The old witch would certainly not drink the medicine easily. She knew very well what this nourishing soup was and what the consequences would be if she got involved with it.
So after Gan Qiongying finished speaking, her expression turned completely somber, and the hint of determination in her eyes vanished completely.
“Duanrong, I have already made the biggest concession to you.” Kou Ning’an’s voice was low and hoarse, sounding like an old witch.
"If Gan Lin wants to establish himself in the court, he can never escape the constraints of the clan. Only the Kou clan can give him the capital to fight against the powerful families and become a true emperor."
Kou Ning'an had been Empress Dowager for too long, and she wanted too many things in her life. Her greatest skill was judging others by her own standards, believing that what she wanted was exactly what Gan Qiongying and Gan Lin wanted.
Gan Qiongying sneered inwardly. Neither she nor Gan Lin wanted the world. The whole thing they had done was not to gain a foothold in the court.
They were simply forced into a corner and had no choice but to rebel.
But now it seems that their desperate resistance, coupled with Li Hua's cooperation outside the palace, has convinced Kou Ning'an that they have been plotting for a long time and are trying to seize the throne.
That's not so bad. Let her misunderstand like that. Gan Qiongying not only didn't explain, but even seemed to be somewhat moved.
Just as he saw Kou Ning'an's little tail wagging again, he shook his head and said, "Power is indeed a good thing, but why should Gan Lin and I believe what you say? Can you really turn the Kou family upside down?"
"Drink it. This is the medicine you personally brewed for Gan Lin. How can I trust you if you don't taste the pain Gan Lin has endured?" Gan Qiongying said, crossing her arms as she watched Kou Ning'an's expression change like a chameleon.
However, Kou Ning'an did not pick up the bowl of medicine. Her fingers trembled slightly as she held onto the table. All the letters she had sent to the outside of the palace in the past two days had disappeared without a trace. Kou Ning'an could not be sure whether the Regent had not replied or whether all her letters had been intercepted by Princess Duanrong's people.
She became increasingly anxious because she couldn't get a response from the Regent, which led her to this predicament.
In fact, Gan Qiongying did send people to stop Kou Ning'an from sending letters out of the palace, but there were also a few times when she was negligent and the letters escaped.
As for why the letter failed to reach the Regent's residence... it was naturally because there were people outside the Regent's residence intercepting letters. They intercepted not only letters from the palace, but also almost severed the connection between the Regent and some of his confidants.
Under such a double attack, Kou Ning'an would naturally become flustered due to her concern.
"I think you don't want to drink. If you don't want to, then don't." Gan Qiongying shrugged and walked directly out of Yinian Hall.
As she walked, she muttered to herself, "I wasted my time coming here. It's a pity you're too old to have children... It seems you don't care at all, so forget it."
Gan Qiongying leisurely stepped out of Yinian Palace, but just as she was about to board the palanquin, Kou Ning'an, who had been sitting on the chaise longue, was suddenly helped out of the room by her maids.
"Now that you're back, we can discuss things further. No one can offer you more than I can regarding the court and the emperor!"
"Don't touch him," Kou Ning'an said. "As long as you don't touch him, I guarantee that from now on, no one in the palace will dare to lay a finger on the emperor!"
Gan Qiongying paused as she stepped onto the palanquin.
Turning back, she smiled sweetly at Kou Ning'an and said with a hint of reproach, "Why are you so stubborn? You could have just done this earlier!"
Gan Qiongying turned back and personally reached out to help Kou Ning'an up, saying, "Come, come, let's have a good talk."
The two women, each holding the other's manhood in their hands, returned to Kou Ning'an's palace as affectionately as best friends.
The prerequisite for this proper conversation is that Kou Ning'an must drink the nourishing soup placed on the table.
This time, Kou Ning'an did not refuse. She frowned and picked up the bowl, drinking it all in one gulp.
Gan Qiongying felt a pang of sympathy as she watched her desperately trying to swallow.
As the saying goes, even a tiger won't eat its cubs, and this is certainly true.
Even an old witch like Kou Ning'an, who is so clever and has held great power for a long time, can easily be fooled and willingly walk into a trap because of panic and excessive concern.
Parents' hearts are always full of love and worry...
Gan Qiongying finally showed a genuine smile to Kou Ning'an and was willing to sit down and talk to her calmly.
The main reason was that after Kou Ning'an drank the nourishing soup, she started to have a splitting headache, just like when Gan Lin's illness flared up.
The sight of her in agony brought Gan Qiongying immense pleasure.
This pleasure slightly dispelled the pain she had felt these past few days watching Gan Lin suffer through withdrawal from medication, yet still manage to put on a brave face.
Fortune's wheel turns, and no one escapes the wrath of Heaven.
After drinking the herbal medicine, Kou Ning'an propped her head up with her hand and forced herself to stay awake to analyze the situation in the court with Gan Qiongying, and what kind of help she could bring to Gan Lin.
She further analyzed how easily the Regent could gain the favor of those clans for Gan Lin. Kou Ning'an even said that she did not want to elevate the Regent to a high position, but only hoped that the child who had never had a mother's love could have a better life.
In the original book, Kou Ning'an had the last laugh. Even when the original male protagonist ascended the throne, no one could shake her position as Empress Dowager, and this was not without reason.
If Gan Qiongying were not Gan Qiongying, but any woman born into any clan in this world, it would be difficult for her not to be deceived by Kou Ning'an's words.
It's hard not to be impressed by her flexible and adaptable attitude.
Her speech was extremely measured and controlled; she neither said anything that sounded fake and completely supported the emperor, nor did she make Gan Qiongying doubt that the benefits she offered would be used by Gan Lin.
She even went so far as to twist the evil deeds she committed against Gan Lin into the supposed "good intention" of training him to become a true emperor.
Gan Qiongying wanted to laugh more and more as she listened, and finally she couldn't help but burst out laughing.
After laughing and slapping the table for a while, she asked the question that concerned her most: "How is it? You've never experienced this kind of headache before, have you?"
"The late emperor died in the same way... I heard from Physician Xiao that there is actually no antidote for this, and it requires willpower to quit. At your age... take good care of yourself and carefully experience this feeling."
After Gan Qiongying finished speaking, she admired Kou Ning'an's twisted expression after realizing that she had talked to herself and humiliated herself, and then said, "But don't worry, I'm a person of my word. I won't kill the Regent, at least not now."
Gan Qiongying said, "But when he enters the palace in a couple of days, you must persuade him not to go against a madman like me."
Gan Qiongying's face darkened, and with a fierce expression that she had practiced in front of the mirror for days, she spoke harshly to Kou Ning'an: "You've always known I'm no good, extravagant and dissolute, arrogant and domineering, but you probably don't know that I also have some rather shameful hobbies." For example, silently shedding tears while watching her beloved consort.
Gan Qiongying snorted coldly, narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly, and said, "Otherwise... I have a thousand ways to make him wish he were dead."
"High position and great power... Ha!"
After saying the harsh words she had prepared in advance, Gan Qiongying turned around and refused to look at the old hag again, then sauntered out of Yinian Palace.
Even his back view seemed so joyful, so reckless, so infuriating that Kou Ning'an's teeth itched with hatred.
After Gan Qiongying returned to the Emperor's bedchamber, her smile vanished. She quickly walked to the inner chamber of the Bixi Palace and, sure enough, saw Gan Lin rolling around on the dragon bed, a handkerchief in his mouth, making muffled noises.
The pain he suppressed was like the mournful cry of a beast in its most hunger and agony.
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