Chapter 563 Perfect (Two Updates)
As night fell, Xiao Jingkong rode in Liu Quan's carriage back to Bishui Hutong.
The bodyguard on the roof of the car who was responsible for protecting him also leaped into the house.
"Jiaojiao! Jiaojiao!"
The first thing Xiao Jingkong did upon entering the house was to call out to Jiaojiao, regardless of whether Gu Jiao was present or not.
Fortunately, Gu Jiao was indeed at home today.
She came to treat Grandpa Zhao next door. In the evening, Grandpa Zhao's eldest grandson suddenly ran to the clinic and said that Grandpa Zhao had fallen and couldn't get up. Gu Jiao hurriedly put down what she was doing and rushed back.
Grandpa Zhao's fall was an accident. He sprained his right wrist and right ankle, and the pain was so severe that he could not get up. When Gu Jiao checked Grandpa Zhao's injuries, she also checked other things and found that Grandpa Zhao actually had high blood pressure.
It wasn't serious, so Mr. Zhao didn't feel much of a problem on a daily basis.
However, if you wait until you experience unbearable discomfort, then the situation is very serious.
After treating Grandpa Zhao's injuries and prescribing some blood pressure medication, Gu Jiao returned to the east room and heard Xiao Jingkong's voice.
Gu Jiao put down the first-aid kit and went outside.
"Jiaojiao!"
Xiao Jingkong rushed into Gu Jiao's arms.
The five-year-old boy is no longer the same as when he first arrived, only able to hug Gu Jiao's legs. Now, he can barely reach Gu Jiao's waist by standing on tiptoe.
Gu Jiao would usually bend down and let Xiao Jingkong jump into her arms.
When she made this gesture, she wasn't as tender and maternal as Yao Shi. She was actually a bit stiff, and her expression was overly calm. But the moment she wrapped her arms around Xiao Jingkong, the sense of security that felt like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami being blocked behind her was something no embrace could match.
Xiao Jingkong breathed in Gu Jiao's scent with peace of mind, closed his eyes, and felt his heart calm down: "Jiao Jiao."
Gu Jiao rubbed his little head: "Did you go to the palace?"
Gu Jiao had already heard about it from Madam Yao.
"Okay!" Little Jingkong nodded. "I'm going to see my great-aunt and big brother!"
Gu Jiao took his little hand and walked towards the backyard: "Are your great-aunt and little brother alright?"
Xiao Jingkong said happily, "Great! Everything's fine! No, wait, it's not so good for you, little brother."
"What's wrong?" Gu Jiao asked.
Xiao Jingkong sighed: "It seems like something happened to his mother. I don't know what happened, and I'm worried about him."
Has something happened to Princess Ning'an?
Gu Jiao paused for a moment, then said, "I'll ask around for you later."
"Um!"
The two arrived at the well, and Gu Jiao drew a bucket of water for him to wash his hands.
Luckily, Xiao Jingkong is a child who can withstand the cold and is not delicate at all. If it were Qin Chuyu, he would probably have been freezing and crying out in pain.
Gu Jiao also thought the well water was really warm in winter, and she could take a bath directly with it.
But my family won't allow it.
After washing his hands, Xiao Jingkong went to practice boxing. It was the boxing style that Gu Changqing had taught him. He practiced it every day, at least once, sometimes three or four times, without interruption.
Gu Jiao felt that once a day was enough to strengthen her body, and there was no need to go to such lengths.
Xiao Jingkong isn't just doing this for physical fitness; he wants to protect Jiaojiao, and also, his chickens.
There's no harm in practicing boxing more, so Gu Jiao let him be.
That night, Gu Jiao learned that the emperor had been assassinated and was in a coma.
In the old chief priest's study next door, Gu Jiao, Xiao Heng, and the old chief priest sat around a cushion next to a low table.
"I knew she would make a move, but I didn't expect her to be so ruthless..." the old priest sighed.
They publicized the case of Xianleju, forcing the emperor to investigate and give the people an explanation. Later, Hua Xiyao confessed her guilt.
