After Zhou Jin left, Gu Jiu thought he would be under stricter surveillance, but unexpectedly he had more room to move around.
She could come and go as she pleased, but was confined to the courtyard.
She had no idea where or who was outside the yard.
What surprised her even more was that an hour after Zhou Jin left, Qingmei was sent to serve her.
"lady!"
Qingmei was shocked, scared and excited.
"Thank goodness you're okay, ma'am."
Gu Jiu pulled her to sit down, "Is your injury healed?"
Qingmei touched her forehead and said, "I'm fine. I'm just worried about my wife. I can't eat or sleep well."
"No wonder you've lost so much weight. Where have you been these days?"
Qingmei lowered her voice and whispered, "I woke up the night after the accident and have been locked in the side room ever since. When I learned that Madam was unconscious, I was terribly worried. I never thought I would see Madam again in this life."
Qingmei suppressed her emotions, wanting to cry but not daring to.
Gu Jiu patted her shoulder and said, "Don't be sad, we will return to the palace safely."
"Can we really go back? Madam has been missing for so many days, and the palace hasn't found her yet. Could it be that the palace has given up on finding her?"
Qingmei was terrified when she thought of the consequences.
She was lost in thought, "Will the palace think that Madam has met with misfortune? Madam, what should we do?"
Gu Jiu comforted Qingmei, "Don't panic! The more you panic, the more confused you will be. Calm down, eat and drink well, take care of yourself, and when the time comes, we will naturally be able to return to the palace."
Gu Jiu has the miraculous power to soothe people, and the panicked Qingmei gradually calmed down.
"As long as I stay by Madam's side, I am not afraid of anything."
"You're right, there's nothing to be afraid of."
Gu Jiu was very calm, at least in front of everyone, she always remained calm and restrained, without any panic.
But as time went by, she was suffering in her heart.
Where is Liu Zhaoren?
Will Yu Ge'er keep crying if he doesn't see her?
In the middle of the night, she would toss and turn, unable to sleep because of worry.
However, in order to maintain her fighting strength to deal with Zhou Jin, she must ensure that she gets enough sleep every day.
Zhou Jin came twice more, but he didn't mention going to Jiangnan or anything like your woman or my woman.
It was just to have dinner and read books with Gu Jiu, deliberately creating an atmosphere that the two of them were a family.
Gu Jiu cooperated and did not expose it.
Seeing Gu Jiu's good attitude, Zhou Jin revealed a piece of news before leaving, "The emperor's condition has worsened, and I'm afraid he will soon die. However, the other princes have not yet arrived in the capital, and the ministers in the court are clamoring to appoint a crown prince."
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows, his face calm, "Really? The emperor is old, and with the stroke, it's inevitable that his condition will worsen."
Zhou Jin laughed. "If the emperor appoints Prince Ning as crown prince, do you think he would want a dishonorable woman who was kidnapped as his daughter-in-law?"
Gu Jiu lowered his head and smiled, "At worst, we can kill everyone who knows about it."
"You are cruel."
"No one can compare to Master Zhou's decisiveness in killing people. He even dared to kidnap the wife of the great emperor's grandson."
"I'll take this as a compliment, and I'll accept it. Take good care of yourself, and I'll come visit you another day."
Zhou Jin took his men away.
Qingmei looked frightened.
Gu Jiu looked unusually solemn. Zhou Jin would not bring up the news that the emperor was seriously ill for no reason.
The situation in the palace must have developed to the point where it was about to explode.
Why hasn’t Prince Ning returned yet?
Was Liu Zhao going to meet Prince Ning or do something else?
Is Yu Ge'er okay?
…
The court officials surrounded the Xingqing Palace again, but they had to give up because the emperor suddenly fell into a coma.
The court officials were very unwilling.
What is the emperor thinking?
Even at this point, he still refuses to appoint a crown prince. Is he determined to sit back and watch the world fall into chaos?
What if the emperor dies before the princes can return to the capital? What will happen then?
Are they really going to make a little prince the crown prince?
It's just ridiculous.
Some court officials lingered in Xingqing Palace and were asked to leave by the eunuchs.
