Chapter 179: Eliminate the Mother and Keep the Son
It was completely dark outside.
The Queen Mother's carriage passed slowly on the palace road. The palace servants held palace lanterns in their hands but kept a few steps away from the carriage, not daring to get too close.
Inside the imperial carriage, two bright copper lamps illuminated the Empress Dowager's slightly gloomy face with great clarity.
The queen looked at her anxiously and called out, "Aunt?"
The Queen Mother didn't look at her, but patted the back of her hand gently, "If you have anything to say, let's talk about it when we return to the palace."
However, these words did not make the queen relax, but made her even more anxious.
After getting off the imperial carriage, the empress dowager walked straight into the palace.
Nanny Sun reached out to stop the palace maid who was about to follow her in, and stepped forward to slowly close the door of the hall.
As soon as the palace door closed, the empress dowager suddenly turned around and slapped the empress hard in the face.
"You are totally confused!"
The queen's head was knocked to one side. She subconsciously covered her face which was almost numb from the pain, turned her head to look at the queen mother, and said in disbelief, "Aunt, you don't believe me?"
"How can I trust you?" In her rage, the Queen Mother even forgot her honorific title.
"Am I such a fool in my aunt's heart?" The Queen's voice was sharp. "If I really have such a vicious mind, then there is no way the child will grow up safely!"
The Queen Mother's eyes were still filled with anger, and her facial expression was slightly distorted, making her no longer as kind as usual, and showing a bit of viciousness.
"Even if you did it, you should have cleaned up the mess thoroughly. You still have to let me clean up your mess!" She said angrily, "You really disappoint me!"
The queen's eyes turned red, and her expression still contained a hint of disbelief.
It turns out that the Queen Mother was so angry not because the eldest prince was almost killed. She was angry because she felt that she had not done the job neatly and efficiently and that she still needed to step in.
Is her love for the eldest prince all fake?
Regardless of whether it was true or false, what the empress could be sure of was that the empress dowager had already determined that she was the one who did it.
The emperor believed her, but her good aunt, the good queen mother, didn't even give her the slightest chance to refute!
The queen felt a little discouraged for a moment. She opened her mouth, but ultimately did not defend herself.
Just now, all the evidence was clearly laid out before her eyes, but the Queen Mother refused to believe it. Now, even if she says something fancy, the Queen Mother will not believe it.
Seeing that she just had red eyes and didn't say anything, the Queen Mother snorted coldly again.
"Do you know you're wrong?"
The queen touched her hot cheeks, but strangely she didn't feel any pain.
"I know I was wrong."
The Queen Mother snorted again and said angrily, "The eldest prince looks like he is born with deficiencies. Even if we let him grow up, what can he do? You are messing around for a child. I think you are going to ruin your brain by reading those sage books all day long."
The queen tightened her hands around her legs a little bit, but she didn't say anything in retort.
After looking at her again, the Queen Mother's anger eased a little. She turned around and sat on the couch. She put one hand on the low table and rubbed the Buddhist beads on her wrist with the other hand. She said in a cold voice: "Don't blame me for hitting you. I wanted to wake you up for your own good."
For her own good?
The queen sneered in her heart, but her face remained stern and she said nothing.
When the Queen Mother saw her like this, some anger appeared in her eyes, and underneath the anger was coldness.
If the Fang family had only this one legitimate daughter, and if she was the only one who could match her prince, she would never have allowed such a useless person to enter the palace!
All the roads were paved for her, but she couldn't walk on them!
The Queen Mother took a deep breath and temporarily suppressed her anger. "There is another reason why I am so angry."
She slowed down her tone and said, "Lady Liu is going to give birth next month. Did you know that?"
The Queen looked up suddenly, wondering why the Queen Mother suddenly mentioned Concubine Liu.
"Whether the child is a boy or a girl, I intend to raise him with you."
The Queen Mother's tone was very calm, but it sounded like thunder to the Queen.
The Queen said hurriedly: "If she really gives birth to the child safely, the Emperor will definitely canonize her as a concubine." She had already drafted the edict for the canonization.
"Besides, Lady Liu's father is now attached to the Shen family. It is impossible for the emperor to bring her child to me to raise."
After hearing what the Queen said, the Queen Mother laughed with an ambiguous tone.
She gently twirled the beads with her thumb and looked at the queen with fixed eyes, "Lady Liu is in very poor health now. She won't be able to live to see her child."
The Queen's heart skipped a beat. When she saw the coldness in the Queen Mother's eyes, she involuntarily took a step back.
She, she wants to leave the mother and the child behind?
Seeing her so restless, the Queen Mother's eyes flashed with disdain, and she added: "As you said, the Liu family has already turned their swords against the Shen family. If Lady Liu is allowed to raise the child by her side, wouldn't that be helping the Shen family?"
"So this child must be raised by your side!"
The Queen Mother's tone softened again, "I am doing this for your own good. You have seen the situation of Concubine De. Although she is not favored, she has the eldest prince by her side. The Emperor has to visit her once a month."
"If you also have a child, and the emperor comes more often, and you take good care of yourself, you might be able to give birth to the emperor's legitimate son, right?"
The Queen Mother's emotional appearance only made the Queen feel even colder.
It took her a long time to find her voice again, and she said hoarsely: "Su, did the Queen Mother know about Su Yiyan's plot to murder Lady Liu?"
"How dare the Su family make such a decision on their own? Of course, they have informed your father." The Queen Mother sneered.
Did the Su family tell my father, or did my father instruct the Su family?
The Queen's eyes were already filled with tears. After the shock, her heart was now filled with disappointment and resentment. She stood there for a long time clutching her clothes before she opened her eyes. "Everything depends on the Queen Mother's orders."
——
At the same time, on the other side of the palace road, the emperor's carriage was passing slowly.
The destination was not Defei's Yiyang Palace, but Yanning Palace.
"Your Majesty, don't be sad."
Yun Qin looked at Huo Jinchi's gloomy expression, took the initiative to hold his warm hand, and whispered.
After the eldest prince drank the medicine and fell asleep, Yun Qin thought that the emperor would go to Yiyang Palace to accompany Concubine De, but she didn't expect that he ordered someone to send Concubine De back and then took himself to the palace.
Although she was not expecting it, she was not surprised.
It’s actually very easy to understand.
Even if the Empress was responsible for the negligence, Concubine De was not without responsibility.
She should have not failed to tell the Queen, and she should not have failed to remind the eldest prince when he was eating in the palace.
In fact, it looks weird no matter how you look at it.
But after all, that child was her own flesh and blood, she couldn't have been deliberately neglecting him. She could only be said to be too careless or to have trusted the Queen too much.
In short, in the eyes of the emperor, she was also wrong, so not going to Yiyang Palace today would be a punishment for her.
Yun Qin would be stupid to proactively ask the emperor why he didn't go to Yiyang Palace, and just pretend not to know.
Her gentle words brought Huo Jinchi back to his senses. He held Yun Qin's hand and whispered, "Where did you see me sad?"