The intention was to force her to take action.
After all, a person only reveals their weakness when they make a move.
The old chief priest pondered for a moment and said, "I thought she might use a self-inflicted injury ruse to soften His Majesty's heart. Or she might destroy the confession before His Majesty sees it, and then send someone to assassinate Hua Xiyao. But how did she end up stabbing His Majesty?"
"It was smashed," Xiao Heng corrected.
"It's all the same." The old chief priest cleared his throat. "His Majesty is truly pitiful."
Xiao Heng: Your expression clearly doesn't reflect that.
Gu Jiao was thirsty and went to drink tea.
Xiao Heng subtly took her cooled tea and gave her his untouched cup of hot tea instead.
His gaze didn't fall on Gu Jiao, and his expression was indifferent, as if it were just a casual gesture. He said, "His Majesty must have seen the confession and chosen not to believe her, and may even have detained her, which is why she took the risk of attacking His Majesty. There are two suspicious points: First, why doesn't His Majesty believe her? Second, His Majesty has a Dragon Shadow Guard by his side, how did she bypass the Dragon Shadow Guard to attack His Majesty?"
Empress Xiao had never witnessed the power of the Dragon Shadow Guards and could not imagine how fast they could strike. No one could easily harm His Majesty under the watchful eyes of the Dragon Shadow Guards, and even if they did, they would not be able to escape unscathed.
“I’m puzzled by the first point,” Xiao Heng said.
Gu Jiao nodded.
She was too.
His Majesty dotes on Princess Ning'an so much that it seems a bit unreasonable to suspect her based on just a confession.
Unless something else happened in the Imperial Study that caused His Majesty's affectionate view of Princess Ning'an to shatter all at once.
The old chief minister stroked his white beard and said, "Back then, Consort Jing fell from power too quickly. I always felt that there was something between her and His Majesty that we overlooked."
Xiao Heng said, "Regarding the second question, I have a guess in mind."
The old chief priest looked at him and said, "You speak."
Xiao Heng analyzed, "She couldn't possibly attack His Majesty without going through the Dragon Shadow Guards. She either lured the Dragon Shadow Guards away or defeated them. She didn't know Sun Ping would be delivering the message beforehand, so it's unlikely that the Dragon Shadow Guards were lured away in advance."
"So she was able to defeat the Dragon Shadow Guard?" The old chief priest looked at Gu Jiao. "Jiao Jiao, does she know martial arts?"
Gu Jiao took a sip of the hot tea her husband handed her, feeling a warm sensation in her stomach. She shook her head and said, "I didn't notice anything."
The old chief priest frowned: "Could she be a master, like Consort Jing, using medicine to alter her pulse and concealing her martial arts skills?"
Gu Jiao said, "If that were the case, her body would show signs of weakness, but she doesn't have that."
Xiao Heng said, "You don't necessarily need to know martial arts to deal with the Dragon Shadow Guards. Everything in the world has its counterpart. The Dragon Shadow Guards come from the Yan Kingdom, so I think the Yan Kingdom must have a way to deal with them."
The group of people all thought of the powerful force behind the Xianleju establishment.
Are they really so wary of the young master of Xianleju, taking such a cautious approach?
Given Empress Dowager Zhuang's capabilities, would it have been difficult for her to issue an edict to depose this princess?
The reason why he had to lower himself to play mind games was largely to test the hidden power of the Yan Kingdom.
Xiao Heng paused for a moment, then said, "Hua Xiyao can no longer stay in the Ministry of Justice."
The emperor couldn't tell if the confession was real or fake, but the young master of Xianleju could spot the flaws at a glance. After all, the confession didn't describe Hua Xiyao's real experiences at all, and the narrative tone was wrong. The only thing that was the same was the handwriting. However, since the first two points were fake, it wasn't hard to guess that the handwriting had also been forged.
The young master of Xianleju understood that Hua Xiyao had not betrayed her so far. However, things were different now. She had taken such big actions and was taking much greater risks than before. Hua Xiyao's existence was always a threat to her.
