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Empress Dowager Zhuang returned to Renshou Palace where she had been away for more than a year.
Everything in Renshou Palace was still how it was in the past, even the palace maids were the same as before she left the palace.
Empress Dowager Zhuang went back to the imperial palace in a high profile, without informing the Emperor in advance, truly giving the Emperor quite a big "surprise"!
Empress Dowager Zhuang sat on the phoenix seat atop the steps of the main hall, wearing her golden phoenix robe embroidered with reddish black edges and her golden phoenix crown. She looked graceful and noble, without losing her fierce and dominating aura.
Standing on the white marble floor in front of her, the Emperor looked respectful and filial, "It's a great blessing for the country that imperial mother is in good health again."
Empress Dowager Zhuang's eyes lightly landed on the Emperor's face and she said, "It's good that the Emperor understands."
The Emperor's eyes moved, and he said to Empress Dowager Zhuang with a smile, "It had been a long way to the palace, imperial mother surely must have been tired after a long journey. This son has brought Imperial Physician Liang along so as to make sure that everything will be fine with imperial mother. Imperial Physician Liang!"
"Subject is here!" Imperial Physician Liang, who was over fifty years old, walked forward with a medicine box slung over his shoulder, knelt down, and kowtowed to the Empress Dowager, "Subject welcomes back the Empress Dowager. Long live the Empress Dowager, a thousand times, a thousand years!"
Empress Dowager Zhuang sneered, reached out her hand and said casually, "Since the Emperor is so filial, Aijia won't reject the Emperor's kind intentions."
The Emperor cast a meaningful glance at Imperial Physician Liang and motioned for him to check Empress Dowager Zhuang’s pulse.
Imperial Physician Liang walked to the feet of Empress Dowager Zhuang and put his medicine box on the ground. He then opened it, took out a clean silk cloth and put it on the Empress Dowager's wrist, then felt the pulse of the Empress Dowager through the silk cloth.
Empress Dowager Zhuang looked at him with a half smile, "Imperial Physician Liang, how is Aijia's pulse?"
Imperial Physician Liang withdrew his hand, put the silk cloth away, and answered, "Empress Dowager has a steady pulse and seems to be a bit healthier than before."
The Emperor frowned unobtrusively.
Empress Dowager Zhuang faintly raised the corner of her lips, "The Emperor looks disappointed?"
The Emperor hurriedly replied, "How can that be? This son has been looking forward to imperial mother's early recovery, hoping for imperial mother to be safe and sound at all times, and live a smooth and long life."
Empress Dowager Zhuang sneered, "With the Emperor’s lucky words, Aijia will surely live up to a hundred years. Aijia will watch the State of Zhao grow stronger and stronger; the people will have plenty of food and clothing, and the world will enjoy a peaceful and prosperous time."
The Emperor's hands buried under his wide sleeves clenched into fists.
Empress Dowager Zhuang smiled, "Aijia now received the filial piety of the Emperor. If there's nothing else, the Emperor should get back to his work. Aijia has been away, so the Emperor must be very busy."
This remark was somewhat meaningful. What exactly was the Emperor busy with? Was she talking about him dealing with state affairs? Or cutting off the members of the Empress Dowager's party?
The Emperor said, "Then this son shall take his leave first. May imperial mother take care of her health. This son will visit imperial mother again another day."
"No need." Empress Dowager Zhuang responded.
The Emperor was slightly stupefied.
The next second, he heard Empress Dowager Zhuang say, "Tomorrow morning, you can see Aijia in the morning court, so why make another trip?"
This meant that she would attend to state affairs behind the curtains once again.
The Emperor didn't know what mood he was in as he walked out of Renshou Palace.
He asked Eunuch Wei to dismiss the servants and asked Imperial Physician Liang, "Is everything really fine with Empress Dowager's pulse?"
Imperial Physician Liang answered, "Yes, Your Majesty, Empress Dowager's pulse condition is really better than before she left the palace, and her body is also much healthier."
The Emperor asked suspiciously, "How can she become more robust after living among the common people for so long? What about her leprosy?"
