The Female Supporting Role Shows Out

Chapter 111

Translator: NovelMultiverse | Editor: NovelMultiverse

Since Empress Du ascended the throne again, Lin Dan's business has been expanding. She has recruited many woman embroiderers and weavers, who are the most talented people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. She also built a large weaving workshop, and gradually mastered the weaving skills of shu brocade, silk, and satins.

Meng Zhong was in an extremely difficult situation under her fierce competition, his embroiderers and weavers were frequently poached away, and the business in the store was getting worse and worse.

At the same time, the emperor's health was getting weaker and weaker, and he could not get up for two or three months once he fell sick. As a result, he becomes increasingly suspicious and rarely spends time with the concubines or the princes or princesses in the harem. Once he fell ill, he never lets anyone near him, even the eunuchs he trusted. Only Empress Du could accompany him by his bedside and take care of all the piled-up political affairs. At first, the courtiers thought it was inappropriate for them to do so, so they persuaded and even impeached Empress Du several times. However, when Empress Du really gave up on taking care of those affairs, the chaotic court forced them to accept such an arrangement.

When the emperor was extremely ill, Empress Du accompanied him and took over the administration; when the emperor recovered, she immediately locked herself in the Taoist temple and did not ask about world affairs. As time went by, the emperor believed in her, and the courtiers were getting used to her sitting behind the pearl curtain listening to government affairs. After her enthronement, she did not promote the Du family, nor did she retaliate against those who had trampled on her, but silently, little by little, her power penetrated into the imperial power.

Unlike Empress Du, who behaves firmly on her throne, the concubines who have sons and daughters feel that the emperor's end is near and start to fight among themselves. All the emperor's sons had their own followers and were competing in the court. Watching them fight back and front with each other like black-eyed chickens, the emperor was wearing away his fatherly heart to them.

One day, the eldest prince was assassinated on the march and become blind in one eye, but the captured assassin confessed that the master behind these scenes was the third prince. The third prince denied and went to the imperial study to present his grievances. This revealed the scandal of the second prince, fourth prince, and other brothers, which they are selling their titles and forming parties for personal interests. Several princes immediately stood up to fight back, all kinds of intrigues and hidden conspiracies suddenly broke out in an instant.

The court had become a total mess, the emperor was mentally exhausted and fell ill again for four or five months. The Empress Du had to leave the temple and go to the imperial study to help deal with court affairs. At first, she had worn a beaded hair wear to separate herself from the courtiers. Over time, the bead hair wear became more and more troublesome to her. She simply removed it and met her courtiers in an opened and dignified manner. The manjusaka symbol between her eyebrows was so pretty, enchanting, and sharp, which makes the courtiers feel so oppressed that they don't even dare to breathe out loud.

Her majestic, indifferent, and wise image was gradually established in the hearts of many civil and military officials.

A few months later, a massive typhoid epidemic broke out in the city center. Except for the prince who stayed behind closed doors, four of the adult princes contracted the disease. The Empress Du quarantined the patient immediately and dispatched an imperial physician to study overnight on the prescription for curing typhoid fever, so as to control the disaster to a minimum range.

She did not intervene in the treatment process of the four princes but sent their mother and concubine out of the palace to take care of them. In order to protect the emperor, she also banned the Hall of Yang Xin. After all, the emperor's body was getting weaker and weaker. A small cold and flu could kill him, let alone typhoid fever?