Cough cough cough…”
He said he was choking, and indeed he was choking.
After a while, Queen Mother Pei finally recovered, looking exhausted. After all, she was an elderly person.
The weather was still a little hot, and sweat was already appearing on Empress Dowager Pei's forehead.
Gu Jiu picked up a round fan and gently waved it to fan Empress Dowager Pei.
Empress Dowager Pei suddenly burst into tears. "The Fourth Prince and the Emperor are brothers! Brothers from the same mother. Killing each other will only bring pain to their loved ones and joy to their enemies. Anyone with eyes knows that the Fourth Prince cannot rebel. He stays in his house every day and never leaves the house. How could he rebel? Why doesn't the Emperor believe it?"
"The emperor does not distrust Prince Duan!" Gu Jiu comforted him.
Empress Dowager Pei sat up suddenly. "Since the Emperor believes that the Fourth Prince is innocent, why does he allow the censor to slander and defame him in court? Does he want to ruin his reputation?"
"Your Majesty, you have misunderstood! The more the censors stir, the more powerful your Majesty's rebuttal will be. Your Majesty is doing this for Prince Duan's sake, taking this opportunity to resolve all future troubles. This will prevent others from making trouble again and impeaching him every other day. Your Majesty has good intentions, and your Majesty, please understand him!"
Gu Jiu's voice was full of emotion, and he was almost revealing his true heart to prove his sincerity.
Empress Dowager Pei was half-believing and half-doubting, "Is what you said true? Is Your Majesty really doing this for the good of the Fourth Prince?"
Gu Jiu nodded and said with absolute certainty, "Brotherhood cannot be easily severed. Your Majesty has always been thinking about Prince Duan. Unfortunately, Prince Duan has been extremely decadent and listless in recent years. Your Majesty cannot force him to do anything, so let him live the life he wants."
Empress Dowager Pei was convinced and moved to tears. "I knew it all. They are brothers. Their years of brotherhood cannot be faked. The fourth son has indeed been a bit out of line in recent years, but if the emperor is willing to find him something to do, maybe he will improve. We can't really watch him stay cooped up in the palace every day, not leaving the house for a year or two. If this goes on for a long time, I'm worried that he will get sick!"
"What the Queen Mother said makes sense. When Your Majesty returns, your daughter-in-law will convey your words truthfully. I hope Your Majesty can take action to help Prince Duan get out of the haze."
"You are good!" Queen Mother Pei held Gu Jiu's hand tightly, "I misunderstood you in the past."
"Why does your Majesty Queen say these things? These are what a daughter-in-law should do." Gu Jiu's mouth twitched slightly. Comforting people is really tiring.
Finally, Empress Dowager Pei was appeased.
Gu Jiu asked Bai Zhong to send Queen Mother Pei back to Weiyang Palace.
Bai Zhong accepted the order.
After everyone left, the room finally became quiet.
Others complained that the palace was deserted, but she complained that Chang'an Palace was too lively.
Fortunately, no one will disturb me this time.
Bai Zhong returned from Weiyang Palace and reported the situation immediately.
"The Empress Dowager was exhausted after crying so much that she fell asleep moments later after returning to Weiyang Palace. Eunuch Wen said that she hasn't slept well since Prince Duan's accident. Today, she finally got a good night's sleep after putting her worries aside."
"Instruct the imperial physician to come to the Weiyang Palace every day to check the Empress Dowager's pulse. The Empress Dowager is old, so we must not be careless."
"I'll make arrangements right away. Is everything really alright with Prince Duan? If anything goes wrong, I'm worried the Queen Mother won't be able to handle it."
Gu Jiu sneered, "A bunch of imperial censors who only want to cause chaos in the world are stirring up trouble. Don't worry about it. As for Prince Duan, let him be in fear for a few more days."
"Your Majesty, I heard that the Princess of Duan County brought people to attack the residence of Concubine Xiao yesterday, causing a huge disturbance."
"Oh? The two sisters are fighting?"
"Exactly! People outside are discussing this matter. Some people even say that Concubine Xiao is closely related to Prince Duan's accident."
Gu Jiu laughed, "It's true that Concubine Xiao is involved. There's no need to intervene in this matter, just watch from the sidelines."
"I obey your command!"
…
Liu Zhao practiced a round of exercises in the training ground, worked up a sweat, and felt refreshed all over.
When he learned that Empress Dowager Pei had gone to Chang'an Palace to cause trouble, his face suddenly darkened and he was about to lose his temper.
Lin Shuping quickly said, "The Queen has already comforted the Empress Dowager and sent someone to escort her back to Weiyang Palace. I understand that the Empress Dowager has already gone to bed."
Liu Zhao's expression finally turned from gloomy to bright.
Once the aura subsided, only the palace ladies dared to breathe boldly.
Liu Zhao went straight to Chang'an Palace, and was disliked by Gu Jiu because of his sweaty body.
He snorted twice, "We are an old couple, and you still despise me."
I just dislike it!
As long as someone is covered in sweat, people will dislike him even if he is in his seventies or eighties.
Gu Jiu rolled his eyes at him.
Liu Zhao could only go wash up first.
After washing up, with water beads on her head, she came to Gu Jiu and asked, "Has the Queen Mother given you any trouble?"
"Don't worry, Mother didn't make things difficult for me. She was worried about the fourth child and cried here with me. Only after I told her that the fourth child would be fine did she feel completely relieved."
"Who said the fourth brother is fine?" Liu Zhao said with a stern face.
