Chapter 411 – Has Something Gone Wrong? (2)
“You can leave now. I’ll be here at the Palace of Heavenly Purity. No one should dare to be presumptuous,” the empress dowager said to Tang Zhen.
“Your Imperial Highness, should we invite Marquis Anyang into the palace to protect the emperor?” Tang Zhen asked quietly. Given that Lu Wushuang had just been dismissed, he was unsure if the empress dowager would still trust in Lu Lingzhi.
The empress dowager was silent for a moment, before sighing and saying, “If it hadn’t been for the fact that Marquis Anyang is still nursing his wounds, I would’ve invited him into the palace. But as of the present, he has not yet recovered. Let him rest at ease.”
Tang Zhen quickly discerned the underlying meaning- the empress dowager did not wish for Lu Lingzhi to know too much. “I understand.”
“Invite Wei You into the palace to protect the emperor.” The empress dowager considered for a moment before landing on this name.
“Wei You?” Tang Zhen was taken aback. Why would the empress dowager want Wei You to enter the palace?
Wei You was a loyal servant of the erstwhile Huangfu Dynasty. If he were to learn of the emperor’s injuries, the marquis feared he would try to take advantage of the situation. So, the very mention of this name astonished him.
The empress dowager lightly laughed, she wasn’t blind to the marquis’s worries. She said, “Seeing as the emperor allowed him to become the Admiral of the Nine Gates, it is apparent that he trusts him. The safety of the imperial palace should be left to him.”
Tang Zhen had conquered the dynasty with Mo Rongzhan from his time as a humble soldier. Naturally, he understood this Emperor more than anyone. If he wasn’t someone he trusted very much, it would be impossible for Wei You to obtain the position of the Admiral of the Nine Gates.
“Your Imperial Highness, I’ll have someone invite General Wei,” he said.
Wei You had long been guarding outside of the palace. Upon receiving the orders, he immediately entered the Palace of Heavenly Purity to see the empress dowager, and quickly placed the nine doors of the imperial palace under secure guard. He also secretly contacted General Meng of the Western Barrack, telling him to remain alert to accept orders at any time.
Tang Zhen left the imperial palace intending to head to the hunting grounds again. He still had to investigate as to what had really happened. This incident was definitely not as simple as an accident.
The empress dowager met with Prime Minister Xu and Liu Zongyuan in the imperial study and apprised them of the emperor’s injuries. However, she didn’t go too much into detail, only stating that it had been the result of a plot, and told them to do all they could to calm the court officials these next few days in court.
When Prime Minister Xu expressed his desire to see the emperor, he was stopped by the empress dowager. “The emperor has just woken. He needs to rest in peace now. You can see him tomorrow.”
Since the empress dowager had said so, even if Prime Minister Xu and Liu Zongyuan really wanted to know about the emperor’s condition, there was no way they could. Right now their only option was to leave.
As of now, the consort with the highest position in the harem was Prime Minister Xu’s daughter, Xu Huiru. Gui Fei’s loss of favor and recent dismissal was a great opportunity for Xianfei. Prime Minister Xu had already had someone secretly bring his daughter news, telling her to earn the favor of the emperor. It would be even better if he could make her Empress.
At this time, the harem was still calm and peaceful. The news of Mo Rongzhan’s injury had already been contained. Not a single bit had leaked to the harem. However, although nothing had leaked, it didn’t mean no one noticed peculiarities.
“Xianfei, the palace was a bit odd today. I heard that the princess went early in the morning with Little Prince for hunting. But I just saw her in the imperial garden, being led by Lady Cheng to the Cining Palace. Then the empress dowager went to the Palace of Heavenly Purity. I don’t know what might have happened.”
Xu Huiru’s eyes flashed. She didn’t know that Ye Zhen had returned to the palace. She was also unaware of the reason the empress dowager had gone to the Palace of Heavenly Purity. “Concubine An, the empress dowager’s whereabouts are not something you can track.
An Xiuzhen’s face soured as she awkwardly laughed, saying, “I only knew by chance. I didn’t listen in on the empress dowager’s whereabouts on purpose.”
Hu Yue, who was sitting on the other side, only smiled silently. She was just a humble noble lady. No matter what happened in the palace, she didn’t have the qualifications to ask or investigate. Sometimes, silence was golden.
Xu Huiru took a look at An Xiuzhen. “You said something happened. Have you heard anything?”
“Where would I go to investigate? I have only heard whispers of gossip….” An Xiuzhen smiled. “I don’t know nothing else.”
Xu Huiru didn’t ask further. After she dealt with An Xiuzhen and Hu Yue, she summoned her maid Qian Lan. “Go take a look at whether or not the princess has actually returned to the palace. As for the emperor… Nevermind, you are not to listen in on the matters of the emperor.”
Qian Lan left and returned a little more than an hour later to the Xinghe Palace.
“Her Highness is indeed already in the Cining Palace. However, the empress dowager went to the Palace of Heavenly Purity,” Qian Lan quietly reported.
Xu Huiru was shocked and instinctively knew that something had happened to the emperor.
“Where is the Little Prince?” she hurriedly asked.
“He has already returned to the prince’s residence,” Qian Lan said.
“Take my waist signet, and send this news to my father. Perhaps he’ll know what happened.” Xu Huiru’s eyes were cold and serious as she spoke quietly.