"Please don't disturb His Majesty's rest. It won't be too late to ask for His Majesty's permission tomorrow when His Majesty wakes up."
"Hmph! It must be you eunuchs who whispered slanderous words into His Majesty's ears, causing His Majesty to delay issuing the decree to appoint a crown prince."
"My Lords, you may eat whatever you like, but you must not speak carelessly. We are all your Majesty's servants, and we only obey your orders."
"You eunuch, get out of here! Tell Chen Dachang to come out! Chen Dachang, Chen Dachang, come out right here!"
Chen Dachang led his men out of the palace and said, "Making noises for no reason in Xingqing Palace is disrespectful. Get everyone out."
"Chen Dachang, how dare you!"
"We are just following orders, so why wouldn't we dare? Get everyone out. If you dare to cause trouble again, call in the Jinwu Guards."
Cheng Dachang looked at him gravely and did not give the court officials any face.
The eunuchs were not polite when they received the order. They brought a group of eunuchs and forcibly drove the court officials out of Xingqing Palace, or even directly out of the imperial palace.
The court officials were extremely indignant.
On the second day, more people were organized to attack Xingqing Palace.
For a time, people in the capital were in panic.
From the Imperial Guards to the Five Cities Military Command, no one could find peace.
Even the Jinwu Guards were feeling uneasy.
If Wei Zhong hadn't suppressed it, even the Jinwu Guards would have been in chaos.
Everyone in Xingqing Palace was labeled a traitor by the court officials.
"Eunuchs are ruining the country!"
Some court officials gave a deafening shout, and many responded.
What's more, some people directly launched a campaign to purge the court and overthrow the eunuchs.
"Father-in-law, what should we do?"
A eunuch was in a panic and ran to Chen Dachang to ask for advice.
Chen Dachang was not panicked at all. "Why panic? What's so scary about a bunch of civil officials making a fuss? Give orders to the imperial guards to guard the palace gates and not allow those officials to enter the palace to disturb His Majesty. Unless His Majesty summons them to an audience."
The eunuch received the order.
However, Chen Dachang underestimated the courage of those court officials and the ambitions of some people.
So when he heard the deafening shouts and cries of killing inside and outside the palace walls, he realized that he had misjudged people's hearts.
"Your Majesty, this move of yours may ruin the Great Zhou!"
Chen Dachang could only bring his men to guard the emperor.
The emperor woke up from his sleep and learned that someone was attacking the palace gate in a rebellion. He actually laughed.
Chen Dachang knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, please make a decision as soon as possible. If you delay, it may be too late."
The emperor helped the eunuch sit up with his hand, "Have you registered the names of the troublemakers?"
Chen Dachang bowed and said, "Everyone is registered."
"What's going on outside?"
"We've sent people to investigate. Hopefully, it's just the civil officials storming the palace."
"No, not a civil official." The emperor shook his head. "From the noise, it seems that someone can't wait to rebel."
When they heard about the rebellion, everyone in the palace changed color.
At this moment, a eunuch hurried in and said, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine requests an audience. She is already outside the door."
“Get out of the way!”
Concubine Xue brought her men and rushed directly into the bedroom.
Chen Dachang's face was extremely grim. What were the Jinwu Guards guarding outside Xingqing Palace doing? Why couldn't they stop Concubine Xue?
"Your Majesty, you are finally awake!" Concubine Xue looked radiant and dressed in gorgeous clothes. Today was a festive day.
Following Concubine Xue into the palace was a group of fully armed soldiers.
They drove out everyone in the palace.
Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy.
Chen Dachang's eyes widened. No wonder Concubine Xue was able to break through the Jinwu Guards and rush into the bedroom.
"Empress Xue, are you going to rebel?" Chen Dachang asked angrily.
Concubine Xue looked back at him, "Rebellion? Hahaha... What a joke! I'm purging the emperor's court, and the ones I'm purging are you, the eunuchs who are bringing disaster to the country and the people. You're controlling His Majesty and not allowing the court officials to see you. I'd like to ask you, are you planning a rebellion?"
"You are slandering me, but we are just following orders."
"You said you were following orders, but is there an imperial decree?"
"Of course, it's in accordance with His Majesty's orders."