Xiao Heng didn't care about Hua Xiyao's life, but Hua Xiyao was still one of the key witnesses to bring down the young master of Xianleju.
After discussions among the group, Hua Xiyao was secretly sent to the clinic that night, where she became Mo Qianxue's next-door neighbor.
Hua Xiyao: "..."
Mo Qianxue: "..."
Gu Jiao planned to transfer the hidden guard A to watch over Hua Xiyao, but Mo Qianxue snorted, "No need for that trouble, I can keep an eye on her... Give her a little more of the muscle relaxant!"
Hua Xiyao: "..."
After settling Hua Xiyao in, the group assessed the risk levels of the remaining personnel, ranking them from lowest to highest as Empress Xiao, the Emperor, and Minister Xing.
Empress Xiao is investigating this case. The less she knows about the inside story, the safer she is. As long as her direction is wrong, that's exactly what Princess Ning'an wants. But once she realizes who the real culprit is, her situation will become dangerous.
This is why Xiao Heng decided not to reveal the inside story to her for the time being.
The emperor is now in Princess Ning'an's hands, and his personal safety is uncertain. However, if he dies now, Ning'an's interests will also come to an end. Ning'an will not touch him until she has squeezed all the value out of him.
I just don't know how long this value can be extracted.
The first person to be operated on might actually be Minister Xing.
The following day, the Court of Judicial Review began investigating Sun Ping's assassination attempt on the emperor. Minister Xing firmly claimed that Sun Ping was innocent and hoped that the Court of Judicial Review could give Sun Ping justice.
Minister Xing was, after all, a second-rank official. Unless His Majesty personally ordered him to be tortured, the Court of Judicial Review could not really use severe torture against him.
But this can't go on forever.
Just as the Dali Temple was racking its brains over not being able to find conclusive evidence in the case, a yamen runner from the Ministry of Justice approached the Dali Temple, claiming that a suspect detained by the Ministry of Justice possessed evidence in the case.
The Dali Temple hurriedly summoned the person to the interrogation room.
Minister Xing was also present.
Minister Xing never expected that the visitor would be Vice Minister Li.
Li Shilang was framed while investigating the Xianleju case and is now implicated in a murder case. There is insufficient evidence to overturn his conviction, so he is temporarily detained in the Ministry of Justice.
Minister Xing had a plan in mind: once he brought down Xianleju, he would release Vice Minister Li.
"My lords," Vice Minister Li bowed to the two men.
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review said, "No need for formalities. I have heard that Vice Minister Li has clues about this case."
“That’s right.” Vice Minister Li said, his eyes fixed on the ground ahead. “Actually, I know who is behind this.”
"oh?"
“Sun Ping is just a sharp blade; the real murderer is someone else. He is…” Minister Li suddenly paused at this point.
A sense of foreboding welled up in Minister Xing's heart.
Li Shilang steeled his heart and said, "Lord Xing, I'm sorry, I've failed you in your cultivation over the years, but I really can't keep this a secret any longer!"
Minister Xing looked at him in disbelief: "Vice Minister Li!"
Vice Minister Li didn't go to see him, but instead took several letters from his robes and handed them to the Minister of Justice: "These are evidence of the private dealings between Lord Xing and the Sun brothers. Sun Ping's cousin, Sun Jian, used to be a street urchin. Once, when Lord Xing was traveling, he encountered some robbers. Sun Jian had a grudge against those people, so he beat them up. Unexpectedly, this caught Lord Xing's eye, and Lord Xing brought the two brothers into the Ministry of Justice as yamen runners. Sun Ping is relatively honest, but Sun Jian has some unrepentant bad habits. Lord Xing has paid off his gambling debts several times. These are Sun Jian's IOUs and letters of repentance."
Not long ago, Lord Xing gave Sun Ping a large sum of money, asking him to do a very important thing for him. I overheard this by chance outside the duty room. Lord Xing instructed him that this matter was of great importance and that he must keep it a secret from Sun Jian. I also heard Sun Ping say, "If I don't come back, please ask the doctor to take good care of my cousin. Although my cousin is a bit of a gambler, he has been trying to change, and has been for quite some time now."
