69novels Chapter 178 Is the Empress a fool?
Chapter 178 Is the Empress a fool?
Li Yuanke carried her to the bedchamber, and the two pulled up the covers and went to sleep.
It was really too tiring.
The Empress Dowager wasn't delirious yet; such a big incident terrified her. Once she found out what had happened, she was absolutely furious with Yang Tingyue.
She stared blankly at the top of the tent and asked, "Qingruo, do you think I did something wrong? What if the Emperor thinks I drugged him?"
Qingruo didn't know what to say, and mumbled, "If it weren't for the Empress Dowager's palace, the Emperor might not have fallen for such a trick."
Yes, they are mother and son, why would the emperor be wary of them?
Yang Tingyue hadn't realized how serious the matter was. All she knew was that the cooked duck had flown away. When she heard that the emperor had gone to Zhaoyang Palace, she was furious and almost went crazy. The drug she had given ended up benefiting Shen Shixi.
Why doesn't Shen Shixi just die?
It was only when Qingzheng knelt down to beg for forgiveness that she began to feel afraid.
The Empress Dowager had her personal maid, Qiaoling, beaten to death. When she saw Qiaoling being dragged away covered in blood, she was so frightened that she fainted and began to weep bitterly.
The Empress Dowager roared, "You've got some nerve! You even dared to drug the Emperor! There's no place for you in this palace!"
Yang Tingyue rushed over and cried, "Aunt, Yue'er knows she was wrong, please forgive Yue'er! Yue'er had no choice, everyone in the harem has served the emperor, but Yue'er is the only one who hasn't, and they all laugh at Yue'er! Waaah!"
"Aunt, the Emperor only listens to Lady Shen. She deliberately prevented the Emperor from favoring Yue'er. Is Yue'er destined to remain alone forever? The Emperor bestowed a title upon Yue'er, yet he forbids her from serving him in bed. Aunt, how can Yue'er bear this?"
A few words softened the Empress Dowager's heart again.
"I told you from the beginning not to come to the palace, not to come to the palace, but you insisted on coming. The emperor wouldn't let you serve him in bed, what could I do?"
"Aunt, Yue'er is wrong! Yue'er only admires Cousin and wants to serve him in bed. Yue'er is Cousin's concubine, what's wrong with wanting to serve him in bed?"
"There were concubines in the late emperor's palace who never served him in their entire lives. Now that you've entered the palace, whatever fate awaits you is yours to bear."
Yang Tingyue sensed the Empress Dowager's softening, her eyes brimming with tears. "What Yue'er wants isn't favor, but only to bear a child for my cousin. Whether it's a prince or a princess, Yue'er only wants to have one child for him. Aunt, please grant Yue'er's wish!"
This is the negotiation strategy. I don't know if Yang Tingyue is really smart or just ignorant. Instead of asking the Empress Dowager to forgive her, she actually asked the Empress Dowager to give her a prince.
Obviously, this was something the Empress Dowager couldn't do.
The Empress Dowager felt quite guilty towards her. She had once been a concubine herself and could empathize with Yang Tingyue's longing, which made her feel even more sorry for her.
"Aunt, I heard that Lady Shen is infertile, yet she monopolizes the Emperor's bed every day. She serves the Emperor so many times a month. If she could just give me one night so that I could conceive a child with the Emperor, I would be more than satisfied."
She wiped away her tears and said, "My cousin always helped her before, and now he's still helping her, bullying Yue'er with her. Aunt, you must stand up for Yue'er!"
She even came to believe she was right!
The Empress Dowager had heard that Consort Chen was unable to conceive due to the coldness of her palace. She also recalled that on the day Yang Tingyue was conferred her title, Consort Chen stayed in Qianyuan Palace for quite some time. Later, the Emperor summoned Yang Tingyue, but unfortunately, it was clearly a deliberate act to embarrass his niece.
"Go back now. You are not to leave your chamber without my permission," the Empress Dowager said to Aunt Qingruo. "Go and invite the Emperor over tomorrow!"
When the Empress heard that the Emperor had been poisoned, she was also shocked and her face turned pale.
She herself was still sickly, yet she had no choice but to come and visit the Emperor. However, the Emperor was in Zhaoyang Palace, and when she arrived, he said he would not see her and told her to go back.
The Empress insisted on seeing him, mainly because she feared Shen Shixi might forge an imperial decree.
Shen Shixi ignored her, turned over, and continued to sleep.
[I have no son, so how can I control the emperor and command the nobles? Is the empress an idiot? She's always making stupid mistakes, isn't she annoying?]
Li Yuanke was annoyed when he was woken up. He was always grumpy when he woke up, and he angrily said, "Is Li Fude a dead person? Get out! Tell the Empress to send her back to her Fengyi Palace. I have no time to see her!"
Li Fude is truly innocent victim of this disaster!
But he couldn't say this to the Empress directly, so he said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor is currently recuperating and cannot see you today. Your health is also not good, so please return home!"
He would never dare to say anything the emperor didn't say, such as asking the empress to go back and recuperate.
The Empress refused to return. "Did the Emperor say those words, or did Lady Shen? The Emperor has been poisoned, and I know nothing of his condition. The Emperor and I are husband and wife; do I not have the right to inquire about his health?"
Li Fude was annoyed when the Empress forced her way into Qianyuan Palace last time, and he was even more annoyed when she forced her way into Zhaoyang Palace today and was scolded.
She thought to herself, "If the Emperor cares about your concern, he should go to Fengyi Palace to recuperate."
"His Majesty's health is much better now, Your Majesty, please rest assured. The imperial physicians are watching over him, so there will be no problem."
"What has happened? Can you take responsibility for it?" the Empress said sternly. "Get out of my way, I want to go in and see!"
She dared not enter Qian Yuan Palace. Was she not even allowed to enter the palace of a mere concubine?
Li Fude wouldn't budge an inch. How could he dare to? One could imagine how bad the emperor's mood was today. If he really angered the emperor, even ten thousand of him wouldn't be enough to kill him.
"Your Majesty, this... I was only acting under imperial orders. Please forgive me!" he said, kneeling down.
The Empress sneered, "Whose orders are you acting on? Words from Zhaoyang Palace don't even qualify as 'orders.' Don't forget, you are the Emperor's person; don't misunderstand your master!"
Li Fude said, "Although I am confused, I can still distinguish this point. I will naturally only listen to His Majesty."
"Oh, so you're saying that taking Midwife Fan away from me was also on the Emperor's orders?"
Li Fude couldn't answer this question. Although Consort Chen had indeed spoken to the Emperor later, and the Emperor hadn't said anything, he had indeed followed Consort Chen's orders first.
"Today I want to ask you, you servant, how you dare to forge imperial decrees and act in my palace."
The outside was relentless in its demands, and the emperor, naturally, heard it all too.
He suppressed his anger and had Bai Ping simply comb his hair into a bun. Without putting on the jade crown, he came out and said irritably to Chao En, "Empress Xuan, come in!"
Li Fude entered and knelt down. The emperor glanced at him, then said to the kneeling empress, "The empress insisted on seeing me. Now that you have, are you satisfied?"
The Empress was extremely worried. "Your Majesty, I heard you have been poisoned. May I ask what happened? I am so worried. How can I be at ease without seeing you?"
She was tearful, her emotions genuine and heartfelt.
The Emperor frowned upon seeing this. "It was Consort Chen's idea to have Midwife Fan deliver Consort Li's baby, and I gave my permission. Li Fude was acting on my orders. Does the Empress have any further questions?"