Chapter 182 Treating the Empress Dowager and Encountering a Scheme [2]
He was experiencing love for the first time. He was so eager to see his beloved little woman. But because the Empress Dowager was ill, he couldn’t go to Mount Yunmeng to meet up with his beloved person.
Now that his beloved was back, how could he be willing to go sleep? The thing that he wanted to do the most was to embrace Zi You in his arms and talk about the pain of being separated.
So, Shangguan LingRan immediately shook his head. “Imperial grandmother, grandson isn’t tired. Grandson wants to keep you company.”
The Empress Dowager could only drive him away. “Go out. Grandma has something to say to Mu Xiaojie.”
Shangguan LingRan reluctantly pursed his mouth and left unwillingly.
The Empress Dowager looked at Zi You. The girl’s black hair was gathered into a Liuyun Bun. Two palm-sized white jade lily hairpins were inserted in the bun. She was wearing an ice-blue dress. The long skirt undulated like a fairy standing amidst the waves in the sea. She was dignified, n.o.ble, and elegant. A pair of deep eyes shone with cloud-like brilliance on her face with no makeup on.
No wonder her son and grandsons seemed to have lost their souls for her. Zi You had not reached marriageable age yet, but she was already so outstanding. When she grew up, who knew how many people would be fascinated by her?
Since ancient times, beauty was a curse. Who knew whether this yatou would bring disaster or luck to Great Yan? If she really tangled with Taizi and Third w.a.n.gzi and hurt Ling’er, then she really could not be left alive.
Zi You saw that the Empress Dowager’s uncertain gaze. She more or less guessed this old lady’s thoughts.
She couldn’t help but think, ‘What does it have to do with me if your son and grandsons like me? Are you going to kill me?’
She was calm and not panicked. She leisurely took out a silver needle and said to the Empress Dowager, “Empress Dowager, Chennu will perform acupuncture for you now. There will be some pain, but please endure it. It will be very effective to treating your asthma. You can talk to Chennu to distract yourself. That way, the pain will be less.”
Zi You took out sixteen silver needles and inserted them into the Empress Dowager’s Dingchuan, Feishu, Dazhiu acupuncture points…… While she was performing acupuncture, she heard the Empress Dowager ask, “Yatou, what do you think about An w.a.n.g…… Shizi?”
Zi You deliberately thought for a while before answering, “Chennu had heard that Shizi acts presumptuously. Later, Chennu thought that Shizi is like a spoiled child. But Chennu just saw him cry out of anxiousness for Empress Dowager. Chennu thinks that Shizi is a really filial person. The saying is that men don’t easily cry. It looks like Shizi really loves Empress Dowager.”
“En.” Zi You’s words didn’t let the Empress Dowager detect any flaws. She then asked, “Then what about Taizi?”
After Zi You finished performing acupuncture, she calmly knelt in front of the Empress Dowager. “Empress Dowager, Chennu doesn’t dare to discuss the heir apparent to a country. Besides, Chennu has only seen Taizi twice. There is no interaction. Chennu is really not qualified to comment.”
“But Taizi and Third w.a.n.gzi…… asked the Emperor…… to marry you.” The Empress Dowager panted breathlessly. “Especially Taizi. His quota …… for cefeis is full. But he still asked…… asked the Emperor to add…… a cefei position. Isn’t that all…… for you?”
Zi You shook her head. “Chennu doesn’t know why Taizi did so. Chennu can only moderate myself to not do anything that violates ‘Female Virtues’ and ‘Female Disciplines.’ Chennu dares to use my reputation and life to guarantee that Chennu has never done anything improper with any man.
“That includes Duke Yongnan Shizi. When Chennu treated him, it was with the intentions of getting engaged to him. Chennu treated him with the elders present and did do anything that disgraced the General’s Manor. Grandfather is aware of this.”
I can’t control what other people do, old woman. I can only control myself. Zi You spoke reasonable and righteously. The Empress Dowager froze and tried to test her again. “Aijia heard that you and Duke Yongnan’s engagement…… wasn’t by choice. If you dissolve the engagement, what if Aijia bestows a marriage for you to…… to An w.a.n.g Shizi?”
Zi You sneered. I’m afraid that if I say yes, you will immediately execute me. You think that I seduced your grandsons and is a fickle woman.
Zi You didn’t pause and immediately replied, “Marriage isn’t child’s play. Besides, since ancient times, engagements are finalized with the parents’ orders and the matchmaker’s advice. Chennu doesn’t dare and doesn’t want to contradict what the elders decide on.”
The Empress Dowager had already been bedridden for more than two months. She hadn’t gotten better and now her asthma was so heavy. She persisted in testing Zi You for so long and was now extremely tired.
