Shang Xiye followed Aunt Sun to Cixi Palace and found that there were hardly any people inside or outside the palace. The entire hall was extremely deserted, almost comparable to the Cold Palace.
His expression darkened, wondering what the Empress Dowager was about to do next.
Enter the inner hall.
The room was filled with a strong, pungent smell of herbs, which, along with the warmth of the charcoal fire, wafted over and felt somewhat irritating.
After being exposed to the cold wind all the way, I suddenly felt a little dizzy from this warm breeze.
Shang Xiye became extremely cautious. He didn't understand pharmacology, but he knew to be on the safe side. Without making a sound, he slid two mind-clearing pills, prepared by his young wife, from his bracelet. He put one in his mouth and gave the other to Wuying behind him.
Wuying also swallowed the pill before continuing to push Shang Xiye inside.
The two moved very quickly.
Aunt Sun, who was leading the way, didn't even notice.
The Empress Dowager was lying on her bed. Her once plump face was now haggard and sallow, as if she had been truly tormented by illness.
When Shang Xiye entered, a hint of resentment flashed in the Empress Dowager's eyes.
Her leg ailment had actually been flaring up for more than two days; at its worst, she groaned in pain on her sickbed for two whole days.
But the men she sent to the Ninth Prince's residence to invite the bandit were all turned away at the door by the Ninth Prince.
The Ninth Prince even had the female bandit return her "Yi" gold badge, saying that the Ninth Prince's wife was a woman of the inner palace and should stay within the inner palace, not showing her face in public.
It's so damn hard to show your face in public!
The bandit partnered with Wang An to open a shop, and even led Wang An to forcibly break into Xue Yanshou's home. In the end, the bandit, Jiu Wang, went over to settle a personal score and ransacked Xue Yanshou's house.
All of this, isn't it just showing off?!
"Your subject greets the Empress Dowager," Shang Xiye said, his eyelids lowered. He followed the usual greeting, but his expression was not as respectful as before.
Ever since he openly defied Shang Xiche that day, Shang Xiye had made up his mind that he would no longer treat this mother and son with the same respect and deference as before.
Because of his promise to the late emperor, he would not defy their rule.
But he will no longer let them dominate his world, control his life, or manipulate the people around him!
Princess Zhaoping, Sun Mengxi, was his last purposeful concession.
"I never expected you to come. I thought that I would never be able to invite the Ninth Prince to my Cining Palace again," the Empress Dowager sneered.
Shang Xiye also said coldly, "The imperial banquet in front of the palace has just begun. The princess may feel nervous and uncomfortable facing those people for the first time. If the Empress Dowager has something to say, she might as well speak directly."
The Empress Dowager was so angry that her lips trembled.
Would the bandits feel fear and discomfort when facing those imperial concubines and princes?
What a ridiculous joke! I'm afraid that the imperial concubines and princes would be even more terrified and uncomfortable if they were to face that bandit!
Empress Dowager Sun, suppressing the surging anger in her heart and the discomfort of her legs that were almost completely numb with pain, raised her hand to Aunt Sun.
Aunt Sun nodded in understanding, turned around and picked up a blackened and ugly iron box from the table next to her, and brought it to Shang Xiye.
"This was found by the palace servants from the ashes after the Sun family's incident. It was roughly located in Lord Sun's bedroom. And inside is indeed Lord Sun's handwritten last letter." The Empress Dowager glanced at Shang Xiye with an inscrutable expression: "It was written by Lord Sun to the late Emperor and the Ninth Prince."
Wuying took the iron box from Aunt Sun's hands.
When opened, inside was a very old brocade cloth, stained with blood and with some writing on it.
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