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review asked, "Why didn't you say so sooner?"
Li, the Vice Minister, said bitterly, “We are from the Ministry of Justice, and we often have to investigate some confidential cases. I thought Sun Ping had been sent out to investigate a major case that could lead to his death, which was not something I should concern myself with, so I didn’t think much of it. It was only this morning when I heard the yamen runners outside the prison say that His Majesty had been assassinated and that the murderer was Sun Ping that I remembered this matter.”
What hurts the most is never the enemy's swords and spears, but the cold arrows from one's comrades.
Why did you do that?
"My lord, am I not telling the truth?"
It's true, but it's not the whole truth.
Minister Xing did indeed ask Sun Ping to do something for him and gave Sun Ping some silver notes, but he was only taking care of the family of a deceased yamen runner.
The constable was killed in retaliation by the murderer while investigating a murder case. Minister Xing has always felt guilty, feeling that he failed to protect his subordinate.
Little did Sun Ping know that this would happen before he could even send out the silver notes.
Sure enough, when you're down on your luck, even drinking water can cause problems.
The Minister of Justice looked at Minister Xing with a complicated expression, and said to Vice Minister Li, "So, the mastermind behind instigating Sun Ping to assassinate His Majesty is Minister Xing?"
Li Shilang said, "The person who instructed Sun Ping was Minister Xing, but he was not the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on His Majesty. Minister Xing was just doing someone else's bidding."
Upon hearing this, not only was Minister Xing completely taken aback, but even the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review was stunned.
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review said solemnly, "Is there some hidden story? Who is the mastermind behind this?"
Li Shilang closed his eyes with a pained expression, as if he had made a huge decision, and said, "It is the Empress Dowager!"
Minister Xing punched Vice Minister Li to the ground!
...
Li Shilang handed over some of the letters that Empress Dowager Zhuang wrote to Minister Xing. They were not Empress Dowager Zhuang's own handwriting, but this is understandable. How could such a shrewd person as the Empress Dowager possibly have her own handwriting to avoid giving anyone a handle to use against her?
She doesn't even know how to use the handwriting of the people around her.
However, if each letter is heated with candlelight, the Empress Dowager Zhuang's phoenix seal will appear on the paper.
The contents of the letter confirmed that Minister Xing had been secretly maneuvering between the Emperor and Empress Dowager Zhuang for years. The last letter was seven days ago, in which Empress Dowager Zhuang said that she had been patient with the Emperor for a long time. The Emperor had been opposing her for many years and found that he could not defeat her by force, so he began to use filial piety to deceive him.
She thought the emperor had truly reconciled with her, and even relinquished the power of the court that she had held for many years for his sake.
Unexpectedly, the emperor has recently been plotting to get rid of her.
If the emperor is unrighteous, then don't blame her for being unjust.
She wants the emperor dead!
The whole thing was so well-constructed that if Minister Xing hadn't known it was a trap set for him, he probably would have believed it himself.
These letters were all written by Empress Dowager Zhuang, and there were no replies from Minister Xing, which is understandable.
Minister Xing's reply must be in Empress Dowager Zhuang's hands. If it can't be found in Empress Dowager Zhuang's possession, there's an explanation—given Empress Dowager Zhuang's shrewdness, she wouldn't leave any evidence; she would definitely burn it after reading it.
"Then why should I keep the evidence? Aren't I afraid of being exposed?" Minister Xing questioned Vice Minister Li.
Li, clutching his swollen face, calmly replied, "That's because you understand, sir, that being the Empress Dowager's puppet is like playing with fire. If one day the Empress Dowager discards you after she's served her purpose, you at least still have the trump card of threatening her to protect yourself!"
The reason is simply impeccable.
Minister Xing should have been angry, but his first reaction was to give himself a thumbs up in his mind—a perfect crime!
