Chapter 452: Faking Death
Queen Mother Zhao's gaze fell on Concubine Rou's thin and old clothes, and the smile in her eyes became even more intense.
"Noble Concubine Rou, you never imagined you would end up in such a situation, did you? Tsk, how tragic! Your good son has openly rebelled, and the Emperor has already sent another 30,000 elite troops to quell the rebellion. I believe that it won't be long before you and your son will be reunited."
After a pause, she covered her lips again and added with a smile, "We'll be reunited in Yama Palace."
Concubine Rou still kept her head down and said nothing. Queen Mother Zhao talked for a long time but no one responded, and the smile on her face faded.
"Ye Rouhui, if you beg for mercy now, I might be able to persuade the Emperor to spare your life."
Concubine Rou finally spoke, "The victor will be the king and the loser will be the bandit. If that day really comes, I will end my own life without you having to do anything."
Queen Mother Zhao didn't get the answer she expected, and her eyes suddenly turned cold. "You are so stubborn."
Nanny Shen immediately offered her courtesy, "This servant is willing to share the Queen Mother's worries and see how hard her mouth is!"
Queen Mother Zhao said nothing, showing her tacit approval.
Nanny Shen stepped forward and raised her hand to slap Concubine Rou.
Jinse immediately protected Concubine Rou and said, "How dare you, a slave like you, lay hands on Concubine Rou?"
"I am the Empress Dowager's servant! She is nothing but a concubine in the cold palace."
As she spoke, Nanny Shen was about to step forward and pull Jinse.
At this moment, a sharp voice was heard.
"stop!"
Xiao Baozhu came striding over. She was dressed in mourning clothes and not even a single pearl hairpin on her head. At this moment, her pale and thin face was full of coldness.
When Aunt Shen saw Xiao Baozhu, she immediately stopped acting rashly and looked at her own queen mother.
The expression of anticipation on Queen Mother Zhao's face also disappeared immediately.
Xiao Baozhu looked at Queen Dowager Zhao coldly, "You are the Queen Dowager, and you should be a role model for the six palaces. Yet you allow your subordinates to bully the late Emperor's Consort. Aren't you afraid that your name will be recorded in history books?"
As soon as she opened her mouth, she brought up such a big accusation, and Queen Mother Zhao's face immediately turned unhappy.
"Rou Guifei was disrespectful to me, so I only gave her a light punishment and a severe warning."
Imperial Concubine Rou smiled wryly, "Is it me who is disrespectful to the Empress Dowager, or is it that the Empress Dowager is deliberately making things difficult for her?"
Jinse immediately agreed and eloquently repeated the conversation between the two sides.
Xiao Baozhu's face was as gloomy as water. "Empress Dowager, the Emperor should decide whether Seventh Brother is guilty or not. You have no right to decide the life or death of Concubine Rou. Empress Dowager, you should first learn the rules of the harem, so as not to make a fool of yourself in the future."
Queen Mother Zhao was so bullied that her face turned ugly and a surge of anger rushed to her head.
"Ninth Princess! How dare you be so disrespectful to me! Do you still have eyes for me, the Queen Mother?"
"I just told you a few truths. Are you going to let that bitch beat me too?"
Queen Mother Zhao was furious and really wanted someone to teach her a lesson.
But then, Xiao Baozhu said, "My father's body is still warm, and I, a princess, am already disliked by the new emperor and the empress dowager. If this gets out, how will the new emperor save his reputation?"
These words instantly startled Queen Mother Zhao and she reacted.
The reckless anger that had just come out of him was instantly suppressed.
It’s not that I’m not angry, but I’m more wary.
Queen Mother Zhao's face trembled and her expression changed several times. In the end, she had to swallow her anger.
"Princess, you're joking. How could I possibly attack you? What happened today was just a misunderstanding. I have many things to attend to, so I won't stay any longer."
After saying this, without waiting for Xiao Baozhu's reaction, he led his people away, looking quite dusty and fleeing in a panic.
Along the way, Queen Mother Zhao's face was very gloomy, as black as the bottom of a pot.
After returning to the Cining Palace, Queen Dowager Zhao smashed a set of tea sets and cursed loudly in the palace.
"That little bitch, does she really think she's still a spoiled princess? Now the emperor of Da Qi is my son, but no one will spoil her!"
"Just wait and see. When the emperor stabilizes the court, I will be the first to take action against her!"
In the cold palace, Concubine Rou held Xiao Baozhu's hand, her tone somewhat worried.
"Baozhu, you shouldn't have lost her face for me. She's very petty and will probably cause trouble for you in the future."
Xiao Baozhu didn't care at all.
"I just can't stand her smug look! Don't worry, she won't be able to stay like this for long."
The two exchanged glances, each with a hidden meaning that only they understood.
"Come inside and talk."
Concubine Rou took Xiao Baozhu and turned left and right, and soon arrived at a palace covered with weeds. It was obvious that the place had been abandoned for a long time.
Concubine Rou did not live here, but the two of them quietly entered the deserted palace and closed the door tightly, while Jinse stood guard outside the door.
This palace, though deserted on the surface, had actually been cleaned up long ago inside. It wasn't spotless, but it was perfectly suitable for living.
There are indeed people living in the inner room.
Concubine Rou and Xiao Baozhu walked in familiarly. One of them was half leaning on the bed. Although he looked sick, his eyes were clear and he seemed to be in good spirits.
If Queen Mother Zhao saw this person, she would be so frightened that she would scream out.
This person is clearly the deceased Emperor Defeng!
No one knew that the seriously ill Emperor Defeng in the Yangxin Palace had already been replaced by a substitute by the Dragon Scale Guard Li.
Emperors would secretly keep a substitute in case of emergency.
Last time, Emperor Defeng regained consciousness briefly. He learned from Feng Youcai that he had been behaving like a puppet during that period, and he began to doubt his illness.
While he was still conscious, he summoned the Dragon Scale Guards and activated a substitute.
The Dragon Scale Guards were unable to send him out of the palace, so they could only find a temporary place for him to stay in the harem.
The cold palace is the best choice.
On the second day, Xiao Baozhu entered the palace and sought help from Feng Youcai, saying that she wanted to hire someone to treat Emperor Defeng and hoped that Feng Youcai could help cover her.
Feng Youcai repeatedly refused and instead hinted to her to go to the cold palace to see Concubine Rou.
Xiao Baozhu didn't understand the meaning at the time, but she made that trip out of concern for Concubine Rou.
Unexpectedly, she met her father in the cold palace.
She asked for an imperial physician for Concubine Rou, and then came to the cold palace for several days in a row. She was ostensibly concerned about Concubine Rou's safety, but in fact it was for Emperor Defeng.
She sent Jiang Nansheng into the palace to treat Emperor Defeng. Only then did everyone know the truth and finally saw a glimmer of hope.
Xiao Baozhu stepped forward quickly and looked at Emperor Defeng with eager eyes.
"Father! Are you feeling better?"
Emperor Defeng smiled on his wrinkled face, "Nan Sheng has been giving me acupuncture every day for a while now, and I'm feeling much better now."
At this time, Jiang Nansheng was dressed as a eunuch and sat quietly to one side.
Xiao Baozhu hadn't been here for several days. When she saw her father just now, she felt that his face looked clear and his spirits were much better.
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