Having finished speaking, he had already left the side room, leaving Hao Zekai muttering to himself, "Even if the Crown Prince recovers, the blood of the Hao family still flows in his veins. The Hao family hasn't lost, hasn't!" But had they truly not lost? Regardless of whether the Hao family had lost or not, he had been utterly defeated, defeated by a woman! He had watched helplessly as his own father struggled and breathed his last, powerless to do anything, hearing with his own ears...
The Crown Prince could be cured, but by then he was no longer the Crown Prince's most trusted uncle, but an enemy, a mortal enemy. One wrong move and the whole game would be lost. What a pathetic life he was living. He had always heard that the Empress Dowager was ruthless, and today he finally understood. This woman was announcing to him, in the guise of a victor, that he had failed as a person!
As soon as the Empress Dowager stepped out of the side room, Du Bai stepped forward to pay his respects. Reaching her side, he lowered his voice and reported, "Your Majesty, the Huo family's daughter has kept the news under wraps. Only people on the estate know about it, and they are all trustworthy. Rest assured. Furthermore, news has come from the capital that the Emperor last month bestowed the title of Imperial Concubine upon the third daughter of the Hao family. I hear she is already three months pregnant." At this point, she felt a surge of contempt. The daughter of the Marquis of Zhongyong was truly shameless; she had an affair with the Emperor before marriage and was even made an Imperial Concubine—it was utterly outrageous!
The Empress Dowager frowned. "Is it Hao Shumei?"
"Yes," Du Bai replied softly, taking the Empress Dowager's arm as he slowly walked towards Fengxin Palace.
The Empress Dowager chuckled upon hearing this, and laughed several times. "This third young lady is the Empress's niece, but she does indeed have a bewitching appearance." She was so angry that she laughed.
Du Bai lowered his head and moved with unusual gentleness as he continued to report: "No matter how alluring she may be, she's still a lowly wretch eager to become someone's concubine. However, Your Majesty, Princess Liuli of the Prince Hui's Mansion is also engaged to the eldest son of the Marquis Zhongyong's Mansion."
"The Hao family really casts a wide net and builds high walls. That old scoundrel Prince Hui is even more lawless while I'm away. Does the Emperor have any news?" the Empress Dowager asked.
"Yes, His Majesty has been increasingly diligent in his duties lately, often reviewing memorials day and night in the Taihe Hall. In recent days, there has been a lot of commotion at the Ningguo Marquis's residence. It seems that the heir of the Ningguo Marquis's residence has some kind of illness, and several branches of the Jiang family are vying for the position of heir. I'm afraid the Ningguo Marquis's residence is doomed. I think the Ningguo Marquis's residence can only last for five years at most before it collapses."
The Empress Dowager remained silent. By this time, she had already entered Fengxin Palace. Instead of going to the main hall, she went to the left side hall where the Crown Prince was. Before she even reached the side hall, she could hear the old physician Peng shouting from afar: "While I was practicing medicine, you were probably playing in the mud somewhere, and you dare to lecture me? I said the Crown Prince's leg could be cured, and it can be cured. You little brat, how dare you question my words? Today, I will teach you a lesson on behalf of your father, and show you what respect for elders, humility, and medical ethics are!"
Du Bai, supporting the Empress Dowager's hand, listened to what Physician Peng had to say and couldn't help but say softly, "His Highness's injuries are so severe that he needs to rest quietly. How could Physician Peng be so reckless as to shout and yell in the place where the Crown Prince is supposed to be resting?"
The Empress Dowager remained silent, instead revealing a smile. Du Bai, bewildered, immediately shut his mouth and stepped closer. He saw the old imperial physician Peng cursing at the Empress Dowager's personal physician, Imperial Physician Zhou, until the Empress Dowager approached, his spittle still flying. "You little brat..." Turning around and seeing the Empress Dowager enter, he hurriedly knelt and bowed, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."
The Empress Dowager had four personal imperial physicians. Among them, Physician Zhou was the most skilled and often visited the Empress Dowager, taking her pulse and doing other medical procedures. The other three served as assistants and did not often visit the Empress Dowager.
Poor Physician Zhou was actually over fifty years old, yet he was being called a bastard by Physician Peng and even being verbally abused. In the past, Physician Peng had always been ostracized in the Imperial Hospital because he was not good at speaking and had low emotional intelligence. But unexpectedly, after only a few months of following Princess Jun, he could curse people with his mouth and beat people with his hands. It was really strange. When Physician Peng pointed at him and cursed, he didn't even react. In decades of working together, this was the first time he had seen this fellow not just blowing his beard and glaring, but also using his hands and feet to curse loudly.
"Your humble servant greets the Empress Dowager."
The Empress Dowager nodded, but did not go in to see the Crown Prince. Instead, she said to Physician Peng, "Physician Peng, please go and watch over the Crown Prince. I have something to ask you later."
It was no secret that Physician Peng lacked emotional intelligence; he immediately said in a serious tone, "Your Majesty, please speak. This humble subject can now answer any questions you may have about the Crown Prince's injuries."
Physician Zhou couldn't stand it any longer and dragged Physician Peng into the side hall. "The Empress Dowager wants you to go see her, so go see her. Why all the nonsense!" He pushed Physician Peng into the side hall, making sure to close the door behind him, before walking to the Empress Dowager's side to bow and wait quietly.
"Besides your leg, is there any other injury to the Crown Prince?"
"There's hardly a spot on his body that's unscathed. Large and small, branding marks cover his chest and back, and there's another injury there that will likely make it difficult for him to have children in the future. Also, His Highness drank a strong soup of celestial herbs a few days ago. Fortunately, it was cleaned up in time, otherwise he might have suffered lifelong tremors." The Crown Prince was so young, yet he had suffered such torment. Just looking at it made his scalp tingle and his back go cold. How could those people do such a thing?
"Are you confident you can cure him?" The Empress Dowager took a deep breath and finally asked the question. Waiting for the answer felt like being judged, making everyone uneasy and nervous.
After considering his words carefully, Imperial Physician Zhou said, "Your Majesty, I can only do my best. Whether it is good or bad depends entirely on His Highness's fate."
The Empress Dowager was well aware that Physician Zhou's unspoken meaning was that he couldn't cure her. But how could the Empress Dowager allow her grandson to be a cripple? How could she allow her grandson to be declared childless at such a young age, before he had even tasted the pleasures of love?
"No matter what method you use, listen to me clearly! If the Crown Prince cannot be cured, you will all be buried with me!" After saying that, she flung her phoenix robe and entered the side hall.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