In addition, Zi You had performed acupuncture on her, so she was feeling comfortable. She closed her mouth and her eyes and went to sleep.
Shangguan LingRan was in one of the rooms in Jingyang Palace. How could he sleep when he was thinking about Zi You?
He thought it over and immediately jumped up. He crept back to the Empress Dowager’s bedroom.
He had listened to their conversation. His face sunk. He had thought that as long as he told the Empress Dowager what he wanted, the Empress Dowager would be able to stand up for him. Now, it seemed that he had thought too simply.
He didn’t expect that the old woman actually wanted to kill YouYou. That was true! No matter how much she loved him, she had to put the interests of the imperial family first. She couldn’t watch w.a.n.gzis and their cousin Shizi compete and fight with each other over a woman and be divided. The imperial family would become a joke.
It seemed that it would be very difficult for him and Zi You to be together. He could only rely on himself for this matter. He couldn’t rely on anyone else. He could only use the Empress Dowager’s feelings then. I don’t believe that if I can’t live without her, you would still want to kill her.
The Empress Dowager had specifically named Zi You to serve her while she was ill, so Zi You could not return home. After Shangguan LingRan had heard the Empress Dowager and Zi You’s conversation, he was afraid that the Empress Dowager would want to kill Zi You again. So, he had fought back his feelings of missing her and didn’t dare to go see her. Only when the Empress Dowager slept at night did Shangguan LingRan jumped through the window.
Zi You whispered some words in his ear. A sharp light flashed in his eyes. Then he hid behind the Empress Dowager’s curtain.
At this time, the palace maid Yurong had brought over the Empress Dowager’s second dose of medicine. Zi You looked at Yurong. She was about sixteen or seventeen years old. She was wearing the standard Palace attire. She looked like a delicate and pretty girl. Her eyes were very expressive, with a bit of unknown light.
She brought the medicine over to feed the Empress Dowager. Zi You stopped her. “Put it there. I will personally feed her later.”
Yurong had followed the Empress Dowager for two years already. Although she wasn’t a confidant among the Empress Dowager’s first-rank palace maids, she had some status. She immediately retorted, “Mu Xiaojie, Nubi is on duty tonight. Feeding medicine is Nubi’s job. Nubi doesn’t dare to let anyone else do it. It will be difficult to explain if something happens.”
She looked mockingly at Zi You and picked up the bowl of medicine again.
Zi You’s eyes darkened. She sneered, “Oh? So that means that if something happens to the Empress Dowager, you will be responsible for it? Okay. Go ahead and feed her then.”
“Nubi doesn’t dare.” Yurong immediately put down the bowl. “Mu Xiaojie, Nubi is just worried about the Empress Dowager and is not disobeying you. You can’t push your responsibility onto Nubi. You are the Empress Dowager’s imperial doctor!”
Zi You looked coldly at her and didn’t speak, but that was enough to make Yurong sweat. Yurong thought that this girl who was younger than her had cold eyes that could penetrate her heart and clean the filth hidden in her heart.
Yes. The bowl of medicine had 230 grams of gypsum and dandelion and not thirty grams.
Little spirit mouse Xiaohui had clearly seen Imperial Doctor Qin and Yurong’s criminal activities.
Imperial Doctor Qin had given Yurong 100 gold taels and 200 grams of gypsum and dandelion. He had whispered, “Put this inside the medicine and the 100 gold taels are yours.”
Yurong had hesitated at first. Was 100 gold taels worth losing her head? She had thought about it and refused. “Imperial Doctor Qin, this is a death penalty. Nubi doesn’t dare.”
Imperial Doctor Qin revealed his ruthlessness. “You already know my intentions. If you don’t do it, you will die anyway. If you do it and succeed, then I will give you another 500 gold taels.”
Facing death and personal interests, Yurong had finally agreed to betray the Empress Dowager and took the medicinal herbs. She had said to Imperial Doctor Qin, “You better keep your word. Otherwise, I won’t let you go even if I become a ghost.”
Yurong was guilty, so she was naturally afraid when she saw Zi You looking at her like this. She stammered and asked, “Mu…… Xiaojie, why are you looking…… at Nubi……?”
Zi You smiled as enchantingly at the night poppy. “What do you think I should do with a slave who betrays her master for 600 gold taels?”
Yurong was shocked. She wanted to speak, but Shangguan LingRan suddenly jumped out and struck her neck.
He then fiercely kicked her. If he didn’t have to keep her as bait, he would have burned her to ashes. “YouYou, what next?”
Zi You shook her head vigilantly. Shangguan LingRan whispered to her, “Don’t worry. My secret guards are outside.”
Zi You then nodded, rea.s.sured. “We’ll wake her up later. I think that there are other people behind Imperial Doctor Qin. It seems unlikely for an imperial doctor to take out 600 gold taels…….”