Concubine Xue scoffed. "You say you're following His Majesty's orders, but who knows if you're just making it up? His Majesty is seriously ill, and the princes are away from the capital. Right now, he needs the court officials to help him. You eunuchs, in collusion with the Jinwu Guards, are preventing the court officials from seeing His Majesty. What exactly do you want to do? What are your intentions?"
"Empress Xue, if you want to rebel on behalf of Prince Zhao, why do you need to find so many high-sounding excuses?" Chen Dachang smiled coldly.
Concubine Xue's face was filled with sarcasm. "Chen Dachang, I'll spare your life for now, but you'd better behave yourself. Otherwise, don't worry about me enforcing justice for the people and killing you, this powerful eunuch, to bring order to the world."
Chen Dachang's eyes were red and his face was distorted. "You're confusing right and wrong. This is absolutely shameless and ridiculous!"
Concubine Xue laughed sarcastically, "Drag him away and keep him under strict guard."
No matter how hard Chen Dachang struggled, he could not break free from the soldiers' grip and could only be dragged away unwillingly.
"Your Majesty, I am here to visit you."
The emperor was already so furious that he couldn't speak when Concubine Xue and her men stormed into the bedroom.
If the emperor had not been holding on to his anger, he would have fainted long ago and let Concubine Xue do whatever she wanted.
The emperor stretched out his hand, pointed at Concubine Xue, his eyes wide open, and cursed with all his might: "Bitch!"
Concubine Xue wasn't angry. Instead, she sat down beside the bed and said, "I did this for the sake of the Great Zhou. Your Majesty, listen to the noise outside. The civil and military officials are all clamoring to purge the emperor's court. But you insist on trusting these eunuchs, refusing to meet with the court officials or appoint a crown prince. People's minds are changing!"
The emperor sneered, "What do you mean by purging the imperial court? It's obvious that someone is taking advantage of the situation and trying to force the emperor to rebel."
"Your Majesty, you are too kind. No one is forcing the palace to rebel; this is all a misunderstanding. If Your Majesty appoints a crown prince now, those outside the palace will immediately withdraw and will not disturb Your Majesty's recuperation."
The emperor glared at him, "If I appoint a crown prince, I'm afraid he will die silently tomorrow."
Concubine Xue covered her lips and smiled, as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world.
The emperor was confused and asked, "What are you laughing at?"
After Concubine Xue finished laughing, she said, "So Your Majesty is also afraid of death! I always thought Your Majesty was fearless. For decades, you have had the power of life and death, and countless lives have been lost because of your words. I thought Your Majesty had seen through life and death, but I didn't expect that it is Your Majesty who is most afraid of death."
The emperor's left cheek, which still had movement, was already distorted. "Bitch! If you don't leave immediately, I can still forgive you. But if you don't know what's good for you, don't blame me for being rude to you."
Concubine Xue smiled contemptuously, "At this point, Your Majesty, how can you be so rude to me? Will you order my death? Can Your Majesty's decree be passed outside Xingqing Palace?"
"You, you evildoer, why didn't I execute you earlier?"
"Old bastard!" Concubine Xue suddenly turned hostile and directly addressed the emperor as "old bastard." "I have tolerated you for many years, from my youth until today. But from today on, I will tolerate you no longer. If you know what's good for you, issue an edict of succession now, appointing Prince Zhao as the crown prince. If you don't, I have plenty of ways to deal with you."
"You traitor, you shall not die a good death!" the emperor gasped. "I will kill you, kill you."
However, the words of the seriously ill emperor were not very credible.
Even the power to speak was greatly reduced, and all I could feel was his anger.
He is no longer the emperor who has absolute power and decides life and death with a single word.
Concubine Xue smiled coldly, "This is something I should say. If you honestly sign the decree of succession, I will allow you to die a natural death. If you insist on resisting, today will be the day you die. Come, write the decree of succession."
Someone immediately prepared pen and ink and began to write the edict of succession in the same handwriting as Chen Dachang.
The emperor's eyes were wide open. He had never thought that Concubine Xue would have the guts to forge the imperial edict and even fabricate the decree of succession.
"Who gave you the courage?"
"Hahaha……"
Concubine Xue laughed out loud towards the sky.
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