The Imperial Palace.
In the corner, the agarwood incense had long since burned out, leaving only a few wisps of faint ash smoke.
At this moment, Consort Shu's mood was as chaotic and dejected as the gray smoke.
A young eunuch tumbled in, stumbled and crawled, and knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
"Your Majesty! News has come from outside the palace!"
Consort Shu gripped the brocade-covered armrest tightly, her knuckles turning white.
Her beautiful face, which had been slightly worried, was now covered with frost. She didn't even look at the little eunuch, her gaze fixed on a certain point in the void.
"Speak!" The single word struck the ground with chilling force.
The young eunuch trembled with fright and almost cried out, "The Left, the Left Prime Minister! He, he personally greeted the people from the desolate mountains outside the capital!"
"The leader is that Princess Liang Shu of Ning'an County, and also, and that Divine Physician Tong!"
"The Left Prime Minister publicly ordered that, from this moment forward, all imperial physicians, doctors, and apprentice doctors in the capital must obey their commands! Anyone who disobeys will be punished for delaying military operations!"
With each word the young eunuch spoke, Consort Shu's face grew increasingly grim.
Upon hearing the last sentence, she felt a rush of blood to her head, and her vision blurred.
Shi Fei, what audacity!
How dare they steal it at this crucial moment!
Clearly, they went to ask the mountain goddess for help first, while her father had already set off!
"The General's carriage," the little eunuch seemed to remember something, and added in a voice barely audible, "had only recently left the capital..."
"Smack!"
Consort Shu suddenly stood up, and a gilded and painted teacup next to her was knocked to the ground and shattered.
The father, a dignified general who protected the country, humbled himself and prepared to personally go to the desolate mountain to seek help from the mountain god.
No sooner had they left than someone else came!
Moreover, upon arrival, he was treated as an honored guest by that old fox, the Left Prime Minister, who even handed over command authority to him!
Where does this leave the General's Mansion's reputation?! It turns her father's trip into a complete joke!
Seeing this, the old nanny next to her quickly stepped forward, carefully patted Consort Shu's back to help her catch her breath, and whispered words of comfort.
"Your Majesty, please calm down and take care of your health! This Prime Minister Shi is far too arrogant! He simply doesn't respect the Duke and you at all!"
A sharp glint flashed in the old nanny's eyes: "Your Highness, in my humble opinion, we should quickly dispatch a troop of elite cavalry to bring the General back at top speed! The capital is in such chaos right now, it needs the General to be in charge and to take charge of the overall situation! How can we let those people from the desolate mountains usurp our authority?!"
Get it back?
Consort Shu took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
She almost gritted her teeth to pieces, her nails digging deep into her palms, causing a slight stinging pain, and her eyes regained some clarity.
"No need!" Her voice was cold, but she still retained her rationality.
The old nanny was taken aback: "Your Highness?"
Consort Shu slowly shook her head, a hint of weariness flashing in her eyes.
"Father is already on his way. If we send someone to call him back halfway now, wouldn't that make our Zhenguo Duke's Mansion an even bigger laughingstock among the court officials and the people of the world?!"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was undeniable.
"Those people from that desolate mountain are all not to be trifled with! And the Mountain Goddess doesn't play by the rules!"
Consort Shu felt a chill run down her spine when she recalled the three words "insincere" that her father had received before.
"That old fox Shi Fei is good at changing his tune depending on the wind. Since he's doing this, we should just follow suit. Do we want him to steal the limelight?"
"Instead of offending those people in the wilderness at this crucial moment because of a petty argument, it would be better to..."
Consort Shu paused, a complex light flashing in her eyes, "Why don't we think carefully about how to cooperate with them to suppress this damned plague as soon as possible!"
Only when the capital is stable can her son and their family have a future!
Having figured this out, the panic and anger in Consort Shu's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a superior calm.
She sat up straight, tidied the stray hairs at her temples, and regained her usual composure.
"Go," she instructed the old nanny, her voice steady, "and invite Mr. Xie from the East Palace over."
"Yes, Your Highness." Although the old nanny was still unwilling, seeing that her mistress had made a decision, she dared not say anything more and bowed to retreat.
Not long after, steady footsteps could be heard outside the hall.
A refined scholar, dressed in a faded blue long gown, walked in with unhurried steps.
He had a handsome face and a peaceful gaze. A small, exquisite jade abacus hung from his waist, making a soft clinking sound as he moved.
"Your humble servant Xie Wendong greets Consort Shu." He bowed respectfully, his posture perfectly appropriate.
Consort Shu raised her hand, a gentle smile on her face, as if she were not the one who had just lost her composure and smashed the teacup.
"Sir, please excuse the formalities and take a seat."
After Xie Wendong sat down on the armchair at the lower end as instructed, Consort Shu slowly spoke, her tone both intimate and subtly conveying the desire to win over someone in a superior position.
"Sir, you've been working hard lately. The Crown Prince's condition seems to be improving recently."
She leaned slightly forward, speaking earnestly: "Once my son fully recovers, the Crown Prince will surely treat you as an honored guest, and you might even wield immense power in the court in the future!"
Xie Wendong's hand, which was resting on his knee, twitched almost imperceptibly.
He sighed silently to himself.
His Highness the Crown Prince has indeed gone mad.
During this time, these advisors were imprisoned in the Eastern Palace, and they thought that the Crown Prince's attempt to force the abdication had failed. They never expected that the rumors circulating in the shadows were actually true.
However, we all prosper together, and we all suffer together.
From the day they stepped into the Eastern Palace to assist the Crown Prince, their fates were already firmly tied to this ambitious Crown Prince and the equally ambitious Duke Zhenguo Mansion behind him.
Now that the Crown Prince has gone mad, these advisors, though nominally assisting him, are no different from prisoners in reality, and can only place all their hopes on the Empress before them.
Despite his many thoughts, Xie Wendong remained outwardly calm.
He raised his head to meet Consort Shu's seemingly gentle but actually scrutinizing and expectant gaze, and calmly began to speak.
"Your Majesty is too kind. Assisting His Highness the Crown Prince is my duty, and I dare not claim credit for it."
He paused briefly, then changed the subject and got to the point.
"I wonder if Your Majesty summoned me today because you are concerned about the epidemic that has recently caused widespread panic in the capital?"
A hint of satisfaction flashed in Consort Shu's eyes.
really!
Of all the advisors under the Crown Prince, Xie Wendong was the most insightful and perceptive, always able to pinpoint exactly what she truly needed.
This saved her a lot of roundabout probing and talking.
"Sir, you are indeed wise." Consort Shu's smile became more genuine.
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