Gu Jiu looked at him with a smile, "Do you really believe the nonsense the censor said? Do you believe that the fourth brother has a rebellious heart and will rebel sooner or later? Where's your brain?"
“Ahem…”
Liu Zhao threw a look at me. How could you despise my intelligence in front of the palace maids? At least give me some face.
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, "I know what you mean. You just want to take this opportunity to torture the Fourth Brother."
Liu Zhao waved his hand and drove all the palace people out first.
Gu Jiu picked up a towel and wiped his hair. "You two brothers have been in a cold war for so many years. Do you want to take this opportunity to reconcile?"
"I will have a cold war with him, what a joke. It's obvious that he is a coward and dares not to come to the palace to see me." Liu Zhao completely despised Liu Yi.
This brother has always been arrogant and lacks ability since he was young. When he encounters an insurmountable obstacle, he speaks tough but in fact he has already given up in his heart.
"He's just a coward!" Liu Zhao's evaluation of Liu Yi was very accurate.
Liu Yi had been decadent for so many years, and although he had reasons of resignation at the beginning, in the later period, he was just a coward.
He did not dare to step out of the door on his own initiative, nor did he dare to ask to see Emperor Liu Zhao, let alone ask for an actual vacancy.
He is scared!
What are you afraid of?
Afraid to face everything!
It’s better to be like an ostrich and bury your neck in the sand, so you can deceive yourself. The life of a otaku is also good.
Every time he had to go to the palace to pay his respects to Empress Dowager Pei, he would always choose to do so during a court meeting. This way, he could perfectly avoid Liu Zhao.
Liu Zhao knew exactly what he was thinking.
Liu Zhao, who came from a military background, looked down on Liu Yi's pretentiousness.
This time the censor made a big fuss, so he wanted to torture Liu Yi and delayed solving the matter.
Liu Zhao did not care about those who were stirring up trouble behind the scenes.
If there is revenge, there must be revenge. If there is grievance, there must be grievance. Liu Yi has to deal with those people himself.
Emperor Liu Zhao was very busy and had no time to deal with those troublemakers.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "He has been a coward his whole life, and he can't change."
Liu Zhao snorted, "Isn't it okay for me to teach him a lesson?"
Gu Jiu said, "No one said no, but you have to consider Mother's feelings. I don't know why, but since Aunt Huyang passed away, Mother has aged a lot. Not to mention compared to last year, even compared to the first month of the year, her health is not as good as it used to be."
"Really?" Liu Zhao's heart skipped a beat.
The bad relationship between mother and son does not mean that Liu Zhao can just watch Empress Dowager Pei grow old and leave this world one day.
Human emotions are complex.
There is no permanent love, nor permanent hate.
Time is the greatest killer. It can destroy everything and change everything.
As Empress Dowager Pei grew old, Liu Zhao's hard heart began to soften.
Gu Jiu said confidently: "I took the opportunity to check my mother's pulse today. She is very weak. Moreover, she is still weak and cannot be nourished. She needs to be recuperated slowly."
Liu Zhao frowned, "I'll go visit my mother later."
"Would you like me to go with you?"
Liu Zhao shook his head. "No need! I haven't had a good conversation with my mother in a long time. I feel uncomfortable holding back some of the things I have to say."
All right!
Gu Jiu held his hand tightly. "The person your mother is most worried about right now is the fourth child. Now that you've worn him out, give him a chance. If he's truly useless and refuses to pick himself up, then you can find a way to deal with him."
Liu Zhao nodded, "I will give him a chance, but it depends on whether he can seize it."
"I will not get involved in the problems between you brothers. When you go to see the Queen Mother, remember to speak softly and don't start a quarrel."
"Don't worry, I will control my temper and not argue with her."
Mother and son have been arguing for a lifetime, and now there is no point in continuing the quarrel.
Liu Zhao was a little melancholy, "I am old too!"
Gu Jiu leaned in his arms, "You are not old! You are as strong as when you speak as a young man!"
"I already have white hair." Liu Zhao snorted, a little unhappy.
Gu Jiu looked up and said, "That's because you're overworking. I told you a long time ago to balance work and rest, and not to work so hard."
"I'll listen to you and take care of myself from now on. Would you like to help me pluck out the gray hair? That bastard Lin Shuping is too cowardly to dare to do anything."
"That's because you're too strict. He's afraid his life will be in danger if his hair is pulled out."
"Hmph!" Liu Zhao protested.
Gu Jiu stood up, walked behind him, and pulled out quite a few of his white hairs.
"I have so many white hairs. I am really old. Why don't you have any white hairs?"
Gu Jiu glanced at him and said, "Because I take good care of myself and know how to balance work and rest, I stay young forever."
Liu Zhao laughed, "Compared to ten years ago, you haven't changed at all."
Gu Jiu started to brag, "That's right! You should also take care of yourself. Don't wait until you are fifty or sixty and become an old man while I am still young and beautiful. By then, I will definitely despise you and drive you out of Chang'an Palace."
Liu Zhao jokingly said, "Women are the most vicious. This saying is indeed true."
Gu Jiu snorted and bit him.
Liu Zhao immediately admitted his mistake, "No one can be a man without being vicious. I am the most vicious one."
Gu Jiu smiled happily, "That's more like it. You just said that the fourth brother is a coward, but actually you are quite a coward too."
Liu Zhao looked upset.
I am not really a coward. I only admit cowardice in front of my wife.
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