0p0 Chapter 286 Longkodo
Chapter 286 Longkodo
After Yongzheng's figure completely disappeared, Zhuxi carefully helped the empress dowager to lie down slowly, and asked softly: "Empress Dowager, are you tired? Let me help you rest."
The Queen Mother's face was filled with unconcealable fatigue. She half-closed her eyes and weakly ordered, "Go light the sandalwood!"
Zhuxi knew that the Queen Mother would light sandalwood to calm her mind whenever she was upset. After hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help but whispered, "From what I saw, the Emperor seemed a little angry."
Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother sighed deeply and said slowly, "Alas! Zhen Shi must not return to the palace. If she comes back, I'm afraid this harem will no longer be named Ulanara. I'm already old and can't protect her for much longer!"
"But from what the Emperor said, it seems he has made up his mind. Can you, Queen Mother, stop him?"
The Queen Mother, however, seemed oblivious to the words, lying quietly on the bed, her eyes slowly closing. Her tightly closed eyes seemed to block out all the external disturbances, or as if she were secretly pondering a response. However, her slightly furrowed brow betrayed her inner turmoil and anxiety.
The entire palace fell into silence for a moment, with only the curling sandalwood smoke slowly spreading and lingering in the air.
Yongzheng sat lazily in the sedan chair, a hint of loneliness flashed across his eyes, fleeting but real.
Su Peisheng hunched over, following closely beside the sedan chair. His face was filled with caution as he asked cautiously in a soft voice, "Your Majesty, are you returning to the Yangxin Palace to rest now, or are you moving on to another Empress's palace?"
Yongzheng raised his eyes slightly, his tone calm but revealing unquestionable majesty: "Go to Yonghe Palace!"
Su Peisheng quickly responded: "Yes!"
After about a quarter of an hour, the sedan chair landed steadily in front of Yonghe Palace.
Upon hearing the noise, Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong put down their belongings, stood up respectfully, bowed, and said in unison, "Greetings to the Emperor!"
Yongzheng nodded slightly, glanced around the room calmly, and asked, "What are you busy with?"
An Lingrong stepped forward and replied, "Your Majesty, the pear blossoms in Suiyuxuan are in full bloom, so I went with my sister to pick some branches to put in a vase. I was just saying to my sister that when Sister Zhen returns, maybe she'll see the ground covered in pear blossoms too!"
On the table, in a sky-blue narrow-mouthed porcelain vase, several pear blossoms are blooming brilliantly, with white petals stretching out and stamens trembling slightly, emitting wisps of elegant fragrance.
Looking at their excited expressions, Yongzheng hesitated for a moment before speaking: "I'm afraid she won't be able to come back in the next few days!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the smiles on Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong's faces froze instantly. They looked at each other and asked almost in unison, "Why?"
Yongzheng sighed slightly, his expression slightly tired, and said in a deep voice: "There are many complicated matters in the former court and the harem. I must consider them carefully."
When An Lingrong heard this, she couldn't help but roll her eyes and thought to herself: When you forced me to go to Ganlu Temple to tell Zhen Huan those nonsense, you patted your chest and swore that you had the ability to solve all problems. Now, look, all of it has become empty talk!
But she had to maintain a submissive appearance and gently advised, "Your Majesty, those outsiders are merely criticizing Sister Zhen's status as a deposed concubine. But in your heart and in ours, as long as she is Sister Zhen, no matter her name or family background, it doesn't matter. What matters is the friendship between you and Your Majesty. How can it be changed by those external things?"
Hearing An Lingrong's words, Yongzheng's eyes instantly brightened, as if he had grasped something crucial. But after a moment, he frowned slightly and said with a bit of helplessness, "It's just that the Empress Dowager has concerns. She has been in poor health recently. I really can't go against her wishes too much."
Upon hearing this, An Lingrong's eyes flickered slightly, and she spoke with apparent concern, "Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager truly share a deep bond as mother and son! The Empress Dowager began feeling unwell years ago, and it's been so long, why hasn't she gotten any better? Could it be that the Imperial Hospital's doctors weren't doing their job properly and weren't able to properly care for her?"
After saying that, she tilted her head slightly towards Shen Meizhuang.
Shen Meizhuang understood immediately and took over the conversation, saying softly, "It's not that the Imperial Hospital is ineffective. Years ago, when I went to the Empress Dowager's palace to attend to her illness, I heard the imperial physician say that the Empress Dowager was worried and anxious, and her spirit was weak. She had little appetite and no appetite, which is why her body was weak and her pulse was weak. She needed to be slowly cared for!"
Yongzheng listened carefully. When he heard the words "overthinking and worrying", a hint of doubt immediately flashed in his deep eyes, and he subconsciously repeated: "Overthinking and worrying?"
Shen Meizhuang quickly responded, "Yes, the Emperor was busy handling state affairs during those days and only slept two or three hours a day. The Empress Dowager must have felt sorry for the Emperor. I and Concubine Jing often tried to comfort him, but the Empress Dowager and the Emperor had a deep mother-son relationship, so the results were minimal."
After listening to Shen Meizhuang's words, Yongzheng carefully recalled the political affairs of the previous year.
In early October of the previous year, a minister reported that Longkodo's servant, Niu Lun, had exploited his master's power to solicit bribes. Later, a report exposed the matter. During interrogation, Niu Lun revealed that Longkodo had accepted bribes from Governors Zhao Shixian and Man Bao, as well as from provincial governors Gan Guobi and Su Keji. Upon learning of this, Emperor Yongzheng ordered Niu Lun's execution and dismissed Longkodo from his position as chancellor.
At this thought, Yongzheng suddenly understood the true reason for the Empress Dowager's illness. In an instant, his eyes flashed with a sharp light, and a cold aura emanated from his body, instantly enveloping the surrounding air, turning it icy cold.
Seeing that her goal had been achieved, An Lingrong added hypocritically, "The Empress Dowager is concerned about the Emperor's health, truly a loving mother. Since the Empress Dowager is not in good health, the Emperor must also consider her opinion. Sister Zhen has always been able to understand the Emperor's feelings, and she will certainly understand the Emperor's difficulties this time... I will dry these pear blossoms and grind them into powder. The next time the Emperor visits Sister Zhen, please bring them to her. That way, even if Sister Zhen can't see the pear blossoms all over the ground, she can still smell their fragrance, which will ease her pain of missing them."
Meanwhile, Yongzheng had already calmed down his anger and said calmly, "Don't worry, I will bring her back as soon as possible!"
After saying this, he stood up and strode away.