Chapter 451 Action
It was late at night and the Queen Mother was in her bedroom.
The graceful and elegant empress dowager no longer had the glory of the past. Now sitting on the throne, she looked like a dead tree covered with silk and satin. In this quiet and cold night, she looked eerie and terrifying.
Kneeling on the ground was the guard who had been threatened and bribed by the Empress Dowager. "The information is accurate. The eunuch serving in the Imperial Study is from the same hometown as me. We have always had a good relationship. Today, I went to talk to him. He had just finished his shift and complained to me a few words. It's absolutely correct."
After being placed under house arrest, the Queen Mother was furious but helpless. During these months, her skin became loose and dirty due to lack of maintenance, and her face was covered with yellow spots. Her sunken eye sockets were like a black hole that harbored filth and filled with countless disgusting and terrifying things.
The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes. "What did the Emperor want to do by placing Yu Yang in the West Mountain Villa? Didn't he know that he was Su Qingqing's biological father?"
The guard shook his head, "I don't know."
After saying this, he knelt there silently and said no more.
The Empress Dowager sat on the high seat, propping up her head as if in a trance. After about a quarter of an hour, she said to the maidservant beside her, "I remember there seems to be a Lotus Temple near the West Mountain Villa?"
The nanny immediately said, "Yes, it was built during the time of the previous emperor. At that time, when the previous emperor ascended the throne, he used this Lotus Temple to house the concubines who were in the palace at the time."
The Queen Mother asked a question, got an answer, and then fell silent.
The candlelight shone on her face, giving her fair complexion a strange blush that made people tremble. After a long time, so long that the guards' legs were about to lose feeling as they knelt on the ground, the empress dowager suddenly opened her narrowed eyes and looked at the guards, "Send a message to the emperor. Tell him that I feel my time is coming. I know that with his hatred for me, he will never let me be buried in the imperial mausoleum. I only hope to be buried in the mountains behind the Lotus Temple."
The guard didn't ask any more questions and just took the order.
The Queen Mother looked at him and suddenly laughed, "When was your marriage to your fiancée originally scheduled?"
She was like an elder caring for the younger generation, speaking frightening threats in the kindest tone.
The guard was clearly filled with hatred, but he could only say respectfully, "Your Majesty, it was originally scheduled for March of next year."
The Queen Mother laughed and said, "Next March, if you can help me get things done, maybe next March I can give you a generous gift and make your wedding the most prestigious in all of Kyoto."
The guard was stunned and looked at the empress dowager in surprise.
His reaction pleased the Queen Mother. A smug smile graced her thin, wrinkled face. "Go tell Prince Teng of Da Qi that I will be going to the Lotus Temple in three days. If he can rescue me from the Lotus Temple, I will grant him three cities."
The guard was astonished. "How can you go to the Lotus Temple in three days? I am just a guard and have no ability to rescue you. I..."
The Queen Mother smiled brightly and said, "Just go and do your work. Just complete what I have ordered. As for how to get out, I have my own way."
The guard looked puzzled, but without asking any more questions, he stood up and left.
As soon as he left, the nanny beside the empress dowager said, "Your Majesty is so sure. If you ask to be buried in the Lotus Temple, can the emperor send you there within three days? What if the emperor..."
The Queen Mother shook her head, "I know him too well. He protects Su Qingqing like a precious child. This time, Jiao Xing'er didn't handle the matter properly, and asked Rong Que to investigate. If he found out about me, he will definitely not let me go.
However, which emperor doesn't care about his reputation? He wanted to kill me, but he was afraid that the matter would get out and he would lose face in the future.
I offered him a ladder. If I go to the Lotus Temple, I will cut off my escape route. I will definitely not be buried in the imperial mausoleum. He can't draw his sword, so I will do it for him. That way, he won't have to kill me. He has nothing to be unwilling to do, he's eager for it. Just wait."
Imperial study.
The guard came straight over after coming out of the Queen Mother's place.
Because he was an old friend who had followed Rong Que for many years, and now that he had betrayed Rong Que and it was known to others, he felt very uncomfortable when reporting the matter.
Rong Que didn't show much emotion, he just asked, "Have you said everything you need to say?"
The guard nodded, "The Empress Dowager doesn't seem to believe that Yu Yang is in the West Mountain Villa, but she mentioned the Lotus Temple to me."
Su Qingqing was sitting in a corner of the imperial study, holding a cup of tea. When she heard the words "Lotus Temple", she immediately sneered, "She has a really good idea. She handed us pillows when we were sleepy."
Rong Que didn't say much, but simply said, "Since he asked you to pass on a message to Prince Teng of Da Qi, then you should go. In addition, I will issue an order to send the Queen Mother to the Lotus Temple. When the time comes, you will still go with her as a guard.
If you do this well, I won't give you any reward, but I will grant you freedom, allowing you to go wherever you want. However, if you don't do it well, I will punish you for your previous betrayal and conspiracy with the Queen Mother to cause rebellion."
The guard now felt so ashamed in front of Rong Que that he dared not even think of being acquitted. He could only kowtow desperately to express his stance.
Rong Que didn't want to listen to his nagging, so after giving him the important instructions, he let him go.
As soon as he left, Rong Que asked Su Qingqing, "What do you think Prince Teng will do?"
Su Qingqing smiled and said, "If Mo Duo hadn't appeared, Prince Teng might not have been so anxious, but now that Mo Duo has not only appeared, but is also very close to us and the State of Zhao, Prince Teng can't help but be anxious.
In addition, his relationship with the legitimate princess of Da Qi has been exposed, and the news will soon spread to Da Qi .
If he fails to kill Mo Duo this time, or gets some evidence against us, he will be held accountable when he returns.
Therefore, he will definitely go to the Lotus Temple to rescue people, but it is hard to say whether he will go there in person."
Rong Que twisted his fingers and said, "Whether he goes there in person or not is not up to him."
The Queen Mother originally thought that Rong Que would think about it for a few days before sending her away. Unexpectedly, the next morning, before dawn, the guards brought in the news that the Emperor had issued an order and would come to take people away in a quarter of an hour.
"I asked you to pass on the message, did you do it?" Rong Que was in a hurry to send the empress dowager to the Lotus Temple. The empress dowager had not received a reply from Da Qi yet, and she couldn't help but feel anxious.
The guard took his time and followed Rong Que's instructions, saying, "The message has been delivered, but Prince Teng was not seen at the time. Instead, it was told to Prince Teng's personal attendants.
When the message was sent, it was already late last night. Even if Prince Teng wanted to reply, it would have to be today.
I really didn't expect Your Majesty to be so impatient and take action before daybreak."
