After the emperor stepped down from the dragon throne, he sat on a four-wheeled carriage pushed by eunuchs.

The emperor suddenly asked: "Why don't you go to the imperial mausoleum?"

The emperor's voice was a little unclear, but one could still barely make out what he was saying.

Speaking of the imperial mausoleum, Prince Li looked a little embarrassed. He coughed lightly and said, "The imperial mausoleum..."

Since the Lantern Festival, when the imperial mausoleum was destroyed and the former emperor's bones were crushed to dust, the emperor suffered a stroke and fell down. In the chaos, Prince Li ignored this matter. After Xiao Shuo was appointed to power, Prince Li asked him what he thought. Xiao Shuo only said that since it was done by bandits, the imperial guards should be held responsible.

Prince Li had no choice but to go find Zheng Zhongming again.

Zheng Zhongming said he would investigate, but up to now, there is still no news, not even the bandits who destroyed the imperial tomb have been caught.

The imperial tomb was simply hastily restored to its original state, with a set of clothes belonging to the previous emperor placed in the main tomb chamber.

Originally, they were supposed to go to the imperial mausoleum to pay homage before coming to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. However, after the Ministry of Rites and Prince Li discussed it, they went directly to the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

He hesitated to speak, but the emperor could still hear him and his expression became even more depressed.

He has been having a nightmare for the past few days.

Every year around the anniversary of the late emperor's death, this dream would haunt him, making him feel as if he had returned to ten years ago...

The emperor shuddered and said, "I will go see the empress dowager first."

The time calculated by Qin Tianjian had not yet arrived, so the emperor arrived a little earlier on purpose just to meet the empress dowager.

The emperor did not want to come today. After his stroke, he had become even more ferocious. He did not want to appear in front of the civil and military officials and the people like this. He hoped that in their hearts, he would still be as wise and powerful as before.

It was Xiao Shuo who persuaded him to come and see the Queen Mother.

At that time, Xiao Shuo said: "Perhaps the Queen Mother wants to see the Emperor and wants to make peace with you. It is hard to say whether the Queen Mother has something else in her hand..."

The emperor thought about it and immediately decided to come over.

He also wanted to meet the Queen Mother and ask her what she was thinking and why she treated him like this.

He wanted to know.

Prince Li said, "I will go with the emperor."

The emperor said with a trembling voice: "Okay, okay..."

Without Xiao Shuo's order, the eunuch lifted the emperor's shoulder strap.

Xiao Shuo also followed, and before leaving, his phoenix eyes slowly scanned all the people present. Everyone whose eyes fell on them lowered their heads, not daring to even breathe.

All the civil and military officials were left in front of the Imperial Temple. After Xiao Shuo left, not even his shadow could be seen. Only then did the surroundings become somewhat quiet again.

Governor Xiao's aura is simply too strong.

Only Sheng Xingan was a little absent-minded. After he arrived, he couldn't help but pay attention to Xiao Shuo, and naturally saw the child that Xiao Shuo was bringing.

The distance was quite far, so he couldn't actually see the child's face clearly. However, he didn't know what he felt, but the more he looked at the child, the more familiar he looked. He couldn't help but want to take a few more glances.

Could it be Jue'er?

Sheng Xingan hardly dared to think about it.

If it was Jue Ge'er, why would Xiao Shuo bring him with him...

Sheng Xingan suddenly had an idea. Xiao Shuo also recognized Yan Jie'er as his sister, so what was impossible? Yan Jie'er once said that her father-in-law had done Xiao Shuo a favor.

Could it really be Jue'er?

Sheng Xingan's heart was beating very fast.

He wished that today could end early. He wanted to go back and ask Sister Yan. If Jue Ge'er really returned to the capital, she would definitely know.

affim……

Zheng Zhongming glanced at Sheng Xingan from a distance.

Seeing Sheng Xingan looking nervous, he slightly curled his lips, and a strange emotion flashed across his eyes.

Then he withdrew his gaze and looked in the direction the emperor left.

By this time, the emperor's shoulder pole had already reached the side hall where the empress dowager lived.

Compared with the emperor's haggard appearance, the empress dowager was not much better. Her cheeks were deeply sunken and she had long lost her former grace and elegance.

