At this moment, the Empress Dowager did not call Jiang Lanyue, who was raised by her side, nor any other princes or princesses, but instead called Yuan Yao.
What does she mean by doing this?
Everyone turned to look at Yuan Yao.
Yuan Yao was also curious about why the Empress Dowager had summoned her.
However, the Empress Dowager's actions have almost maxed out Jiang Lanyue's hatred towards her, haven't they?
Look, Jiang Lanyue is crying so hard her face is covered in tears, she's almost fainted...
Yuan Yao looked at the Ninth Prince.
The Ninth Prince remained expressionless: "Go."
Yuan Yao nodded.
She jumped down from the Ninth Prince's back, straightened her clothes, and then said to the old woman, "Let's go."
Inner Temple.
The room was filled with calming incense, and dim light streamed in through the window.
The Empress Dowager lay lifelessly on the jade pillow, with Yin Cai lying beside her.
Yin Cai was wearing a light blue brocade robe, his hair was tied up, and he looked much more energetic.
Hearing footsteps, Yin turned her head, tears welling in her eyes, and looked over timidly.
Upon seeing Yuan Yao, dressed in pink and looking like a fairy, he was stunned and sniffed.
Yuan Yao walked to the bedside with a blank expression on her face.
The old woman announced, "Your Majesty, Princess Yuan Yao has arrived."
Yin Cai raised his sleeve and hastily wiped away his tears, his neck slightly red.
He leaned close to the Empress Dowager's ear and said, "Mother, the Princess has arrived."
The Empress Dowager then slowly opened her eyes.
After vomiting blood repeatedly and suffering a severe loss of vital energy, the Empress Dowager's cheeks turned ashen, making her appear to have aged more than ten years in an instant.
Her pale, bluish lips moved slightly: "Yuan Yao."
Yuan Yao stood not far from the bed, shorter than the bed itself, but her aura was not weak: "The Empress Dowager summoned Yuan Yao here, is there something you need?"
The Empress Dowager's eyes flickered as she looked at Yin Cai standing to the side.
Yin Cai was ignorant and unable to read people's expressions.
He looked at the Empress Dowager blankly: "Mother, what's wrong?"
"You... go out first." The Empress Dowager's voice was extremely weak.
go out?
Yin Cai immediately shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes again: "Mother, I finally found you, so I'll stay here with you and not go anywhere else!"
Seeing him cry, the Empress Dowager felt a pang of heartache.
Why did her child end up like this?
Despite being so much older than Yuan Yao, she seems more like a child.
"Don't cry..." the Empress Dowager said weakly, "Alright, you'll stay here, I won't go anywhere..."
After speaking, the Empress Dowager looked at Yuan Yao.
Yuan Yao stood obediently, wearing a pink dress today, with her hair tied in a round bun, looking cute and harmless.
The Empress Dowager slowly spoke: "Heiji, you deliberately set up this trap to capture him."
Instead of answering, Yuan Yao asked, "Did you send the murderer who ambushed my father in Huaishui City?"
The Empress Dowager was slightly surprised: "You..."
"That's strange. How did I know that?" Yuan Yao smiled slightly.
The Empress Dowager tilted her head back and began to cough.
As soon as she coughed, Yin Cai was so anxious that tears welled up in his eyes. He quickly stood up and handed her a handkerchief: "Mother, please wipe your hands..."
After speaking, he placed the handkerchief to the Empress Dowager's lips.
The Empress Dowager coughed forcefully. After she finished coughing, Yin took a look at the handkerchief and saw that it was stained red.
Yin Cai cried and said, "Mother, where does it hurt? Let me rub it for you."
The Empress Dowager shook her head, then looked at Yuan Yao: "That's right, the person who killed your father was sent by me..."
Yuan Yao frowned.
The Empress Dowager took a breath and continued, "The Ninth Prince, a mere eunuch, controls the entire Great Qi."
The emperor of the Great Qi Kingdom was nothing more than a puppet in his hands.
