After five strokes of the cane, Queen Jing'an came and said, "Stop it."
The emperor looked at Empress Jing'an, who was dressed in plain clothes and without any makeup, with his eyes full of fascination. He walked forward, helped Empress Jing'an to her seat, and then sat down with her on the soft couch.
The emperor asked with concern: "Zitong, how are you?"
Ever since Empress Jing'an became pregnant yesterday, she had already figured out how to get along with the Emperor. Now, she didn't refuse the Emperor's approach. She lowered her head and said, "I don't know either. Why don't you ask the Imperial Physician? Please release my two maids. Ask me anything you want."
The Emperor was delighted to see that Empress Jing'an had not rejected him as she had done in the past few years. However, he was worried about her health and ordered the chief eunuch, "Quickly call the imperial physician."
The chief eunuch, Zhou Defa, half-knelt and accepted the order: "Yes."
The Emperor asked with a smile on his face, "Is Fantine ready for breakfast?" Seeing Empress Jing'an shook her head, he suggested, "Why don't you have Fantine accompany me for breakfast?"
The Emperor and Empress sat down to eat together. Seeing Empress Jing'an's figure even thinner than it had been a few years ago, the Emperor kept adding diced meat to her bowl. The two of them finished their breakfast in a harmonious atmosphere and then returned to the side hall to see Imperial Physician Ouyang.
"Your Majesty, the Empress has been poisoned. The poison has been injected into her body bit by bit over the past three years. She has been poisoned for a long time." Doctor Ouyang knelt on the ground and reported.
The emperor's face turned livid, and he was about to throw the teacup beside him. Then, remembering Empress Jing'an's words about not wanting people throwing things in her presence, he put the teacup down with a vengeance. Then, with a thud, he slammed his fist on the table, angrily shouting, "Asshole! How can this be!" He ordered the chief eunuch, "Investigate, investigate thoroughly. Whoever it is, punish them severely. No one will be spared."
The Emperor then asked Empress Jing'an, "Fangting, have there been any changes in the Fengyang Palace in recent years?"
Empress Jing'an smiled and said, "I, a concubine, stay indoors alone, so the expenses for the palace servants are not much. Compared to before, it should be 50% less."
The emperor laughed in anger. She was the empress of a country, yet half her palace servants were missing. What a bunch of slaves! Afraid of scaring Empress Jing'an, the emperor suppressed his anger and accompanied her until she finished taking the medicine before leaving, using the excuse of having something to discuss.
The Emperor left Fengyang Palace in a rage. On the way, he encountered the Imperial Noble Consort, dressed up in fancy clothes and shyly bowing to him. He immediately became furious: "As a palace concubine, you have no idea what you are doing. You have learned the rules like a dog. The Empress is ill, and you are dressed so gorgeously. Go back to Changle Palace and reflect on your mistakes. In addition, you will be fined for three years."
The Imperial Concubine didn't expect the Emperor to be so angry, so she immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, but the Emperor ignored her and just walked away. The Imperial Concubine glared in the direction of Fengyang Palace with hatred, and silently returned to Changle Palace.
As the emperor walked, he ordered, "All the palace maids who left while the queen was in confinement will be executed. Not a single one will be spared." He then added, "Find out who poisoned the queen. If the truth is not known, the entire harem will be buried with her."
The emperor walked quickly back to the imperial study and summoned the Grand Court Minister to an audience. He didn't even want to sit in the sedan chair, fearing that he would fall on it in a fit of anger.
The Dali Temple official knelt and saluted: "Your humble servant greets the Emperor. Long live the Emperor."
The Emperor waved his hand, took his seat, and took a sip of tea before speaking, "I summoned you here for one purpose only. Investigate everyone around the Queen. Whoever harmed her will be killed, even with their entire clan."
The Dali Temple Minister wiped the sweat from his forehead. He knew he shouldn't speak, but as a subject, he still wanted to make a suggestion: "Your Majesty, if anyone really dares to murder the Empress, the mother of a nation, it is indeed a capital crime, but would you consider exterminating all nine generations of the family?"
The emperor said solemnly, "Lin Zhu, if you can't do it, go home and live your life."
The Dali Temple Minister hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly: "Your humble servant dare not do so. You will do your utmost to find the murderer."
After the Dali Temple Minister left, the Emperor issued another order: "From now on, all concubines in the harem are confined to their rooms and are not allowed to go out. Anyone who disobeys this order will be killed."
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