Zhao Shu's words were somewhat biased, showing sympathy for the weak, but they were not entirely wrong. Although Emperor Mingde did not persist in resisting the Empress Dowager in his early years, which led to the death of his son with Yide and forced Yide to fake her death.
Of all his women, he truly loved Yide the best.
There were so many rumors about Yide in the past, none of which a man could tolerate, but Emperor Mingde endured them.
However, on the other hand, if Emperor Mingde had done what a man should do, Yide wouldn't have hated him to such an extent.
Unfortunately, neither of them was willing to give more than the other, nor were they willing to consider the other's feelings more.
As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together; people of different kinds don't belong together.
They don't deserve sympathy.
Emerging from the shadows, Zhao Shu immediately said to Wei Tingsi, "Lay him flat."
There was a small room in the rear hall of the Taihe Hall, where Emperor Mingde would rest when he was too tired from reviewing memorials. Wei Tingsi, familiar with the place, moved him to the dragon bed in the rear hall.
After Emperor Mingde was released, Zhao Shu took his pulse. Emperor Mingde's pulse was very weak. If he did not receive medical treatment, he probably would not survive for more than two days.
Fortunately, he was just consumed by anger and didn't develop any incurable disease.
He took out the medicine from Cining Palace, poured out two pills specially prepared by Physician Peng, and fed them to Emperor Mingde. Wei Tingsi tested the teapot on the table and found that there was still water, so he poured a cup and fed it to Emperor Mingde.
"Will the Empress Dowager come to court tomorrow?" Zhao Shu asked.
"Yes," Wei Tingsi said, pulling up a chair for Zhao Shu to sit down. "Your father has also returned."
Zhao Shu was taken aback. "Father is back. What about the Northeast?" Actually, she didn't want to be involved in the coup forever. Staying in the Northeast was the wisest thing to do.
"Don't worry, Seventh Master Huo is in the Northeast, nothing will go wrong." Wei Tingsi gently rubbed her hand, as if to ease her fatigue from the day.
Zhao Shu was relieved to hear that Huo Chengchuo had gone to the Northeast. With him there, the Northeast would definitely not be in chaos. However, she still did not agree with the idea of him returning to Beijing forever.
Seeing her disapproval, Wei Tingsi smiled and said, "Your father has heard about the strange things happening in the capital, so naturally he is worried about you and your grandmother and will definitely come back."
Indeed, if a son and a father were to retreat to the Northeast to escape the world in the current situation, it would not be the kind of thing a man should do.
“Zhao Bi has taken the imperial seal; I’m afraid he’ll do something reckless,” she said worriedly after a moment of silence.
However, Wei Tingsi rubbed her temples and said calmly, "It's fake."
Zhao Shu was startled and looked at him in disbelief. "The imperial seal is fake?"
Wei Tingsi smiled mysteriously, took out a jade seal from his bosom and handed it to her. "This is the real one. It is four inches square, with five dragons intertwined on the top. The front is engraved with eight seal characters written by Li Si: 'Received the mandate from Heaven, may your life be long and prosperous.' The other one is missing a corner among the five dragons and a horizontal stroke in the characters."
Zhao Shu rubbed her eyes, held the jade seal up to her eyes and examined it closely. She found that it was indeed true; if a corner was missing or a horizontal line was missing, it would be difficult to see.
"But who carved that jade seal? It's so realistic it's indistinguishable from the real thing." Such forgery skills are terrifying. The Yan family's ability to imitate other people's handwriting last time was already unbelievable and alarming.
Wei Tingsi noticed her worry, pulled her into his arms, and gently comforted her, "Don't worry, this person is your father's close friend."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Shu remembered who it was; the Prince Yong's purple-gold crown was made by him. She hadn't expected him to have such skill.
However, it is still a potential problem, but now is not the time to worry about it.
“Are we going to stay here all night? What if Zhao Bi’s men come?” She realized a serious problem: Emperor Mingde could not be moved outside, and he was too ill to be left unattended.
Wei Tingsi thought for a moment and then suddenly said, "Let's send the Emperor to Jiangying Garden. With Physician Peng and several other physicians there, they can surely keep him safe."
"Can I take it out?" Although she trusted his abilities, she still asked with some unease.
Wei Tingsi poked her forehead. "Don't you believe me?" he said affectionately.
Zhao Shu touched her forehead, stuck out her tongue, and said nothing more.
Taking someone away is difficult for others, but for Wei Tingsi, it was as easy as turning his hand. No one knew where he found people, but in no time, Emperor Mingde was transferred. The speed was so fast that Zhao Shu was speechless.
However, Xie Yun and the others were still in Cining Palace. It was not a good thing for foreign officials to stay overnight in Cining Palace. After Wei Tingsi arrived, he sent them out of the palace overnight.
Including the Royal Guard.
This shows how powerful he was in the palace.
After everyone had left the palace before dawn, Zhao Shu returned to Prince Yong's residence.
Upon returning to Prince Yong's residence, they indeed found that the Empress Dowager and Prince Yong had already returned. Prince Yong looked much rougher than before, and had grown a beard, making him appear much more imposing than his former jade-like face.
The Empress Dowager didn't change much, but her brows never relaxed.
Both men breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that Zhao Shu was unharmed. Without time for pleasantries, they discussed the funeral arrangements with Wei Tingsi.
Before they could finish speaking, Ji Yun came to report, "Empress Dowager, Master Wu Ye has arrived."
"Please come in quickly." The Empress Dowager seemed quite excited, apparently having been waiting for Master Wuye of Canaan Temple for quite some time.
She sat down next to the Empress Dowager. While Ji Yun went to invite Master Wu Ye, the Empress Dowager said, "Why don't you go and get some sleep?"
Zhao Shu shook her head, "Seeing my grandmother and father makes me feel less sleepy."
The Empress Dowager chuckled and pinched her cheek, knowing that she wanted to get involved. However, Zhao Shu was always clever, and she didn't intend to send her away. Perhaps when everyone was at a loss, she could come up with some clever ideas.
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