But Wan'er was, after all, a woman, and how long could she stop Dong'e County?
Before long, Dong Ejun pushed him to the ground.
Wan'er had ruined his chance to survive, and Dong'e County was not about to let it go. "You bitch, die!" he roared with all his might.
"No..." Seeing that Wan'er was about to become a victim of the blade, Fu Lin stopped pretending to be sick and suddenly stood up. However, there was still a distance between him and her, and it was too late for him to run over.
Just as the knife was about to pierce Wan'er's chest, Dong Ejun suddenly stopped. Then, blood dripped onto Wan'er's face from who knows where. After he fell, Wan'er saw that Qi Lan was standing behind him. At that moment, she was holding a candlestick and stood there like a wooden chicken.
"Thank you, Qi Lan!" Wan'er said gratefully. Without her, the mission would have failed.
It took Qi Lan a while to react. She quickly helped Wan'er up and cried, "Your Majesty, I'm so glad you're alright."
She was crying and laughing at the same time, looking like she was still in shock, which made Wan'er feel sorry for her.
Seeing this, Fulin breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had survived a disaster, and sat back on the bed with a smile.
Fearing that Dong Ejun was not quite dead, the guards entered and began stabbing him repeatedly until he was riddled with holes before finally dragging him away.
Once the guards left, the hall became much quieter, with only the croaking of frogs in the distance and the sound of a few people breathing.
After regaining her senses, Da Yu'er gently walked to Fu Lin's side, "Are you... lying to your mother?"
Fu Lin knelt down in remorse, saying, "I'm sorry!" At that moment, he didn't know what else to say but apologize.
The original plan was to have him contract smallpox and then fake his death, while Wan'er would focus on guarding the tomb and leave the palace together, so that the two of them could live out the rest of their lives in anonymity.
Unexpectedly, plans don't always go as expected, but Wan'er doesn't blame him. In that critical situation, she would have felt heartbroken if Fu Lin had remained indifferent.
"Did you two conspire together?" Dayuer asked, her eyes filled with tears, as she turned to look at Wan'er.
Seeing that her secret had been exposed, Wan'er could only nod helplessly.
"Dong'e Wan'er, you are really something! You got my niece out of the palace, and now you want to take my son away. Do you want to leave me all alone?" Dayuer sobbed. She raised her hand high, wanting to slap Wan'er's face, but she couldn't bring herself to do it and stopped in mid-air.
After all, Wan'er had just risked her life to save her; she couldn't be so heartless.
Fu Lin knelt beside Dayuer and kowtowed, saying, "Mother, it is all my fault. It has nothing to do with Wan'er. I begged her to live in seclusion with me in the mountains. I hope you can grant our request."
"You scoundrel!" Dayuer glared angrily. "Are you trying to force me? Fulin, have you ever thought that you are an emperor? How can you disregard the people of the world for your own selfish desires?"
A hint of pain flashed in Fulin's eyes as he said, "Your Majesty, I am the emperor, but not a good one. This country must be handed over to a capable person to govern so that the people can have a better future."
"You!" Dayuer pointed angrily at Fulin, trying her best to calm herself down. "Fine, then tell me who has the ability. If you can name someone, I will let you go."
Fulin's sons were still young, and Dayuer believed that Fulin would not be able to give a reasonable explanation.
However, what Fu Lin said next made her eyes widen in surprise.
He slowly uttered a few words: "Empress Mother, only you are capable of managing this Great Qing now."
Da Yu'er was stunned for a moment, and after a long while, she murmured, "You want me to be the emperor?"
Fu Lin nodded emphatically, "Yes!"
"Are you crazy? How is this possible?" She thought Fulin was being ridiculous.
"No, I am not crazy. Besides, there are precedents for women becoming emperors. During the Tang Dynasty, Wu Zetian was one..."
Before he could finish speaking, Da Yu'er interrupted him sharply, "I am not her, and I cannot achieve her kind of dominance." Then she added, "After saying all this, all you want is to leave the palace!"
"Yes!" Fulin nodded again. "Every moment I spend in this palace is torture. Mother, why can't you give me some freedom like my aunt did?"
Seeing the hope and longing in Fulin's eyes, Dayuer's lips moved, but she didn't utter a single word.
Seeing this, Fulin knew that his mother had softened her heart, so he continued, "Mother, I will definitely send you a message after I leave, so that you can rest assured."
After saying this, he kowtowed three times to her, as a way of thanking her for raising him over the years.
Da Yu'er's tears flowed like a broken kite string, dripping incessantly.
Before anyone knew it, Su Mo'er came over. She picked up a handkerchief and gently wiped away Dayu's tears. "Master, don't be sad. At least you know that the young master is still alive, which is better than the news that he died of smallpox."
These words directly touched Da Yu'er's heart. Yes, nothing could be better than the news that her son was alive.
"Get up, all of you!" Da Yu'er said weakly.
Wan'er and Fulin slowly got up.
In fact, Wan'er also felt sorry for Dayuer. Her husband did not love her, and her son was unfilial, yet she was willing to support the country that did not belong to her.
She deserves to be remembered in history; few can match her magnanimity.
"Fulin, are you really sure?" Dayuer looked extremely haggard; she wanted one last chance.
"Yes! Take care, Mother," Fulin said.
Da Yu'er's expression dimmed, and she finally sighed, "Since that's the case, I can't stop you. Go ahead, and remember, be sure to stay safe and sound."
Wan'er and Fulin exchanged a glance, and Fulin said, "Your subject will, and so will your mother."
"Okay." Da Yu'er nodded. "Let's go!"
After Fulin and Wan'er changed into the clothes of palace maids and eunuchs and received enough money to last several lifetimes, they took a deep look at Dayuer and then left with Qilan.
Dayuer watched the two walk away into the distance, and finally she closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face again, "From now on, I will have no son."
......
A day later, in a secluded manor in the southeast corner of the capital, the gate was tightly locked.
Inside the room, Wan'er sat in a rocking chair, picked up today's notice, and smiled slightly.
The notice stated that Fu Lin had contracted smallpox and had passed away.
Seeing this, her mission was finally complete. After settling Qi Lan in, she began to feel sleepy.
She knew it was time for her to leave, and as she closed her eyes, she lost consciousness in an instant.
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