...
Empress Dowager Zhuang was once the most powerful woman in the Zhao Kingdom. Before the late emperor passed away, he appointed her to act as regent.
The late emperor rightfully handed power to her, so what if she ruled from behind the curtain? As long as she doesn't rebel, no one can do anything to her.
But now that the regicide has occurred, everything is different.
Empress Xiao was usually very wary of Empress Dowager Zhuang, but even a rabbit will bite when cornered. Empress Dowager Zhuang had already committed regicide and rebellion, so how could she continue to swallow her anger?
"The worst that can happen is death. If I die, my brother will come back and avenge me!"
The deputy commander of the Imperial Guards was a confidant of Marquis Xuanping. Empress Xiao took the token left to her by Marquis Xuanping and ordered the deputy commander to lead troops to place Empress Dowager Zhuang under house arrest in Renshou Palace.
Empress Xiao had no right to deal with the Empress Dowager; she could only wait for the Emperor to wake up before making a decision. Therefore, after secretly placing Empress Dowager Zhuang under house arrest, Empress Xiao returned to Kunning Palace to handle official business.
After the emperor's assassination, the palace was filled with panic and fear. In the past, the palace gates were bustling with activity at mealtimes, but today they were unusually solemn.
The palace servants carried food boxes out of the imperial kitchen. When they met, they no longer greeted each other with laughter and chatter. They silently performed the required bows and ignored those that did not.
Inside Huaqing Palace, a young eunuch also brought the emperor's meal.
"You may all leave, I will take care of it," Eunuch Wei instructed the palace servants.
"yes."
The crowd filed out.
After looking around to make sure there was no one else in the bedchamber, Eunuch Wei approached the dragon bed and softly called out a few times, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
The emperor did not react.
"Your Majesty, I apologize for my inconvenience." Eunuch Wei took out a raw fish maw from his bosom. He had soaked the fish maw in medicine to remove the fishy smell.
He cut a small opening in the fish bladder, pried open the emperor's mouth, and forced his finger inside.
Just as he finished doing this, a nonchalant voice sounded behind him: "Eunuch Wei, what are you doing?"
Eunuch Wei shuddered and almost poked the fish bladder into the emperor's throat!
He forced himself to calm down, turned around and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "You scared me to death! It's just a princess. I thought it was the empress."
Princess Ning'an stepped forward and looked at him suspiciously: "Why are you so guilty when the Empress is here?"
While tidying the emperor's bedding, Eunuch Wei subtly slipped the small piece of fish maw he had cut off into the emperor's trousers.
Eunuch Wei's eyes flickered, and he said awkwardly, "This servant is now your man, so I can't help but feel a little guilty when I see the Empress again."
Princess Ning'an sneered: "That's true. If the Empress finds out that you have betrayed His Majesty, I won't be able to save your life. So you'd better be careful, lest I don't take your life, but the Empress does."
Eunuch Wei obsequiously replied, "Yes, yes."
"How is His Majesty's condition?" Princess Ning'an asked arrogantly.
Eunuch Wei thought to himself, "They've really torn off the mask. They're too lazy to even pretend anymore. Where is there even a trace of brotherly and sisterly affection in this? Even Princess Xinyang treats His Majesty much better than you do!"
Eunuch Wei replied, "He still seems to be unconscious."
Princess Ning'an took out a bottle of medicine from her wide sleeve.
"This servant will come!" Eunuch Wei said solicitously.
"You?" Princess Ning'an looked at him questioningly.
Eunuch Wei said, “His Majesty hasn’t washed up for two days and looks a little disheveled. The princess is of noble birth, so I will feed her. You can watch over her and remind me if I feed her incorrectly.”
Princess Ning'an glanced at the unkempt emperor, pursed her lips, and handed the bottle to Eunuch Wei: "Alright, you take it."
Eunuch Wei took it, uncorked the bottle, and carefully and nervously reached out to grab the emperor's chin.
His hands trembled slightly, showing how nervous he was.
