Abandoned Woman Busy Farming
Chapter 1576: Don’t Want to Delve into It_1

Chapter 1576: Chapter 1576: Don’t Want to Delve into It_1

In Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager had not slept well all night and felt some palpitations in the morning, so she called for the Imperial Physician to diagnose her. After the morning court session, Tang Yin immediately went to visit her at Cining Palace.

"Mother, why do you torment yourself like this?" Tang Yin sighed and then waved his hand, signaling that everyone else could leave.

The Empress Dowager’s eyes were slightly red, and the whites of her eyes were laced with blood vessels, indicating she had not held back tears the night before.

"I just can’t let go. Whenever I think that he is also your flesh and blood, my grandson, I feel such an agony in my heart," the Empress Dowager said as she clutched her chest, not knowing when she had begun to fear separation and death so much, particularly after the passing of the Former Emperor.

Tang Yin’s face changed, and his brows furrowed tightly. In a lowered voice, he said, "There’s no need for Mother to think about such things. I did not lay a hand on Lady Xu that night when I attended her chambers."

The Empress Dowager widened her eyes in surprise, "You didn’t touch her? But...but this is..."

Tang Yin looked somewhat embarrassed and avoided the direct gaze of the Empress Dowager as he said, "Wenwen endured so much difficulty to bear my offspring and even nearly lost her life several times. I have this hurdle in my heart that I can’t overcome, so I could only pretend."

"But, Lady Xu didn’t show the slightest sign of grievance. Yin’er, you don’t have to comfort me deliberately," the Empress Dowager said with some disbelief.

The Emperor’s face became even more embarrassed, "I used some sleeping powder on her, so she fell asleep early. Then, upon waking up, she believed that I had visited her."

Tang Yin’s face was somewhat flushed. He, the Emperor of a nation, had to resort to having a woman pretend to sleep—would he not be laughed to death if this got out? Was there ever an Emperor who did things like he did?

When it came to Wenwen, she was neither the most beautiful nor the best, but he couldn’t let her go in his heart. He had been with other women, but he had never really been interested, avoiding it when he could. Ever since Wenwen became pregnant and then encountered troubles, he found himself unable to touch other women without feeling guilt.

It took the Empress Dowager quite some time to recover from her shock, with the look of astonishment growing on her face, "Then, what’s all this about Lady Xu being pregnant as mentioned by the Kuai Family? Was she just talking nonsense, or..."

The Emperor patted the Empress Dowager’s hand, "Mother, maybe the Kuai Family wanted to upset us, or perhaps she misunderstood. But the incident has passed, and Lady Xu has already been buried. I don’t want to delve deeper into it, as according to the rules, the Department of Precautionary Punishment would need to exhume Lady Xu’s body for examination. Why go through all this?"

The Empress Dowager opened her mouth; was the Kuai Family speaking lies or truth?

If it was false, she could feel somewhat relieved, but thinking of Lady Xu’s death still made her heartache;

If it was true, then Lady Xu, who did not attend the chambers, was pregnant—could it be...

The Empress Dowager sighed deeply, feeling that some things were better left unexamined, and it was best to let them go sooner rather than later.

...

In the following days, Bai Ruozhu remained busy between the Female Physicians Institution and the Medical Alliance, trying her best to put the death of Lady Xu out of her mind.

The situation with Prince Xi was still manageable, with Ning Yu staying in Cining Palace to stabilize him, and Consort Yue gradually calming down, at least not always crying on the surface.

Since Ning Yu could not immediately leave the Imperial Palace, Bai Ruozhu arranged for her people to quietly suppress the rumors claiming Princess Diao Bin was an ill omen, and they would have to see how to handle the matter later on.

During this time, Little Furball woke up, seemingly even fiercer than before. Bai Ruozhu didn’t know how to determine its level, only feeling that it had become more spirited, but it never mentioned being summoned again. It seemed that Elder Shougu had already left the land of strife and was on his way back to the Southern Border.

As the weather turned cool, a shocking piece of news reached Danliang Country.

"Master, the old Emperor over at Chengshui has passed away. Originally, Crown Prince Zhou Jue was to succeed the throne, but unexpectedly, the subordinates of the late Third Prince used the name of his six-year-old eldest son to stage an uprising, claiming to restore the court’s discipline. Zhou Jue and his followers were no match and have already fled the Imperial City, now their whereabouts are unknown," Jianqi reported to Bai Ruozhu the news he received from the Commerce Association at the earliest time.

Upon hearing this, Bai Ruozhu burst into laughter, "Wasn’t Zhou Jue full of schemes? To think that he ended up being a lost dog, fleeing in defeat. If he had been defeated by the Third Prince of Chengshui, that would be one thing, but he was actually beaten by a six-year-old child. He must be choking with rage, right?"

A smile also appeared in Jianqi’s eyes, "It’s precisely because the Third Prince of Chengshui died that he was caught off guard. Now Chengshui is going to hold the coronation ceremony for the new Emperor at the end of next month, with that six-year-old child taking the throne."

Bai Ruozhu grew interested, "Who among the Third Prince’s subordinates led the coup? And with this child Emperor, who will be the Regent?"

"It’s said to be the Third Prince’s consort and one of Chengshui’s mysterious princes who never dealt with politics but had great trust from the Former Emperor. However, this person has been reclusive and uninvolved in politics before, so the Commerce Association has no information on him," Jianqi explained.

"Inform me immediately if you obtain any information," Bai Ruozhu was very keen to know who this Regent King was, and whether he could outmaneuver Zhou Jue, lest the young Emperor be dethroned before he even ascended.

"Yes."

A while later, Jiang Yichun returned home and said to Bai Ruozhu, "Do you know about the situation in Chengshui?"

"I more or less know about it, what about it?" Bai Ruozhu saw his cheerful expression and wondered if he was as excited as she was about Zhou Jue’s downfall.

"Chengshui has sent people to send a message, saying they want to marry Princess Fule to Danliang and form a century-long alliance." That was what Jiang Yichun said.

Bai Ruozhu understood immediately, "Now that Chengshui’s court is in turmoil, it’s uncertain whether the young Emperor can remain secure, so they prefer to seek peace through a marriage alliance."

Jiang Yichun nodded, "The Emperor is also willing to remain peacefully with Chengshui for the time being, especially since the Turkic forces are becoming quite aggressive."

"Princess Yingtong from the Western Regions is also set to marry here. Won’t the good men of our Danliang be all taken?" Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but laugh at the thought.

"Speaking of which, King Rui went to Chengshui to celebrate Zhou Jue’s ceremony of naming an heir and encountered a major disturbance at the Chengshui Imperial Court. His whereabouts are now unknown, and his life or death is uncertain," Jiang Yichun added.

Remembering the King Rui whom she had seen only once by the roadside, Bai Ruozhu thought of his pair of dull gray eyes and couldn’t help but feel sentimental, "I fear there is little hope for his safety."

"The Emperor intends to send me to search for King Rui, and also..." Jiang Yichun paused mid-sentence and gave Bai Ruozhu a meaningful look, making her immediately understand that the Emperor had not yet given up on the matter of the treasure.

"No way! We’ve only just settled down for a few days, and he has no one else he can trust? You’ve been away from the Capital for over a decade, how can he fully trust you after not seeing you for so many years?" Bai Ruozhu was anxious, speaking much quicker than usual, as she did not want him to risk his life again.

Having said that, she felt foolish; as long as she and the child were in the Capital, what could the Emperor not trust about Achun?