The Empress Dowager knew that Zhang Shengkang would not have written just that one letter to her.

Since he mentioned Imperial Physician Xun, it was highly likely that he had indeed written a letter to Xun as well. However, when she reviewed the events of the past few days, she hadn’t noticed anything unusual about Imperial Physician Xun.

For safety’s sake, she immediately sent someone to investigate, and soon discovered that before Zhang Shengkang’s execution, he had given a letter to the prison warden, which was then handed over to the Imperial Guards by the palace supervisor.

The Empress Dowager knew well that the Imperial Guards were loyal to the Emperor, and anything they found would be reported to him immediately.

Having just witnessed the Emperor’s reaction to that Taoist priest, and now hearing him speak to her in this way, she understood that the Imperial Guards had likely not handed the letter to Imperial Physician Xun, but to the Emperor instead.

The Emperor already knew.

— This was the child she had raised; she still understood him well.

His response now was probably just because he did not want to face the truth.

But now, the matter had reached this point, and there was no other choice.

So the Empress Dowager added, “This is a serious matter. Even if His Majesty does not believe what that evil Taoist said today, it has already reached others’ ears. This cannot wait until tomorrow.”

As her words settled, Yuwen Lan paused, then reluctantly said, “Then let’s return to the palace and discuss it there.”

The Empress Dowager nodded in acknowledgment and finally boarded the carriage.

Yuwen Lan followed closely behind. The mother and son’s carriages moved one after the other, heading toward Ci’an Palace.

---

Ganlu Palace

The news of the Taoist priest’s capture finally brought a sense of relief to Yanshu.

However, at the same time, she still couldn’t make sense of certain things.

— Given that Taoist priest’s abilities, he could have easily escaped from Min Yue. Why did he come to the capital to deliberately provoke them?

Was he not afraid of being caught and executed?

Or could it be that the Taoist priest actually wanted to play the most dangerous game, thinking that the most dangerous place was the safest?

But then the system’s voice appeared, saying: “You’re overthinking it. He’s simply planning to rebel, doing everything that harms the royal family. Even if he has to die, he’ll try to stir up trouble and make the Emperor lose his peace. He wants to shake the foundation of the empire.”

Yanshu: “Heh.”

This Taoist, who had done so many bad things, had grand ambitions, hadn’t he? Now he’s finally being obedient, though?

But thinking about it, this old Taoist was full of tricks. Could it be that he would still escape from the dungeons?

But the system replied: “That’s impossible now. The Emperor had his tendons severed and his tongue cut off earlier. No matter what, he won’t be able to escape again.”

Yanshu sighed in relief: “That’s good.”

But then, she thought of something. Since his tendons had been severed, why was his tongue also cut off?

The system responded: “Because the Emperor said that the old Taoist’s words were misleading the people.”

Misleading the people?

Hearing this, Yanshu couldn’t help but become curious and quickly asked, “What kind of misleading words? Did this old Taoist do something else again?”

The system answered: “That old Taoist just told the Emperor that it was the palace people who killed the late Emperor, not him.”

Yanshu snorted: “What a joke! Who in the palace would dare kill the late Emperor?”

The system clicked its tongue: “Emmm…”

Yanshu froze, suddenly feeling something was wrong. “…What does that ellipsis mean? Could it really have been someone in the palace?”

The system replied: “Correct.”

Yanshu’s eyes widened: “Who... Who would be so bold?!”

The system replied: “Who else in the palace could be so bold?”

Yanshu was stunned.

Could it possibly be her top patron?

After all, aside from the top patron, she couldn’t think of anyone else.

The system replied: “You’re right again.”

Yanshu: “What???”

---

Ci’an Palace

After the journey through the cold wind, mother and son finally returned to the palace.

Once the others were dismissed and the palace doors were shut, the Empress Dowager sighed deeply and finally spoke: “I know, Your Majesty, you may have already heard rumors about the late Emperor’s death. Instead of letting others tell you, it’s better for me to tell you myself.”

