In the Fengluan Palace, the queen sat high on the throne, her nails painted bright red. Without her golden armor, her jade-white skin made her look extremely charming.
I have been living a proud and proud life lately, and everything seems to be going well for me.
"Madam Gui, do you think I look younger these days? I feel hopeful now."
"Your Majesty is right. Now that the virtuous concubine has passed away with His Majesty, you, as the head of a palace, are already the most honorable woman in the entire imperial city. Besides, when has Your Majesty not been young and beautiful?"
The queen stroked her damaged gilded jade bracelet. Something in her nerves was aroused, and she said unhappily, "What are you talking about, Madam? Riding a crane to the west? Just because of her? She is not worthy!"
She sat up, supporting her elbows on the armrests, her noble and arrogant expression torn apart.
"Even if I'm dead, I'm not worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as the Emperor!"
"I am the Queen, the only one who is qualified to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Emperor. Do you remember that?"
Nanny Gui slapped herself in the face and immediately changed her words: "Yes, I will remember this and will never do it again."
"How are you preparing for what I asked you to do?"
The queen was relieved, but the other thorn in her side had to be removed immediately.
Nanny Gui was a little embarrassed: "To answer your Majesty, the Queen Mother is now in Fashan Temple. There are people sent by the Emperor to protect her. I dare not act rashly."
"waste!"
The queen's resentment of being oppressed for many years surged up. Now that she finally had her day to shine, she wanted to clean up one by one those who had humiliated her and those who had bullied her.
"This slave deserves death!"
The Queen had vented her anger, and knowing that Nanny Gui had always been loyal, she helped her up personally, and the old servant was flattered.
"You don't have to worry too much. The emperor has passed away, and the crown prince's coronation ceremony will be held in three days. No matter what, you can't let her interfere in Chen'er's affairs."
The queen was holding a bamboo of longevity and good fortune in her hand, and the leaves were twisted in her hand.
Aunt Gui nodded in agreement, with determination in her eyes.
At night, the people in the palaces were in a panic, and few dared to take a breath under the queen's high-pressure rule. A team of fifteen people took advantage of the night to head towards Fashan Temple.
When the sky was just getting light, the first bell and drum of Fashan Temple rang, and the monks got up early as usual to fetch water and chop firewood.
Last night, the Queen Mother had a sudden heart palpitation and couldn't sleep the whole night, so she went to An Du, a poor nun, to discuss scriptures and Taoism with her, and they talked all night long by candlelight.
It was dawn but he hadn't left yet.
At three o'clock in the morning, the Queen Mother recalled her deceased son, her words filled with sorrow.
"The royal family is sometimes just a shackle. If you abandon all the things you love most, the world will be peaceful."
I do not agree with this. "Your Majesty, what you said is wrong. If you do not have beauty in your heart, how can you know what is quiet and what is noisy in this world? Everything is excessive or insufficient. Let the past go away like clouds and smoke."
The Queen Mother seemed to have realized something, and her worries were finally resolved. Suddenly, she saw a fire rising into the sky outside and was terrified.
"What happened?"
A servant stumbled in from outside, covered in blood.
"Reply... to the Queen Mother, there is a sneak attack from a master! It's... dangerous outside!"
After saying this, he fell to his knees.
The queen mother was horrified, panicked, and lost her composure. After all, she was old, and old people were always afraid of death. The poor nun held the Buddha in her hand and hung a dustpan around her waist, signaling the queen mother to stay calm.
"There is a secret passage in the inner room. Queen Mother, follow me!"
Before the Queen Mother could think about it, Andu had already pulled her hand and pushed her in.
The Queen Mother felt a shock all over her body and a sharp pain in her ankle, and she lost sight of the light.
Andu straightened her clothes and calmly opened the gate, only to be greeted by a bloody scene in the yard.
"Where is the Queen Mother?!"
The man spoke sternly, pointing the bloody tip of the knife at Andu's forehead.
"I don't know. If the donor is sincere in looking for her, he will find her. I have stayed in this lecture room all night and have never seen the Queen Mother. I think you are too murderous and may have disturbed her."
This is a very treasonous statement.
The killer had no time to care about the unexpected people given by his master.
With a slash of the knife, An Du ended her life peacefully, which could be considered as a good deed for the Queen Mother. If she hadn't died, these people might not have let go of this house. With her death, she had done her best to account for the Queen Mother's safety.
And those people did not let it go.
After searching three times, the killer leader frowned.
"Boss, there is no trace of the Queen Mother."
"Search for me. Dig deep into the ground to get rid of that old man. If you do, we will have a good life together!"
These words were like a drop of water splashing into an oil pan, making a loud bang.
The entrance to the secret passage was soon discovered.
The Queen Mother walked barefoot on the muddy mountain road, which was overgrown with weeds and had not been visited by humans for many years. It looked very creepy. Blood slowly flowed from her ankles and was washed everywhere by the rain.
In less than a moment, there was a noise behind me.
There were the sounds of uniform footsteps, and a well-trained dart hit the Queen Mother's thigh, causing her to fall to the ground wailing.
"Who are you? I am the Queen Mother of Daliang! You are blind, let me see clearly before you take any action!"
"The Queen Mother?"
The man had scars all over his face and looked fierce.
The first words he opened were provocative and full of contempt.
"Now the world only knows the prince, I obey the queen, so that you can be a wise ghost, and don't find the wrong person to complain in the next life!"
Before the empress dowager could even think about what to feel, a sharp weapon had already pierced her throat, and she died in a miserable way.
The heavy rain was still pouring down, but the only difference was that there was only a woman's body left on the ground, and a lot of messy footprints.
…
Cangming Mountain, a path along the mountain stream.
Fu Yuheng supported Shen Qingwan, and he didn't know how many blisters on the soles of his feet had broken.
"The imperial city is just over this mountain. I am slow, but it will be hard for my husband."
Fu Yuheng didn't allow her to say that.
"I am already extremely incompetent, and I have made you suffer this. If you reach the imperial city, take a rest first. The most dangerous is the safest. Don't argue with me anymore."
Qingwan smiled, knowing that he felt sorry for her, so she didn't say much and just nodded.
The two had come all the way from a remote town, and the hardships they had gone through were unspeakable. The silver they had was about to run out, and the situation in the imperial city was chaotic and very unfavorable, so they were all worried.
"Your Majesty, the Queen is supporting the Crown Prince in a rebellion. Your trip will be extremely dangerous. If there is no internal support in the Imperial City, we will have no way out."
She was worried about something else.
The harem has oppressed the queen for many years. Once the resentment is released, who can guarantee the safety of the concubines? It's just a matter of one's thoughts, Qingwan sighed.
Fu Yuheng didn't complain about the address, but just frowned, thinking about a countermeasure in his mind.
"What do you think we should do?"
A gentle smile.
"The emperor has already made up his mind, but Qingwan is anxious and angry. I will not say anything and will just be a devoted young lady serving my husband."