After the arranged marriage, I pampered the sickly regent.

"Your Majesty, are you saying the Emperor is in Shou Kang Palace?"

The guards present looked shocked and asked the Empress Dowager.

But when they went in, they didn't see the Emperor.

The Empress Dowager wanted to reply, but felt as if her heart was being squeezed tightly. Her face turned ashen, and she was in so much pain that she couldn't speak.

"Quickly, go and fetch the imperial physician!"

Seeing the Empress Dowager choking herself, the guards quickly ordered the nanny to pull her away and stop her from harming herself.

The next moment, a bright light suddenly appeared around them.

When the light disappeared, Zhan Sijing and the emperor appeared together.

"The Emperor? And His Highness the Regent!"

When the Empress Dowager saw the Emperor appear, she disregarded her excruciating pain and rushed towards him.

"Your Majesty, it's so good that you're alright." The Empress Dowager was overjoyed, but as she tried to approach, the Emperor took a step back, his gaze cold and distant.

Then a huge rumbling sound came.

The Shou Kang Palace was completely reduced to ruins, and the emperor was deeply worried about Ye Qingwu, who was still inside.

Everything around returned to calm.

……

"Your Majesty, we have searched all night but have not found the Princess Consort in the ruins of Shou Kang Palace."

The person searching came in and reported to the emperor.

"Has the Regent woken up yet?" The Emperor sighed, his worry undiminished.

"Not yet."

"If there is any news from the Regent's Palace, report it to me immediately." The Emperor's order had barely been given when the Empress Dowager's voice came from outside.

"How dare you block my way! Get out of my way! I need to see the Emperor!"

In the imperial study, the emperor's face darkened when he heard the source of the sound. Immediately afterward, a guard came in and reported, "Your Majesty, shall we allow the Empress Dowager to come in?"

The emperor rubbed his temples. There had been many changes in the palace that night, and with the matter of the imperial advisor, he was completely exhausted.

The reason for not seeing the Empress Dowager was simply because all of this was related to her.

If it were anyone else, he might have dealt with them directly, but this person...

"Let her in."

After a moment's thought, the emperor made up his mind that some things needed to be settled.

Only after receiving orders did the guards allow the Empress Dowager to enter.

"Your Majesty, what is going on? Why have you placed me under house arrest!"

The Empress Dowager angrily questioned the Emperor.

"Do you know that I am your mother!"

"You may all step back," the emperor said to those present.

The door to the Imperial Study was closed again, leaving only the Emperor and Empress Dowager inside.

Seeing that the emperor remained silent, the empress dowager grew increasingly anxious. "Your Majesty, you should give me an explanation today, no matter what."

"An explanation?" The emperor's tone was full of helplessness.

"Mother, I originally thought you should give my brother an explanation."

The Empress Dowager paused, clearly not expecting the Emperor to say such a thing, and asked hesitantly, "What do you mean? Could it be...?"

The Empress Dowager's heart skipped a beat at this thought, and her gaze toward the Emperor suddenly became uncertain.

He then continued to probe, "Did you already know about those things?"

"good."

"Mother, all of this should have belonged to my brother. We have wronged him."

“What do you mean by sorry! My son, you can’t think like that. Over the years, Zhan Sijing has become the regent, second only to the emperor in status. You have already done more than enough for him. What could he possibly want?”

"Then what about exchanging lives, Mother? Tell me what all this is all about."

"And this edict of succession."

The emperor took something out of his sleeve. It was because he saw this thing that he entered the underground passage in Shou Kang Palace and then heard those words.

"Actually, the late emperor didn't intend for me to inherit the throne. The edict on this document was also altered by the empress dowager herself, right?"

"My brother has never done anything wrong, yet he has suffered so much because of me all these years. Does Mother still think he has done nothing wrong?"

The emperor was heartbroken by this and asked the person in front of him in return.

"So what, my son? If I hadn't turned the tide back then, neither of us would have survived!"

The Empress Dowager's voice was hoarse and strained.

"Do you know that because you have been frail and sickly since childhood, some people actually said that you are a person of five blessings and are destined not to live past the age of ten? How could I tolerate such a thing happening? And then I learned that your father intended to make Zhan Sijing the crown prince."

"My son, the reason your mother is doing all this is because of you!"

"Besides, the curse on Zhan Sijing has been lifted. As long as he plays his role as regent well, nothing will happen to him!"

The Empress Dowager's eyes were filled with resentment, and she spoke through gritted teeth.

"But I never expected that Ye Qingwu would appear in this process and discover all of this. Fortunately, the Imperial Advisor who knew everything back then, including Ye Qingwu, has also disappeared!"

"I have also heard that Zhan Sijing is still unconscious. My son, as long as you have Zhan Sijing now, no one will be able to threaten you from now on."

"My son, you must listen to me on this matter. I am the only person in the world you can trust, and I would never harm you."

“Stubborn to the end.” The emperor’s gaze grew colder and colder, and all hope he had was shattered.

He had thought that after going through so much, the Empress Dowager would at least realize the things she had done before.

"I have already decided that once things have settled down, I will return the throne to my younger brother."

He didn't know the truth before, but now that he does, he's determined to set things right.

Whether it's fighting Si Jing or himself, he can at least give an explanation.

When she heard that the emperor was going to return the throne to Zhan Sijing, the empress dowager went completely insane.

"No, my son, you can't do this! Everything you have now was won for you by me. Everything, even the world, belongs to you!"

"Now that you've come this far, how can you just hand everything over? I won't allow it!"

The Queen Mother said angrily.

"I will renovate the Shou Kang Palace in the East, and you, Mother, will live there from now on."

"Eastern place?"

The Empress Dowager's eyes widened in surprise. It wasn't the most remote spot in the palace; it was no different from the cold palace in the inner palace.

The emperor actually wants to place her in that place; what's the difference between that and house arrest?

Just as the Empress Dowager was about to continue speaking, the pain in her chest struck again, black lines appeared on her face, and she collapsed to the ground, her body curled up.

The emperor was taken aback by the sudden turn of events.

"How is this going?"

"Guards! Quickly summon Valley Master Lu to the palace!" the emperor shouted loudly outside.

"My son, you absolutely cannot agree to the throne..."