Yuwen Lan said, “Mother, there’s no need for you to say it…”

But before he could finish, the Empress Dowager shook her head and said, “No, I have never intended to hide this from you. Since we’ve started discussing it, I’ll just say everything now. If I delay any longer, I might not feel better.”

Yuwen Lan fell silent for a moment, then nodded and said, “Please, Mother, go ahead.”

The Empress Dowager gathered her thoughts and began, “The late Emperor was deceived by that white crane Taoist, who convinced him to pursue immortality, without caring for the suffering of the people. I, along with the court officials, tried to persuade him, but it was useless. The late Emperor ignored the country’s welfare, but I endured for him. But one day, that Taoist even persuaded the late Emperor to use a purple river cart to refine pills, and he actually agreed.”

“How can there be so many purple river carts? Moreover, refining pills requires enormous resources. That Taoist used the most malicious method. During that period, many pregnant women around the capital suffered miscarriages. These were lives, the lives of the people!”

At this point, the Empress Dowager grew emotional, her eyes glistening with tears as she continued, “But the late Emperor ignored all of it. Not only did he allow it, but he also intentionally turned a blind eye, refusing to let the Imperial Guards investigate. He was clearly an accomplice of that Taoist, a tyrant of a ruler!”

“I am also a mother. I have lost my own flesh and blood, so I understand the pain of those pregnant women. As the Empress, I couldn’t just watch this happen. No matter how much I tried to persuade him, the late Emperor remained unmoved, and yet I had to protect his reputation and prevent the officials and the people from knowing, or else the empire would be shaken.”

At this point, the Empress Dowager closed her eyes and sighed. She looked at Yuwen Lan and said, “Fortunately, you have grown up, Your Majesty. You have the sense of responsibility of a ruler, and a heart full of compassion. You are worthy of leading the country. That’s why I took action, sacrificing one life to bring peace to the people. The only regret I have now is that I let that Taoist escape, and he’s caused so many more deaths over the years.”

Yuwen Lan quickly said, “No, this is not your fault, Mother. You’ve done all you could. You did nothing wrong.”

The Empress Dowager shook her head. “No, Your Majesty. Ever since I took that action, I knew this day would come. I never planned to hide it and escape blame, but I wanted to wait until the empire was stable before I explained everything to you.”

Yuwen Lan shook his head again. “No, it was his own fault. You are not to blame.”

— He was the ruler the people relied on, and now he was also a father, about to have a child of his own.

No matter his identity, he could not tolerate the harming of innocent lives.

So even after hearing the truth from his mother, his resolve remained unshaken.

He said, “Noble lords who commit crimes are punished the same as commoners. Moreover, the late Emperor was a ruler who abused his imperial power. His crimes are even worse. So this is not your fault.”

At these words, the Empress Dowager looked at him and said, “Your Majesty, if you can treat me this way, I did not raise you in vain.”

She sighed again. “But back then... I had considered raising the child of the King of Liaodong.”

Yuwen Lan hurriedly replied, “No, even then, you didn’t do anything wrong. It was I who wasn’t honest, and you worried about me.”

As they spoke, all those misunderstandings stemmed from the late Emperor and that Taoist.

Well, he could only say, “The past is best left behind.”

The Empress Dowager nodded. “Good. It’s better not to mention it. Everything is fine now, especially seeing that Your Majesty can foresee things so clearly. It makes me feel at ease.”

But then she changed the subject. “But after all, this is regicide. When the Taoist said it today, others overheard.”

Yuwen Lan quickly said, “They won’t speak out. If you’re worried, Mother, I can…”

“No need,” the Empress Dowager interrupted, waving her hand. “They are loyal to Your Majesty. Why harm the innocent for my sake? If you do that, others will doubt Your Majesty’s heart. You must always remember the lessons of the late Emperor.”

She sighed again. “Everyone must die. I’ve lived long enough.”

No…

Before Yuwen Lan could speak, the doors of the

 hall suddenly creaked open, and Yanshu hurried in, shouting, “No, no!”

In the blink of an eye, she rushed in front of them.

This made the Empress Dowager freeze, and Yuwen Lan looked surprised.

