The Empress Dowager actually said that the woman kneeling in front of her had a simple mind? Could it be that she was really too old to tell right from wrong?
But upon hearing this, Concubine Chu let out a triumphant smile. Then she leaned on the Empress Dowager's knee and coquettishly said, "Your Majesty, I knew you were the kindest. You would surely forgive me!"
The Empress Dowager couldn't help but smile, but in her heart, she still couldn't let go of Concubine Dong.
It was said that after last night, the Emperor merely had that woman locked up in the Cold Palace under strict guard. This was not at all in line with his usual style. Could there be some hidden mystery in this?
On the other side, in Concubine Chu's palace.
The once bustling palace was now deserted. All the servants in the palace had been sent to other palaces, and there wasn't even one left to serve her.
Now, in this vast palace, there was only herself, and the eunuchs who would come to deliver meals at mealtime.
Concubine Dong still sat on the grand chair. Her hair was in disarray, and she no longer had the clean and ladylike appearance of the past. The makeup on her face, which she had put on yesterday, was now smudged. Her face was a mess of black and red, making it hard to fully recognize her features.
Ordinary people could hardly imagine how she had turned into this state overnight, but now she truly looked like a madwoman.
She would just play with her hair and wander around the bedroom. Although there was no one around, she seemed to be constantly talking to someone, and her mouth never stopped.
The young eunuch who came to deliver lunch at noon was so frightened by her appearance that he almost ran away on the spot. He firmly believed that she was possessed by a ghost.
As for Concubine Dong now, all her sufferings were hidden deep in her heart. At first, she wasn't this crazy, but Concubine Chu's relentless persecution broke the last string in her heart. Then, last night, she tried to assassinate Dongfang Yi. Although she failed, she went mad.
Maybe going mad was the best destination for her...
On the other side, Nangong Liuyun and his entourage quietly entered the palace. Since the Emperor had woken up, they hadn't had the chance to visit him yet. Yesterday in the Golden Throne Hall, the Emperor had explained his physical condition during these days and said that he had fully recovered.
It could be said that this had reassured all the ministers. Now, he had no chance at all to stage a mutiny at this moment. So he had to wait until the imperial mausoleum was repaired.
So he entered the palace today, aiming to bid farewell so that he could quickly leave this place full of troubles. After all, this was a very sensitive period. The longer he stayed, the more troubles would arise.
"Your humble subject pays respects to the Emperor!" As soon as he entered the palace, he bowed and said so, wanting to directly express his intention.
When the Emperor saw him, he slightly raised his eyebrows. He had heard about the good deeds this man had done during his coma! He just hadn't had the time to settle accounts with him yesterday during the court session. He didn't expect that this man would come to him today on his own initiative.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but let out a cold laugh and then said, "Oh? So it's Minister Nangong. Well, are you here to visit me now?!"
There was a hint of sarcasm in his words, as if he wanted to embarrass the man below.
But Nangong Liuyun had experienced many ups and downs. Naturally, he wouldn't be rendered speechless by just a few words. Instead, he laughed twice and then, as if he didn't understand anything, replied along with his words, "Your humble subject is naturally worried about Your Majesty's health. After all, Your Majesty is the sky of the Dongsheng Kingdom. If Your Majesty's health deteriorates, it will be a loss to the people of the Dongsheng Kingdom!"
Every word he said was so sincere that one couldn't find any fault with it. But Helian Qi looked down on him, though he couldn't show it on his face, because he was hiding his strength.
So he also laughed twice and then said, "You are really considerate, Minister. But I have fully recovered. You don't need to worry."
As soon as he said this, Nangong Tianci couldn't help but laugh first. In his heart, he was mocking the man sitting on the high throne. Even he could tell that his father's words were just perfunctory, but the Emperor was still so happy. He was really stupid.
Nangong Liuyun noticed his behavior and quickly turned his head and glanced at him. Then he nodded to the man sitting on the high throne and said, "Your Majesty, you are overpraising me. This is what your humble subject should do."
But Nangong Yunze looked at all this in front of him and somehow felt that it was very strange. Shouldn't the man sitting on the high throne be even inferior to Nangong Tianci? Could it be that he was hiding something? But it shouldn't be. What was he hiding?
Helian Qi had long seen what was happening below and naturally saw the slightly mocking smile on Nangong Tianci's face. But he chose to pretend not to see anything. After all, he had to play the fool to the end now. He had to act as an incompetent emperor that no one could see through, so that the bad guys could slowly show their true colors.
"Your Majesty, your humble subject has decided to leave the capital today. After all, the imperial mausoleum still needs your humble subject to take care of it." Nangong Liuyun then said so, stating the purpose of his visit.
This was exactly what Helian Qi had expected. He knew that this old fox definitely didn't dare to stay in the capital any longer. After all, he had done something that made him feel guilty. If he stayed any longer, things would only get worse.
After thinking for a while, he nodded and then said, "You are really dedicated, Minister. I'm looking forward to visiting the imperial mausoleum supervised by you during the Tomb-Sweeping Festival this year."
Counting like this, there was only about a month left until the completion of the imperial mausoleum, which was also the Tomb-Sweeping Festival this year. By then, all things would come to light, and he and the Nangong family would have their final showdown.
After they finished talking, Nangong Liuyun was about to leave the Qianqing Palace with his two sons. But just as he was about to leave, he said another thing, "Oh, yes, Your Majesty. Your humble subject has one more thing to ask. It's about your humble subject's adopted daughter, Concubine Chu. All the things she did were because she was deceived by Concubine Dong. So Your Majesty must forgive her!"
After saying that, he bowed to him.
Helian Qi knew that he would surely plead for Concubine Chu. After all, they were like grasshoppers on the same rope, and neither of them could abandon the other. But at this moment, when he thought of the injury Dongfang Yi had suffered because of this, he couldn't calm down. Then he let out a cold snort and said, "This is a matter in my harem. Minister, you'd better not inquire too much!"
There was a fire in his eyes, seemingly filled with great displeasure. It was just because of Dongfang Yi. That woman had gone too far. He definitely couldn't let her off easily this time.