Chapter 302: The Empress's Secret
er Take me to see him!" Xiao Yuge frowned slightly. She wouldn't have followed him here without being certain of something.“I...”Xiao Yuge glanced at the medicine in his hand: "He's so badly injured,..."Xuan'er, who is this young lady beside you" The Empress Dowager naturally noticed Xiao Yuge at this time. She had been living in the Buddhist hall for years and had no contact with the outside world, so she was naturally unaware of the relationship between Qian Tingxuan and Xiao Yuge.
"Mother, this is the song I mentioned to you last time!" Qian Tingxuan's eyes held a smile as he looked at Ge'er.
"Indeed, she is a beauty in the making." The Empress Dowager sized Xiao Yuge up from afar.
Maybe Xiao Yuge was overthinking it, but she always felt that Tai Hou's gaze toward her was off.
As expected, as soon as the banquet ended, the Empress Dowager sent someone to summon Xiao Yuge to Shoukang Palace, claiming she wished to see her in private. Even Qian Ting was barred from entering.
"Why did the Empress Dowager summon me alone" Xiao Yuge asked, clutching Qian Tingxuan's arm for support.
"Don't be afraid, Mother won't make things difficult for you, I'm right here waiting for you." Qian Tingxuan gently caressed her hand and comforted her softly.
"Miss Xiao, please come in," Qinyin beckoned to Xiao Yuge, after all, Xiao Yuge was the one the Wangye had taken a liking to, she dared not be impolite.
Xiao Yuge followed the qin teacher into Shoukang Palace. She thought the Empress Dowager would be seated high in the center of the palace, looking down upon her, but she never expected that the Empress Dowager would summon her in the garden instead.
"The young woman greets the Empress Dowager!" Xiao Yuge had grown up in the Prime Minister's Mansion, though willful, she never forgot her lessons on etiquette.
The Empress Dowager raised her eyes to look at her, sizing her up from head to toe before letting out an "Hmm" and nodding. "Not bad, indeed a captivating beauty. No wonder Xuan'er is so devoted to you."
Xiao Yu Ge looked up for a moment, then quickly lowered her head again, not daring to speak. The key was that she didn't know how to respond to such words.
The Empress Dowager waved her hand, signaling the maidservants to retreat until only she, the imperial concubine and Qín Gu Gu were left.
It was unknown whether it was intentional or unintentional, but after just two steps, she suddenly stumbled towards Xiao Yuge!
"Empress Dowager!" Xiao Yu Ge reacted quickly, catching her before she fell. The moment his hand clasped the Empress Dowager's wrist, he was stunned: how could it be so cold, as if...
"Empress Dowager!"
At that moment of dazedness, An Gu'gu from the side also came to her senses and quickly went up to help the Empress Dowager sit down on one side.
"Is this Miss Xiao" After the Empress Dowager sat down, she coughed for a long time before calming down, but she didn't seem to remember Xiao Yuge's name and surname.
"Yes!" Xiao Yuge respectfully bowed her head.
“Your appearance does indeed match Xuen'er very well, but besides that, your family background and status don't match him at all. You need to think carefully. Perhaps Xuen'er is only infatuated with your beauty right now. You seem intelligent, and you should know some reason. What do you think he will feel when your beauty fades”
"So, Empress Dowager, what do you mean"
Before coming here, Xiao Yuge had already thought through various versions in her mind, so when she truly arrived at this moment, she wasn't as nervous. It was all clichéd plot points from old novels, nothing more than words like "she is not worthy of the Unfettered King," and she hadn't even considered climbing anyone, so she didn't care what they said.
“Huan’er once knelt and begged this Imperial Consort to bless your union, and this Imperial Consort didn't want to interfere with love. This Imperial Consort thought, even if you weren't a noble lady, you should at least be from a respectable family. But now, you don't even know your own origins. You are so unclear about yourself, how can you possibly be suitable for Huan’er So, if you truly love Huan’er, then leave him!”
It seems the Empress Dowager had investigated her beforehand. That's just as well, it saves her from wasting words. Though she has no objection to leaving Qian Ting Xuan, hearing this, she feels a little indignant. If she truly loved Qian Ting Xuan, wouldn't the Empress Dowager's strong stance be like breaking up a loving couple
“Grand Empress Dowager, you are right. I have no status, no identity, and I don't even know who I am or where I come from. I’m truly unworthy of the Crown Prince. But Grand Empress Dowager, do you really think that if I leave the Crown Prince, he will truly be happy Do you know what he wants”
Originally, the respect for the Empress Dowager was also starting to fade. As the mother of the Prince, she hadn't seen him in many years and didn't inquire about his well-being, good or bad. As soon as she left the Buddhist hall, she wanted to break up his marriage. Is this really love
"Presumptuous!" The Empress Dowager did not expect her to be so defiant, and was furious. She slammed her hand on the table: "You dare to be so presumptuous in front of me! It seems you are relying on Xiner's affection and acting recklessly!" This time, she was determined to separate them.
“Your Majesty, there’s no need to be angry. What I said is the truth. For all these years, you have never cared about the King's life or death. The moment you appear, it's to separate him from me. Have you ever asked him why he is so determined to be with me That's because he only has less than three years left to live. He just wants to spend the rest of his time with the person he loves. Even if you find him a suitable noblewoman, he won't like it and won't be happy. Do you want him to leave with regrets”
"You, you... what did you say Xu'er only has less than three years left..." The empress dowager's face instantly turned pale, her thin body trembling uncontrollably.
"Audacity! You dare to utter such nonsense here, scaring the Empress Dowager How can you bear the responsibility" Qin GuGu beside him angrily rebuked Xiao YuGe.
"Am I making things up Your Majesty, have any of the imperial physicians come and take a look" Xiao Yu Ge secretly observed Empress Dowager's expression, her heart seemed to confirm her guess even more. As a mother, if she cared about her son at all, she wouldn't be unaware of these things.
The Empress Dowager suddenly seemed to be stimulated by something, coughing non-stop. Her already frail body trembled like dry leaves in the wind under her loose clothes!
"Imperial Grandmother!" Qin Gu, who was beside her, quickly supported the Imperial Grandmother and then shouted outside, "Quickly! Quickly send for the imperial physician!"
“No! Don't let the imperial physician come!” However, the Empress Dowager strongly opposed the imperial physician and forcibly stopped it.
Xiao Yu Ge secretly frowned. She had also heard Qian Ting Xuan mention that the Empress Dowager, after so many years in the Buddhist hall, had never invited a physician. If she was ill, she always had this qin gu gu who had a slight understanding of medicine attending to her. Could there be some secret hidden here
After much coughing finally subsided, the Empress Dowager lifted her dim eyes and looked at Xiao Yuge once more. After a long pause, she asked, "Your name is Xiao Yuge, isn't it"
"Yes. I remember her full name now."
"Do you really like Xuen'er" The Empress Dowager hugged her tightly.
Xiao Yuge bit her lip, she didn't know how to answer. Love for Qian Tingxuan wasn't quite right, but at least she didn't dislike him, there was a little bit of liking, so she nodded.
"If what you're saying about Xuan'er is that he only has less than three years left, are you willing to marry him knowing that you'll be a widow in three years You should have just come of age recently, you're still so young, your life is long. Have you really thought this through" The Empress Dowager wanted to make sure that the girl before her wasn't simply after the carefree status of being a princess.Yuge stomped her foot, but what could she do now that things had come to thisNo wonder he kept emphasizing that she was his little princess. It turns out the joke has been on her all along. She was so...