PDLP Chapter 419 No More Expectations
Chapter 419 No More Expectations
Emperor Shenwu continued, "I understand your concerns. I have ordered the coffin of Prince Shen to be quietly delivered to the Imperial Mausoleum. He will not become a wandering ghost! In a few years, I will also bring his son and daughter back. I will not let them continue to suffer in exile."
Empress Dowager Li looked up at Emperor Shenwu in shock.
Emperor Shenwu's face was calm, as if all the resentment and grudges had never happened. "I have a stubborn character, and I'm sure it gave my mother a lot of trouble in the past. Well, as long as my mother can be happy and no longer depressed, I can make concessions on these matters! As for Prince An, I will arrange a marriage for him in the spring. I don't have any expectations for him. I just want a simple life without causing trouble!"
Empress Dowager Li was still not used to Emperor Shenwu's change of heart, and said unnaturally, "Emperor, why are you suddenly like this? Could it be the Empress..."
Emperor Shenwu thought to himself that the Queen cared about his feelings and would not advise him to do so. However, no one knew that this was Emperor Shenwu's second life. In the first life in the dream, their relationship as mother and son was so bad and tragic. Now Emperor Shenwu no longer wanted to have a gap in his heart with his mother over some meaningless things, and they would be strangers to each other until death.
However, those secret expectations for his mother in his heart were no longer there!
Emperor Shenwu did not explain, but stood up and said: "Mother, take the medicine well and have a good rest!"
Empress Dowager Li looked at the departing figure of Emperor Shenwu and felt a sudden unease in her heart, as if she was about to lose something most important. "Emperor..."
Empress Dowager Li couldn't help but cry out. Emperor Shenwu paused slightly, turning his face to the side, looking even sharper and more determined. "I simply won't ever again expect something that doesn't belong to me!"
Compared to his dreams, he had already gained so much. The Emperor Shenwu thought he should be content and let go of things that never belonged to him. Lan Qingwu had always been by his side, bearing him an heir, even the most satisfying heir. And at least the Emperor Shenwu and his mother hadn't reached the worst point yet.
After Emperor Shenwu left the Cining Palace, Empress Dowager Li sat blankly on her bed, lost in thought. She wept silently at first, then her tears grew thicker and thicker, and suddenly she burst into tears. For decades, Empress Dowager Li had always been graceful and respectful of protocol, but at this moment, she wept with all her dignity.
Li Ma Ma also squatted in front of the bed with tears in her eyes: "Empress Dowager! I know you are distressed. Now it is good. His Majesty has agreed to everything you want. You should take good care of yourself!"
Empress Dowager Li cried, "Is this my fault? I'm just a mother. Shouldn't I hope that my children are all well? But why... why... he agreed, and I'm still so upset!"
Nanny Li rushed out and said, "But Empress Dowager, His Majesty is not wrong! What did he do wrong? He didn't do anything wrong! He didn't wrong anyone! Why does he have to give in to everything? He's the Emperor! Is it just because he's the Emperor? Your position is not wrong, and His Majesty's position is even more correct! If there must be something wrong, then we can only blame Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager for being in the royal family!"
Empress Dowager Li's sobbing gradually subsided. "You're right. If we weren't in the imperial family, how could my sons be in this situation now? It's my and the Emperor's fault for being in the imperial family!"
For the first time, the eldest princess did not attend the Lantern Festival banquet. That night, she stood in front of the window, looking at the lonely bright moon in the night sky, and thought of her biological mother, feeling sad.
"The palace banquet must be very lively!"
The eldest son-in-law was sitting silently on the side: "Maybe! Princess, don't think too much, just take care of yourself!"
The eldest princess touched her bulging belly and asked, "Prince Consort, is there anything else you want to ask me?"
"no!"
The eldest princess turned a deaf ear to him and said, "Actually, when I did this, I only wanted to make the Queen suffer. She would have a severe cold and would no longer be able to sleep with me! Then, my father would definitely favor another concubine! The Queen would be very upset!"
The eldest son-in-law's face gradually darkened. "Princess, can't you just go one day without mentioning the Empress? If you want our child to be like you after he's born, locked up here forever, then just keep going!"
There was another person who was also brooding over this palace banquet, Concubine Shi, formerly Concubine Wen. She was confined to a remote abandoned palace in the palace. A few days ago, because of the poisoning incident of Lan Qingwu, Concubine Shi's treatment plummeted. She knew that the emperor was furious and she would definitely not have a good ending. Sure enough, Emperor Shenwu knew that he could not do anything, but he did not let her go. For several days in a row, her meals were cold, without a trace of heat, and even had ice chips in them. How could Concubine Shi not get sick!
Only after the Empress recovered did Concubine Shi feel better. But how could the imperial physicians treat her wholeheartedly? Ultimately, it was only when the Third Princess approached Imperial Tutor Shi that Concubine Shi discovered another member of the Imperial Hospital's family, Imperial Physician Zhang. Doctor Zhang, barely in his thirties, had once benefited from the Shi family's kindness. At Imperial Tutor Shi's request, he slowly and unobtrusively cured Concubine Shi's illness.
During the Lantern Festival palace banquet, Concubine Shi knew that everyone in the palace was paying attention to the banquet, so she took the opportunity to meet the imperial physician Zhang again.
Master Guiren's face was pale. She was leaning on the bed. She was thin and old. Although she was only in her early thirties, she had gray hair on her temples and wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. She looked like she was in her fifties.
Doctor Zhang entered the bedroom, bowed and said, "Your Excellency, I am here to see you. Your Excellency, I have brought two people with me to see you today!"
Imperial Doctor Zhang stepped aside, and behind him were the Third Princess and another person who should have been at the palace banquet!
The Master's pupils shrank slightly, and she suddenly burst into laughter: "Good! Very good! You finally figured it out!"
The Third Princess said, "Mother, he has to hurry back to the palace banquet. If you have any instructions, please hurry up and tell him!"
The man remained silent.
Master Guiren seemed to be filled with strength. "A temporary defeat is nothing! It's all because you didn't grasp the emperor's weakness!"
The third princess was puzzled and asked, "Aren't the Empress and her legitimate son the real threat?"
Noble Master shook her head. "It's only in the past two years that I've gradually figured it out. The more we directly target her, the more His Majesty will protect her! It's better to think about it the other way around. What if His Majesty is disappointed in her, shattering his self-righteous affection and making His Majesty think that person has someone else in mind? What would His Majesty do then? It's better to cut off the source of the problem. If that person's family betrays His Majesty, what will he do then? Go! Tell your father the whole story. He'll surely understand what to do!"