Empress Dowager Pei was ill and in a coma, unable to wake up for a long time.
Liu Zhao was worried and angry. If Gu Jiu hadn't persuaded him, he would have taken his anger out on the imperial physician.
Liu Yi, Xiao Qin'er, and many of the emperor's grandchildren were all guarding the Weiyang Palace.
Xiao Qin'er was a little flustered. She looked towards the bedroom frequently with a complicated look in her eyes.
Liu Yi's face turned pale and he stood there in a daze, his whole body seemed to be frozen.
Liu Zheng quietly asked Xiao Qin'er, "Mother, how is the Empress Dowager's health..."
"Stop talking nonsense!" Xiao Qin'er scolded Liu Zheng in a low voice.
After a pause, she instructed, "Tell your wife to take the child back home first. The palace doesn't need so many people guarding here. If she's interested, she can come back tomorrow morning."
"oh!"
Liu Zheng sent his wife and children away and asked them to return home first.
Other brothers and sisters were also sent out of the palace.
Xiao Qin'er clutched her handkerchief, her mood was up and down.
Empress Dowager Pei is so old and her condition is so serious. This time she is probably in great danger.
Once Empress Dowager Pei passed away, their family would lose their greatest support.
Yes, Empress Dowager Pei is the greatest support of Prince Duan and the greatest support of Prince Duan’s Mansion.
At present, Prince Duan Liu Yi and Emperor Liu Zhao seem to be brothers in harmony.
Who can guarantee that after Empress Dowager Pei passes away, Emperor Liu Zhao will not turn against him and no longer tolerate Liu Yi?
There are many examples of brothers’ relationships becoming distant due to the death of their parents.
Xiao Qin'er's worries were not groundless.
More than anyone else, she hoped that Empress Dowager Pei would live a long life and protect Liu Yi until his death.
She looked at Liu Yi, wondering what was in his mind.
But Liu Yi didn't react at all and was completely unaware of her gaze.
Xiao Qin'er coughed lightly and approached Liu Yi, "Cousin, do you want to go in and take a look at the situation?"
"The imperial physician is examining our mother, so there can't be too many people gathered inside." Liu Yi finally responded.
"If you go in alone, how can it be considered an 'encirclement'? Aren't you worried about the safety of our mother?" Xiao Qin'er encouraged him.
Prince Duan Liu Yi wiped his face and said, "You are right."
He stood up and walked straight towards the bedroom.
The eunuch guarding the gate tried to stop him symbolically, but when Liu Yi looked at him fiercely, the eunuch gave up decisively.
A window in the bedroom was open, and a gentle breeze blew in.
The smell in the bedroom had dissipated a little, leaving only a faint smell of medicine.
The emperor and empress were standing by the bed.
The Queen Mother held Empress Dowager Pei's wrist all the time.
"Royal brother, Royal sister-in-law, is mother feeling better?" Liu Yi asked in a low voice.
Liu Zhao ignored him with a gloomy expression.
Gu Jiu shook his head at Liu Yi, "The Queen Mother hasn't woken up yet."
After taking medicine and receiving acupuncture, Empress Dowager Pei remained drowsy.
Anything can happen to the elderly.
However, the fact that he has been drowsy and occasionally talks nonsense is worth pondering.
Liu Yi was anxious, "What should we do? When will the Queen Mother wake up?"
Gu Jiu's gaze passed through several imperial doctors and fell on Eunuch Wen in the corner.
Eunuch Wen was very sensitive. When the Empress Dowager stared at him, he trembled all over and subconsciously knelt on the ground.
Gu Jiu pointed at him, "What do you want to say? Or let me ask you another way: what are you hiding? The Empress Dowager suddenly became seriously ill. Could it be that she was stimulated by something?"
Everyone stared at Eunuch Wen.
Eunuch Wen was shaking like a sieve.
"Tell it or not?" Liu Zhao's voice was not loud, but it was hard to hide his murderous intent.
Perhaps he simply did not hide the murderous intent in his heart.
If you don't kill one or two people, you won't know what's good for you.
Eunuch Wen was terrified, crawling on the ground and trembling, saying, "I dare not lie to Your Majesty and Your Majesty. When the Queen Mother heard that Master Wuwang had passed away, she said she would go to bed for a while. And then she never got up again! Every word I say is the truth, and I have not lied at all. I beg Your Majesty and Your Majesty to spare my life!"
"Don't be so anxious to howl." Gu Jiu comforted him, "I want to ask you, what else are you hiding?"
Eunuch Wen was dumbfounded, "This old servant will never lie."
"Really? The Empress Dowager and Master Wuwang had never met before. It wasn't until Master Wuwang had just returned to the capital from Xiliang that the Empress Dowager went to Xiangguo Temple to have a conversation with him. Then, Master Wuwang passed away, and the Empress Dowager fell ill. And yet you told me you were not lying. Do you think I would believe you?"
Gu Jiu's tone became increasingly harsh, as if he would chopped off anyone's head if they dared to say another word.
Eunuch Wen's face was pale and his clothes were soaked with cold sweat.
Liu Zhao was too lazy to waste words. "Call Qian Fu over here and drag this son of a bitch away for strict interrogation."
"Please spare my life, Your Majesty, please spare my life, Your Majesty. It's not that I intentionally lied, but the Empress Dowager has ordered that no one be told. If I dare to utter a single word, the Empress Dowager will not forgive me."
Eunuch Wen was so frightened that his whole body was convulsing and twitching continuously.
Liu Zhao's face was grim. "If the Queen Mother can't forgive you, how can I forgive you? Either tell the truth, or let Qian Fu deal with you."
