Emperor Mingde chuckled, "That's my mother! How can you speak of her like that? Whether she's a concubine or an empress, it's all the same. My feelings for you will never be different, yet you've been fixated on the position of empress. Your heart probably only loves the empress's position, never has it for me?"
"Hahahaha, your mother? Your mother tried to stop me from becoming empress and killed my own son! How do you treat me? How do you treat me? You want me to be your concubine. Ziyi, I don't understand your heart."
She was somewhat delirious, laughing and crying at the same time, and it was unclear what she was thinking. Emperor Mingde saw that her features were the same as before, but he could no longer find the gentle smile of those days.
What made them end up like this?
He reached out, wanting to take Yi De's hand, but the thought flashed through his mind and quickly disappeared. He lowered his hand and sighed softly, "I've been telling myself all my life not to forget you. You don't understand my heart, and how could I ever understand yours? A Qing, I shouldn't have let you come back."
The dead are incomparable, while the living are constantly subject to change; it was his fault.
"You think that just because you won't let me come back, I won't?" Yi De grinned maliciously. She approached Emperor Mingde and whispered, "When my son died, I swore that I would come back and make you all suffer a terrible death!"
She was extremely agitated. After speaking, she turned and left, as if she could no longer bear to look at Emperor Mingde, or she would lose control of herself if she did.
Emperor Mingde watched her leave, muttering to himself, "What do you want from me? What more do you want from me?"
His only response was a chilling wind that swept over him, chilling him to the bone.
After a long while, Emperor Mingde called out, "Qin Ji."
"Your Majesty, I am here." Qin Ji emerged from the shadows and stood beside Emperor Mingde's bed, quietly listening to the emperor's instructions.
Emperor Mingde reached out his hand, and Qin Ji hurriedly helped him up. "Your Majesty, please be careful. I will go and bring Physician Peng in. Rest assured, I will ensure that nothing happens to you."
Putting aside the matter of Wei Tingsi, Qin Ji was still loyal to Emperor Mingde. He could watch Wei Tingsi usurp Emperor Mingde's power, but he would not allow Wei Tingsi to kill Emperor Mingde, much less allow Wei Tingsi to replace Emperor Mingde.
He was torn between his love for his son and his loyalty to his master. He didn't do a perfect job, but he wasn't lacking in anything either.
Emperor Mingde was helped to sit up. He was too weak to move and was already panting heavily.
Qin Ji poured him a cup of tea, which he sipped to moisten his throat before refusing to drink any more. "Go find Peng Rui, find Wei Tingsi, find Peng Shouge." He took out a jade token from his trembling bosom. "Go and retrieve the imperial seal."
Unlike the previous dynasty, Dayong had the Tiger Tally for mobilizing troops, but it could not mobilize troops nationwide. For example, the Tiger Tally could not mobilize troops like the Grand Marshal Wei Tingsi; the Imperial Seal had to be used.
The imperial seal is something that every dynasty has fought over. There is only one, and it is impossible to forge it. Now, even Emperor Mingde can't write imperial edicts. The three provinces and the central government are all under Zhao Bi's control. He can only send Qin Ji with the imperial seal to mobilize troops.
Qin Ji took the jade token and said worriedly, "Your Majesty, I am worried about you. I will take you out of the palace and we will figure out a solution later."
Emperor Mingde shook his head. "I cannot even defend the palace. I will not be gone long. You should go now. If anything happens to me, I will pass the throne to the Crown Prince."
"Your Majesty, who do you intend to make the Crown Prince?" Qin Ji asked.
Emperor Mingde chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Zhao Yi."
"Your Majesty, I am but a lowly official, your words carry little weight. Please tell the officials instead." He was merely a bodyguard; how could he possibly offer any advice? Not only would Zhao Bi be dissatisfied, but Yan Shiren and the others would also feel uneasy.
Emperor Mingde sighed, "After you leave the palace, have them find a way to come see me, whether it's Xie Yun or Yan Shiren, as long as someone comes. If they really don't want to help, go and call your nineteenth brother back and ask the Empress Dowager to come back."
Qin Ji sighed inwardly. He had been wary of these people, but in the end, he was the one asking them for help. What was the point?
He nodded. "Yes."
Emperor Mingde waved his hand, "Go, they don't dare to openly commit regicide."
Qin Ji didn't want to hurt him, not because he was afraid to commit regicide, but because it was clear that he didn't have long to live, and they didn't need to jeopardize their posthumous reputation. That was all.
After bowing and taking his leave, Qin Ji arrived at Cining Palace. At that time, Zhao Shu was eating stir-fried beef made in early spring, but it had no color, aroma, or taste, and the beef was as hard as iron.
She was suffering terribly from the food; Xing'er should be taken to the palace.
Upon seeing Qin Ji, Zhao Shu felt as if she had found a savior, and immediately said with teary eyes, "Please help me bring my Xing'er in, sir?"
Qin Ji couldn't help but laugh, pointing at Zhao Shu with a helpless yet indulgent tone, "You, do you have no heart? Do you know you're being held captive? You even brought a cook with you. Why don't you ask me to bring your entire Yongwang Mansion into the palace?"
Zhao Shu immediately nodded, "If possible, that would be best. My grandmother isn't here, and I'm not used to sleeping in unfamiliar beds."
Qin Ji was speechless with anger, unsure of what to say.
"Do you have any plans?" he asked as he sat down.
Zhao Shu understood what he meant. There were two paths to take: either leave secretly or wait to die.
However, she had a third option: to completely ruin Zhao Bi's reputation!
Shaking his head, "I won't leave, and I won't die, so please don't worry. Oh, by the way, Little Zhu, when you leave the palace later, the matter of that Third Sister hasn't been settled yet. You must do your job well, understand?"
Xiao Zhu's eyes lit up, and he immediately beamed with joy. "Your Highness, rest assured, this servant will handle things perfectly."
Qin Ji also realized that Zhao Shu had a plan in mind, so he was relieved.
As they were talking, Wei Tingsi climbed in through the window. Qin Ji smiled and said, "I thought you weren't coming. Now that you are, I'd like to ask you for some advice. The Emperor gave me the jade token and asked me to use the imperial seal to mobilize troops. What do you think we should do about this?"
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
