The Empress Dowager knew that Zhang Shengkang wouldn't have written just that one letter to her.
Since he mentioned Xun the Imperial Physician, it was highly likely that he had indeed written a letter to him as well.
However, reviewing recent events, she hadn't noticed anything unusual about Xun the Imperial Physician.
To be safe, she immediately sent someone to investigate, and discovered that before Zhang Shengkang's execution, he had given a letter to the prison guard, who then handed it to the Imperial Guard.
The Empress Dowager was well aware that the Imperial Guard answered to the Emperor, and would certainly report any discoveries to him immediately.
Having just witnessed the Emperor's reaction to the Taoist priest, and now hearing him speak to her this way, she understood that the Imperial Guard probably hadn't given that letter to Xun the Imperial Physician, but rather to the Emperor.
The Emperor already knew.
This was the child she had raised, and she understood him well.
His response to her now was probably just his way of avoiding the issue.
But now, things had reached this point, and there were no other options left.
So the Empress Dowager continued, "This is a matter of great importance. Even if Your Majesty doesn't believe what that evil Taoist said today, others have already heard it. This matter cannot wait until tomorrow."
After a pause, Yuwen Lan finally replied, "Then let's discuss this back at the palace."
The Empress Dowager nodded at his words and finally boarded her carriage.
Yuwen Lan followed closely behind, and their carriages, mother and son, headed one after another toward the Palace of Benevolent Peace.
In Ganlu Palace.
When news arrived that the evil Taoist had been captured, Yanshu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However, at the same time, there were still things she couldn't understand.
With that Taoist's abilities, he could have easily escaped to the Min Yue Region, so why did he deliberately come to the capital to provoke trouble?
Wasn't he afraid of being captured and beheaded?
Or perhaps this Taoist was trying to hide in plain sight? Thinking the most dangerous place would be the safest?
Then the system chimed in, [You're overthinking it. He actually just wanted to rebel, doing everything he could to harm the royal family. Even if he had to die, he wanted to do his utmost to disrupt the court, preventing the Emperor from sleeping peacefully. He hoped to cause a major incident that would shake the foundation of the Great Liang dynasty.]
Yanshu: [Heh.]
This evil Taoist priest had quite ambitious goals, but now he's been put in his place, hasn't he?
But speaking of which, this old Taoist was truly cunning - surely he couldn't escape from the imperial prison again?
The system responded, [That's impossible now. The Emperor just ordered his tendons to be cut and his tongue to be removed. There's no way he could cause any more trouble.]
Yanshu breathed a sigh of relief, [That's good then.]
But come to think of it, if they'd already cut his tendons, why did they also cut out the Taoist's tongue?
System: [Because the Emperor said this old Taoist was spreading malicious rumors.]
Malicious rumors?
Hearing this, Yanshu became curious again and quickly asked, [What kind of malicious rumors? What else did this old Taoist do?]
The system replied, [The old Taoist just told the Emperor that the Former Emperor was killed by someone in the palace, not by him.]
Hearing this, Yanshu scoffed, [That's ridiculous! Who in the palace would dare kill the Former Emperor?]
The system clicked its tongue, [Emmm...]
Yanshu paused, suddenly feeling something was off, [...What's with those ellipses? ...Don't tell me it really was someone from the palace?]
System: [Correct.]
Yanshu's eyes widened, [Th-then who did it? Who would be so bold?!!]
System: [Who do you think in the palace would be that bold?]
Yanshu froze.
...Could it be her number one boss?
After all, besides the boss, she really couldn't think of anyone else.
The system said, [Correct again.]
Yanshu: [What???]
...
In the Palace of Benevolent Peace.
After traveling through the cold wind, mother and son had now returned to the hall.
After dismissing everyone else and closing the doors, the Empress Dowager sighed and finally said, "I know that Your Majesty may have heard rumors about the Former Emperor's death. Rather than letting others tell you, it's better if I tell you myself."
Yuwen Lan said, "Mother, you don't need to explain..."