"As long as I live, I cannot bear to see the Jiang family's empire fall into the hands of others..."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Yao smiled.
Her sweet, childlike voice carried a hint of sarcasm: "The Empress Dowager's words are so grand and dignified!"
Killing my father for the sake of the royal family? How laughable!
If it weren't for my father, would the Empress Dowager really think you could rule from behind the curtain?
Ah, no, that's not right.
I heard that the Empress Dowager originally wanted to poison the Emperor and seize power for herself.
"If you don't get rid of my father, how can you get rid of the emperor and control the world, right?"
"you……"
The Empress Dowager opened her cloudy eyes wide, revealing an expression of disbelief.
How did Yuan Yao, a little baby, know all this?
At this moment, Yuan Yao continued, "Before Hei Ji died, he gave me something that I think the Empress Dowager will recognize."
Yuan Yao reached into his robes, took out a token, and held it up to the Empress Dowager's eyes.
Upon seeing the token, the Empress Dowager was shocked and almost sat up in bed: "Heiji...did you kill Heiji?"
Yuan Yao smiled but remained silent.
The Empress Dowager felt a sharp pain in her chest and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Mother!" Yin Cai cried out and rushed over.
The Empress Dowager brushed him aside, pointed at Yuan Yao with a fierce look in her eyes, and ordered, "Go, snatch the token...back for me!"
Yin Cai wiped away her tears and turned to look at Yuan Yao.
Yuan Yao was much younger than him, so he didn't need to use much force to completely overpower her.
But……
Yin Cai shrank back involuntarily, and said fearfully, "Mother... Cai wouldn't dare..."
Don't dare?
The Empress Dowager almost coughed up blood again.
Her lips were stained with blood, and her voice was slightly hoarse: "You...you really are..."
That's too cowardly!
How can a child like this be worthy of being the Empress Dowager's son?
Unfortunately, he was the son of her and that other man.
This is her only bloodline in this world...
The Empress Dowager closed her eyes, then opened them again, staring menacingly at Yuan Yao: "How do you intend to threaten me?"
threaten?
Yuan Yao carefully put away the token.
She stood obediently, her voice soft and sweet: "When it comes to threats, who can compare to the Empress Dowager?"
The Empress Dowager is almost dead, and she's already stirred up a lot of hatred for Yao'er. Who wouldn't say this tactic is ruthless?
The Empress Dowager remained silent for a moment as she looked at Yuan Yao.
This little one in front of me is only three years old!
How can a three-year-old child know so much?
The Empress Dowager swallowed the blood in her mouth and said in a hoarse voice, "Yuan Yao, you are very clever. My plan... has been seen through by you."
The Empress Dowager was able to become Empress Dowager purely by chance.
She became Consort Hui because of the protection of her maternal family.
During the years the late emperor was alive, she hardly participated in the power struggles among the concubines, nor did she know how to participate.
Later, a palace coup occurred, resulting in countless deaths and injuries. Someone carried off the Empress's head and told her to go find Jiang Xian and Yuan Yuan.
She left, and she became the Empress Dowager.
A few years later, she was sent to Fotai Mountain.
Over the years, she had meticulously planned, and success seemed imminent...
Now, it's a complete defeat!
The Empress Dowager said slowly, "I've lived these sixty years in vain. I never imagined I'd be defeated by a mere girl like you..."
“You’re wrong.” Yuan Yao looked at the Empress Dowager: “You were defeated by your own hand.”
Defeated by...himself?
A hint of confusion appeared in the Empress Dowager's cloudy eyes.
Yuan Yao took two steps toward the bedside and looked up: "Back then, my father gave you two choices."
It's your own greed that makes you want everything.
Now that things have come to this, it's your own fault!
My father and I will live, so the one who dies can only be you, Empress Dowager!
What a perfect example of reaping what you sow!
"So, she's the only one who can die!"
The Empress Dowager coughed, clutching her chest, and said, "If... you were my granddaughter, that would be so..."
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