Seeing his expression, the Empress Dowager felt a pang of jealousy towards her and couldn't help but feel sad as she looked at Ye Lingfeng.
"Feng'er, are you blaming your mother? Yes, your mother hates Ji Hailing, hates her for making the Emperor marry only her. The Emperor is still the Emperor of Beilu, why should he marry only one woman? I have hoped for so many years that the Xi family could rise above others, that there would be capable officials in the court, and that a woman from the family could enter the palace as a concubine. But in the end, because of her, everything has been ruined. But Feng'er, no matter how much your mother hates her, she is still my wife, and she is carrying the blood of the royal family. Do you think I want to ruin my own child? I have been deceived!"
The Empress Dowager burst into tears: "You don't know what happened back then. When the fake emperor was sent back, he was covered in blood and gore. As his mother, I even felt like dying. So when the fake emperor proposed to abdicate, I was so angry that I couldn't sleep at night. That fake emperor said that if I didn't agree, he would leave the palace and never see anyone again. Didn't I want my own son? I've been with Feng'er for over twenty years. I don't want to lose my own son."
When the Empress Dowager recalled what happened back then, she wept bitterly. Even now, thinking about it still makes her heartbroken.
Seeing his mother crying so sadly, Ye Lingfeng sighed. She had been with him for over twenty years, and their bond was deep.
"When I left, I specifically told the Empress Dowager to make sure I got along well with Ling'er. But instead of getting along well with her, the Empress Dowager was hostile and even allowed the fake emperor to take concubines. Can you imagine how heartbroken Ling'er must have been? I clearly said that I would only marry her. Isn't this a slap in the face to her? Also, why did the Empress Dowager reveal Ling'er's birth date and time? If her birth date and time hadn't been revealed, Ling'er wouldn't have fallen for that soft love."
Because of the Love Softening Silk, they can't even see each other now. Thinking of this, Ye Lingfeng's face darkened even more.
Upon hearing Ye Lingfeng mention that she had revealed Ji Hailing's birth date and time, the Empress Dowager was filled with regret: "I regret it too. At that time, the fake emperor casually asked, 'Mother, I wonder if Ling'er's birth date and time are incompatible with mine,' which caused me such a great blow. I didn't know that he was trying to trick me into revealing her birth date and time. I originally thought that there should be no problem with the birth date and time. Who knew that it was that villain who tricked me into revealing her birth date and time? I deserve to die."
The Empress Dowager wept bitterly, filled with regret.
Ye Lingfeng swallowed back the words of reproach that were about to come out of his mouth, and looked at the Empress Dowager who was crying so hard she could hardly breathe, and spoke in a deep voice.
"Mother, please don't be sad. I will not let anything happen to Ling'er. I will find her and bring her back."
He didn't believe there was no way to untangle the tangled emotions; there must be a way.
"Has the Empress been poisoned by the Love Poison?"
As soon as the Empress Dowager spoke, Ye Lingfeng's face darkened and his eyes turned icy cold. He stood up and spoke in a deep, magnetic voice, each word distinct and deliberate.
"From now on, Mother, please rest and recuperate. You don't need to worry about the affairs of the court or Ling'er. I will handle the affairs of the court and find Ling'er."
Ye Lingfeng spoke domineeringly and coldly, directly issuing an order that the Empress Dowager was no longer allowed to interfere in matters of state. He also said that he would find Ling'er. The Empress Dowager's face darkened, and she could not utter a word.
Ye Lingfeng told her to rest and recuperate, then turned and led the people out.
Inside the palace, the Empress Dowager watched him leave and couldn't help but get angry: "Feng'er, how could he treat me like this? I've waited for over twenty years, is this the ending I've been waiting for?"
She was unwilling, unwilling. The meaning behind Feng'er's words was very clear: she was not allowed to interfere in matters of state in the future. What would happen to the west family then?
Seeing the Empress Dowager's distress, Granny Ying quickly comforted her, "Your Majesty, now that the Emperor has returned, he will surely handle everything properly. Please rest assured and recover."
After Aunt Ying finished speaking, the Empress Dowager thought of something else.
"Why was I in a deep sleep, but now I'm perfectly fine again?"
Upon hearing this, Granny Ying was somewhat embarrassed. It was something the Empress had done to the Empress Dowager. She didn't want to talk about it, but the Empress Dowager noticed her hesitation and thought she was trying to hide something, so she couldn't help but warn her.
"Granny Ying, are you trying to hide this from me too? You are my person."
"Your Majesty, it was the Empress who administered the medicine. In truth, I believe the Empress meant no harm."
After saying this, Granny Ying regretted it a little, but as the Empress Dowager's servant, she naturally dared not hide anything from her.
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager flew into a rage. She swept everything off the table beside her and pounded the bed, shouting, "Ji Hailing, she's despicable! How dare she drug me!"
Because she drugged her, she missed her best opportunity, causing the west family to lose even a place. This woman is so hateful.
Chapter 103 Enemies Meet, Eyes Filled with Hatred [VIP Text Version]
In Cixi Palace, the Empress Dowager was furious. The old maid Ying tried to persuade her again and again before she could calm down. However, when the Empress Dowager thought of what the Emperor had said, her anger rose again, and she became even angrier shortly afterward.
