The Empress Dowager, both shocked and flustered by the accusation, hurriedly clarified, "Emperor! What are you saying? I am your biological mother, and you are my only son. How could I possibly poison you?"
At first, Hongli also thought it was impossible. When Consort Cheng said that the armor was a gift from the Empress Dowager, Hongli even felt that Consort Cheng was shirking responsibility.
It wasn't until he heard his mother admit it that Hongli realized he didn't really understand her.
"As the Empress Dowager, how could you resort to such despicable tactics against your own son, showing no regard whatsoever for whether this medicine would harm me? What other vile methods are you incapable of?"
The Empress Dowager was indeed a bit too anxious, but how could she bear to hurt her own son?
"I have confirmed again and again that this medicine will not harm your body. I just want you to take better care of the other concubines in the harem. You don't only have Su Yushan. They are all your women and can all bear your children."
"The emperor's duty is to produce heirs for the royal family. If you don't even have a son of pure and intact blood, then I have failed in my duty!"
Her so-called self-blame is utterly absurd.
"This is my son's business, and it has nothing to do with you. No one has ever blamed you for dereliction of duty. Why have we, mother and son, argued again and again over the years? Isn't it because you made trouble out of nothing, worried about things that had nothing to do with you, made things difficult for Yushan, plotted to harm Yushan, and even plotted to harm your son!"
We could have lived in harmony, a loving mother and son. If it weren't for your meddling and repeated troubles, things wouldn't have come to this."
"That's all because of Su Yushan!" The Empress Dowager's eyes were bloodshot as she screamed in anguish and indignation, "If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be so heartbroken and restless."
Hongli raised his voice to correct him: "The culprit is not Su Yushan, but your insatiable desire for control! You liked to control me before I ascended the throne, and you still want to control me after I ascended the throne. I am already thirty-one years old and no longer a child. You should have let go long ago!"
"As Empress Dowager, you should be enjoying your retirement, yet you always like to meddle in my affairs, causing me to resent you, and making you unhappy as well. Why do you do this?"
Her son repeatedly criticized her, saying he didn't understand her good intentions. The Empress Dowager felt increasingly aggrieved, and her voice even trembled with a hint of tears. "I was planning for the century-long foundation of the Qing Dynasty! What wrong have I done?"
"Haven't I devoted myself to the country and its people? I spend every day worrying about state affairs, and the only time I have at ease is when I'm with Yushan. Yet you try every means to cause trouble, as if you're afraid I'll have a moment of peace. This isn't concern for me; you're hoping for my early death!"
"No!" the Empress Dowager denied in a sorrowful voice, repeatedly stating, "I have no such intention. I only wish you well and hope that the Qing Dynasty will last forever!"
Looking coldly at the hypocritical woman before him, Hongli was utterly disappointed in her and had no trust in her whatsoever. "You drugged me, how can I trust you?"
"I am your mother, I gave birth to you and raised you for decades. For that reason alone, you should believe me!"
Hongli retorted angrily, "You poisoned my armor, isn't that a fact? Anyone who does something wrong must be punished, even the Empress Dowager!"
Her son's expression was unusually serious, and the Empress Dowager couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. "What do you intend to do? I am your own mother! Do you intend to punish me?"
She relied on her age and seniority, always thinking he wouldn't really do anything serious, but this time, he wouldn't care about their mother-son relationship anymore.
"The Empress Dowager is mentally unstable, plagued by hallucinations, and has attempted to murder the Emperor. The evidence is conclusive. By imperial decree, the Empress Dowager is to be sent out of the palace to Changchun Garden for quiet recuperation!"
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager was extremely shocked. Pointing at him in disbelief, she accused him in a trembling voice with tears in her eyes, "You...you! You're trying to drive me out of the palace!"
As a son, he shouldn't have been so resolute. Hongli's repeated forbearance only resulted in his mother becoming more and more ruthless. If he didn't punish her severely this time and let it go easily, who knows what underhanded tricks she might use in the future to sow discord between him and Yushan and to murder Yushan.
Realizing this, Hongli finally stopped hesitating, made up his mind, and found a plausible reason.
"I am also thinking of your health. I will definitely send the best imperial physicians to treat you. I hope you can recover soon and return to normal."
After giving the order, Hongli ignored his mother's rebuke and turned to leave.
This time, he will not be soft-hearted again!
After finishing this matter, Hongli returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Su Yushan had already finished dressing and, seeing Hongli return, turned to him and softly asked:
"The cause has been found out? What exactly happened? How could you have been drugged like that out of nowhere?"
With a soft sigh, Hongli recounted the whole story. Su Yushan was shocked upon hearing it. "It was actually the Empress Dowager! How could that kind of medicine not be harmful? Whose slander did she believe?"
Hongli was preoccupied with dealing with his mother and didn't have time to inquire about the origin of the medicine. Only after leaving Cining Palace did he order Li Yu to thoroughly investigate who had delivered the medicine to the Empress Dowager.
“I don’t believe she was unaware of the dangers of that drug. She doesn’t care whether my body will be damaged. She just wants a crown prince with pure blood who is willing to listen to her.”
"So you plan to send her out of the palace? The court officials will surely gossip, and how will you deal with their questions?"
"The Empress Dowager is unwell, and it is only natural for her to leave the palace to recuperate." Hongli believed this was the best reason, but Su Yushan couldn't help but worry.
"I'm afraid the Empress Dowager won't cooperate and will cause trouble again."
This time, Hongli was determined to send the Empress Dowager away and would not give her any chance. "If she dares to cause trouble, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
As he said this, his eyes were unusually fierce, and Su Yushan could tell that he was truly enraged.
Since he had made up his mind, she would not interfere any further and would let him decide.
But there was one thing she still wanted to ask, "What about Consort Cheng? What are your plans?"
Despite Consort Cheng's weeping and repeated denials, Hongli still felt that this woman was not a good person.
"Consort Cheng has no good intentions either. She must have conspired with the Empress Dowager to stage this whole charade! This woman is cunning and scheming; she deserves to be demoted to a lower-ranking concubine and banished to the Cold Palace!"
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