"Wait."
The Empress Dowager sharply stopped Emperor Luo. She could no longer afford to be angry; after all, she understood her eldest son's temperament.
In the past, the Emperor might have shown her some respect, but now, the relationship between mother and son had become as cold as ice, even more distant and indifferent than that of strangers.
She knew full well that she herself was the cause of all this.
But she felt wronged, too!
Which mother in the world didn't play favorites?
Why couldn't the Emperor be more considerate of her?
At this thought, a hint of simmering anger crept into the Empress Dowager's tone. "Emperor, I heard your Imperial Sister summoned Imperial Physician Huang to her residence to take her pulse. Could it be that something is wrong with her health?"
"Hmph, This Dowager has long said, how could an outside physician's medical skills be superior to an Imperial Physician's from the palace?"
"But your Imperial Sister just had to throw a tantrum with This Dowager. It's one thing for her to be unwilling to enter the palace, but to refuse even to summon an Imperial Physician to take her pulse—what on earth is she up to?"
"Mother Empress, please watch your words!"
Emperor Luo's expression suddenly darkened, his eyes filled with fury and resentment. The sight made the Empress Dowager's eyelids twitch and her heart lurch in panic.
"You, Emperor, what is that expression? Are you still blaming This Dowager for letting your sister marry An Dongzhang?"
"Yes, your son is blaming you." Emperor Luo's eyes reddened as he roared in a low voice, "If time could be turned back, your son would never have let that bastard An Dongzhang marry my Imperial Sister, nor would I have been suppressed by filial piety."
"You…"
The Empress Dowager was heartbroken, and her eyes couldn't help but turn red. "Emperor, no matter what, This Dowager is still your Mother Empress! Why can't you learn to be as obedient and sensible as Jin'er? Why can't you learn his thoughtfulness?"
"Jin'er, Jin'er, it's always Jin'er!"
At that moment, Emperor Luo could no longer suppress the fury in his heart. He flung his sleeves in anger and stared intently at the Empress Dowager.
"Mother Empress, besides your Jin'er, do you even have a place for my sister and me in your heart and eyes?"
"You probably don't know, do you? It is because of your Jin'er that my Imperial Sister's heart turned to ashes and her life hung by a thread. If it had been another ten days or half a month, it would have been one corpse, two lives. Would you have been satisfied then?"
Standing beside the Empress Dowager, Nanny Hua was horrified.
The Emperor was no longer even willing to use honorifics. It was clear he was truly angry with the Empress Dowager.
Alas, the Empress Dowager was also to blame. The Emperor and Princess Qingyang were such good children, why did she dislike them?
Sometimes, even she, a servant, couldn't understand the Empress Dowager. Whenever it involved the Third Prince, the Empress Dowager would become unreasonable and lose all rationality.
It always felt as if she had been cursed.
Before the Third Prince was born, the Empress Dowager had been gentle, virtuous, and a model for the world—not someone who couldn't distinguish right from wrong.
But the Third Prince had sinister eyes, boundless ambition, and a bloodthirsty nature. Any discerning person could see he was no good, yet the Empress Dowager doted on him to the bone.
Alas, a doting mother spoils the child. She, a mere servant, dared not say more.
The Empress Dowager's eyes flew wide open in disbelief. "Emperor, what 'life hanging by a thread'? What 'one corpse, two lives'? Are you talking about your Imperial Sister?"
"Who else could it be but my Imperial Sister?" Emperor Luo retorted sarcastically.
After receiving confirmation, the Empress Dowager's breath hitched. Her face instantly turned deathly pale, and her lips trembled uncontrollably.
"Emperor, tell This Dowager, what exactly is going on? Why would Shihan's life be hanging by a thread? How on earth has the Princess Consort been taking care of her?"
"Heh, the Princess Consort!"
Emperor Luo curled his lip into a cold, derisive sneer. "Mother Empress, I must say, your judgment is truly excellent. The Princess Consort is bold yet meticulous, reliable, courageous, and resourceful."
"Not only did he keep a woman on the side, but he also fathered an illegitimate son with her."