But this tension is not suspicious; after all, it is the first time that the emperor's body has been offended in this way, and anyone would be afraid.
Princess Ning'an watched intently as Eunuch Wei carefully poured the medicine into the emperor's mouth. She smiled faintly and said, "He poured it better than I could; not a single drop was spilled."
Eunuch Wei smiled but didn't say anything, looking both frightened and obsequious.
Princess Ning'an was successfully amused and couldn't help but laugh: "Alright, your head is firmly on your neck. Even if you spill it, I won't kill you. Even if Empress Xiao wants to kill you, I will protect you. Do you know why?"
Of course, Eunuch Wei wouldn't say it was because Princess, you are kind and virtuous.
Isn't this a case of trying to flatter someone but ending up hurting them?
Eunuch Wei chuckled and said, "Because I am His Majesty's chief steward, His Majesty has to convey some of his messages to me. I am also of some use to the princess."
Princess Ning'an sneered, "You're quite clever."
Eunuch Wei said, "By the way, Princess, shouldn't you try to visit Huaqing Palace less often in the future? What if the Empress finds out—"
Princess Ning'an said casually, "If they find out, just say I came to visit my brother. My brother and I are very close, how could the Empress suspect anything?"
Eunuch Wei said earnestly, "That's because you come openly and honestly, so the Empress won't suspect anything. But if you always come secretly like this, and the Empress catches you in the act... the Empress isn't stupid."
Why did Princess Ning'an come secretly? Wasn't it to drug the emperor away from everyone? There are fewer people around at this time.
Only then did Princess Ning'an realize that none of the palace servants were there tonight.
"Huh? Where did they all go?" she asked, puzzled.
I did something bad to get them away.
Eunuch Wei broke out in a cold sweat, but remained calm and said, "I anticipated that the princess might arrive at this time, so I sent them away in advance."
Princess Ning'an burst into laughter as she looked at Eunuch Wei: "No wonder my imperial brother values you so much, Eunuch Wei, you are truly meticulous!"
With a devout expression, Eunuch Wei said, "It is my duty to share my master's burdens. If I want to live, I must show the princess my abilities."
Princess Ning'an smiled and said, "Alright, after this is done, whether you live or die will depend on how much you win my favor."
Eunuch Wei said, "This servant would give his life for the princess!"
Princess Ning'an gave a cold smile: "Alright, go and stand guard outside. I have something to say to my brother. Remember, don't let anyone in."
"……yes!"
"Oh, right."
"Princess, please give your orders."
"Where is my imperial brother's imperial seal?"
Eunuch Wei froze.
Princess Ning'an looked at him with a half-smile: "Just now you said you would do anything for me, but now you're not even willing to give me the imperial seal?"
With a heavy heart, Eunuch Wei went to the small study in the bedroom, opened the hidden compartment, took out the imperial seal, and handed it to Princess Ning'an with both hands.
Princess Ning'an smiled smugly: "Go out."
Eunuch Wei glanced back at the unconscious Emperor, then turned and left the bedchamber.
Princess Ning'an sat down next to the emperor with the imperial seal in her hand, and with her other hand she took out a bright yellow imperial edict from her wide sleeve.
In the Zhao Kingdom, the emperor's edicts were mostly dictated by the emperor, written by a Hanlin scholar who would slightly embellish the text, and finally presented to the emperor for his seal.
However, there are exceptions, such as when the emperor writes his own edicts or designates someone close to him to write them.
"Brother, you must want to know what happened today. Why don't I tell you?"
"There's been progress in the case of Sun Ping's assassination attempt on the Emperor. You'd never guess who the mastermind behind it all is—it's the Empress Dowager."
“I didn’t expect this either. Your mother loves you so much, how could she let someone kill you? But with witnesses and physical evidence, your mother can’t overturn the case this time.”
"Who are the people investigating the case? It's the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and his sister-in-law, the Empress."
"I'm sure you know my brother's temper. When he heard that our mother had done something so outrageous, she immediately ordered the Imperial Guards to place her under house arrest in Renshou Palace."
