Gourmet Girl: Becoming a Royal Merchant Started from Selling Buns

After hearing this, the empress dowager's face changed slightly. She took a deep breath, lifted the hem of her skirt, fell to her knees with a thud, and begged Fu Zhun.

"Even if he made a thousand mistakes, he was still the child I raised myself."

"I have long regarded him as my own child. How could I bear to watch him die? Now that he has acknowledged his mistakes and no longer has the ability to do evil, I beg the King of Zhenbei to spare his life for the sake of the late emperor!"

Fu Zhun frowned and remained silent.

At this time, the army had already entered the city and took full control of the situation in the city.

Su An was worried about Fu Zhun and Li Guihua. Seeing that there was no danger in the city, she lifted her skirt and ran over in a hurry.

She happened to hear everything the two of them said.

After all, the Queen Mother was Chu Yi's nominal mother, and she had helped him a lot in the palace. Even though Su An felt extremely unwilling, it all turned into sympathy at this moment.

She slowed down her pace, sighed softly, stood beside the Queen Mother, and looked straight at Fu Zhun.

"Although the Empress Dowager's actions were inappropriate, what she said was not without reason. After all, he is the nominal king, and you are a subject. If a subject kills the king, it will inevitably be criticized. Moreover, if it were not for the Empress Dowager's help today, we would not have been able to capture the capital so easily."

"This merit should be able to offset this minor mistake, right? Fu Zhun, how about you forgive the Empress Dowager this time?"

After hearing what Su An said, Fu Zhun pursed his lips and nodded.

He was about to agree when he heard the Queen Mother suddenly chuckle and kowtow to Fu Zhun.

"When the emperor breaks the law, he should be punished just like the common people. Moreover, I am the mother of a country and should set an example. I let the tyrant go today. I know that my sin is grave and I do not expect the King of Zhenbei to forgive me."

"I would like to ask to be demoted to a commoner as a punishment."

"I only hope that the King of Zhenbei will consider the late emperor's kindness and protect our royal bloodline, and not let the people of the world feel disappointed."

Upon hearing this, Fu Zhun's brows relaxed slightly, and a hint of complex emotions appeared in his eyes.

But after hearing this, Su An took a breath, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he turned to look at the empress dowager, frowned and whispered comfort.

"Your Majesty, please don't be impulsive. This isn't a big deal. I believe Fu Zhun won't be too harsh on you."

Knowing that Su An meant well, the Queen Mother straightened up, shook her head gently, and said with a smile.

"I appreciate Miss Su's kindness, but I'm not saying this impulsively. I've thought it through carefully. I entered the palace when I was young and have been trapped in this deep palace all day, without freedom."

"I have repaid my family's kindness over the past few decades. I want to live for myself for the rest of my life."

As she spoke, a glimmer appeared in the empress dowager's eyes, and she seemed to be looking forward to her future life.

She pursed her lips and looked at Su An.

"Besides, for me, hiding from the world and living on simple food every day is not a shackle, but a kind of liberation."

Suddenly, Su An remembered what the Queen Mother had said before.

She said she wanted to ask him to do something for her, but she didn't say it clearly at the time, and Su An didn't take it to heart. Now, thinking about it, perhaps the Queen Mother had already had this plan.

Su An naturally understood the Queen Mother's thoughts.

At the beginning, she rejected Fu Zhun many times because she didn't want to be trapped in a small world and just wanted to pursue freedom and live an unrestrained life.

Su An's heart moved, and he suddenly curled his lips, moved closer to Fu Zhun, shook his arm gently, and persuaded him.

"Your Majesty the Queen Mother is absolutely right. Look at how young she is."

"She has already spent her best years in the palace. How many more decades can she live? Considering the Queen Mother's hard work and great contributions, why not give her a light punishment and let her experience the hardships of life!"

As she spoke, she blinked.

Su An is a person who has a clear distinction between love and hate, and rarely pleads for others.

Seeing her like this, Fu Zhun shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. His eyes softened and he nodded slightly.

"You are right. Although the Queen Mother sincerely repents, I will punish her severely and teach her a lesson. From today on, I will demote her to a commoner and let her experience the suffering of the people!"

Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother's eyes flashed with relief. She slowly stood up and bowed deeply to Fu Zhun.

"Thank you, King Zhenbei, for your help!"

Then, the Queen Mother's eyes swept over Su An, the corners of her mouth rose slightly, and she said gratefully.

"Thank you Miss Su for pleading for me. Miss Su is an excellent woman. Everything will go smoothly for me in the future and I will get what I want!"

Su An smiled and returned the greeting with the same blessing.

"Then I also wish the Queen Mother to find her heart's desire among the people, and live a healthy and free life for the rest of her life."

Fu Zhun sighed lightly, turned his head slightly, and gave instructions to the deputy general beside him.

"Although the Empress Dowager has been demoted to a commoner, she has worked hard for the Great Chu for many years. She deserves to be properly accommodated and not neglected. Prepare some clothes and a carriage to escort the Empress Dowager out of the palace."

"In addition, all servants in the Cining Palace will continue to serve the Empress Dowager as their master and will accompany her out of the palace."

The deputy general took the order and left. Although everyone in the palace was surprised, they all obeyed.

The Queen Mother bowed gratefully, turned around, and her gaze fell on the familiar palace wall. A complex emotion flashed in her eyes, a mixture of reluctance and relief.

She took a deep breath and slowly walked out of the palace gate, the palace wall behind her gradually receding into the distance.

Li Guihua was seriously injured and did not receive proper treatment, so she fainted.

The deputy general had already placed her in the bedroom and called in the imperial physician to treat her.

Although the severed hand cannot be reattached, fortunately the bleeding has stopped. The imperial physician said that as long as the hand is carefully taken care of, although it will not be as flexible as a normal person in the future, it will not affect daily life too much.

In addition, the three dolls were also brought back by the people sent by Fu Zhun.

Seeing Li Guihua and Su An, the three children's eyes were filled with tears. They threw themselves into Su An's arms and grabbed her sleeves tightly, fearing that they would leave again if they were not careful.

"Mom, sister, are you okay?"

"Wow... Yueyue thought she would never see her elder sister and mother again."

……

Seeing his worried look, Su An's heart softened. She gently stroked their hair and comforted them softly.

"Don't be afraid, our family will never be separated again."

This heartwarming scene moved Fu Zhun, and a hint of warmth flashed in his eyes.

The family reunited, Li Guihua's injuries gradually stabilized, and Su An finally felt relieved.

After several days of rest, the situation in the palace stabilized. With the support of all ministers, Fu Zhun was elected as the new emperor, in charge of all affairs of Da Chu.

After dealing with state affairs, Fu Zhun wanted to relax in the imperial garden.

But he was only stunned for a moment, and when he looked up again, he had already arrived at Su An's temporary bedroom.