As they were talking, the carriage was ready, and the three of them boarded it one after another. This time it was the same carriage. Granny Zhong had gone to serve the Crown Prince. Zhao Shu was worried about others, and so was she.
On the carriage, Sun Yun kept thinking about what Granny Zhong had said, and didn't say a word until they arrived at the palace.
With Peng Rui's 10,000-strong escort along the way, things were relatively peaceful. Moreover, Peng Rui was ruthless and would bury people alive, which would probably terrify even the most fearless assassins.
Upon arriving at the imperial palace, Huo Danlan accompanied the Crown Prince. The group helped the Crown Prince pay his respects to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager was already waiting in the main hall, dressed in simple attire, with her hair simply styled in a phoenix bun and adorned with a few plain hair ornaments.
She was dressed in a dark red phoenix robe with gold trim and a phoenix spreading its wings. She waited on the phoenix throne with a very complicated mood. When she saw Zhao Shu and the crown prince enter, she stood up with Ji Yun's help, took two steps forward, and seeing that Zhao Shu was alright, her gaze fell on the crown prince.
The Crown Prince was her most beloved grandson, whom she had doted on for so many years. Although she had always remained indifferent to whether the Crown Prince could establish himself, and even if Prince Yong hadn't personally gone to find the Crown Prince, she would have coldly ignored it, he was still her own grandson, and the legitimate heir, so how could she not worry?
Seeing the Crown Prince in this state, how could she not hate those who started it all? Tears welled up in her eyes, dripping onto her clothes. Ji Yun helped her to the Crown Prince's side, "Yi'er."
The crown prince was not yet of age; if he were in modern times, he would still be a high school student. Upon seeing his elders, especially his grandmother, the countless grievances he had been holding back burst forth. "Grandmother, grandson greets you."
He tried to kneel down, but found Liu Huan and Peng Rui supporting him on either side. Both of them were concerned about his leg injury and did not perform the kneeling ceremony for the Empress Dowager. He was also unable to kneel down. After struggling for a while, the Empress Dowager hurriedly stopped him, "Quickly, lie down. Don't worry, Yi'er, I will definitely have someone heal your leg. Imperial physician, imperial physician, come quickly!"
Physician Peng and the Empress Dowager's personal physician hurriedly stepped forward and knelt to receive the Empress Dowager's decree. The Empress Dowager pointed at the Crown Prince, who was being helped to lie on a chaise longue, and said, "I order you to heal the Crown Prince's leg! Otherwise, I will take your lives!"
The two men trembled in fright and quickly kowtowed, saying, "Your humble servants will do their utmost."
The Empress Dowager ignored the two of them and instead comforted the Crown Prince, "Yi'er, don't worry. With your grandmother by your side, no one can harm you." It was one thing for her to not care about others, but now that she was right under her nose, if anyone dared to mess with her, that would be a different story!
The Crown Prince nodded and burst into tears. These past few days, no matter how bitter or difficult things had been, he had suppressed his emotions. Even when he really couldn't help but want to cry, he only shed a few clear tears. Now that he had seen the Empress Dowager, he felt like he was home.
As intelligent as he was, the Empress Dowager would not interfere in court affairs. Whether the Crown Prince could establish himself was also a matter of court affairs, which she never cared about. However, the Empress Dowager's love for him was no less than her love for her other brothers, and perhaps even more. This love was genuine.
What a complicated and tangled family relationship! He had no time to lament it; he was only thinking about finally seeing his family whom he could rely on and just wanted to vent his emotions. For the past six months, he had been living a life that was neither human nor ghost.
The Empress Dowager held the Crown Prince, both of them weeping. The scene was incredibly tragic. Zhao Shu and the others also wept silently. Among them, Sun Yun cried the most bitterly. In the past few days, she had been telling herself to be strong. A-Jun could remain unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of her, so she couldn't be too weak, or she would be laughed at. This trip out of the capital, she also wanted to train herself and broaden her horizons, so as not to be like those women in the inner quarters, who only knew how to bicker and scheme against each other all day long. How boring.
Therefore, we must be strong, we must not be defeated, and we must not be inferior.
However, she was still too young and had limited psychological resilience, so she burst into tears.
Zhao Shu wiped away her tears, kept patting her back to help her catch her breath, offering silent comfort.
The Crown Prince cried for quite some time before finally stopping. "Have you had breakfast yet? Have breakfast first, and Yi'er should rest well." She still had many questions for Huo Danlan.
The Crown Prince was also extremely tired. Now, beside the Empress Dowager, he was still hungry, yet he was still overcome with drowsiness.
Granny Zhong led the Crown Prince to the side hall, and the two Crown Princes hurriedly followed. Jin Xi and the others also went down to serve the Crown Prince breakfast. In an instant, only Zhao Shu, Huo Danlan, Sun Yun, Liu Huan, and Peng Rui remained in the main hall.
The Empress Dowager helped Ji Yun sit down, and the five people quickly knelt down, saying, "Greetings to the Empress Dowager, may the Empress Dowager enjoy ten thousand years of good fortune and peace."
Her gaze fell upon the five people, and her voice, though not angry, carried an imposing authority: "I am uneasy. Who can explain to me what exactly happened?"
As she spoke, her gaze fell on Huo Danlan, who hurriedly reported, "Your Majesty, a month ago, His Highness Prince Yong rescued His Highness the Crown Prince in Xiliang. At that time, His Highness the Crown Prince had already injured his leg, but assassins were hard to guard against. So His Highness sent someone to Guanzhou. The other day, I received a message from Baichuan via carrier pigeon that the news of His Highness the Crown Prince's presence at Chamei Manor had been leaked. I was afraid that General Peng would not be able to arrive in time, so I sent someone to deliver the message to you. Fortunately, General Peng arrived on time. It was my fault for causing Your Majesty worry, and I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
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