Because Qi Jin Yu’s injuries were too heavy, Zhou Yun Sheng sent him directly to the palace’s medical courtyard for treatment after he returned to the capital. When the Empress Dowager heard of her son’s imminent return, she quickly told all the imperial physicians in the medical courtyard to call her. Seeing her son’s horrific condition, she almost fainted to death. This, this was her matchlessly handsome, graceful son? How did he become an evil spirit? Is this a mistake?
“Mother Empress, it’s me ah Mother Empress!” Qi Jin Yu struggled off the bed and clung to the Empress Dowager’s legs, crying bitterly. They said real men don’t cry easily, only because they’ve never been deeply hurt. Currently, his looks were ruined, his fingers were hacked, and he even had a reputation of being incompetent. With the equivalent of having nothing, what could he use to fight Qi Yi Ning? On the journey back, his servants constantly gushed about Qi Yi Ning ordering the Heavens to send down rain, simply worshiping him like a god. Even worse, Luo Zhen and the other officials’ reverence for Qi Yi Ning had already become bone marrow deep. Forget about lobbying to bring them into his camp, even if he held a knife to their necks, they wouldn’t dare switch over.
The story of the rain miracle quickly spread from the Southwest to across the nation, in this world where imperial power reigned supreme, if the monarch was enveloped by a “Ordained from Heaven” halo, the people’s devotion to the monarch would reach a height modern man couldn’t even imagine. Currently, many temples dedicated to the Emperor were popping up in one place after another, and the people burning incense in front of the temples were multiplying. There were even different versions of the story, the legend of how the Emperor descended to the world to experience mortal life spread like wildfire, describing him as a wonder.
In these kinds of circumstances, forget about the handicapped Qi Jin Yu, even if he was still physically whole, he wouldn’t stand a chance at threatening Zhou Yun Sheng’s throne. Thinking of this, deep sorrow boiled up from within, and he couldn’t stop himself from weeping.
The Empress Dowager didn’t recognize this twisted face, but could recognize her son’s voice, after her shocked collapse to the ground, she hugged him and wept. After crying until her tear ducts dried up, she began asking about how his injuries were made. After listening to her son’s re-telling, she noticed the inconsistencies, and wisely asserted, “What kind of bandits are these? They were definitely assassins sent by Qi Yi Ning, otherwise, how could even the Zhenbei General’s shadow guards be unable to stop them? His mind is so vicious, even after snatching away your throne, he still wants your life. If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve sent him and that slut to hell a long time ago.”
“Mother Empress, what’s the use of saying these things now? Think about this another time.” Qi Jin Yu wiped his tears and moved to sit on the couch with the Empress Dowager’s support, then he leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Mother Empress, think of a way to have him set up Cheng-er as Crown Prince, once Cheng-er is slightly older, your son will still have a chance … …”
After listening to her son explain the details of the plan, the Empress Dowager sighed, “At first, I was annoyed that you refused to give up on that slut Zhao Bi Xuan, but looking at our current circumstances, we actually have no choice but to rely on her to stand back up….Never mind, I’ll properly advise her, if she doesn’t agree, I have ways to make her regret it.”
Qi Jin Yu thanked her, then went back to the bed to rest in peace of mind.
When Zhou Yun Sheng returned to the palace, he immediately had the fostered outside Second Prince brought back. During this three month long journey, the Empress Dowager repeatedly sent people to pick up the Second Prince, but he’d already arranged servants to obstruct her, only saying that the Second Prince had chicken pox, and was not fit to be brought out, for fear of infecting the Empress Dowager. Empress Dowager saw many imperial physicians walking in and out of Feng Yi Palace every day, and after inquiring a little, she believed it. Seeing several imperial physicians walking into the side chamber, sitting for a short time, then leaving, Zhao Bi Xuan actually didn’t find this odd, she was too distracted worrying about Qi Jin Yu’s safety, and occasionally pausing to wonder where her son was taken.
