"Empress Dowager, do not be sad. His Majesty will come to realize it sooner or later." The old nanny beside her consoled her upon seeing this.
"If I had known that the Emperor called Mo’er back only to send him to White Blind Mountain, I would never have agreed. What exactly does he want to do with me?" the Empress Dowager said somberly.
"His Majesty is also concerned about Prince Lin’s safety," the nanny replied.
"The safety of Prince Lin? He’s brought this upon himself; who else is there to blame?"
The Empress Dowager’s expression turned cold, and she spoke mercilessly. For the sake of a son who courted death by his own actions, she had to sacrifice another son. She truly did not understand what the Emperor was thinking.
"Has that item been found?" she asked the nanny in a cold voice.
"Not yet, Your Highness. The Emperor has hidden it well. I have sent people to search for it many times to no avail. Empress Dowager, there is something I’m not sure if I should say," the nanny said in a low voice, looking at the Empress Dowager.
"Since when have we been so estranged? Speak your mind," the Empress Dowager commanded indifferently with a glance.
This nanny had been her personal maid since before she entered the palace. After so many years, she was the person the Empress Dowager had come to contact with the most. There should be nothing that couldn’t be said.
"Empress Dowager, I suspect that the Emperor might not actually have that item," the nanny said.
If it were indeed with him, how could it be that they haven’t found it after such a long time? Her people had put in great effort on the Emperor’s side, but it was like finding a needle in the ocean; they had no leads whatsoever.
She thought the only possibility was that the Emperor said he had that kind of object to deceive everyone.
"Hmm," was all the Empress Dowager uttered.
After hearing the nanny’s words, her eyes narrowed. It took her a long time before she took a deep breath and exhaled heavily.
"Whether the object exists or not, we will continue the search," she decided.
Whether the object was real or not, it was just speculation. If it truly existed, she had to find it!
"Yes, I will order people to keep investigating," the nanny complied.
Having not gained support from the Empress Dowager, the Emperor left in disgruntlement.
But how could he simply give up? Left with no alternative, he turned and headed towards Bibo Palace, home to the ungrateful Sui Zimo’s birth mother.
Inside Bibo Palace, Princess Consort Lian was startled upon learning of the Emperor’s visit.
"Why would His Majesty suddenly decide to come here?"
She furrowed her brows, using the time before the Emperor arrived to ponder why he would suddenly come to her palace.
Since the birth of that cursed son, the Emperor had visited her palace only a handful of times, and even after she bore him another prince, she could never win his affection.
That’s why over the years, she had gone to great lengths to serve the Emperor and had even poisoned her own flesh and blood for his sake.
After all, in the imperial harem, one must have means of survival. Her eldest son had proven ineffective, so it was better to use this useless son to pave the way for her younger one.
"My lady, I heard that the Emperor has just been to the Empress Dowager’s palace," a nanny at her side quickly reminded her.
The eyes of Princess Consort Lian turned colder.
Knowing that the Emperor had gone to the Empress Dowager’s palace told her all she needed to know.
Ever since Zimo returned to Shaohua City, even her palace had grown cold. She surmised that he must have learned that she had poisoned him.
However, even if nobody in the palace could win Zimo’s affection, he still couldn’t harden his heart against the Empress Dowager. After all, until Zimo was five years old, it was only with the Empress Dowager’s protection that he managed to survive.