I Married a Disabled Prince in Prison

Chapter 71

At the same time, in the Imperial Palace of the capital city:

Emperor Xiao Jing led a group of people to Kunning Palace, where the Empress Dowager Liang Qingzhen resided.

Inside the bedroom, the Empress Dowager Liang Qingzhen was half-reclined on the ornate phoenix bed, her kind old face looking pale, and she kept coughing.

The old eunuch Liu Fu waited anxiously by her side and said, "Your Majesty, you must take care of yourself. You've been worrying about King A day and night, and your eyes have become blind with tears. What should we do?"

"The pain of being a mother without her son returning, even for a day, is unbearable!" Liang Qingzhen shed tears. "My son has always been filial, and I have always treated him as my own flesh and blood. Why did he have to disappear? It should have been this old bone of mine, not my dear son!"

A group of servants stood by, grieving and sobbing.

Liu Fu looked towards the entrance of the bedroom, where a man in his thirties, wearing imperial robes and exuding an imposing aura, stood outside with a group of armed guards.

"We, humble servants, pay respects to Your Majesty!" Liu Fu led a group of eunuchs and palace maids to greet the emperor.

Liang Qingzhen glanced vaguely towards the door and asked, "Has the Emperor arrived? Why didn't anyone announce it?"

"Greetings to the Empress Dowager." Emperor Xiao Jing walked into the room solemnly and gave a slight bow to Liang Qingzhen.

"Don't bother with formalities," Liang Qingzhen helped him up, but she felt quite displeased inside. Since ascending the throne, the Emperor has always addressed her as "Mother," but ever since King A disappeared, he no longer used the term. After all, it wasn't her own flesh and blood that had gone missing.

Sitting by the bedside, the Empress Dowager tilted her head slightly upward and 'looked' directly at the Emperor, "Jing'er, do you have any news about Heng'er?"

Emperor Xiao Jing shook his head disappointedly.

Empress Dowager Liang Qingzhen inquired again, "Any news or not?"

Emperor Xiao Jing was surprised, "Empress Dowager, your eyes?"

"Since King An disappeared, the Empress Dowager has been crying day and night, and her eyes have been blinded by tears... sob..." replied the old eunuch Liu Fu, who then burst into tears along with several eunuchs and palace maids.

"In front of the Emperor, there should be no noise!" The Empress Dowager frowned, and a group of servants silenced their cries.

Emperor Xiao Jing looked at the Empress Dowager's kind and gentle face and thought to himself, Isn't it you who told them to say this? Why are you pretending?

The Empress Dowager waited and waited, but she didn't see the Emperor showing any concern for her in his eyes, which made her slightly uneasy.

Emperor Xiao Jing tried to read something from her face, but apart from sorrow, he couldn't discern anything else. After some consideration, he said, "King An has been missing for months without any news. I have ordered the Imperial Guards and various local officials to spare no effort in searching for him. If anyone finds King An, they will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold and a thousand acres of good land. For officials, their ranks will be promoted by three levels. Unfortunately, despite searching almost every corner of Fengxiang Kingdom, there is still no sign of King An."

"Heng'er... My Heng'er," the Empress Dowager burst into tears, "I wonder if he's safe now?"

"King An holds several important positions in the capital. He was always diligent in his duties, especially towards me, his elder brother. It's impossible for him to disappear without saying goodbye," the Emperor, who had been worrying for months, looked tired and worried, "He must have been abducted, or even... killed."