mtl008 Chapter 221 Questioning
Chapter 221 Questioning
Emperor Shenwu stepped into the Cining Palace. He also wanted to hear what Empress Dowager Li had to say. After the development of the situation to this day, did Empress Dowager Li have any regrets?
The Cining Palace was unusually quiet. When Emperor Shenwu walked into the bedroom, he saw only Empress Dowager Li and Nanny Li were inside.
Li Ma was startled when she saw Emperor Shenwu coming in, and she quickly knelt down and saluted: "This old servant greets His Majesty!"
Emperor Shenwu waved his hand, and Nanny Li quickly stood up and left the bedroom.
Empress Dowager Li looked extremely haggard, with her long hair loose and strands of white showing through.
The Shenwu Emperor frowned slightly, saying nothing. Mother and son stood face to face in silence. They had finally reached this point of confrontation!
After a moment, Empress Dowager Li lost her temper and said, "Emperor, I know that you are very angry about Xiaoqi. I...I can go and beg Huai'er to let Xiaoqi go! You...you must not kill your brother!"
Emperor Shenwu was very cold in the face of Empress Dowager Li's excitement: "Mother, are you still only concerned about Zhou Qihuai's safety? I have always wanted to ask you, have you ever thought about Xiaoqi's situation? Have you ever thought about Concubine Yi being a mother? Have you ever thought about the people who died miserably in Jiazhou City?"
"Zhou Qihuai is a venomous snake. You brought a venomous snake into the palace, implicated my son, and yet you still expect me to let Zhou Qihuai go?"
Emperor Shenwu was angry and sad. He was angry at his mother, the Queen Mother, who did not care about him after all. He was sad that he could only guarantee the honor and status of the Queen Mother. If there was a chance, his mother would surely be eager to let Zhou Qihuai return to the palace to become emperor!
The Emperor Shenwu's repeated questions hammered at Empress Dowager Li's heart. She croaked, "Consider this my plea to you. I'm just a mother who doesn't want to see any of my children get into trouble. You can demote him to a commoner, expel him from the royal family tree, imprison him, exile him, as long as you spare his life! For the sake of your father, the emperor, and your mother, and for the sake of him being your brother!"
The Shenwu Emperor's already numb heart began to ache again. He couldn't help but sneer, "My little Seventh Son is now in Zhou Qihuai's hands, and we don't know whether he's alive or dead, yet you're begging for mercy on his behalf. You're a mother, but Concubine Yi is also a mother! Who among the people who died in Jiazhou City doesn't have a mother and children? Also, don't mention my father to me. If he knew what Zhou Qihuai had done, he would never acknowledge his son and would definitely regret sparing his life! And Zhou Qihuai will definitely pay the price for his actions!"
Li Xiang's voice could be heard softly from inside and outside the bedroom: "Your Majesty! I have something to report!"
Emperor Shenwu flung his sleeves and left the Cining Palace. Empress Dowager Li was left slumped to the ground, a look of desolation and helplessness on her face. She muttered to herself, "No! No! It shouldn't be like this! I just don't want anyone to get hurt. Am I wrong?"
Emperor Shenwu returned to Qianzheng Hall, where Huanfeng was waiting.
Emperor Shenwu lifted his robe and sat on the upper seat, saying directly: "Speak!"
Huanfeng knelt down and reported: "Your Majesty, I have found Zhou Qihuai's whereabouts."
The phoenix eyes of Emperor Shenwu suddenly became sharp.
At this time, another young eunuch walked quickly into the hall and bowed, "Your Majesty, Prince Ding, General Qian, and General Leng wish to see you!"
"Xuan!"
The three of them entered the Qianzheng Hall at the same time. After the ceremony, Qian Huixian spoke first, "Your Majesty, General Leng and I have discovered that the Abandoned King Zhou Qihuai's men are roaming around the Poverty Street area."
Emperor Shenwu clenched his fists and said, "Zhou Qihuai! I've finally found him! Don't alarm them yet, surround them quietly!"
Prince Ding replied, "Your Majesty, the Seventh Prince is still in Zhou Qihuai's hands. We must not provoke him!"
Emperor Shenwu said in a low voice: "I understand! But..."
But Zhou Qi hated him to the core, and was a vicious and cruel person. Now that the Seventh Prince was in his hands, how could he not seek revenge? I'm afraid that Xiaoqi will not escape this time.
When Emperor Shenwu thought of this, his expression became even colder.
At the back of the main hall, Lan Qingwu stood motionless, stunned. So that's how it was! Everything that didn't make sense now had a reason. Ruhan's frequent absent-mindedness, the Shenwu Emperor's deliberate and unintentional avoidance of him, and even his semi-house arrest in the Qianzheng Hall, forbidding him from contact with outsiders, from paying respects to the Cining Palace, or from seeing the Seventh Prince. Even the Sixth Prince hadn't asked about his beloved younger brother once in recent days!
So that's it! Emperor Shenwu must have understood that Xiao Qi was in great danger! He surrounded Zhou Qihuai, step by step, casting a net with impenetrable precision, casting a net of heaven and earth. He—had given up on Xiao Qi!
Lan Qingwu only felt a buzzing in her head, her eyes were dark, and the air around her seemed to be stagnant. Then Lan Qingwu fell straight down like a puppet.
Ruhan couldn't find Lan Qingwu in the inner palace bedroom, so she went to the front hall and saw Lan Qingwu falling straight down. She exclaimed, "Master!" and ran towards Lan Qingwu.
When Emperor Shenwu heard the sound, he stood up and walked towards the back hall.
He saw Lan Qingwu fainted on the ground and couldn't help but cry out in pain: "Weak!"
Prince Ding, Qian Hui and Leng Qujing looked at each other. It seemed that this matter could not be concealed from Concubine Yi.
In the dim little house, Mulan put down the contented baby in her arms and looked at the servants guarding outside the window. She looked a little worried. She didn't know who the owner of this house was. She hadn't seen the master and mistress of this house since she came here a few days ago.
There was a soft knock at the side door. Mulan raised her head and walked out of the hut.
The servant guarding the door asked, "Is your husband here with the child again? Feed him quickly and leave!"
Mulan put on a smile and said, "Yes, sir, I understand."
Mulan walked to the door and saw her husband holding her son. She reached out and took her son, whispering, "Come back in half an hour to pick up Xiaobao."
Mulan's husband yawned. "I see! How many more days will it take? You're making me run around like this every day, and it's hindering my work, you know?"
Mulan's face darkened slightly. "Did I delay your outing? I only let you hold Xiaobao for a few days. Normally, you'd be gone all day. Would you recognize your own son?"
Mulan's husband replied matter-of-factly, "Of course I can't recognize him! The little cub changes every day, and he looks completely different from when he was born. Besides, I'm a man, how can I hold a child in my arms every day? Well, I can't come over later, so let your sister Chunlan come and pick up Xiaobao!"
The man turned and left without hesitation, leaving Mulan alone sulking.