Before he could finish, the Empress Dowager shook her head and said, "No, I never intended to hide this matter. Since it has been brought up, I might as well tell you everything. The longer we delay, the harder it will be for me."
Hearing this, Yuwen Lan fell silent for a moment, then nodded, "Please continue, Mother."
The Empress Dowager gathered her thoughts and said, "Back then, the Former Emperor was deceived by this White Crane Taoist, becoming obsessed with pursuing immortality, completely neglecting the people's suffering. I and the court officials tried to persuade him, but it was useless. It would have been one thing if he just ignored state affairs - I could handle those for him. But one day, that Taoist convinced him to use unborn children for his elixir, and he actually agreed."
"Where could they find so many unborn children? Moreover, the alchemy required large quantities, so that Taoist used the most vicious method. During that period, pregnant women in and around the capital were miscarrying every day. Those were all human lives, the lives of our people!"
At this point, the Empress Dowager had become emotional, her eyes glistening with tears as she continued, "But the Former Emperor turned a deaf ear to it all. Not only did he allow it, but he deliberately prevented the Imperial Guard from investigating. He was clearly that Taoist's accomplice, completely unworthy of being an emperor!"
"I am also a mother who has lost her own flesh and blood. I understand the pain of those pregnant women. Moreover, as the empress of Great Liang, how could I watch this happen without taking action? But no matter how I tried to persuade him, the Former Emperor wouldn't budge. Yet I still had to protect his reputation, preventing the court officials and common people from knowing, to avoid shaking the Yuwen family's rule."
At this point, the Empress Dowager closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and looked at Yuwen Lan again, "Fortunately, by then you had grown into an adult. You had the responsibility of a ruler and a benevolent heart, capable of bearing great responsibility. So I took action, trading his one life for the peace of our people. Looking back now, my only regret is letting that Taoist escape back then, allowing him to take so many more lives over these years."
As she finished speaking, Yuwen Lan quickly said, "No, this is not your fault, Mother. You did everything you could, and you did nothing wrong."
The Empress Dowager shook her head and said, "Your Majesty need not say such things. From the moment I took that action, I knew this day would come. I never intended to hide or escape punishment - I just wanted to wait until the empire was stable before explaining the truth to you."
But Yuwen Lan shook his head again, "No, he deserved his fate. You bear no guilt."
He was the emperor whom the people relied upon, and now he was also a father, about to welcome his own child.
Regardless of his role, he could not tolerate anyone harming such innocent young lives.
So even now, hearing the truth from the Empress Dowager, his resolve wouldn't waver in the slightest.
Therefore, he continued, "The law applies equally to nobles and commoners alike, let alone the Former Emperor who, as a ruler, abused his power to commit evil - that's an even greater crime. So this is not your fault at all."
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager looked at him and said, "That Your Majesty can treat me this way shows that I didn't raise you in vain."
Then she sighed and added, "But back then... I had considered raising the King of Liaodong's child."
Yuwen Lan quickly replied, "No, even then, Mother, you did nothing wrong. It was I who wasn't honest enough, causing you worry."
After all, weren't those misunderstandings caused by the Former Emperor and that Taoist?
Finally, he could only say, "Let's not speak of past matters."
The Empress Dowager nodded, "Very well, we won't speak of it. Everything is good now, especially how Your Majesty can always see ahead clearly, which gives me great comfort."
However, she then changed her tone and continued, "But this is still the crime of regicide, and today when that Taoist spoke of it, others heard."
Yuwen Lan quickly said, "They won't dare speak of it. If Mother is worried, I can..."
"That's not necessary."
The Empress Dowager quickly waved her hand and said, "They are loyal to Your Majesty, why harm innocent people for my sake? That would only make others lose faith in Your Majesty - you must always remember the lesson of the Former Emperor."
She sighed again and said, "Everyone must die eventually, and I have lived long enough."
No...
Before Yuwen Lan could speak, there was a creaking sound as the hall doors were pushed open from outside, and Yanshu rushed in, crying out, "No, don't!"
In an instant, she had hurried before them.
