I insist

Chapter 247: Stroke

The Empress was surprised that the Emperor didn't care about the Empress Dowager's infidelity. When she thought about the Emperor's attitude towards others cheating in front of him, a cold smile appeared on her face.

She now understood that she could never defeat the Empress Dowager, because the Empress Dowager had the Emperor's support and the Emperor to take charge of the overall situation for her!

Even when the Emperor was informed of the Empress Dowager's affair, he remained indifferent.

Thinking of this, the Empress felt a pang of grievance, because she knew that if she were the one committing adultery here, the Emperor would probably immediately order her to be executed, and at the same time, he would continue to suppress her family!

The Empress never imagined that the level of perception between people would be so great!

Noticing that the Empress was in a bad mood, Lady Meng had been coming to the palace to keep her company these past few days. She also learned about the Emperor's attitude toward the Empress Dowager's affair.

She frowned, clearly not expecting the Emperor to tolerate her being cuckolded without caring!

Seeing the Empress's loss of confidence, Madam Meng remained silent for a moment before offering a suggestion, "I have a plan. I wonder if Your Majesty would like to hear it?"

Upon hearing this, the Empress paused for a moment, blinked, and looked up at Madam Meng. Seeing that the other woman nodded firmly, the Empress immediately grabbed Madam Meng's hand, her voice slightly excited, "What method? Tell me quickly!"

“Your Majesty, didn’t the Emperor remain indifferent to the Empress Dowager’s infidelity? What if the Empress Dowager’s infidelity involves more than just the deceased male favorite?” Madam Meng did not break free from the Empress’s hand. She sat there, one shoulder slumped down.

These words directly enlightened the Empress, because the Emperor was able to tolerate it partly because he was very fond of the Empress Dowager, and partly because she was already dead.

Thinking of this, the Empress became instantly agitated. "You mean to find another man to bring into the palace, so that handsome men will intentionally or unintentionally appear in front of the Empress Dowager?"

Madam Meng nodded and said frankly, "After all, if the Empress Dowager can steal from one person, she can steal from countless others. It's just a matter of whether she has taken a liking to them or not."

Upon hearing the other party's words, the Empress immediately instructed them to handle the matter, saying, "Why don't I entrust this matter to you? If I entrust it to someone else, I am not sure if they will reveal this matter to the Empress Dowager."

Lady Meng understood the Empress's meaning, and she nodded slightly in agreement.

The Empress sought out the Emperor again, still resentful, and brought up the matter once more.

The other party intended to pretend they didn't know anything about it, but the Empress kept reminding him, which made the Emperor very irritated. He picked up the inkstone in his hand and slammed it heavily onto the desk.

The blow startled the Empress. She swayed, looking at the Emperor in disbelief. She hadn't expected him to be so harsh on her over this.

"Your Majesty! Although the late Emperor is no longer here, the Empress Dowager's affair is a disgrace to him. Shouldn't she be punished for this?" The Empress was filled with rage, but she knew that the matter could not be brought up in public.

"You're always scheming for someone else's affections, having male lovers all over the place! It seems your mind is completely focused on the Empress Dowager!" the Emperor rebuked sharply. "As Empress, can't you put your attention elsewhere?"

"Look at yourself now, do you even resemble an empress? You're spouting nonsense, and your eyes are always wandering off. Anyone who knows you understands you're doing this for the sake of the palace's reputation, but anyone who doesn't would think you're some crazy old woman!"

These words immediately provoked the Empress's emotions. She glared coldly at the Emperor and said sharply, "Whom am I doing this for?!"

At this moment, the Empress disregarded all other thoughts; her face was flushed with anger, and her expression was extremely ferocious.

When the Emperor saw her like this, he almost couldn't recognize that the person in front of him was actually the Empress!

"If it weren't for the illicit affair between Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager, would I have done this?!" The Empress roared angrily at the Emperor. She was so agitated that her hair became disheveled as she swayed and moved.

The Emperor stared coldly at the Empress and demanded sharply, "What did you just say?"

At this moment, the Empress was no longer afraid of the other party. She looked at the Emperor with despair and told him word by word about the things between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, "Hasn't the Empress Dowager already disgraced the late Emperor? Why is Your Majesty so angry? Could it be that I have said something wrong?"

This left the Emperor speechless with anger. He suddenly stood up, walked around the table, strode to the Empress, raised his hand, and forcefully slapped her across the face.

The Empress screamed and collapsed to the side. She sat on the ground, feeling a burning pain on her face. She looked at the Emperor in disbelief, not expecting that he would actually slap her for something.

"Someone come here!"

Enraged, the Emperor shouted for help. Just as the Empress was about to get up to confront him, he ordered the guards to restrain her. "Lock the Empress in her palace. No one is allowed to release her without my permission!"

After seeing the person off, the emperor felt a throbbing pain in his head. He gasped for breath, and his vision suddenly went black, causing him to instinctively grab onto the desk beside him for support.

However, because the emperor was unsteady on his feet, he swept everything around the desk to the ground.

The commotion coming from the Imperial Study quickly attracted the eunuch who hadn't been standing at the door for long. As soon as he entered, he saw the mess on the floor and exclaimed in surprise.

Then a weak cry was heard. The eunuch looked up and saw the emperor leaning weakly against the desk, as if he would collapse to the ground at any moment.

The eunuch was so frightened that he rushed to the emperor's side, but it was too late; the emperor fainted on the spot.

Ming Taicheng and Song Miqiu came again. They stood by the emperor's bedside. Song Miqiu stood aside watching Ming Taicheng's actions, her brows furrowing involuntarily. "The emperor's condition is getting worse and worse."

"It seems like he might still have a stroke," Ming Taicheng said, frowning as he voiced his opinion.

After all, the Emperor's condition has been deteriorating recently, and given his already poor health, it's quite normal for him to faint.

Seeing this, Song Miqiu secretly smiled. Although she wished the emperor would die now, she didn't want him to die at this time. She turned around and walked to her medicine box. Using the medicine box as a cover, she took out a special medicine for stroke from the system.

She strode over to Ming Taicheng, handed him the medicine, and gestured for him to give it to the emperor.

Having witnessed the risks Song Miqiu had taken before, Ming Taicheng was now extremely cautious when taking Song Miqiu to consult with powerful figures. He looked at the object in his hand and asked curiously, "What is this?"