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S T E L L A R C L O U D
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T H E S U N
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Xiao Liulang had long known what the purse contained but still went through the motions, entering the east room. When he came out, he truthfully informed the Emperor, "Your Majesty, what's inside is indeed the medicine guide. Please forgive my impertinence, but why does Your Majesty have such a thing around him? Could it be that Your Majesty..."
The Emperor interrupted his words, saying, "Some things are better left unquestioned."
"Yes." Xiao Liulang replied, bowing.
With the truth uncovered to this point, even the Emperor, no matter how foolish, understood what had happened. His heart suffered an unprecedented shock, and he even felt that his beliefs had collapsed overnight.
He tried to stand up, gripping the chair for support, but his legs trembled, causing him to sit back down.
"Your Majesty!"
Eunuch Wei was greatly alarmed!
"Zhen is fine..." The Emperor waved his hand anxiously, stopping Eunuch Wei from coming to his aid.
With all his strength, he stood up, trembling. His hands shook severely, and he resembled a withered leaf shivering in the cold wind, presenting a pitiful sight.
Eunuch Wei's eyes turned red, "Your Majesty..."
Step by step, the Emperor moved forward. "No need to support Zhen. Zhen can walk... Zhen is perfectly fine..."
Just as the words fell from his lips, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, his vision darkened, and he collapsed unconscious on the ground.
When the Emperor woke up, he found himself lying in Grandaunt's room. It was a familiar environment, with simple furnishings, but his state of mind was no longer the same.
"Your Majesty, you're awake?" It was Old Chief's voice.
The Emperor seemed to have aged significantly, turning his head to look at Old Chief and saying weakly, "Huo Xian."
"This official is here." Old Chief took a step forward. "Eunuch Wei is brewing medicine in the kitchen. How do you feel, Your Majesty? Is there any discomfort? Shall this official call for JiaoJiao to come and check on you?"
The Emperor weakly averted his gaze, looking at the plain canopy above him. "No need, no need to call her. Zhen is fine."
Old Chief said with a sigh, "Your Majesty, if you have any troubles, please confide in this official. This official will spare no effort in helping Your Majesty share the burden and overcome difficulties."
Old Chief had just learned the entire sequence of events from Xiao Liulang. While he felt Xiao Liulang was audacious, daring to do such a thing, he also felt a sense of pride. His disciple was indeed remarkable—meticulous planning, comprehensive deployment; bold yet meticulous...
Most importantly, he had a black heart. Truly deserving to be his disciple.
However, at the same time, he felt a sense of sorrow for the Emperor.
Being manipulated by his own imperial concubine mother for so many years, the Emperor must have been in great pain.
The truth was cruel, but if they hadn't done it this way, they wouldn't have been able to save Zhuang Jinse. So, they had to endure the torment of piercing the Emperor's heart with countless knives!
Old Chief resolutely abandoned the etiquette between ruler and subject and swiftly redirected the conversation to Zhuang Jinse. "Your Majesty, are you resting in Bishui Alley today, or are you returning to the imperial palace? Empress Dowager will be present at tomorrow's morning court, and you need not worry so much."
At the mention of Empress Dowager Zhuang, the Emperor's expression flickered for a moment. "Huo Xian."
Old Chief bowed, saying, "This official is here."
The Emperor looked at the darkened beams overhead, a self-deprecating smile appearing on his face, "Do you think she hates Zhen?"
Even without his answer, his emotions were already so complex that he could hardly control them.
Still, Old Chief continued to twist the knife in his heart, saying, "Your Majesty, are you referring to Empress Dowager? This official does think she must hate Your Majesty, considering how much Your Majesty has despised her over the years and how you even caused her to contract leprosy, almost taking her life... If this official were her... No, please forgive me, Your Majesty, this official spoke out of turn."
"No, continue." The Emperor replied.
"Please forget this, Your Majesty. It's meaningless to talk about these things now. The relationship between Your Majesty and Empress Dowager is beyond reconciliation."
Beyond reconciliation. For some reason, those words caused a sudden discomfort in the Emperor's heart.
The Emperor didn't reveal to Xiao Liulang and Gu Jiao about him being drugged, so Old Chief pretended not to know either. He sighed and said, "If Your Majesty cannot tolerate Empress Dowager’s existence, please bear with it for now. Empress Dowager is only a few years younger than this old servant and is already of advanced age. She won't live many more years, and Your Majesty only needs to endure until she's gone."
The Emperor's heart felt even more bitter.
The thought of Empress Dowager Zhuang lying in that cold coffin, just like the late Emperor, made his breath stuck in his throat.
He didn't know what was happening to him.
In fact, even without considering the effects of the medicine, their positions were fundamentally incompatible. Even if he hadn't been drugged to develop aversion towards the Empress Dowager, he would still hope for her swift abdication, for her to quickly relinquish political power and leave his imperial audience hall!
But why... did it still make him feel uncomfortable?
Old Chief didn't hesitate to twist the knife further.
He said, "This official stands on Your Majesty's side forever. If Your Majesty truly cannot tolerate Empress Dowager Zhuang’s existence, then let the Dragon Shadow Guard dispose of her."
The Emperor's expression abruptly changed, "How could Zhen..."
Old Chief seemed not to have heard those words and continued, "Speaking of which, this was all thanks to Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's impulsiveness back then. The late Emperor had indeed left an imperial decree for the Empress Dowager to be buried with him. If she hadn't stolen it and burned it, things wouldn't have been so troublesome, and there wouldn't be an Empress Dowager Zhuang in this world..."
A sudden realization jolted the Emperor from his thoughts!
That’s right, the late Emperor had left a decree for Empress Dowager Zhuang to be buried with him. One day, his imperial concubine mother happened to discover that decree while attending to the late Emperor's illness in his private chamber. She then risked her life to steal the decree.
To prevent it from being found, she immediately found a secluded spot and burned the decree.
During that time, his relationship with Empress Dowager Zhuang was already strained. They had several disputes over the treatment plan for the late Emperor.
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing said that the physician from the State of Yan was very capable, and without a craniotomy, the late Emperor wouldn't survive. If that was the case, why not take a desperate gamble?
Now, thinking about it, a craniotomy was actually such a terrifying procedure. How did he think that Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing made sense at the time?
Empress Dowager Zhuang opposed the craniotomy, and he felt that she was just intentionally denying the late Emperor his last shred of hope for a cure...
Why did he...
The Emperor pulled back his wandering thoughts and focused on that imperial decree.
He had never actually seen that decree, so everything was just Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's word against his. Did it really even exist?
If it truly existed, did Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing really burn it?
He was unsure of her intentions back then, but now that the truth had come to light, how could she miss an opportunity to have Empress Dowager Zhuang executed?
There must be something he didn’t know in this matter!
The night was tranquil.
After the hour of xushi(7-9 pm), the palace gradually quieted down.
The towering imperial audience hall seemed like a slumbering army, quietly hibernating under the cover of the night.
The Emperor didn't make his rounds today, so the imperial concubines and palace maids had to rest their expectant hearts. With sighs, they closed the doors to their chambers.
In another secluded chamber, Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing had just finished reciting a volume of Buddhist scriptures. The cool night cast its shade upon her slender figure, lending a layer of tranquil radiance.
"Imperial concubine dowager, it's time to rest." Grannie Cai reminded her from the side.
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing held the wooden fish she had been striking and softly asked, "What time is it?"
Grannie Cai replied, "It's just past the hour of Xushi(7-9 pm)."
"Then it's already the hour of Haishi(9-11 pm)." Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing placed the wooden fish back on the table. "His Majesty probably won't come today."
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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