This startled the Empress Dowager, and Yuwen Lan also looked surprised.
Before they could ask anything, she was already kneeling before them with tears streaming down her face. "Please, Your Majesty, don't blame the Empress Dowager. The Former Emperor deserved his fate - the Empress Dowager was merely eliminating a threat to the people! She did it not only for the common folk but also for you. If the Former Emperor had continued to be deceived by that evil sorcerer, who knows what other atrocities he might have committed? You might not have even inherited the throne..."
At these words, the Empress Dowager exclaimed in surprise, "Yanshu, how did you come to know about this?"
Yuwen Lan tried to speak, but before he could, Yanshu turned to him tearfully, "Your Highness has suffered too much - you cannot be so cruel to her! Though she may not be your birth mother, she has raised you all these years and worked tirelessly to secure your place on the throne. Her grace knows no bounds! Do you know why you only received news of the Former Emperor's illness when you returned from the northwestern campaign? It was because the Empress Dowager wanted to ensure your smooth succession without any complications! Every move she made was for you and for the empire. How can you treat her this way now?" She broke down sobbing.
Seeing her distress, the Empress Dowager momentarily forgot her confusion and hurriedly instructed the Emperor, "Quick, make her stop crying - she's too delicate for this!"
She pulled Yanshu into her embrace, consoling her, "My dear child, I know your loyalty, how you care for me. The Emperor treats me well too, please don't be sad..."
Yuwen Lan finally had a chance to speak, sighing, "I never meant to blame Mother. Please stop crying."
But Yanshu, still nestled in the Empress Dowager's arms, looked at him through tear-filled eyes, "But I just heard the Empress Dowager say she's lived long enough."
At these words, Yuwen Lan paused, looking toward the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager also froze before sighing, "Even if His Majesty doesn't blame me, I truly have lived long enough. I've experienced everything life has to offer..."
But Yanshu shook her head vigorously through her tears, "You haven't tasted sweetness yet - all you've known is bitterness!"
In her heart, she grieved: betrayed by her husband, losing her own child, single-handedly holding together an empire for that foolish husband, while the Former Emperor continued to sabotage everything...
Then finding true love but being unable to be together, only able to gaze at Master Qi from afar, not daring to speak more than a few words...
What a wretched life - her beloved mentor had suffered too much!
Though Yanshu was grief-stricken, she hadn't completely lost her senses, so she kept these angry thoughts to herself.
But Yuwen Lan heard everything.
In this moment, his heart was filled with unprecedented bitterness.
Indeed, though he had become Emperor, he had never brought any joy to the mother who raised him.
The luxuries of palace life probably meant nothing to her anymore, which was why she had decided to confess everything to him, even at the cost of her life...
Swallowing his pain, his eyes reddened as he said, "It's my fault. All these years, I never truly tried to understand Mother's feelings. But I've grown up by your side since childhood - if you leave me too, won't I be an orphan?"
At these words, the Empress Dowager's eyes also welled with tears. She sighed and said, "Nevertheless, this is still the crime of regicide. My presence in the palace will always be a liability. If Your Majesty cannot bear to let me end my life, perhaps you could send me to guard the imperial tombs, or to practice cultivation at the Yuzhen Temple."
Yuwen Lan paused, then shook his head.
Before he could speak, Yanshu cried out, "Your Highness, you're still so young - why punish yourself this way? What's the point of guarding those tombs? And the Yuzhen Temple is no place for you! Even if you're tired of palace life, you deserve to live for yourself for once!"
Her tears flowed freely again, distressing the Empress Dowager who quickly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe them away herself.
At this moment, Yuwen Lan spoke, "I think Qi Shuguang is a good man. Why don't I send Mother to be with him, so he can keep you company?"
What?
Both women froze at these words.
The Empress Dowager stared at him in shock for a long while before asking, "What did Your Majesty say?"
Yanshu had completely forgotten to cry, her tear-filled eyes barely remembering to blink as she thought in amazement, ["...Heavens, he... he knows about this too?!"]
