Chapter 153 I am willing to relinquish the position of Empress Dowager
"She moved! Your Majesty! The princess has moved!!"
"She's alive! The princess is alive! The princess has come back to life!"
"Golden bell, golden bell, my good child, waaaaah..."
Princess Jinling came back to life? Zhou Mujiao saved her?
The emperor excitedly craned his neck inside, asking, "Zhou Mujiao, is my daughter alive? Is she alive?"
Zhou Mujiao stepped out of the inner room: "Your Majesty, please come in and see for yourself."
The emperor rushed in, followed closely by the crown prince. The sixteenth prince ran a few steps, then stopped and said to Zhou Mujiao, "You saved Jinling and have done a favor for the royal family. Since you are a benefactor of the royal family, the position of the sixteenth princess is not so far out of reach."
Zhou Mujiao calmly said, "I have changed my mind. I don't want to be the Sixteenth Prince's Consort."
"oh?"
"I'm going to be your great-aunt, so that every time you see me, you'll have to kneel before me."
The Sixteenth Prince entered the inner room with a dark face. Zhou Mujiao pouted and walked towards Zhao Yunjing: "Were you frightened?"
"No."
Despite saying no, Zhao Yunjing breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her emerge unharmed. He pulled her back and said, "Princess Jinling has woken up. There's nothing for us to do for now. Let's leave the palace."
"good."
The two had only taken a few steps when Eunuch Lu rushed out: "Zhao Yunjing! The princess wants to see you!"
"Eunuch Lu, your student—"
"This is the princess's wish, and also the emperor's decree. Don't refuse, go in quickly!"
The palace is fraught with danger. They had only been separated for a short while, and such a big problem had arisen, almost causing Zhou Mujiao to be beheaded. He didn't want to be separated from her for even a moment longer.
So Zhao Yunjing pulled Zhou Mujiao into the inner room.
Upon seeing the two enter together, Princess Jinling's expression changed drastically. Tears streamed down her face as she said, "Father, I have just escaped death. I never imagined that I would wake up to such a distressing sight. If I had known this would happen, I would never have woken up!"
The emperor shouted, "What nonsense are you spouting? Zhou Mujiao, get out of here!"
Zhou Mujiao calmly said, "Your Majesty, I will leave now and return to Peach Blossom Village tonight. I will not appear in the capital again. Brother Zhao, I will go back to the village first and wait for your good news there."
Zhou Mujiao has always been stubborn, so her sudden show of weakness must mean she has other plans. Zhao Yunjing then said, "Don't worry, Ajiao. Whether there is good news or not, I will never let you down in this life."
I believe you.
Seeing that Zhou Mujiao was about to leave, Physician Liu couldn't help but say, "Miss Zhou, please wait!"
He then hurriedly said to the Empress Dowager, "Your Majesty, although Princess Jinling has awakened, I am still at a loss as to how to cure her illness. Miss Zhou, perhaps she can—"
"Even if I die, I will never let her touch me!" Princess Jinling exclaimed agitatedly. "Father, tell her to get out! Tell her to get out!"
"Jinling! Don't be willful!" the Sixteenth Prince said. "The one who just woke you up was Miss Zhou."
Princess Jinling didn't believe it at all, because when she opened her eyes she saw two female doctors removing needles, so she assumed that the two female doctors had saved her. She never expected that it was Zhou Mujiao who had saved her!
Princess Jinling couldn't accept that her rival had suddenly become her savior!
She cried out, "But if she hadn't deliberately provoked me, I wouldn't be in this predicament today! Father, do you know what she said? She said she wanted to be the Empress Dowager!"
The Empress Dowager's expression changed, and so did the Emperor's. Pointing at Zhou Mujiao, they shouted, "How dare you! How insolent! How shameless! Guards! Drag her away and behead her!"
Once again, both of her arms were restrained. Zhou Mujiao felt helpless and sighed, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."