Imperial Physician Liang shook his head. "She has no leprosy."
The Emperor frowned, "Having no leprosy means that she has been cured, or that she has never had it at all?"
"This....." Physician Liang also didn’t know how to judge it. He was the one who diagnosed Empress Dowager Zhuang with leprosy, and he was sure his diagnosis was right, but leprosy was an incurable disease, and yet Empress Dowager was cured and was now like a normal person.
Did a miracle physician cure Empress Dowager's leprosy?
No, leprosy could only be cured by the State of Yan.
Forget it, it was no use delving into these at the moment. Empress Dowager Zhuang had already come back safe and sound.
The situation was even worse than the Emperor had expected. In more than a year when Empress Dowager Zhuang was away, the Emperor had secretly cut off or subdued many of Empress Dowager Zhuang’s followers, but she only returned to the palace this morning, and the situation in the imperial capital was instantly reshuffled in the afternoon.
The Emperor summoned several senior figures in officialdom urgently, but half of them said they couldn't come because of illness, and the few who came were mostly playing dumb in front of him.
Clearly, they had sworn their allegiance to him just the day before!
The Emperor was furious, but he couldn't really have them executed. If he did, the Empress Dowager Zhuang would definitely come forward to save them, then they would be more loyal to Empress Dowager Zhuang.
The Emperor was so angry that he suffered from heart pain and summoned Old Chief overnight.
Old Chief left a servant in the courtyard he rented, where the Emperor sent someone to deliver the message of his summon. Then the servant came to Bishui Alley to inform him.
In fact, the Emperor had also summoned him several times before. When the Emperor was in power, he did not come, but when the Emperor was in decline, he came.
The Emperor was naturally moved. He came out from behind his desk and held his hand, "I knew that beloved official is the only one I can really trust!"
Old Chief's mood was very complicated. He knew that the time he had been waiting for had finally arrived. By returning to the court at this time, he would surely win the absolute trust and respect of His Majesty, but he was not happy.
Not only for himself, but also for Liulang.
Liulang's entry into the court as an official meant that he was going to be an enemy of the entire Zhuang Family. It was impossible for him to leave Liulang by himself.
But could he still regard Zhuang Jinse as the former Empress Dowager Zhuang?
The Emperor said excitedly, "I will make you the Chief of Imperial Academy again today, and the imperial decree will be announced to the world tomorrow!"
Old Chief knelt down and bowed solemnly, saying, "This official... thanks Your Majesty for the imperial grace!"
Eunuch Wei escorted Old Chief out of the palace.
When they passed the imperial garden, they ran into the phoenix palanquin of Empress Dowager Zhuang.
Empress Dowager Zhuang had a bad appetite and her mood was also a little irritable. It was obviously the same palace, but somehow Empress Dowager Zhuang felt lonely.
A dull and secluded palace, one was bound to feel lonely at times, but this time, there was an unbearable feeling of desolation.
"Your Majesty, would you like to eat some snacks? You ate too little for dinner. " Said one palace maid while holding a plate of delicate and delicious rose cakes.
Empress Dowager Zhuang had no appetite.
Old Chief stood behind the flowers and looked at her firmly.
Dressed in a phoenix robe, Empress Dowager Zhuang was covered with a domineering aura and had a sharp look on her face. Even without speaking, she was like an unsheathed sword with which edge no one dared to touch.
Eunuch Wei stopped beside Old Chief, looked at Old Chief, then at Empress Dowager, and then whispered, "Is Lord Huo going to see the Empress Dowager?"
Old Chief shook his head.
What was the point of seeing her? She didn’t remember anyway.
She would no longer rob him of his private money with a knife around his neck, nor would she force him to go to the kitchen to make brown sugar rice cakes for her, nor would she hide half-eaten candied fruits in his room, let alone take him to serve tea and pour water for her while playing leaf cards.
"Let's go." Old Chief said gloomily.
Eunuch Wei stared at the leaving back of Old Chief. How come he felt that both Lord Huo and the Empress Dowager were in a depressed mood?
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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