Chapter 817: The Empress Dowager Enters the City (2)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“What?” Xuanyuan Qi was shocked. He didn’t wait for the eunuch to finish speaking. He stood up and walked towards Empress Dowager Zhou’s courtyard.
Eunuch Wu walked to the door and saw that Xuanyuan Qi had already rushed into the rain. He said anxiously, “Your Majesty, it’s still raining outside.”
As he spoke, he quickly snatched an umbrella from the young eunuch and chased after him.
Xuanyuan Qi rushed to Empress Dowager Zhou’s courtyard in a hurry. Just as he was about to enter, a woman wearing a veil walked out and stopped him.
‘Your Majesty, you can’t go in.”
“Concubine Wan?” Xuanyuan Qi had a bad feeling.
Consort Wan bowed. “Your Majesty, the imperial physician has already checked Mother’s pulse and confirmed that she has a plague. If you go in now, what if you get infected?”
Xuanyuan Qi staggered. “Plague? How could it be a plague? Mother was fine, why…”
Thinking of something, Xuanyuan Qi stopped.
The people serving Empress Dowager Zhou had always been careful. He even specially arranged for the imperial physician to be around at all times. Not only did he have to check Empress Dowager Zhou’s pulse every day, but the people serving her here had to be checked every morning and night. If they realized that there was a headache or fever, they would immediately replace them.
The only thing that could let Empress Dowager Zhou come into contact with the source of the illness was the letter sent from the city.
“Your Majesty?”
Consort Wan’s voice brought him back to his senses.
“What did you say just now?” Xuanyuan Qi asked.
“The Empress Dowager asked me to tell Your Majesty that she has contracted the plague. In order to prevent it from spreading to others, Your Majesty, make arrangements to send her back to Phoenix City.”
“No, the plague is rampant in the city. How can we send Mother in?” Xuanyuan Qi refused without thinking.
Consort Wan wanted to say something, but the inner room door opened and Nanny Gao walked out with Empress Dowager Zhou.
“Mother.”
“Alright, just stand there,” Empress Dowager Zhou said weakly. Nanny Gao helped her sit down on the chair at the head of the table and said angrily, “I Imew that Consort Wan wouldn’t be able to persuade you.”
She sighed. “Emperor, have you ever thought about how you’re going to explain this plague to the commoners? It wasn’t easy to control this plague in Phoenix City. If everyone gets sick because of me alone, how are you going to explain it to the commoners? How am I going to face the late emperor in a hundred years?”
Xuanyuan Qi said, “I can get someone to surround this courtyard. Mother, don’t you want to see Xuanyuan Ye? I’ve already sent someone to pick her up. When the time comes, let her…
“There’s no need. That girl is probably infected with the plague too.”
The fact that she said that meant that she had clearly guessed where the source of her illness came from.
Actually, it was not difficult to guess. After all, no one in the safe zone had been infected with the plague for so many days. It could not have appeared out of thin air, right?
It was unknown if the letter with the plague was intentional or unintentional.
At this moment, the people Xuanyuan Qi had sent to pick up Xuanyuan Ye had also returned. Just as Empress Dowager Zhou had said, Xuanyuan Ye had started to have a fever early this morning.
Since she was infected with the plague, she naturally couldn’t leave the city.
Xuanyuan Qi wanted to persuade her again. “Mother.”
Once they entered Phoenix City, unless the plague was treated…
Empress Dowager Zhou waved her hand and said, “There’s no need to say anything else. Go get someone to prepare the carriage.”
“Your Majesty, I’m willing to follow Mother,” Consort Wan suddenly said.
“Consort Wan, you…”
“My son is inside, so I’m worried and afraid all day. Why don’t I accompany Mother back? Apart from taking care of Mother, I can also do my best to be filial to His Majesty.”
Xuanyuan Qi could not dissuade Empress Dowager Zhou, so he could only agree helplessly.
Under Empress Dowager Zhou’s urging, she immediately got someone to prepare a carriage, including Nanny Gao and Eunuch Yu. Fan, who was serving Empress Dowager Zhou, also followed.
Xuanyuan Qi personally sent Empress Dowager Zhou to the east gate. As he watched the carriage slowly enter Phoenix City and the city gate close again, a helpless feeling rose in his heart.
So what if he was an emperor? He could not do anything in the face of the plague.
“Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is blessed by the heavens. She will definitely be fine.”
“I hope so.” Xuanyuan Qi retracted his gaze and turned to get into the carriage.
Halfway through the carriage, he suddenly opened his eyes. “I remember Ming’er writing yesterday that there were rumors in the city that that girl was a Saintess. Can blood treat the plague?”
Eunuch Wu was shocked. “Your Majesty, do you want to… but His Highness probably won’t agree.”
He knew that this wound could not be opened. Once it was opened, it would be fine if Madam Song’s blood was useless. If it could really treat the plague, how could those commoners let her off?
How could Xuanyuan Qi not have thought of this? He sighed and said, “Don’t you think everything is too coincidental?”
“I’m stupid.”
Xuanyuan Qi pressed the space between his eyebrows and said concisely, “Since mother is infected with the plague. I will definitely treat her at all costs.”
Eunuch Wu was not stupid. After being reminded by him, he immediately reacted and said in disbelief, “Your Majesty means that the princess…”
If the princess really did it on purpose, then she was trying to borrow someone else’s knife. She was borrowing Your Majesty’s knife!
Not only that, but she also gambled with the Empress Dowager’s life.
The empress dowager doted on her so much. How could she bear to hurt her?
This was too crazy!
A dark glint flashed across Xuanyuan Qi’s eyes. “Get the imperial physician to check that letter when we get back.”
“Yes.”
However, when Eunuch Wu went to look for her, he was told that all the letters sent out by Xuanyuan Ye had been taken away by the empress dowager. “The Empress Dowager guessed that Your Majesty would look for those letters and specially asked someone to leave this message,” Eunuch Wu replied.
Xuanyuan Qi was stunned and frowned. “Mother probably suspects something too.”
It was unknown if she took the evidence to protect Xuanyuan Ye or something else.
On the other side, Eunuch Yu looked at the box that Empress Dowager Zhou had placed at the side and hesitated for a moment before saying, “Empress Dowager, these letters are probably infected. I should burn them..”
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