The Sixteenth Prince felt that Zhou Mujiao was too arrogant.
You must understand that all land under heaven belongs to the emperor, and all the people are his subjects. The people should respect, fear, and obey the emperor, because the people are often foolish and may not understand anything without the emperor's decrees.
From the first time he met Zhou Mujiao, he never sensed any reverence for imperial power from her. At first, he thought she was ashamed that he wasn't the crown prince and therefore had no right to vie for the position. But now that she had met the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, she showed no reverence whatsoever, not even the most basic respect. Was she tired of living, or did she simply dislike imperial power? Or perhaps she had a problem with the current royal family and believed that the current emperor shouldn't be the current emperor?
If it's the latter, then Zhou Mujiao's identity should be thoroughly investigated. If she is a descendant of the previous dynasty, then she cannot be allowed to live.
It's a pity. He just thought she was interesting and capable, and could be of help to him. Giving her the title of princess wouldn't be a bad idea. But now it seems she's not worth the risk.
The crown prince, however, did not think so.
He believed that since the Emperor was still sparing her life, it must be because she had some extraordinary qualities that others might not understand. However, he had been learning from his father since childhood and knew his father's character very well. His father was more tolerant of truly talented people than others.
Therefore, when he shouted that he wanted to cut off Zhou Mujiao's head, he didn't actually necessarily intend to do so.
So the Crown Prince stepped forward to plead for her: "Father, this village girl was able to revive Jinling, so she seems to have some skill. Perhaps if we let her work with Physician Liu to study her condition, we can completely cure Jinling's illness, and her descendants will never suffer from this disease again. If the research is successful and Jinling's problem is solved, it will be a merit for the royal family. Father, why not spare her life for now, and then let her use this merit to exchange for her head?"
"no!"
The Emperor declared firmly: "She is so lawless, disregards the royal family, and is disrespectful to the late Emperor and the Empress Dowager. I have already shown mercy by not having her torn apart by five horses! None of you are to plead for her anymore. Whoever does, I will behead them!"
The Empress Dowager spoke up: "Then the Emperor may cut off my head as well."
"Mother!"
"The late emperor has long since passed away. Before he died, he often said that he had devoted his life to the Great Liang and that he did not need to be praised for his merits after his death. Right and wrong should be left to the world. I am about to turn eighty years old. I have lived a whole life. If I cannot even bear to hear these unpleasant words, I should have died long ago."
The Empress Dowager said softly, "As long as she can cure Jinling's illness, I am willing to give up the position of Empress Dowager."
Zhou Mujiao was somewhat surprised, not expecting that the Empress Dowager's feelings for Jinling were so deep. However, royal family feelings are like Schrödinger's cat; one moment they would give you their life, the next they would turn around and take your life.
Princess Jinling grew up in the palace from a young age. Although she was always taken care of by the Empress Dowager, she never had the opportunity to see anything too disgusting. She should have been well aware of this, but she was moved to tears at this moment. This may well be an act.
But since one of them, the grandfather and grandson, is willing to act and the other is willing to believe, there's nothing else for others to say.
The Crown Prince's gamble paid off; the Emperor had indeed not truly intended to kill Zhou Mujiao. Therefore, when both the Crown Prince and the Empress Dowager offered him a way out, he readily accepted: "Zhou Mujiao, out of respect for the Empress Dowager's mercy, I will spare your life for now! But until Jinling's illness is cured, I can take your life at any time!"
"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty."
The emperor then gave the entire Fenghua Palace a dressing-down, before leaving with his entourage.
Despite Princess Jinling's murderous gaze, Zhou Mujiao conducted a thorough examination on her and then discussed the matter with Physician Xu for half the night until Physician Xu was too sleepy to keep his eyes open, at which point she finally took her leave.
As soon as she stepped out of the princess's inner chamber, two men in black descended from the sky, each grabbing one of her arms and carrying her up to the roof.
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