It is rumored that the Palace Master of the Divine Dragon Palace, Murong Chong, whose true appearance no one has ever seen, who is he?
Shangguan Yao shivered suddenly and reached out to grip the Empress Dowager's hand tightly.
"Could it be him? He's back, he's not dead. Mother, it must be him, he's not dead."
"Yao'er?"
The Empress Dowager's brows furrowed. Was His Majesty stimulated, and his mind had become muddled, speaking nonsense?
Fortunately, she had dismissed everyone in the imperial study. The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes and gently patted Shangguan Yao's hand to comfort him.
"Your Majesty, that's not possible. Under those circumstances, no one could have survived."
Yes, who could have survived? She had given the Crown Prince the 'Lover's Flower' poison, also known as white Datura, which was far more potent than Crane's Head Red poison.
At that time, he was also so severely injured, how could he have survived?
Thinking of a scene from the past, the Empress Dowager clutched her chest, and her body couldn't help but tremble slightly. She didn't know what had possessed her at that time.
How could she bring herself to be so cruel to her own son? The only explanation was that she had been possessed by a demon.
"No, Mother, none of us saw his body, did we? He escaped. What if someone saved him? Then he would definitely come back to deal with me. You say that Murong Chong, could it be him? It must be, why else would he be wearing a mask?" xxs壹贰
Shangguan Yao suddenly flipped over from the bed, his entire face contorted and ferocious, his eyes scattered with bloodthirsty killing intent. His hands clenched into fists, and he shook his body wildly from side to side.
The Empress Dowager's face changed greatly. She was truly afraid His Majesty had gone mad and stood up, suddenly shouting angrily.
"Your Majesty, wake up! What are you talking about? You are the Emperor now!"
The shout made Shangguan Yao sober up. His entire face was covered in sweat, and his eyes looked blankly at his mother, repeating, "Did Mother say he was dead?"
The Empress Dowager nodded vigorously. No one in this world could detoxify the Lover's Flower poison, at least she had never heard of it.
"Then who is Murong Chong? Who exactly is he?"
A fierce glint flashed in Shangguan Yao's eyes. He lowered his head to look at his own large hands, lost in thought.
The Empress Dowager reached out to stroke her son's hair. Her heart was so tired. Was this the consequence of what she had done back then? Making everyone unhappy.
"Yao'er, he is just a rogue from the martial world. He had never acted against the imperial court before. Although powerful, it was a peaceful coexistence. Now, by coming forward to save Yun Mo, it at least proves one thing: he is a close relative of the Yun family. Therefore, what you need to do is quickly find this person, then eliminate the Divine Dragon Palace, and stop being so suspicious here."
The Empress Dowager's words gave Shangguan Yao a shot of adrenaline. He frowned in thought, and finally looked up, his face covered with a layer of gloomy, cold light.
"Yes, I will not let anyone in the Divine Dragon Palace off."
Seeing that Shangguan Yao was no longer dwelling on the past, the Empress Dowager finally breathed a sigh of relief. She was truly afraid that Yao'er would get stuck in a deadlock, which would only harm him and not benefit him.
Considering the current situation, the Empress Dowager was worried. She always felt that Lan Qinglun was untrustworthy. She had sent people to investigate his background and found that he was too clean.
This seemed uncharacteristic for someone in officialdom. Was he truly clean, or were there other hidden circumstances?
In four years, he had risen from a minor physician to the position of Minister of Personnel, and he had no patrons behind him. Just thinking about it sent shivers down her spine.
Moreover, his relationships with other court officials, not joining any factions yet being able to coexist harmoniously with all of them, was not something an ordinary person could achieve.
The more the Empress Dowager thought, the more uneasy she became, and she couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, how do you plan to deal with the Ye family?"
When Shangguan Yao heard his mother mention this, his face turned cold, but he suppressed it and said nothing, because he knew his mother cared about him.
"Mother?"
The Empress Dowager looked at him earnestly and said with deep meaning.
"Yao'er, don't forget he is your maternal uncle. Bones are connected by tendons. Your uncle is the person you can trust. Even if he is a thousand times bad and ten thousand times worse, he is the one who protected Yao'er's throne. Would Yao'er rather trust an outsider than his own uncle?"
Shangguan Yao had also considered this issue these past two days. No matter how bad Ye Siyuan was, he was still his maternal uncle, and there was still a Consort in the palace who was under his control.
Indeed, he was much more trustworthy than others. However, he was now guilty of multiple crimes and was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. Even if he was the Emperor, he couldn't openly release him, could he?
"Mother, please rest assured, I will think carefully about this."
Hearing her son's words, the Empress Dowager showed a rare smile. It seemed Yao'er had come to his senses. That was good. As long as he thought it through, she would have a way to let the Ye family gradually rise again.
Although they had no military power, they could control other situations.
In the imperial study, the mother and son, having resolved their prior misunderstandings, shared a warm atmosphere.
As they were talking, the voice of an eunuch came from outside the palace gate: "Your servant greets Consort."
"Get up. Has His Majesty's health recovered?"
"Replying to Your Ladyship, he is no longer in grave danger."
The voice of a young eunuch rang out. It turned out that Consort Ye Suxue had arrived. The Empress Dowager glanced at Shangguan Yao, saw that his expression was gentle and not resistant, and called out to the outside, "Allow Consort to enter."
"Yes, Empress Dowager."
The young eunuch quickly responded.
A graceful figure, trailing a pink bubble long skirt that dragged on the ground, with a waist cinched by a smoke-colored silken sash tied into a large butterfly knot, and light gauze hanging down.
The entire person was pure and charming, lacking the arrogance and extravagance of before, possessing a rare touch of fragrant tranquility and steadiness.
The Empress Dowager's eyes lit up with approval. It seemed that the Ye family's affairs had completely transformed Suxue.
She exuded a peaceful radiance, possessing the dignified grace befitting an Empress.
"Your humble concubine greets the Empress Dowager."
Ye Suxue respectfully paid her respects to her aunt. Seeing that His Majesty and the Empress Dowager were getting along so warmly, she felt relieved.
"Suxue, rise."
Ye Suxue stood up and then paid her respects to His Majesty. Only after Shangguan Yao ordered her to rise did she stand up gracefully. The Empress Dowager had already beckoned her to come closer and pulled her to sit beside her.
"Suxue, you seem to have become much more sensible."
The Empress Dowager sighed. A faint blush appeared on Ye Suxue's charming face, and her bright eyes twinkled with a soft radiance. She said lightly, "It was Suxue who was too mischievous before, causing much trouble for His Majesty and the Empress Dowager. In the future, Suxue will do her duties well."
Ye Suxue's voice was soft, like goose down, drifting gently, involuntarily captivating those who heard it.
Shangguan Yao carefully observed Ye Suxue. This woman was indeed different from before. The tranquility radiating from her, her charming face now possessed a bright radiance due to the peaceful aura, like a budding orchid, delicate and graceful.
It seemed that after the Ye family was imprisoned, this Consort had awakened. Shangguan Yao's lips curved into a cold smile, and he remained silent.
In the imperial study, the Empress Dowager and the Consort chatted intermittently. A gentle breeze blew in from the open window, stirring the brocade gauze curtains held up by golden hooks. The person on the bed had already closed their eyes and rested peacefully.