The queen is sober in the world, and she is winning every step of the palace fight.

"The Queen Mother must have known about the circumstances of Prince Rui's death?"

The emperor's tone was filled with deliberate malice. "An arrow pierced his chest, killing him instantly. But..."

He paused, deliberately keeping the Queen Mother in suspense.

Seeing the Queen Mother's face turn even paler, he slowly continued, "He didn't die instantly, though. The blood flowed from his chest for a while before he painfully stopped breathing. I heard that before he died, his eyes were fixed on the sky, and his mouth was like a fish off the shore, opening and closing, trying desperately to breathe, but he couldn't. He was also vomiting blood, gushing out streams after streams. Alas, I do feel a little sorry for him. He must have been very uncomfortable and tormented."

As the emperor spoke, the empress dowager felt as if she was about to suffocate.

The candlelight flickered in the hall.

Although there were more than a dozen candles lit as usual, the temple was dark, depressing and suffocating.

The faint smile on the emperor's face also seemed particularly gloomy and chilling.

Hiss...

Hiss...

The Queen Mother's heavy breathing became louder and louder, making people worry that she would die at any moment.

The emperor stood up and slowly walked to her side.

Look down at her.

"Mother, do you remember when Prince Rui was little? He was a fat kid. I'm several years older than him, but he weighs the same as me and is almost as tall as me. It's because his mother is your sister. He's been living a life of luxury since he was little. You've fed him until he's so fat and adorable, his arms as fat as lotus root nodes."

The emperor chuckled softly, "Who could have imagined that a child as fat as a pig would grow up to be such a handsome man? Who could have imagined that the fat boy would die so miserably in the end? It's really hard to predict what will happen in just a dozen years."

“You…you…cough cough cough…”

The Queen Mother's eyes were wide open, she was filled with grief and anger to the extreme, she couldn't breathe and couldn't speak completely.

His hands scratched forward in vain, as if trying to grab something, but he could only grab air.

This time, the blood she spat out was dark red.

A large amount of blood flowed out of his mouth and nose, staining his clothes.

"Queen Mother, please hold on! Your Majesty, please forgive the Queen Mother and allow me to help her rest for a while. At least, let her calm down. Please, please, Your Majesty!"

While supporting the empress dowager, Shixiang knelt down and kowtowed to the emperor, and her kowtow made her bleed.

Every word was mournful and full of tears.

The Queen Mother turned around, grabbed the old servant's arm, opened her eyes wide and motioned her to get up.

"no no……"

"You told me not to beg Your Majesty, didn't you?" Shixiang understood what the Queen Mother meant and cried, "But I don't want to see you suffer! Queen Mother, let's go to the side hall to rest for a while, okay? I'll help you go."

Tohka looked up.

She met the emperor's eyes presumptuously.

Look deeply for a moment.

"Your Majesty, I held you in my arms several times when you were little. I beg you to spare the Queen Mother this time, for the sake of our past friendship."

Seeing that the emperor did not object, she staggered and tried to help the empress dowager stand up, "Please hold on..."

The Queen Mother couldn't stand still, and almost her entire body was leaning on Tohka.

Tohka half supported and half held the empress dowager as she slowly moved her out of the main hall and towards the side hall.

The emperor did not stop them, but watched them leave with a sullen face.

His eyes were fixed on their backs, but he didn't seem to be looking at them at all. Instead, his eyes penetrated many years and fell on an unknown time.

The hall was so quiet for a moment that it seemed as if no one was there.

Fei Wan had good hearing, so even in the inner hall, she could tell that the emperor had not moved and knew that he had been standing still.

doing what?

Are you commemorating your long-deceased mother?

Or are you still thinking about the love-hate relationship between you and the Queen Mother over the years?

"You are the emperor! The ruler of a country!"

Fei Wan cursed inwardly.

Today, so many people died, but the situation in the capital has not calmed down yet, and even the palace is still in chaos. In the inner hall, one can even faintly hear the suppressed cries of injured palace maids in the distance.

But at this time, the emperor was entangled with the empress dowager about the past!

In the conversation with the Queen Mother just now, shouldn’t we first ask how so many Tartar soldiers from the Northern Qu Kingdom came to the capital?

Why bother about my mother who passed away many years ago!

Mother is important, but as a king, you have to prioritize!

If it weren't for reason, Fei Wan would have wanted to run directly to the emperor, depose him, and then become emperor himself to handle post-war affairs.

Forget it, wake up and be patient...

She suppressed the impulse in time.