"Your Majesty, please spare my life, Your Majesty, please spare my life..." Eunuch Wen kowtowed repeatedly.
"Why……"
Gu Jiu sighed softly, "Eunuch Wen, do you think we can keep the Empress Dowager in this state? Her illness is very severe. I'm asking you, why did the Empress Dowager's health collapse so suddenly upon hearing the news of Master Wuwang's passing? You won't tell me? Even if you don't, His Majesty and I can still find out. But if you do, you'll be completely doomed."
Eunuch Wen burst into tears and sobbed bitterly, "I will tell you everything. Please, Madam, spare my life."
"Speak clearly, explain every detail." Gu Jiu reminded him.
Eunuch Wen wiped his tears.
Gu Jiu took the opportunity to order the imperial physician and palace servants to leave.
If the imperial physician were pardoned, they would not want to hear any secrets.
The less you know, the longer you live; this is the way of survival for imperial physicians.
Liu Yi wanted to stay, he also wanted to know the truth.
Gu Jiu glanced at him and said nothing.
Whether to let Liu Yi stay or not is up to Liu Zhao to decide.
Liu Yi said aloud, "I want to know about my mother's condition."
Liu Zhao snorted, "Don't go out and talk nonsense." This meant he agreed to let Liu Yi stay.
Liu Yi nodded repeatedly and agreed, promising not to tell anyone about it.
How can I speak without restraint when it comes to the secret of my biological mother?
"Eunuch Wen, you can speak now!" Gu Jiu reminded him.
Eunuch Wen sobbed twice, still very scared, "Master Wuwang, the Empress Dowager forced him to death."
"Stop talking nonsense!" Liu Yi was the first to jump up and kicked Eunuch Wen.
Eunuch Wen admitted it silently without making any excuses.
Liu Zhao was furious. "Fourth Brother, if you can't control your hands, feet, and mouth, get out of here."
Liu Yi was so angry that his chest was about to explode, "Royal brother, this dog slave slandered the Queen Mother, don't you care?"
"Listen to him!" Liu Zhao said in a loud voice.
Liu Yi could only shut up.
Eunuch Wen knew very well that his life and death depended on the emperor's decision.
He didn't dare delay or make any demands, so he went on honestly. "After Princess Huyang passed away, the Empress Dowager was fine at first. But after a while, she felt lonely and missed Princess Huyang more and more, remembering her kindness. She always said that Princess Huyang passed away too early and that she was stupid, risking her life for a monk."
Gu Jiu nodded when she heard this. "When Aunt Huyang passed away, my mother's spirits gradually declined. I didn't think about it that way at first, but now I know it's because she missed Aunt Huyang. Eunuch Wen, please continue."
Gu Jiu's voice was very soft, which calmed Eunuch Wen's heart, which was so nervous that it was about to jump out of his throat.
He continued, "After overthinking it, the Queen Mother became obsessed with it and concluded that Master Wuwang had killed Princess Huyang. The Queen Mother said that she had a responsibility to seek justice for Princess Huyang."
Gu Jiu asked, "The Empress Dowager used the excuse of needing Master Wuwang to chant sutras and pray for blessings to ask His Majesty to order the recall of Master Wuwang to the capital. Her fundamental purpose was to seek justice for Princess Huyang, right?"
Eunuch Wen nodded repeatedly. "The Empress Dowager is right. The Empress Dowager didn't really want Master Wuwang to chant sutras and pray for blessings, but to avenge Princess Huyang. That day, the Empress Dowager left the palace to meet Master Wuwang at Xiangguo Temple. I don't know what they talked about specifically.
All I know is that the Empress Dowager brought poison and planned to force Master Wuwang to commit suicide. For some unknown reason, she changed her mind. After returning to the palace, the Empress Dowager was somewhat upset, even complaining that she shouldn't have been soft-hearted. When she learned that Master Wuwang was in seclusion, she scolded him several times. Until yesterday, when she learned that Master Wuwang had passed away, the Empress Dowager's expression suddenly changed. She said she wanted to lie down in bed for a while, but she never got out of bed.
"Are you done?"
"I will tell you everything I know, and I will not hide anything."
Eunuch Wen swore an oath.
In order to save his life, he said everything he should and shouldn't say.
Gu Jiu exchanged a glance with Liu Zhao, then she asked, "You said the Queen Mother missed Princess Huyang, and that's why she wanted to seek justice for her. Do you know why?"
Eunuch Wen thought for a long time and said hesitantly, "Maybe it's because of loneliness."
"Tell me about it."
"Ever since Princess Huyang passed away, the Empress Dowager has always said that she has no one to talk to. The royal women would gather around her and chat and joke, but the Empress Dowager always despised them, calling them flatterers. She also said that Princess Huyang was the only one in the world who dared to speak the truth to her face, and even if her words were sarcastic and mocking, they were still more interesting than what others said."
Gu Jiu raised an eyebrow. "If I remember correctly, Princess Huyang rarely comes to the palace, and even when she does, she rarely chats with the Empress Dowager."
Eunuch Wen said cautiously, "The Empress Dowager said that even if Princess Huyang doesn't come to the palace, she won't see her for a year. As long as she can hear news about Princess Huyang from time to time and know that she is making trouble again, the Empress Dowager feels happy. It feels like there is someone in this world who will accompany her to grow old together."
Gu Jiu said "Oh", and she basically figured out the cause of Empress Dowager Pei's illness.
The two brothers Liu Zhao and Liu Yi were in big trouble.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
I don’t have to go to the hospital for the next two days and can finally have a good rest.
I will try to write a few more chapters as a backup.
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