The Empress Dowager returned to the inner palace, changed her clothes with the help of Granny Li and two maids, and sat down in front of her dressing table.
Looking at the clothes, Granny Li suddenly said, "This was specially made for the Empress Dowager when the late Emperor was still alive. I remember that the late Emperor specially sent people to Jiangnan to purchase the best materials because the Empress Dowager said that the clothes were a bit thick. He then made many sets of clothes for the Empress Dowager."
The Empress Dowager looked down and examined him, her expression somewhat agitated. "He even ordered clothes for me when I'm seventy or eighty. The styles are long outdated. Luckily, I stay in this deep palace and don't go anywhere else. Otherwise, people would laugh at me if I wore them out."
As she spoke, the Empress Dowager's smile faded, replaced by a bitter and resentful expression.
She dismissed the two maids and then instructed Li Mama, who was standing to the side, "Go and check if my ginseng soup is ready. Also, don't let anyone in."
The old woman was surprised, but she sensed that the Empress Dowager was in a bad mood, so she didn't dare to say anything that might offend her. She agreed and then left.
The outer door was closed, and the hall returned to silence.
The Empress Dowager suddenly frowned, looking at her aged face in the mirror with a distant and somewhat ferocious expression.
Back then, the late emperor doted on her greatly, but everyone knew that prosperity inevitably leads to decline, so she later died tragically during childbirth.
Moreover, her status at that time wasn't particularly high, and the late emperor didn't truly love her...
Everyone thought that with her constitution, it would be impossible for her to give birth to Mo Beichen. Unexpectedly, she fought against death very tenaciously and gave birth to Mo Beichen with her last breath without the help of a midwife before passing away.
The person who did this back then has been secretly dealt with by her, except for one person, Xu Yuanzheng.
At the time, he was seeing a doctor at another concubine's place, which she had deliberately sent him away from.
By the time Imperial Physician Xu found out, Mo Beichen's mother had already passed away.
All the imperial physicians diagnosed that she died in childbirth.
At first, Dr. Xu found it hard to believe. He had been taking care of her all along, and she was such a healthy person. There was no reason why she would have a difficult childbirth. However, his explanation alone was not enough to convince everyone in the Imperial Hospital.
His medical skills were superb, and the people in the Imperial Medical Academy were very jealous of him. Given this opportunity to kick him while he was down, how could they possibly let it go?
Later, with a few words whispered in the emperor's ear, Xu Yuanzheng was able to retire and return to his hometown without any trouble.
Originally, they wanted to kill him, but the midwife and palace maid who served Mo Beichen's mother during childbirth had died mysteriously, which had already aroused suspicion. If they killed Xu Yuanzheng as well, it would definitely cause a big problem.
With the late emperor seriously ill, she, as empress, was extremely busy. Later, she heard that the hometown of Chief Physician Xu was a great distance away from the capital, so the matter was dropped.
So many years have passed, and I thought this matter had long been buried in the earth, and no one except her and Granny Li knew about it.
Unexpectedly, he appeared in Mudu Town.
Whether he found out anything about what happened back then, nobody knows.
The more the Empress Dowager thought about it, the colder her heart became.
"Huo Lian".
The Empress Dowager suddenly spoke in a cold voice.
As soon as the words were spoken, a black figure descended from the roof beam. "Master, please give your orders."
"Go and find out exactly how much Chief Physician Xu knew about what happened back then. Remember, eliminate any potential threats if necessary." The Empress Dowager looked at Huo Lian kneeling on the ground through the mirror and said calmly.
His tone of voice seemed as casual as commenting on the weather, and no one would have guessed that a cruel heart was hidden beneath that kind face.
Huo Lian bowed his head, said "yes," and disappeared from the spot.
After a moment...
A soft knock came from outside, and the Empress Dowager composed herself, her gloomy demeanor vanishing.
"Come in," the Empress Dowager cleared her throat and said loudly.
Granny Li brought in the ginseng soup. "Your Majesty, the ginseng soup is ready. Please drink it while it's hot."
The Empress Dowager nodded and sighed softly, "When people get old, they become useless. I drink it every day, but I haven't noticed any changes."
Granny Li immediately retorted, "The Empress Dowager looks very young, not old at all. She is destined to live to be a hundred years old."
The Empress Dowager chuckled lightly, "You, how come you've learned to be so glib? By the way, has there been any reply from Prime Minister Mu?"
After Mo Beichen left, she wanted to rule from behind the curtain, but the Grand Tutor rejected her plan. As a veteran of three reigns, he had many supporters in the court, and the ministers all opposed her ruling from behind the curtain.
She never expected that just by leaving the palace, all her people would disappear from the court, and the entire court would be completely transformed.
The crucial point is that she didn't even know when her people disappeared. If she hadn't been dressed as the Empress Dowager that day and gone to the court to discuss the matter of ruling from behind the curtain, she probably would still be in the dark.
That's absolutely damnable.
It was indeed terrifying that in such a short time, he used swift and decisive methods to bring the entire court under his control, eliminating partisan strife and focusing solely on the people.
Perhaps he was indeed a good emperor, but what could he do when he was that woman's child?
She still felt some regret when she thought about it. She shouldn't have been so soft-hearted back then and secretly took care of him. She should have found an opportunity to kill him.
Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many troubles.
"Your Majesty, there has been no word from Prime Minister Mu, as if he never received our letter. Could it be that the letter really didn't reach him?" Granny Li cautiously analyzed.
The Empress Dowager brought over the ginseng soup, blew on it to check the temperature, and drank it down sip by sip.
After finishing the ginseng soup, Granny Li hurriedly handed over a handkerchief. The Empress Dowager took it, wiped her mouth, and stood up to walk onto the soft couch.
She replied, "That shouldn't be the case. That old fox is very cunning. How could he not receive it? Just go and deliver the imperial edict. Tell him that I like the second young lady of the Mu family and want her to come to the palace to keep me company."
Granny Li's eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed again. "This fifth young lady is only ten years old. She doesn't know any rules. What if she offends you..."
The Empress Dowager sat down on the soft couch and glanced at Granny Li casually, but Granny Li felt as if she were being pricked by thorns.
Only after the Empress Dowager withdrew her gaze did Granny Li breathe a slight sigh of relief.
"Are you saying that the Fifth Miss is the apple of the eye of the Mu family, and that Prime Minister Mu is unwilling to let her enter the palace? No matter how powerful he is, can he be more powerful than me?" the Empress Dowager said coldly.
Granny Li quickly bowed her head, "What the Empress Dowager said makes sense. It was this old servant who was foolish. I will go and explain right away."
The Empress Dowager stopped her, "No, you go and deliver the imperial edict yourself. If he refuses, let him come into the palace and tell me in person. If he agrees, bring him into the palace immediately without delay."
"Yes, Your Majesty." After saying this, Granny Li took the bowl of ginseng soup that the Empress Dowager had finished drinking and went out.
The Empress Dowager slowly leaned back on the soft pillow beside her, staring at the table, her expression turning cold.
She refused to believe she couldn't win over this old fox.
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