In the side hall, apart from Cao Xi, there were only two maids serving, and four guards stood in front of the door and in the yard.

Compared with the imprisoned King Zhao, his situation was obviously not much better.

When he saw the Queen Mother, the Emperor was stunned.

The Queen Mother has never visited him since he fell ill. It has been nearly three months since they last saw each other.

"Queen Mother...why is this happening?"

Xiao Shuo lowered his eyes slightly and said, "The Queen Mother has stopped eating since the incident with Prince Zhao and has been in a turmoil for a while."

The emperor remembered that Song Yuan had told him about this.

Song Yuan sighed for a long time at that time, saying that the Queen Mother had lost a lot of weight because of King Zhao.

The resentment that had been suppressed in the emperor's heart for a long time began to boil over again.

Qin Wei was plotting treason, he wanted to kill him and take his place!

Even after the failure, the Queen Mother was still thinking about Qin Wei.

"Push, push me, put it down..."

The eunuch pushed the four-wheeled cart into the house, and Xiao Shuo stood outside without going in.

Prince Li looked at him hesitantly, and Xiao Shuo just said, "Epidemic."

The Queen Mother was infected with an epidemic, so naturally we couldn't get too close to her.

However, Xiao Shuo has found out in the past few days that this epidemic is indeed the same as the one the previous emperor had. It can only be transmitted through eating with people suffering from the epidemic or through blood contact. Therefore, there is no big deal if they are in the same room with someone.

The eunuch pushed the empress dowager in, but not into the bedroom, but into the outer room, separated from the empress dowager by a curtain. Another eunuch lifted the curtain, and the empress dowager could be seen lying on the couch.

In the corner of the room, an incense burner was lit. A wisp of white smoke slowly rose up, and a slightly sweet fragrance filled the air.

Prince Li did not move forward, but said from a distance: "Empress Dowager, the Emperor is here."

"Mother."

The emperor shouted in a faint voice.

It has been a long time since he called her "Mother".

The empress dowager raised her eyelids with difficulty when she heard the sound. When she saw that it was the emperor standing in front of her, her whole face distorted at that moment, and unspeakable hatred burst out of her eyes.

The emperor was startled by the Queen Mother's eyes and he subconsciously shrank back.

"Someone, push me..."

He wanted someone to push him out, but when he turned around, he found that no one was there. The eunuchs who pushed him in had all retreated outside and closed the door behind him.

Did I just ask them to back off?

The emperor was a little hesitant.

Maybe.

The emperor hesitated for a moment, gave up the idea of ​​asking someone to come in, and said to the empress dowager: "Mother, I haven't seen you for a long time. How are you doing recently?"

The Queen Mother spoke in a voice even weaker than his: "Okay, okay..."

To be honest, the empress dowager is only about fifty years old and has always taken good care of herself. Now, not only has most of her hair turned white, but her face also has several more wrinkles crisscrossing vertically and horizontally. Her cheeks are deeply sunken, and she looks like she is already in her sixties or seventies.

"Mother, please take good care of yourself, your illness will heal..."

The emperor felt sad and wanted to say something to comfort her, but the empress dowager suddenly let out a sharp cry, interrupting his words.

"Emperor." The Queen Mother struggled to speak and asked, "Do you want to kill me?"

She never thought that she had done anything wrong. The emperor had already suffered a stroke, and there was nothing wrong with her considering her youngest son. Besides, she was not trying to seize the throne, she was just a regent. Unexpectedly, the emperor wanted to kill her for this.

After being brought to the Imperial Temple, the empress dowager was initially just angry, angry that the emperor did not care about the mother-son relationship. Until she knew that the emperor wanted to kill her, her resentment gradually boiled over and turned into hatred that she could not suppress.

The emperor sighed slightly.

He once wanted Xiao Shuo to kill the Queen Mother, but, after all, they were mother and son, and he couldn't bear to do it. Now the Queen Mother wanted to blame him for this?

It was the Queen Mother and Qin Weixian who were sorry to him!

The emperor shook his head, looking disapproving.

The emperor frowned. The incense in the room was too greasy. It made him feel dizzy. He didn't want to stay any longer, so he said, "Queen Mother, if you want to see me, I'm here. If you have anything to say, just say it. If you don't have anything to say, I'll leave."

