The Empress Dowager reflected on her life and thought it was worthwhile.
Struggling to sit up, she called out, "Someone come!"
"Invite the Emperor, Empress, Noble Consort Wang, Noble Consort Wei, and the four other consorts, along with the princes and princesses, to see me!"
The palace maid hesitated for a moment before leaving to carry out the order.
Soon, the Emperor arrived at Cining Palace. Upon seeing the Empress Dowager’s aged and sickly face on the bed, his gaze turned cold.
The Emperor remained silent; the grand sleeping chamber housed only him and the Empress Dowager.
"Do you believe that it was I who caused your mother’s death?" the Empress Dowager said with a bitter smile. "I misspoke; I should say your mother, for you have enthroned her as the Empress Dowager!"
The Emperor still remained silent.
"Over the years, I have asked myself if I have been fair to you. In the early years, I was favored for no more than a couple of years. Step by step, I climbed from being a county magistrate’s daughter to become a Noble Consort. But the Emperor seems to have forgotten, above the Noble Consort stands the Empress; below the Noble Consort, there are four consorts, concubines, Zhaoyis, and beauties. So many people could have harmed your mother! So many could have raised you! At that time, did anyone reach out a hand to you?"
The Empress Dowager paused and slowly sat up. "No one, not a single person. And why is that?"
"First, your mother indeed had committed sins, and everyone did not want to be implicated. At that time, my body was already damaged; I could no longer bear children. Still, I raised you beside me, disregarding the ridicule of others. From then on, my life in the palace became increasingly difficult!"
"Second, the former Emperor felt guilty for why I ended up with a broken body. I pleaded for your mother’s sins not to implicate you or my family, thus sparing your mother’s clan, allowing you to rise to the throne with their support!"
Speaking, the Empress Dowager began to cough.
She covered her mouth with a handkerchief, which, when removed, was stained with blood.
Blood dripped down her wrist, soaking into the Zitan Buddha Beads.
"Have you ever considered that your mother’s family was enormous? If they had not been caught red-handed, would she have resigned herself to die? Why did your maternal grandfather and uncles not dare to rebel? Do you think, with her capabilities and scheming within the palace, I could have harmed her? You overestimate me greatly!"
The Emperor looked at the Empress Dowager, speaking lightly, "Even at this moment, you still evade the truth!"
"So, you believe I killed your mother, thus poisoning me? What I don’t understand is, why did you stop a year ago and then suddenly resume later?" the Empress Dowager questioned.
But she already knew.
At that time, Yun Jinnian was in the Capital City.
Later, Yun Jinnian went on a long journey. By the time he returned, it was too late to save me.
"You already guessed it, didn’t you?" the Emperor replied in a deep voice.
Truthfully, the Empress Dowager had nothing that could be used to threaten him throughout her life.
She did not care about her family, never saw them or promoted them.
She rose to become the Empress Dowager, her family could have had a Duke, yet she gave none of them such title.
"In any case, I still admire you for knowing the truth yet never saying it!"
"Reveal it? To whom? I just wanted to see how heartless, how cruel you truly are, and I am curious about your ultimate fate—whether you will end up being abandoned and betrayed by everyone!" the Empress Dowager said, coughing again.
She believed the Emperor would eventually be abandoned and not die a good death!
"You will not live to see my fate, but I will see yours!"
The Empress Dowager nodded, "Good, very good. Emperor, I have indeed misjudged you!"