Because a eunuch came in to report, the Emperor summoned the court officials to the Imperial Study for a meeting. Regarding matters of the court, those who deserved rewards were rewarded, and those who deserved punishment were punished. A series of reforms were implemented, and the Ministers of Justice and War among the Six Ministries were rewarded by the Emperor. However, the Xi family was directly punished. The Emperor decreed that the two officials of the Xi family were temporarily exempted from attending court and were to remain in the Xi family to reflect on their actions. It was a serious taboo for them to be in their positions but not fulfill their duties and instead overstep their bounds to meddle in other matters.
When news of the west family's punishment reached Empress Dowager Cixi's palace, she was so angry she almost vomited blood.
It seems the Emperor is very angry with the Xi family because of that woman. Not to mention the west family, even she, the Empress Dowager, has been ordered by him not to pay attention to matters of the court. Now, the Xi family is not only not being given important positions, but is being suppressed even more. Anyone with eyes in the court can see the crux of the problem.
The emperor has grown wary of her as a mother, so from now on, no one will likely listen to her if she speaks.
The Empress Dowager felt utterly hopeless about the future when she thought about this. She had waited for over twenty years, only to be met with such an end. How could she possibly find peace of mind?
Emperor Ye Lingfeng, after sorting out the affairs of the court, entrusted them to Ji Cong and the ministers of the six ministries, instructing them to handle the affairs of the court properly and to send him any news immediately by fast horse, so that he could return and deal with it.
After arranging everything, Ye Lingfeng led a few subordinates out of the palace, traveling lightly towards the Great Zhou Dynasty. He knew that Ling'er must be heading to the Great Zhou Dynasty to seek revenge on Jiang Batian, but he didn't know what route she was taking.
However, Ye Lingfeng knew that the people from Wuyinglou would definitely follow her, because the fifty Feather Guards he had sent to her earlier had returned, and she needed to be handy if she wanted to take revenge. Therefore, the people from Wuyinglou would definitely be summoned to her side to stand by. As long as they kept an eye on the movements of Wuyinglou, they would surely find out their whereabouts as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, in a small border town of the Great Zhou Dynasty, thousands of miles away, Hai Ling and her companions were wandering around, not in a hurry to go to the capital to find Jiang Batian.
The reason they stayed in Shuangxi Town was to wait for news. She sent the four hall masters of Wuyinglou to find out about Jiang Batian in the Great Zhou Dynasty, where he was, what he was doing, and what his daily routine was, so that they could get close to him and take the opportunity to kill him. Not only did she want to kill him, but she would also not let Madam Liu go.
Thinking of her mother Du Caiyue's death, Hailing felt very sad, her eyes were red, and she wished she could kill Jiang Batian immediately to vent her anger. So, they stopped in this small town called Shuangxi to wait for news from the four hall masters.
Hai Ling was more than four months pregnant, her belly slightly protruding. However, wearing loose men's robes, nothing seemed amiss. As for Shi Mei, Shi Lan, Yan Zhi, and the others, they had all disguised themselves. Since this was the Great Zhou Dynasty, and they had been living there all along, it would be troublesome if they were recognized by familiar faces. Therefore, Shi Mei disguised everyone in a different way, which made them feel much more at ease.
Only Hai Ling remained unchanged, without any disguise. When she left everyone, she had already changed her appearance. Even if she stood in front of those people now, they might not believe that the handsome and outstanding young master in front of them was actually Jiang Hai Ling, the fat girl who was ridiculed in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Because of her pregnancy, Hailing couldn't stay in the inn all the time, so she led Shimei, Shilan, and others for a stroll on the street early in the morning.
To be honest, we've been in Shuangxi Town for two days now, and we've already heard a little about the recent situation in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The Great Zhou Dynasty is now far from the peaceful and prosperous era when Feng Zixiao was in power. It is said that the Fifth Prince, Prince Shou, has ascended the throne, and the court is now dominated by Jiang Batian's opinions. Prince Shou has become a mere figurehead. In addition, due to his personality, he dares not act arbitrarily, which further grants privileges to the Jiang family. Because of the lack of a proper relationship between the emperor and his subjects, the Great Zhou Dynasty is in chaos. From high-ranking officials in the court to low-ranking officials in the local areas, everyone is exploiting the people, being corrupt and breaking the law, protecting each other, and being in cahoots. This leaves the people with nowhere to speak their grievances and nowhere to seek redress. The entire Great Zhou Dynasty is filled with resentment and complaints, and the situation is becoming increasingly chaotic.
Leaving aside larger areas, even in this small town of Shuangxi, there was a chorus of complaints. Street vendors would occasionally curse the officials in the court, especially Jiang Batian. In the hearts of the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty, he was now a traitor. The Jiang family's prestige had vanished, and everyone was filled with resentment towards this traitor who held the emperor hostage to command the princes. If someone were to step forward and eliminate Jiang Batian, the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty would surely worship him as a god or Buddha. Therefore, now was the best time for them to kill Jiang Batian.
Hai Ling smiled, but her eyes were filled with a chilling coldness.
The group of people strolled around casually, occasionally reaching out to take items from the vendors' baskets to examine them. This prompted the vendors to enthusiastically describe their wares, highlighting their quality, durability, and affordability. Despite their best efforts, they failed to sway Hailing and the others, which infuriated the vendors, who rolled their eyes and then uttered a single sentence.
"Don't watch if you don't have money."
Deep down, Hai Ling knew these people weren't poor at all. Judging by their clothes and appearance, they were all quite wealthy. Perhaps they just thought his things were ugly. Thinking like that was really hurtful. The vendor's expression quickly turned from sunny to cloudy, and he looked sullen. After that, Hai Ling didn't dare to touch his things anymore, unable to bear his sullen face.