"Oh, right. Not only did he father an illegitimate son, but he also spent a fortune to purchase a poison from the Tianzhu Kingdom—Seven Star Begonia—all for the sake of nourishing my Imperial Sister's body."
"Under his meticulous care, she was about to become one corpse with two lives. His contribution is undeniable and worthy of praise."
"Mother Empress, you must reward the Princess Consort handsomely, and reward the Third Imperial Brother as well. If not for him, my Imperial Sister wouldn't have such a brilliant and mighty Princess Consort. Mother Empress, don't you agree?"
Nanny Hua's mouth fell open in terror.
Heavens, the Princess Consort was actually that kind of person. No wonder the Emperor was so furious. She just didn't know what the Empress Dowager would think after hearing this.
Oh dear!
The Empress Dowager was so enraged she almost couldn't catch her breath.
Nanny Hua quickly suppressed the shock in her eyes and hurriedly patted the Empress Dowager's back to help her breathe.
Alas, she didn't know if the Empress Dowager was angry at the Princess Consort or at the Emperor's sarcasm.
But one thing was certain: the Empress Dowager would never be angry at the Third Prince.
She would only make excuses for the Third Prince, saying he was a poor judge of character and was deceived by the Princess Consort, which was why he persuaded her to approve An Dongzhang as the Princess Consort… and so on.
In short, everything was the Princess Consort's fault. Her Jin'er could do no wrong.
As expected.
No one understood the Empress Dowager better than Nanny Hua!
After catching her breath, the Empress Dowager's first thought was not to worry about Princess Qingyang's condition, but to absolve Luo Fangjin.
"Emperor, what are you saying?"
"Your Third Imperial Brother was only thinking of your Imperial Sister's well-being when he sought to arrange her marriage with the Princess Consort. It just so happens that the Princess Consort is not a good person. How can your Third Imperial Brother be blamed for that?"
"Needless to say, it must be that An Dongzhang is skilled at deception and putting on a facade, which is how he managed to fool your Third Imperial Brother. He didn't do it intentionally. You must not misunderstand your Third Imperial Brother."
"Mother Empress!" Emperor Luo roared through gritted teeth. "Even now, you are still defending your Jin'er. I know exactly what kind of person he is."
Emperor Luo's eyes were bloodshot. The more he thought about it, the angrier and more wronged he felt.
"Mother Empress, you don't care one bit about Imperial Sister's safety, do you? I really want to ask you, are Imperial Sister and I even your children?"
"Insolence!"
The Empress Dowager's face turned ashen with rage. She looked at her fine eldest son with disappointment and pain.
"Emperor, you… you are a dignified sovereign, yet you say such absurd things. Are you not aware that no one is ever allowed to tamper with the imperial bloodline?"
Tears welled in Emperor Luo's eyes as he gave a bitter smile.
"Mother Empress, you need not be angry. Over these years, the maternal love Imperial Sister and I have received has been scarce. Therefore, I can't help but wonder if we are your biological children. Please forgive me, Mother Empress. Forgive my loose tongue."
Aaaah, This Dowager is furious!
The Empress Dowager's body trembled with rage, and she immediately pointed an angry finger at Emperor Luo.
"Emperor, This Dowager is your Mother Empress! I carried you for ten months before giving birth to you. My blood flows in your veins. That is an immutable fact. You, how can you question This Dowager…"
"Empress Dowager, please calm down." Nanny Hua's heart skipped a beat as she quickly stopped the Empress Dowager from continuing.
"Empress Dowager, the Emperor only said those things in a moment of impulse because he is worried about Her Highness the Princess. The most urgent matter right now is not to argue about this, but to be concerned about Her Highness's safety!"
The Empress Dowager stiffened, then reached out and patted Nanny Hua's hand. "Mm, Hua'er, you are right."
Nanny Hua let out a long sigh of relief and secretly wiped away a bead of cold sweat.
Thankfully, she had stopped her in time. She was afraid that the Empress Dowager, in a fit of anger, would say something hurtful, and the mother-son relationship would only worsen.
What was the point?