Before either could ask anything, Yanshu had already fallen to her knees, tears streaming down her face. “Please, Your Majesty, don’t blame the Empress Dowager. The late Emperor deserved it. The Empress Dowager was just removing a harm for the people! She did it for the world, and for you! Otherwise, if the late Emperor had continued being deceived by that Taoist, who knows what horrible things he would have done? It’s even possible that the throne would not have been yours…”

Hearing these words, the Empress Dowager was shocked. “Yi Fei, how do you know about this?”

Yuwen Lan opened his mouth to speak but before he could, Yanshu cried out to him, “The Empress Dowager has suffered so much! You can’t treat her so cruelly! Though she’s not Your Majesty’s birth mother, for all these years, she has raised you with great effort, even helping you ascend the throne! Do you know why you only heard about the late Emperor’s illness when you were returning from the Northwest? It’s because the Empress Dowager made sure you could return and safely take the throne! Every step she took was for you, for the world. How can you treat her like this…”

As she wept uncontrollably, the Empress Dowager’s heart ached, and she quickly stepped forward to comfort her, “Good child, I know your loyalty. You did it all for me. Your Majesty has treated me well, please stop crying…”

Yuwen Lan finally had a chance to speak. He sighed, “I’m not blaming the Empress Dowager. You don’t have to cry anymore.”

Yanshu, however, did not believe it. She leaned into the Empress Dowager’s arms, her tear-filled eyes fixed on him. “But I just heard the Empress Dowager say she has lived enough.”

At these words, Yuwen Lan froze, and looked at the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager also paused before sighing, “Even if Your Majesty doesn’t blame me, I really have lived enough. I’ve experienced everything I need to in this life…”

But before she could finish, Yanshu shook her head, crying out, “You haven’t tasted the sweetness yet! Everything you’ve tasted before has been苦(苦)!”

Yanshu cried out, “You haven’t tasted the sweetness yet! Everything you’ve tasted before has been bitter!”

— Betrayed by your husband, lost your own flesh and blood, held the empire together for that foolish husband, and all the while, the late Emperor was only dragging things down with his misdeeds...

Later, you found someone you loved but couldn't be with, only able to look at him from afar, too scared to even speak a word...

What kind of terrible life is this? My great patron really has had it rough...

Of course, while Yanshu was angry, she hadn't completely lost her rationality, so she only cursed in her heart for now and didn’t voice it aloud.

But Yuwen Lan heard everything.

In this moment, with all this happening, his heart felt unprecedentedly bitter.

Yes, even though he had become the Emperor, he had never allowed the Empress Dowager to experience any happiness.

The luxurious life in the palace, the Empress Dowager probably didn’t want any of it anymore, so she had decided to confess to him and even asked for death...

Swallowing all his grief, Yuwen Lan's eyes reddened, and he said, “It’s my fault. For all these years, I never considered things from Mother’s perspective. But, I grew up with you. If you leave me, wouldn’t I become an orphan?”

With these words, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but tear up. She sighed deeply and then said, “But no matter what, this is regicide. My presence in the palace will always be a hidden danger. If Your Majesty can’t bear to have me end this, then send me to guard the tombs or to the Yuzhen Palace to meditate.”

Yuwen Lan paused and shook his head.

But before he could say anything, Yanshu cried again, “Why punish yourself when you’re so young? What’s the point of guarding those graves? And why should you go to Yuzhen Palace? Even if you’re tired of the palace, you should live for yourself!”

As she spoke, she was crying so much that her face was covered in tears, making the Empress Dowager feel deeply distressed. She hurriedly took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears.

At that moment, Yuwen Lan spoke up, “I think Qi Shuguang is a good person. How about I send you to be with him? He can accompany you.”

What?

Hearing this, both the mother and the daughter-in-law froze.

The Empress Dowager looked at him in astonishment for a long time before asking, “What did Your Majesty just say?”

Yanshu, who had been crying, stopped for a moment, her tear-filled eyes wide with surprise as she thought, ...Oh my god, does he know too?!!