Daughter of aristocratic family

Chapter 511 Tuogu
The three followed the eunuch into the bedroom. The emperor woke up from his coma and looked at the three important officials in front of him. He said weakly, "I'm afraid I won't live for many days."

Ling Ze and the other two were not the type to flatter, nor could they lie with their eyes open, so they remained silent.

The candlelight flickered in the bedroom, illuminating the emperor's pale face. "I have been in office for many years, working hard to govern the country, hoping that the world will be peaceful and the people will be happy."

The emperor's voice became even weaker, and every word he spoke seemed to drain all his strength.

The eunuch handed over a cup of warm water gently. The emperor shook his head slightly, indicating that it was not necessary. He continued, "Now, I am terminally ill and know that I don't have much time left. What I can't let go of most is this vast country and billions of people."

His eyes swept across the faces of the three important ministers one by one, and there was both trust and reluctance in his eyes.

"Your Majesty's poor health is a misfortune for the country and a pain for the people." Ling Ze, as the chief minister, was the first to speak. Although his voice was calm, it could not hide his worry and sadness. "But please rest assured, Your Majesty, we will do our best to stabilize the government."

The emperor nodded slightly, a trace of relief flashed in his eyes, and then turned to worry: "I know that you are loyal, but my affairs after death still need to be properly arranged. The eleventh prince is young and may not be able to take charge on his own. I want to entrust him to you. I hope you can assist me wholeheartedly and ensure the stability of my Daliang."

Hearing this, Ling Ze and the other two were all shocked. They did not dare to tell others that the eleventh prince was poisoned and his life was in danger. They looked at each other, then knelt on the ground and said in unison: "We will do our best to live up to your majesty's trust and work hard until our death."

The emperor heard this and forced a smile on his face, with a hint of relief in his eyes: "I am very pleased to have you assist me."

After saying this, the emperor seemed to have exhausted all his strength, closed his eyes again, and fell into a deep sleep.

The bedroom returned to peace again, with only the occasional sound of the night wind outside the window and the faint sound of candlelight inside the hall.

The judge was called by the eunuch to feel the emperor's pulse. He carefully placed his hand on the emperor's pulse.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, carefully feeling the weak pulse beating. After a long time, he withdrew his hand and said, "My three lords, please talk outside."

Several people walked outside the palace, and the judge whispered, "My three lords, your Majesty's pulse is extremely weak, and it seems to be there but not there. With my medical skills, I can only delay it for five days at most."

The implication is that if you have anything to do, do it quickly; there is no time left.

Ling Ze and the other two looked at each other, worry and heaviness in their eyes that could not be concealed.

The night was as dark as ink, and it seemed that even the stars had lost their former luster, reflecting the depressing atmosphere in the palace.

Five days is really too short. Many things have not been arranged yet, not to mention that the matter of the prince in the cold palace has not been settled.

After sending the judge away, Ling Ze and the other two discussed and then acted separately.

The emperor was seriously ill, Prince Zuo was thrown into prison for besieging the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, and the eleventh prince was poisoned. The news of these three things had to be kept secret to avoid causing unrest in the court and the country.

The next thing is to quickly persuade Concubine Jing to make the identity of the prince in the cold palace public and determine the crown prince to reassure the people.

Finally, troops had to be dispatched to guard the palace to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos to cause trouble.

Although the news was blocked in a timely manner, those who were well-informed still had trouble sleeping that night.

Zhao Wangshu did not stay up late, but she did not sleep well. Her dreams were full of disturbances and bizarre things.

After waking up, Zhao Wangshu looked at his sleeping son and suppressed his anxiety. He lay down again, touched his belly, and whispered to himself, "Yunhao will be fine. Don't scare yourself."

Zhao Wangshu woke up before dawn. Even though he guessed that Yun Hao had not returned yet, he still asked, "Is the master back?"

Lan Fen answered as she pulled up the curtains: "Not yet."

"Is there any news from outside?" Zhao Wangshu put on his shoes.

"No." Lan Fen put her coat on her. "Where's the young master?" Zhao Wangshu asked.

Lan Fen helped her sit down on the couch and said with a smile, "The young master is practicing boxing in the yard."

Although it was not yet time for breakfast, Zhao Wangshu got up and Madam Qiao quickly ordered the kitchen to bring up the stewed chicken porridge.

Zhao Wangshu reluctantly finished half a bowl, then went out and sat on the porch, watching Xiao Yunyu practice boxing.

As the morning light breaks, golden sunlight shines through the sparse clouds and falls into the yard, adding a bit of warmth to this cold morning.

Little Yunyu was wearing a light training suit, his small figure looked particularly agile in the morning light. Although his moves seemed immature, they had already taken shape, and it was obvious that he had put in a lot of effort.

Looking at his son, Zhao Wangshu's mouth corners slightly raised, his eyes full of love and pride.

"Mom, are you awake?" Xiao Yunyu finished practicing a set of boxing and stood still. Fine beads of sweat had already seeped out of his forehead. He turned around and saw Zhao Wangshu in the corridor and hurried over.

Zhao Wangshu smiled and took the handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his forehead. He said softly, "Yu'er, although practicing is important, you should also pay attention to rest and don't tire yourself out."

"Mom, Yu'er knows." Little Yunyu responded obediently.

Although Zhao Wangshu was worried about Yun Hao, after breakfast, he still let little Yun Yu go to the small study room in the front yard to study and did not keep him by his side.

Zhao Wangshu was restless all morning. When it was almost noon, Lan Fen came in and said, "Madam, Steward Zhong is here."

"Hurry, let him in." Zhao Wangshu said anxiously.

Zhong Sheng was called in. He bowed to her first, then said, "Young Madam, my Lord is in the palace and everything is fine. He is just stuck with something and cannot come back for the time being. My Lord, please relax and don't worry about him. He will be back after these two days."

Zhao Wangshu felt relieved after hearing what he said. "Okay, I got it. I will take good care of myself. If you can pass the message in, tell the adults that there is no need for him to worry about the family."

"I will ask them to tell the adults." Zhong Sheng was responsible for guarding the Yun Mansion.

After Zhong Sheng left, Zhao Wangshu, whose mood had improved, felt a little hungry and said, "Let's have lunch."

"Yes." Lan Fen smiled happily upon seeing this.

Soon, lunch was served. After Zhao Wangshu had his meal, he took a walk in the back garden before returning to his room for a rest.

Yun Hao did not return home for three consecutive days, but he sent someone back to comfort Zhao Wangshu.

That morning, Yao Shanzhi came and said, "Yue'er, the emperor uncle has appointed a crown prince."

"That's good." Zhao Wangshu told the truth. Now that the matter was settled, Yun Hao could go home.

"Do you know who stood there?" Yao Shanzhi asked.

Zhao Wangshu shook his head. "I don't know. Who is it?"

"Lin Tiao."

Zhao Wangshu frowned, "Is there a prince with this name?"

"It is said that his mother was persecuted by Concubine Liu and gave birth to him in the cold palace. In order to save his life, his existence was concealed until now." What Yao Shanzhi found out was only half of the truth.

"Is that so? Now he has finally gotten his reward after all the suffering he has endured." Zhao Wangshu said with a smile.