The Queen Mother's eyes flickered and she suppressed the anger in her heart.

She had been wanting to see the emperor these days, but she couldn't. They said they had already told her that the emperor was unwilling to come.

The emperor just watched her suffer.

Until now, when she was sick and dying, she finally waited for the emperor to come.

"Your Majesty." The Queen Mother softened her voice.

It was so difficult for her to see the emperor. She was about to die and she couldn't waste this opportunity.

"Ke'er, do you want me to die?"

The word "Ke'er" made the emperor's heart tremble.

This was his nickname. No one has called him by this name since he ascended the throne.

Obviously, the meaning was the same as before, but saying it now made the emperor feel a little complicated.

The emperor finally relented, shook his head and said, "No."

He thought that if the Queen Mother was willing to say a few soft words and submit, he could bring her into the palace and let her enjoy the honor of being the Queen Mother as before.

"What about Wei'er? Do you want Wei'er to die?" The Queen Mother's voice was extremely sad, and her hands tightly grasped the bed sheet.

The emperor said nothing.

This attitude is like a tacit agreement.

The Queen Mother's heart suddenly turned cold.

"Ke'er, Wei'er is your biological brother, you are born from the same mother." The Queen Mother's tears fell, and her already haggard face looked even more miserable. "I have only given birth to three of you in my life, and you are all my lifeblood. When Wei'er was born, he was premature, and the imperial physician said he could not be kept alive. But you came to my palace every day to see him, and you even copied scriptures for him with your own hands to pray for him."

The Queen Mother is almost at the end of her power.

She was already on the verge of collapse because of the Shiquan ointment, and had been holding on with tonics. Now that she had been infected with the epidemic, she was devastated.

A slight blush appeared on her face, as if a last glow of light had appeared. She was now holding her breath, after all, it was all for Qin Wei.

The Queen Mother’s eyes were actually a little blurry, but she kept saying softly, “When Wei’er was six years old, the late Emperor took you and your brothers on a winter hunt. You got separated from them and were chased by wolves. It was Wei’er who found you. He said that you were brothers and that he could sense where you were…”

"After the death of the previous emperor, before you ascended the throne, you told Wei'er that you would treat him well for the rest of your life."

"Your blood brother."

"Ke'er, have you forgotten?"

The emperor's heart couldn't help but be moved.

There are some things that he has indeed forgotten.

Now that he heard the Queen Mother mention it, memories flooded back to him, and he couldn't help but sigh.

He had once liked this younger brother very much. He had difficulty in having children, and had thought that if he was not blessed with another prince, he could have Qin Wei's son adopt him in the future.

only……

They are becoming more and more unfamiliar.

The emperor closed his eyes, but finally said, "Mother, I can promise you that I will not embarrass Qin Wei anymore."

If Qin Wei is a well-behaved person, then he can stay in prison for the rest of his life. He doesn't have to worry about his life.

Let him continue to enjoy the glory and wealth in the palace.

The Queen Mother was delighted. She tried to stand up by propping herself up on the couch with her elbows. She said with tears in her eyes, "Ke'er, I know you are not such a cruel person. I know..."

The emperor sighed deeply and said, "Mother, please have a good rest. You will get better soon."

"I will never get better."

The Queen Mother shook her head slowly. She knew that her body would not last for a few more days.

The Queen Mother said anxiously, "Ke'er, can you promise me one more thing?"

The emperor responded: "Mother, you speak."

She stretched out her hand to the emperor. The emperor thought for a moment, pushed the cart over, and when he was very close to the empress dowager, he held her hand again.

The Queen Mother burst into tears: "Ke'er, you are so seriously ill, your mother can't take good care of you."

The emperor felt very uncomfortable.

"But..." The Queen Mother changed the subject and said, "Weier is a polite and filial child. He has always respected you as his elder brother. He will take good care of you..."

emperor:"……"

Seeing that the emperor did not refute her, the empress dowager continued, "How about letting Wei'er rule on your behalf?"

The emperor was silent for a while, then he spoke, "Let Qin Wei replace... me?"

The Queen Mother raised her body a little higher and said with a little excitement: "Weier is your biological brother. If you don't trust him, who else can you trust?"

