One carriage after another slowly left the palace, crunching underfoot on the snow. The emperor's carriage was at the very front, the best-sealed, and surrounded by layers of personal guards.
The Empress sat beside him, listening to the Emperor's occasional coughs, and couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.
She was also afraid of catching a cold, but she had no choice but to sit here for the sake of the plans ahead.
Although the guards outside were keeping a close watch, those closest to her were all Lu Ziying's men. The Empress felt slightly relieved, then carefully took the medicine that was being warmed on the small stove and secretly added something to it.
She had trusted confidants among the imperial physicians, so doing these things was a piece of cake for her.
"emperor?"
The Empress gently shook the Emperor awake.
The Emperor groggily opened his eyes: "A-Wu, is that you?"
The Empress was taken aback. It seemed he was truly delirious with fever, mistaking her for that woman.
A-Wu was Lu Ziyuan's mother's given name. She was once the most favored woman in the palace, and was the only imperial concubine. How much did the emperor like her? After Lu Ziyuan was born, he even considered making Lu Ziyuan the crown prince.
Although it was just a fleeting thought, it was terrifying enough. To ensure Lu Ziying's position as crown prince, the empress, together with some of the concubines, set up many traps for Consort Shu.
However, she was too cautious. These traps did not make the emperor depose her, but they did make him despise her. Disheartened, Consort Shu could not bear this kind of life. Just then, Lu Ziyuan came of age, so she asked the emperor to bestow the title of prince upon Lu Ziyuan, and she went with him to the fiefdom of Lingqing, never to return.
Even though I hated it so much back then, I still missed it when I was seriously ill.
The Empress's eyes darkened. The struggle for favor in the harem was never what she desired; all she wanted was for her son to smoothly ascend the throne. Since the Emperor still held onto his old flame, he would naturally favor her son.
Absolutely not!
The Empress put on a gentle mask and gently helped the Emperor up: "Your Majesty, it's time for you to take your medicine."
"My body feels so heavy, A-Wu, please don't leave me. Ever since you went to Lingqing, I've been filled with regret. I wanted to find a chance to see you, but I never expected you to..."
The emperor spoke incoherently, and when he got excited, he started coughing violently.
The Empress outwardly offered words of comfort, but inwardly she couldn't help but sneer. She thought, "They didn't care when they were alive, and their funerals were hastily arranged. Now they regret it and are starting to pretend to be sentimental."
"Your Majesty, I am always here by your side, so please rest assured."
The Empress comforted him while half-forcing him to drink the medicine. After he finished, the Emperor mumbled, "Tell me, does seeing you mean you're going to take me away?"
But I don't want to leave yet, A-Wu. You should go back first. I will definitely come to find you when the time comes.
The emperor lay there, gently closing his eyes. Everyone fears death, let alone the emperor, the supreme ruler.
The Empress put down her bowl and gently moved to the outermost edge of the carriage. The medicine itself was non-toxic, but drinking it mixed with these herbs had an unexpected effect. According to the imperial physician, this medicine was very harmful to the spleen and stomach, and the Emperor had always had problems with his spleen and stomach; in this case, it could only be said that his condition had worsened, and the other imperial physicians would not be able to diagnose it.
Once everyone else has left the capital and returned to the closed-off palace, it will be much easier to make a move.
...
The group returned after half a day. Because the Emperor needed to rest, the Empress ordered that no one was allowed to visit him, leaving everyone anxious. Soon, several princes requested to return to their fiefdoms.
Seeing them turn back without stopping, Zhong Muyu asked Lu Ziyuan, "When are we leaving?"
"Let's wait a little longer. I want to confirm my father's condition."
"Although the Empress said it was inconvenient to disturb her, I think if we ask the Empress Dowager, she might be able to take us to see her."
"Then let's do it that way. We'll go to the palace in a bit."
Lu Ziyuan seemed to be in a hurry. After the two quickly tidied up, they went to the palace.
When the Emperor had an accident, the Empress Dowager was naturally anxious. She was just about to go and visit him when she heard someone announce that Lu Ziyuan and Zhong Muyu had arrived.
"Let them in quickly!"
As soon as the two entered, before they could even pay their respects, Lu Ziyuan was embraced by the Empress Dowager, who looked him up and down.
"Grandmother, what's wrong?"
The Empress Dowager stroked Lu Ziyuan's injured hand, her eyes filled with heartache: "How could you be so careless? Such a big thing happened, were you trying to scare this old woman to death?"
Lu Ziyuan said, "Grandmother, I wasn't seriously injured, and neither was Father. We'll wake up soon."
The Empress Dowager looked sorrowful: "Your father is still unconscious."
"Father has caught a cold. We were just about to visit him, but Mother said we shouldn't disturb his rest, so we came to find Grandmother."
"It's kind of you to be so thoughtful. I was just about to go and see, so you may come with me."
The two said no more and followed the Empress Dowager to the Emperor's bedroom.
The Empress and the Imperial Physician were guarding there. When they saw the Empress Dowager and the other two, the eunuchs guarding the gate did not dare to stop them and had to go and report to them.
Unexpectedly, Lu Ziyuan brought the Empress Dowager along. The Empress clenched her fist and gave a wink to the imperial physician who was treating patients nearby.
The imperial physician nodded in understanding and tidied up the things before letting them in.
The warm room was stuffy, and a strong smell of medicine wafted through the air. Zhong Muyu felt suffocated, but she couldn't say anything here.
The Empress immediately rose to greet her: "Mother, what brings you here?"
"I'm so uneasy about this! How is His Majesty? Let me see him quickly!"
As the Empress Dowager spoke, she hurriedly wanted to go see him, but the imperial physician and the Empress immediately supported her: "Mother, you should not go. Your illness has not yet fully recovered, and it is freezing cold today. Don't let the Emperor pass on his illness to you."
The Empress helped the Empress Dowager to sit down, and Lu Ziyuan and Zhong Muyu had no choice but to sit outside as well.
From this perspective, there seems to be nothing unusual.
The Empress Dowager asked the imperial physicians a question, and they answered fluently. They sat there for a while, glanced at the physicians from afar, and were then sent away.
On the way back, Lu Ziyuan asked Zhong Muyu, "Did you notice anything wrong just now?"
"No, everything is normal. Lu Ziyuan, let's leave as soon as possible. His Highness the Crown Prince is so openly targeting you. I'm afraid he might resort to some underhanded tricks. Don't forget, Yin Ruixin is still here."
"I had forgotten about her. She's from the Empress's family. I wonder if she's been up to anything lately."
Zhong Muyu said, "With Qiao'er keeping an eye on things in the mansion, there shouldn't be a big problem. However, the royal villa is not the same as the prince's mansion, and Qiao'er may not be able to keep an eye on her."
Lu Ziyuan agreed, and the two of them went back and began packing their things, preparing to leave.
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