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His words made Empress Dowager Wei furrow her brows. "The longer this thing drags on, the worse it'll be for us!"

"My son will have her investigate the matter more quickly, so the Queen Mother need not worry too much."

Empress Dowager Wei nodded and indifferently said, "Have someone keep an eye on Jingfang Zai. If it turns out that Shun`er is really involved in a war, Madam Chen will be our best hostage."

Dongfang Fei replied, "If Old Seven really does plan on taking that step, perhaps a single Grand Concubine Chen isn't enough to hold him down."

"Of course I understand, so this is the last step." "When Emperor Xian was alive, of all the princes, this was the one who was least favored by the mother and son. I always thought that they would obediently abide by their rules, but who would have thought that they would actually have the same thoughts. This really makes me look at them in another light."

"A human's heart is not strong enough to swallow an elephant. Since they want to walk the path of death, how can we not agree with them?" After all, he and Dongfang Zhi had been brothers for more than twenty years, and yet, they hadn't been afraid in the slightest.

After reminding Dongfang Qian a few more times, Empress Dowager Wei left the Cheng De Palace. Her mind was preoccupied with many things along the way, and she didn't say a single word. When they returned to Ning Xi Palace, Yin Qiu brought over the red dates and silver ear soup offered by the court lady to the empress dowager. "Empress Dowager, don't worry. With His Majesty here, King Rui won't be able to cause much trouble. But even if you eat breakfast today, it will still be useless. Hurry up and eat a bowl of silver ear soup to fill your stomach with hunger. "

Empress Dowager Wei accepted it, but didn't have the heart to eat it. She only stirred it slowly, seemingly deep in thought. As the silver ear soup gradually cooled, she suddenly said to Zhou Ning, "Send for Princess Pingyang."

It was almost noon by the time Princess Pingyang arrived. Her makeup was flawless, no matter where or when.

After greeting Empress Dowager Wei, she asked doubtfully, "The empress dowager is in a hurry to summon chenqie here. What orders do you have?"

As she spoke, a beautiful lady came in with fresh pomegranate flowers. Empress Dowager Wei had folded a hairpin and placed it on the black bun of Princess Pingyang's hair, adding to her beauty.

Empress Dowager Wei sized it up before smiling. "Before you left the pavilion, you always liked to fold a pomegranate flower hairpin like this. You said it was better looking than those pearl flowers."

Hearing her mention the past, Princess Pingyang couldn't help but laugh. "The empress dowager still remembers."

"How could This Dowager not remember about you? There is only one thing which This Dowager cannot understand. I want you to answer for This Dowager with the Child Key."

Princess Pingyang's eyes drooped. "Please speak, empress dowager."

Empress Dowager Wei stared at her, her smile gradually growing colder. "Since when did you learn to lie to This Dowager?"

Princess Pingyang's heart trembled as she uneasily said, "Chenqie …" "I don't understand what Her Majesty means."

As she spoke, the last trace of a smile faded from the empress dowager's face. The iciness in her eyes made Princess Pingyang's heart skip a beat. "You're still not going to tell This Dowager the truth?"

Princess Pingyang forced herself to remain calm. "Chenqie and the empress dowager never speak the truth. They never dare to speak falsely."

"Is that so?" Empress Dowager Wei sat back in her chair and said coldly, "Then tell me, how does the Pingyang King get sick?"

She forced a smile and said, "Didn't your concubine tell the empress dowager about this matter a long time ago? A few days ago, the prince forgot to close the window when he was sleeping in his study. The night's cold blew through his body, causing him to fall ill the very next day."

Empress Dowager Wei caressed her sleek hair and said indifferently, "Prince Pingyang is a martial artist, and his physique is much stronger than ordinary people. This Dowager remembers one time when he went to war with the late emperor and was plotted against by the enemy. I heard that even her bones were exposed, so there wasn't much of a problem. Why is it that she has become so sick just by blowing the wind for a night?"

Princess Pingyang smiled apologetically, "That was more than a decade ago. Her highness is already over fifty years old. Her body is much younger than her."

Empress Dowager Wei looked at her for a moment before nodding. "That's true. After all, the months of time don't spare anyone. What about the doctors? What did they say?"

Seeing her calm face, Princess Pingyang's heart calmed down. She respectfully said: "The doctor said that the wind entered the body and caused the chill. It was just that the illness was fierce so it seemed scary. As long as you take the medicine on time and rest, you will be able to get better soon."

Empress Dowager Wei shook her head. "Feng Han's illness can be big or small, but it'll be troublesome if we meet a quack doctor. This Dowager remembers that Lan Fei left because of Feng Han, and at that time, she was only over twenty years old. With that, she turned to Yin Qiu and said, "Go to the Imperial Hospital and ask Imperial Physician Li to treat the Pingyang King."

Hearing this, Princess Pingyang hastened to say, "Actually, your highness has already taken two days of medicine and is getting better. There's no need to trouble Imperial Physician Li."

"It's just a trip, what can I bother you with? Furthermore, he has the salary of the imperial government, so he should work for the imperial government. Otherwise, what is the use of raising him." Empress Dowager Wei's words made Princess Pingyang even more flustered. "There really aren't any big issues. Don't worry, Empress Dowager."

Empress Dowager Wei ignored her and only urged Yin Qiu. "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and go!"

Princess Pingyang was so anxious that her face turned pale. Seeing Yin Qiu about to reach the door, she braced herself and said, "Esteemed Empress Dowager, His Highness …"

"The sub-key." Empress Dowager Wei cut off Princess Pingyang's words, but she was in no hurry to continue. She reached out to take Zhou Ning's teacup, and just as the teacup was opened, a dense cloud of hot air rose, obscuring her face.

"You are This Dowager's younger sister. In private, This Dowager will forgive you no matter what mistakes you've made. However, once this incident breaks out, it will be up to This Dowager to decide. Wen Bin is the best example of this. This Dowager doesn't want the Wei family to follow in his footsteps!"

Princess Pingyang heard this and began to sweat profusely. She was barely able to hold on for a while before she finally couldn't resist the fear in her heart. She kneeled down and said, "This concubine knows her wrongs. May the empress dowager punish her!"

Empress Dowager Wei's gaze swept across her pale and green face, her eyebrows raised as she said to Zhou Ning, "Go call Yin Qiu back."

After Zhou Ning left, Empress Dowager Wei looked at the terrified Princess Pingyang and said, "So that means, the Pingyang King really isn't sick?"

Princess Pingyang said with difficulty, "Yes!" Her lips were trembling.

"Bang!" Empress Dowager Wei ferociously slammed into the arms of her purple sandalwood carving as her chest heaved up and down like a tide. She said harshly, "How dare you! You even dare to deceive This Dowager!" At this moment, the anger that had been holding him back for so long all burst out.

Princess Pingyang kowtowed again and again as the pomegranate flower fell from her bun, landing on the floor where the golden bricks had fallen. She looked at the flower with a dejected air and said, "Chenqie has made a great mistake. Please be merciful, empress dowager!"