The Queen Mother gently coaxed him, "That Xiao Shuo? Xiao Shuo has no good intentions at all. He controls the government alone and doesn't even take me seriously. He doesn't even take you seriously. How can you trust and use such a person?"

"He has an unknown background and a lowly family. He is just a eunuch, a lowly slave who is only fit to serve others. How can he be qualified to lead the government and hold great power? If you say this, you will be laughed at."

"Ke'er, you don't know whether he is loyal or treacherous, good or evil. He can only deceive you with sweet words and trick you into becoming a puppet step by step..."

"Ke'er, all the ancestors in the Imperial Temple are watching you. Don't be confused anymore."

The Queen Mother felt that Qin Wei was right. It was sheer stupidity for the Emperor to trust such a slave.

People like Xiao Shuo should be stepped on and trampled upon, so that he can know his limits, instead of trying to transform himself from a slave into a master.

The Queen Mother looked resentful.

Everyone in the palace was in awe of Xiao Shuo and no longer took her, the empress dowager, seriously.

She is the queen mother!

The Queen Mother gnashed her teeth and said, "Ke'er, kill Xiao Shuo... It's still not too late to kill Xiao Shuo now. Wei'er is your biological brother, you should believe it..."

“That’s enough!”

The weak emperor shook off the empress dowager's hand and said these words with almost all his strength. Afterwards, he took big, rapid breaths.

"Empress Dowager, are you really terminally ill?" The emperor couldn't help but ask this.

"You pretended to be sick on purpose to please me. You pretended to be sick to please me for Qin Wei?!"

The emperor suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter was silent, yet carried a hint of sadness, and a tear oozed from the corner of his eye.

He really thought that the Queen Mother was thinking about him at least a little bit, but what happened? For Qin Wei, for Qin Wei again!

Even though Xiao Shuo was not respectful to him now, as long as Xiao Shuo was around, he was still the emperor and he could still sit on the throne.

No matter what, Xiao Shuo cannot usurp the throne. Xiao Shuo has no descendants, so the throne is useless to him. Even if Xiao Shuo wants to support others, he can't get more than he has now...

For the sake of profit and power, Xiao Shuo would not betray him.

What if it was Qin Wei?

Can he still survive?

Will Qin Wei allow me to continue occupying this chair?

By then, I'm afraid I'll die of illness...

There was no way the Queen Mother didn't know this, but she still brought it up.

Yes, the Queen Mother even gave the secret decree to Qin Wei. How could she still have motherly feelings for me? It was because I was too sentimental that I was deceived and hurt again and again.

"Ke'er?"

The Queen Mother was a little confused. Why did the Emperor suddenly turn hostile? Didn’t they clearly agree on this?!

"Queen Mother, I think you haven't realized your mistake yet. In that case, you should just stay here."

"As for Qin Wei..." The emperor raised a malicious smile, "I have thought about it, I'd better let him die, so that I can rest in peace. You also said that he is the legitimate son of the previous emperor..."

The emperor spoke such a long speech in one breath, and at the end he could hardly catch his breath.

"emperor!"

The Queen Mother also changed the address directly and said angrily: "How dare you?"

The emperor could hardly suppress the fury in his eyes. He said sinisterly, "Do you think I dare?"

The Emperor no longer used honorifics when addressing the Empress Dowager; his eyes were filled with blood-thirsty madness.

All around, the scent of incense became stronger.

The Queen Mother was almost shocked. She looked at the murderous look on the Emperor's face and blurted out, "Yes, you dared to kill the late Emperor, how could you tolerate your own brother..."

The emperor's eyes gradually widened and he looked around subconsciously with a terrified expression, as if he was worried that someone else might have heard it.

The last bit of hope in his heart also disappeared like smoke.

It turned out to be the Queen Mother’s doing.

As expected, the secret decree was given to Qin Wei by the Queen Mother, and the Queen Mother wanted to put him to death.

The Queen Mother said in a sharp voice: "It was you who killed the late emperor, Qin Ke, you killed your father!"

At that time, the late emperor died of an epidemic on his way to Mount Tai for a ceremony of consecration.

The Queen Mother was heartbroken, but she never thought that this had anything to do with Qin Ke.