"My sister-in-law, the Empress, also asked me to ask my brother how to deal with Mother? What? My brother wants to kill Mother?"
"This is inappropriate. After all, Mother raised my elder brother. How could he commit matricide? Oh, I forgot, he did it before. Wasn't Mother executed by him? I suppose he'll get used to it and kill his mother again... without even blinking an eye, right?"
Princess Ning'an's smile was chilling, as if she were possessed. However, the next moment, her smile vanished, and she said coldly, "My mother was killed by your combined forces, and you still have the nerve to ask me if I resent it or not?"
"Brother, why don't I kill your mother and then ask you if you have any grievances!"
The unconscious emperor suddenly began to tremble slightly, his hands and the pupils under his eyelids seeming to struggle and shake violently.
He resembled a beast struggling to break free from its shackles and cage, even at the cost of its own flesh and blood.
"Ha!" Princess Ning'an pinned him down with one hand and said sarcastically, "Killing her would be too easy for her. It would be better to make her shave her head and become a nun, to taste the suffering my mother endured! Let her watch helplessly as her son dies tragically before her eyes, and watch the empire she protected fall into the hands of others bit by bit! Isn't that feeling worse than death?"
The emperor was trembling violently!
Princess Ning'an showed no pity whatsoever. She withdrew her hand from the emperor's, straightened up, and left the palace with the imperial edict in her hand.
She tossed another bottle of medicine to Eunuch Wei: "Give him another dose tonight."
Eunuch Wei glanced at the imperial edict in her hand, his pupils contracted, and he dared not ask any more questions. He lowered his head and accepted it with both hands, saying, "Yes."
Princess Ning'an raised her chin and said, "His Majesty just woke up. This is the imperial edict he asked me to write on his behalf—Empress Dowager Zhuang has committed regicide and rebellion, which is extremely treasonous. She is to go to Taiping Nunnery to become a nun from this day forward and is not to return to the palace without being summoned. Eunuch Wei, you come with me to Renshou Palace now to issue the imperial edict!"
Eunuch Wei's expression changed drastically: "Princess..."
Princess Ning'an looked at him coldly: "To go, or to die?"
Eunuch Wei tremblingly accepted the imperial edict.
He didn't believe His Majesty would harm Empress Dowager Zhuang. The mother and son had long since reconciled. His Majesty would rather die himself than hurt the Empress Dowager!
This is clearly... this is clearly...
Princess Ning'an said coldly, "Don't test my patience! If you won't go, someone else will do!"
Wei Gonggong felt a churning in his chest.
I can't die, I can't die. If I die, she'll find someone else to serve His Majesty, and His Majesty's chances of survival will be even slimmer...
With reddened eyes, Eunuch Wei said in a trembling voice, "Go! This servant... this servant... will go to Renshou Palace to deliver the imperial decree!"
Eunuch Wei followed Princess Ning'an to Renshou Palace.
Empress Xiao decreed that no one was allowed to enter Renshou Palace to visit Empress Dowager Zhuang.
However, seeing the imperial edict was equivalent to seeing His Majesty, so Eunuch Wei and Princess Ning'an were not among those who were prevented from seeing the emperor.
"Imperial edict arrives—"
Eunuch Wei sang loudly.
There was no response from inside Renshou Palace.
Eunuch Wei announced again, "The imperial edict has arrived—"
Only the palace servants came out.
Princess Ning'an looked towards the tightly closed bedroom: "Mother, His Majesty has issued a decree."
Empress Dowager Zhuang seemed to have no intention of paying attention to anyone.
Indeed, no emperor has ever issued an edict to the empress dowager before; this is truly the first time in history.
It was understandable that Empress Dowager Zhuang ignored it.
Eunuch Wei called out the imperial edict again.
Princess Ning'an frowned, stepped forward, and pushed open the vermilion, openwork door.
But the bedchamber was empty; there was no sign of Empress Dowager Zhuang.
Aunt: Oh my, finally I can play cards all night long!
(End of this chapter)
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