Empress Wu was alarmed. After returning to the palace, she secretly sent people to investigate and indeed found some clues that the emperor had given her a drug to prevent her from having children.
Don't be fooled by how well the Emperor treats her now. Once the war is over and her father and brothers return to Longxiao City, who knows what will happen next?
She must find a way to conceive a prince as soon as possible; she can't wait any longer!
Even if this child...
After making up her mind, Empress Wu went to the dungeon of the general's mansion.
Empress Wu did not order Gao Hongyuan's death. Two months later, Gao Hongyuan appeared extremely weak, but his life was not in danger.
Upon seeing Empress Wu arrive, Gao Hongyuan, who had been sitting in a corner with his head down, smiled.
"Gao Hongyuan, besides getting pregnant, what else can you do to help me?" Empress Wu asked bluntly.
"Your Majesty, this humble subject can persuade the Emperor to obey Your Majesty's commands."
Three days later, the Grand Preceptor Xiaoyue suddenly fell ill and passed away.
A month later, someone suddenly fell ill and was cured by the Star Gu Pavilion using Gu techniques. Upon hearing this, the Emperor hurriedly sent people to search for him. They eventually found the Star Gu Pavilion Master's personal disciple in a secluded courtyard on the outskirts of the city and invited him to the palace to be appointed as the Imperial Preceptor.
Not long after the Imperial Advisor entered the palace, good news came from the palace: the Empress was pregnant. The Emperor was overjoyed and granted a general amnesty.
From then on, the emperor regarded the Imperial Advisor as someone who could bring good fortune to Xiaoyue. No matter what decision he made, he would first consult the Imperial Advisor to observe the celestial phenomena before making a decision. He even began to consult the Imperial Advisor and the Empress on matters of state.
After the Empress gave birth to a prince, the Emperor immediately made him the Crown Prince.
During her time with Gao Hongyuan, Empress Wu discovered that while he was ruthless to outsiders, he was incredibly attentive and considerate to her, and she gradually developed feelings for him.
After the prince was born, the late emperor, who was in his prime, suddenly fell ill and never recovered. After his death, the young crown prince succeeded to the throne, and Empress Dowager Wu, together with the national advisor, managed the government.
As far as Empress Wu was concerned, as long as the person sitting on the throne was her son, she could secure her position as Empress Dowager. What difference did it make whether the child's surname was Ji or Gao?
Empress Wu never expected that everything would go so smoothly, only to be disrupted by this little bastard who suddenly returned.
Pulling herself back to reality, Empress Dowager Wu looked at Gao Hongyuan with concern, "Cousin, what do you plan to do now?"
"Don't worry, rest well and heal your injuries. I'll go to the Duke of Xian's residence later."
After comforting Empress Dowager Wu, Gao Hongyuan went to Ji Yanzhuo's palace.
Ji Yanzhuo injured the Empress Dowager but showed no remorse. His hand was still aching, and he kept yelling and smashing everything in the palace.
The palace servants dared not approach the emperor, fearing they would be implicated and could only let him vent his anger.
Seeing the Imperial Preceptor arrive, the palace servants breathed a sigh of relief, and the chief eunuch came forward to greet him, saying, "Greetings, Imperial Preceptor."
"How is the Emperor?" Gao Hongyuan asked.
"His Majesty is in great pain from his wound and is still throwing a tantrum," the eunuch replied truthfully.
Gao Hongyuan went inside, where Ji Yanzhuo was slashing at the tables and shelves in the palace with his sword, venting his dissatisfaction.
"Ji Yanzhuo!" Gao Hongyuan roared.
Ji Yanzhuo stopped what he was doing and glared fiercely at Gao Hongyuan. "How dare you call me by my name! Ah—!"
Ji Yanzhuo thrust his sword at Gao Hongyuan, but Gao Hongyuan dodged it. Then, he grabbed Ji Yanzhuo by the back of the neck and, taking advantage of his distraction, threw a pill into his mouth.
Caught off guard, Ji Yanzhuo swallowed it whole. "What did you feed me?!"
No sooner had Ji Yanzhuo finished speaking than his eyelids rolled back and he fainted.
Gao Hongyuan helped him up and carried him to the bed.
"His Majesty is alright, he'll wake up later. Have Imperial Physician Bao come over and watch over him, and have him administer medicine to alleviate His Majesty's pain," Gao Hongyuan instructed.
"Yes!" The palace servants breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the Imperial Advisor had finally managed to appease the Emperor.
In fact, it wasn't that Imperial Physician Bao hadn't tried to find a solution, but since he had just been injured, the wound was bound to hurt, and he didn't dare to knock the Emperor unconscious like the Imperial Advisor did.
Just as Duke Xianguo saw Su Ruojin and the others off and put away the red pearl, a servant came to report that the Grand Preceptor was requesting an audience.
Duke Xian's eyes flickered. He really did come!
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