Impulse is the devil.

Don’t be impatient, take your time!

"Your Majesty...you have suffered."

In the side hall, Nanny Shixiang placed the empress dowager on the couch and turned around to pour tea.

There was only leftover tea in the teapot that had been cold for who knows how long.

When she poured it to the Queen Mother's mouth, Tohka's tears fell again.

"No...don't cry..."

The Queen Mother managed to squeeze out a few words from her lips.

These few words made her so exhausted that she was out of breath and ready to die at any moment.

The effect of Doctor Wen's acupuncture was almost gone. Because of her impatience and anger, the Empress Dowager's death was accelerating.

"Okay, I won't cry, I won't cry. Your Majesty, you have been strong all your life. I cannot be weak and bring shame upon you."

Nanny Shixiang wiped away her tears and fed the empress dowager half a sip of cold tea.

Before the Queen Mother could swallow her tea, she spat out a mouthful of blood and spit it all over Shixiang's hand.

"Alas...Alas...it's no use..."

The Queen Mother's face became even more pale, like that of a dead person.

The blood on Tohka's hand was purple-black, and the Queen Mother felt heavy in her heart when she saw it.

She knew she was going to die soon.

Unwilling!

Really not reconciled!

Clearly, there was hope of leaving the city, but that bitch Zheng Zhuyi tricked her! And Yu Shi... Concubine Zhao's sister, must have been in cahoots with Concubine Zhao and deliberately harmed her?

He fought with all kinds of women in the deep palace all his life, but in the end, he was eaten by a few juniors.

How could the Queen Mother be willing to do this?

Shixiang said sadly, "Queen Dowager, please don't be sad. Even if you really can't make it, you still have this old servant to accompany you. Besides, you've caused the Emperor so much trouble today. He'll have a lot of headaches in the future. The capital has been captured by the enemy, and the palace has been trampled by the Tartars. How can he face his ancestors in the future? Queen Dowager, when I think of this, I feel so relieved!"

The Queen Mother's eyes gradually began to glow.

Yes, it really relieves my anger!

She held onto Tohka's hand tightly.

Like a last burst of energy, I suddenly felt stronger.

"Okay, well said, Tohka! You... come closer!"

Tohka moved closer.

Put your ear against the Queen Mother's lips.

The Queen Mother spoke softly.

Tohka opened her eyes wide in shock, "...This?!"

"Keep living. Do whatever it takes to survive." The Queen Mother smiled slightly, her lips curled up high. "At the right time, give him a fatal blow."

Hehe, hehehehe...

The Queen Mother laughed with delight.

He had no idea that his voice had become extremely hoarse and unpleasant.

This series of laughs sounded like the miserable cries coming from hell.

Are you here again? She saw the old man in the bright yellow dragon robe walking towards her and extending his hand.

However, the Queen Mother pushed the other person away and refused to accept it.

"In my entire life, I have never looked down upon you, haha!"

She stood up and walked out the door.

Walk into the bright moonlight.

Walk to the Golden Palace where the ministers hold court.

The Nine Dragon Throne was magnificent and golden. She slowly sat down, facing south and extending her hand, saying with a smile, "Stand up."

"Empress Dowager? Empress Dowager??"

Nanny Shixiang saw with her own eyes the empress dowager lying on the couch and laughing. As she laughed, the corners of her mouth drooped, the hand that was holding her loosened, and her pupils dilated.

Waited quietly for a while.

The Queen Mother made no further movement.

Tohka reached out and touched the Queen Mother's nose to make sure she was dead.

She remained silent and closed the Queen Mother's eyes, which had not yet closed.

Cover the Queen Mother's face with a handkerchief.

Lay the Queen Mother's body flatter, tidy it up, and let it lie flat and upright.

He rubbed the blood off his hands on the empress dowager's clothes.

"The Queen Mother has passed away."

Tohka walked to the main hall and knelt before the emperor.

The emperor didn't move.

Still standing there in the same posture as when they left.

Tohka bowed lightly and replied in a low voice:

"The Empress Dowager stated on her deathbed that General Zhao, commander of the Sichuan-Shu Linping Army in southwestern Shu, was one of her men. Whether this is true or not, I cannot discern. Your Majesty, I beg you to investigate. Perhaps General Zhao is a traitor, or perhaps this is the Empress Dowager's plan to sow discord and cause trouble for Your Majesty."

This is the last army that the Empress Dowager told her about before her death. Tohka must tell it in order to save her own life and that of her family in front of the Emperor.