It was not until she was imprisoned in the Imperial Temple that she occasionally heard people from the East Factory asking Cao Xi to watch her, and they also whispered to Cao Xi: The emperor dared to kill even the previous emperor, so killing her, the empress dowager, would not be a big deal.

She was shocked and frightened at the time.

Afterwards, she really fell ill, and her condition became increasingly serious...

"Qin Ke! You killed your father and mother, and you didn't tolerate your brother. You will be punished!"

The Queen Mother screamed heartbreakingly.

After shouting, he began to cough uncontrollably, and the coughing became louder and louder until a mouthful of blood spurted out, and then, he had another violent coughing fit.

The emperor became even more panicked, his eyes were confused and at a loss.

He knew that Prince Li was still outside, and that there were civil and military officials in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. If this matter got out, if it got out...

The emperor stared at the queen mother and shouted with all his strength, "Enough! Enough!"

He wanted to stop it, stop it...

The four-wheeled vehicle hit the coffee table, and the cups and saucers on it shattered to the ground, making a series of loud noises.

The sound also reached outside.

Prince Li, who was waiting outside, frowned and said with some concern: "Will something happen?"

It was quite quiet at first, and Prince Li was relieved, thinking that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor could have a good talk. Then, for some reason, they heard a quarrel inside. They were far away and couldn't hear what they were arguing about. Prince Li wanted to go over to ask, but he heard this huge noise again.

First the cups and plates broke, and then something heavy fell to the ground.

"Master, do you want to go in and take a look?"

Xiao Shuo was sitting on a chair in the courtyard, which was brought by the eunuchs. He leaned against the armrest, his posture was always elegant and calm, and asked instead of answering, "Your Highness, what do you think?"

Prince Li had no chair to sit on and could only stand. Hearing this, he became a little hesitant.

He felt that it was inappropriate for him to go in, but he was also afraid that the mother and son would quarrel, and in the end he, the clan leader, would be the one who suffered.

However, Xiao Shuo obviously did not want to take care of the matter. Prince Li hesitated for a moment and then went over again.

He knocked on the door, and it seemed quiet inside.

He knocked on the door again, but there was still no response. Just as he was about to push the door open and go in, a voice finally came from inside: "Come in..."

Prince Li pushed the door open and walked in.

The emperor was seen sitting in a four-wheeled carriage, and the curtain between him and the empress dowager had been lowered.

"The Queen Mother is asleep, don't disturb her."

The emperor finished speaking, and then said, "The time is almost up, let's go to the front."

Prince Li glanced toward the curtain again.

These two were arguing just now, why is the Queen Mother silent in just a short while?!

An eunuch came in and pushed the emperor out. Xiao Shuo stood up with a smile and said, "The emperor is leaving."

When the emperor looked into Xiao Shuo's eyes, his gaze was burning, as if he suddenly felt safe. He wanted to say something to Xiao Shuo, but because Prince Li was there, he finally said nothing.

He just said: "Let's go..."

After that, he said to the maid who was serving the Queen Mother, "The Queen Mother is tired. You, don't go in and disturb her."

Xiao Shuo's eyes swept across the emperor's slightly flustered face, and then stopped at the corner of his dragon robe, where there was a faint blood stain.

Xiao Shuo glanced at Wei Xiu who was following behind him. He was frowning slightly, obviously he had noticed it too.

"Xiu'er."

Xiao Shuo called out softly, saying, "Look carefully."

Wei Xiu nodded solemnly.

Xiao Shuo smiled slightly and remained calm.

The eunuchs pushed the emperor's carriage back to the Imperial Temple.

The officials from the Ministry of Rites breathed a sigh of relief and thought: Fortunately, we didn't miss the time.

Civil and military officials would kowtow outside the Imperial Ancestral Temple, while the emperor and a group of clan relatives would enter the Imperial Ancestral Temple and perform the ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows.

Xiao Shuo did not enter the imperial temple, nor did he kneel. He just stood aside and watched coldly.

The emperor could not kneel down. He sat on the four-wheeled carriage, staring blankly at the tablet of the late emperor above him.

He felt a little dizzy.

There is a faint sweet smell lingering at the tip of the nose.

That was the smell I just smelled in the Queen Mother's room.

Thinking of the Queen Mother, he couldn't hide the panic in his eyes.