Seeing this, Dongfang Yi advised her, "Go. I'll be fine."
After all, she understood the gravity of the situation. If they were discovered, Concubine Shu might also get involved.
Since the queen had spoken, Concubine Shu lowered her head and left the dungeon with Xiaoxiang.
Just before leaving the dungeon, she stuffed all the gold, silver, and valuables she had brought to the jailer in front of her and pleaded, "Please take good care of Her Majesty the Queen. All these are for you. I'm begging you!"
Her determined look even touched the jailer. In the palace, it was rare to see someone so considerate of others.
Moreover, it wouldn't be a big problem for him to use a bit of his private power. Thinking of this, he nodded heavily.
Only then did Concubine Shu feel a bit relieved and left the dungeon with Xiaoxiang.
It was already the fourth day that the emperor hadn't attended court. The ministers in the previous dynasty had their suspicions. After all, even if the emperor had caught a cold, it shouldn't have taken so long to recover. Even if he was still ill, he should at least show up!
They all felt uneasy. Among them, Minister Dong naturally knew the reason. After all, the group of killers was sent by him. Now that the emperor was already poisoned, he might pass away soon.
Thinking of this, a smug smile crept onto his lips. From the very beginning, he had been a spy placed by the Nangong family beside the emperor, and he had never been exposed.
However, all his actions were caught by someone, that was Prime Minister Dongfang. He had heard from his daughter about the Dong family's affairs and knew that it was very likely that the Dong family had colluded with the remaining forces of the Golden Wolf Guards to harm the emperor.
But now he couldn't directly point it out, as he had no evidence in hand. Moreover, he had just heard that his daughter had been imprisoned in the dungeon by the empress dowager.
The dungeon was no place for his daughter who had been pampered since childhood. When he heard the news, his anger flared up, and he was determined to go and argue with the empress dowager.
But at this moment in the court, the top priority was to calm the ministers' nerves.
"Everyone, don't panic. His Majesty has indeed caught a cold, and it's so severe that he can't even get out of bed, which is why he can't attend court!" he said in a solemn tone.
His words carried a lot of weight. After hearing this, everyone nodded, indicating their understanding.
But Minister Dong, who knew the whole truth, couldn't hold back anymore. He immediately asked loudly, "How does Prime Minister Dongfang know that? Did His Majesty tell you this personally?"
Those who didn't know the truth would think it was just an ordinary question, but Prime Minister Dongfang heard the smugness in his tone. He sneered and replied, "Naturally, His Majesty told me this personally. Does Minister Dong not believe me, or do you know something else..."
His words were clearly thought - provoking, instantly attracting everyone's attention to him.
Minister Dong immediately panicked. Even if he knew something, he didn't dare to say it out. Now he was like a dumb person eating bitter herbs, unable to express his grievances. He could only stammer in response, "Your humble servant naturally doesn't dare to question Prime Minister Dongfang. It's just... I have some doubts!"
After saying that, he turned his head to avoid others seeing his evasive eyes and the cold sweat on his forehead, which were all signs of his guilt.
Prime Minister Dongfang saw his reaction clearly and couldn't help but sneer. He thought to himself, "A fox will surely show its tail sooner or later."
He had already increased the number of guards around Minister Dong's mansion. As long as anyone suspected to be from the Golden Wolf Guards entered, he would know immediately and would send people in to catch them red - handed.
Knowing that it was hopeless to see the emperor today, the ministers all left the Golden Hall. Prime Minister Dongfang stared at Minister Dong in the distance and mouthed, "Act cautiously!"
Then he rushed to the Qianqing Palace. He had heard that the empress dowager had been staying with the emperor there these days. He was going to ask that woman why she had imprisoned his daughter in such a place.
It took him less than a quarter of an hour to get there. As soon as he entered the Qianqing Palace, he saw the woman sitting on a high seat, looking at the newcomer sharply. Then she asked, "What brings Prime Minister Dongfang here?!"
She was clearly asking knowingly. She had imprisoned someone's daughter. How could she stop the person from coming to ask?
Prime Minister Dongfang's face turned a bit ashen. He said to her, "Your humble servant is here for an explanation. Why did Your Majesty the Empress Dowager imprison the queen in the dungeon?!"
"The queen has committed a serious crime. I have my reasons for dealing with her like this!" the empress dowager retorted, with a look of disdain on her face.
After hearing this, Prime Minister Dongfang immediately knelt on the ground. He bowed and began to say loudly, "Your humble servant's Dongfang family has served the royal family for generations and has never dared to be the least bit negligent. What serious crime has my daughter committed that she has to be imprisoned in a place like the dungeon meant for criminals?"
"Your humble servant has been worrying about His Majesty day and night. Now that the royal family is in such a great difficulty, if we start to have internal strife, won't it give others with evil intentions ideas?!"
He spoke sincerely word by word, but the empress dowager snorted and then asked, "Is Prime Minister Dongfang trying to pressure me with the Dongfang family?!"
She also realized that her actions this time had been a bit excessive, but she still couldn't tolerate a minister being disrespectful to her.
"Your humble servant doesn't dare. It's just that my daughter is in the dungeon, and as a father, I'm really worried!" Prime Minister Dongfang continued without raising his head.
After hearing this, the empress dowager gritted her teeth for a moment. But she also knew that at this moment, she absolutely couldn't lose the strong support of the Dongfang family. So she had no choice but to wave her hand and say, "I just wanted the queen to learn a lesson. She can leave the dungeon, but there's not a bit of falsehood about her poisoning the emperor. She can no longer be the queen!"
"But..." Prime Minister Dongfang wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by the empress dowager's harsh scolding. Obviously, the empress dowager was very dissatisfied with his attitude.
"Don't challenge my patience again. My tolerance ends here!" she said harshly, with a very fierce look in her eyes.
Prime Minister Dongfang also knew that if he said anything more, it would only anger the woman in front of him, so he didn't dare to say anything else.
After all, the current situation was only temporary. As long as the emperor woke up, he would naturally protect Dong'er. As long as she could get out of the dungeon, everything else could be discussed.
Thinking of this, he felt a bit more at ease. He respectfully bowed to the woman sitting on the high seat and then said, "Your humble servant thanks Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!"
Then he left the Qianqing Palace...