Hearing this, Shen Mingzhu subconsciously frowned. Then, when she turned to see the faint smile on Chun Tao's face, she let out a slight sigh of relief and asked her, "Who is it?" "It's Miss Li."
Originally, she subconsciously wanted to take the medicine Chun Tao was offering, but suddenly remembered what had happened the day before. So she said to Chun Tao, "No need."
Chun Tao was startled, and a hint of barely concealed joy and surprise flashed across her face. She gave Shen Mingzhu a meaningful smile and then said, "Okay."
"Your Highness, should I bring Miss Li in or let her wait in the front hall?"
"Bring her to the study."
As Shen Mingzhu was about to explain further, she saw Chun Tao hurrying away with a hint of a smile on her face.
Shen Mingzhu: "..."
Oh no. Maybe by tomorrow, the news that she and Xie Lang wanted a child would spread everywhere.
Shen Mingzhu suppressed the heat gradually rising in her ears. She quickly sent the little maid away. After washing and dressing herself, she simply put up her hair with a hairpin and then got up and left.
The door of the study was wide open. The moment Shen Mingzhu stepped in, she sensed a lingering chill.
"Sister Xi Yu."
Shen Mingzhu noticed that Li Xiyu seemed a bit off. So she turned around, closed the door, and rushed towards her. There was an inexplicable sense of urgency in her heart.
What had happened?
When Shen Mingzhu saw Li Xiyu turn around to look at her, her eyes seemed slightly red. When she spoke, her voice was a bit choked. She looked at Shen Mingzhu and said softly, "Your Highness."
What was going on?
Since that year, Shen Mingzhu hadn't seen Li Xiyu so sad and vulnerable for a long time. So she couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in her heart. She stepped forward and walked to Li Xiyu's side and said, "Don't be in a hurry, Sister Xi Yu. Take your time."
Shen Mingzhu quickly sat down and reached out to take out a handkerchief and handed it to Li Xiyu.
Li Xiyu was silent for a moment. Then she looked up at Shen Mingzhu and said, "I've found something, something about that incident!"
"Zhaozhao." Li Xiyu's voice trembled, even with a bit of indescribable brokenness. Her eyes were filled with shimmering tears. She looked at Shen Mingzhu and said, "Previously, we couldn't find anything because someone was covering it up. Now that person seems to have given up covering it up, so I was able to find out about that incident."
Who was covering it up?
Shen Mingzhu subconsciously thought of those noble families. But suddenly, an incredible thought popped into her mind.
Could it be... Could it be that the person covering it up was the Empress Dowager?
As soon as she thought of this, the next moment she immediately denied this thought. Then she continued to comfort Li Xiyu and said, "What did Sister Xi Yu find out?"
"He... He had an argument with the late emperor before the incident, so his journey south was delayed for a few days!" Li Xiyu's speech was extremely fast. As she spoke, her body trembled. "And at that time, he even wrote a letter to the Empress Dowager, saying that she should be patient and believe that the emperor was not such a heartless person!"
"Zhaozhao! Zhaozhao!" Li Xiyu was on the verge of a breakdown. On the way to find Shen Mingzhu, she was numb. Even Chun Tao didn't notice anything unusual. It wasn't until she saw Shen Mingzhu that her heart ached. "What on earth is going on?"
Shen Mingzhu was speechless.
Her mind was in a complete mess.
"How did Sister Xi Yu find out?" Shen Mingzhu reached out her hand and tried hard to suppress the emotion in her heart. She found that her hand was also slightly trembling. So she said softly, "Don't be in a hurry, don't be in a hurry..."
She didn't know if she was comforting Li Xiyu or herself.
"Here!"
Shen Mingzhu took the letter Li Xiyu took out and glanced at it. She found that the handwriting and tone were exactly the same as her elder brother's. There was even his private seal on it. It must be genuine.
Suddenly, Shen Mingzhu felt that she couldn't breathe. She was shocked by what Li Xiyu had said.
Yes, who could kill the crown prince under the emperor's nose without leaving a single trace? Did the emperor fail to find out the truth about her elder brother's death, or...
Or was he the one who did it?!
Why! No! This was absolutely impossible! Since childhood, her elder brother had been the most outstanding among the princes. In the future, he would surely be a good emperor. The emperor would never be so muddle - headed as to ignore the future of the country for his own self - interest!
Shen Mingzhu felt her body trembling. All the blood in her body seemed to freeze at that moment. She couldn't say a word for a while.
"Don't be in a hurry, don't be in a hurry."
She mechanically said a word to Li Xiyu. Then she suddenly shouted outside, "Chun Tao! Prepare the carriage! I'm going to the palace!"
After comforting Li Xiyu a few more words, Shen Mingzhu looked a bit flustered. She quickly got on the carriage and tried hard to suppress the expression on her face.
Suddenly, she remembered the tears in the emperor's eyes when he was dying. He held her hand and said, "Zhaozhao! I regret it. I regret sending your elder brother south!"
The grief and regret in his eyes were real. So Shen Mingzhu had never doubted this matter.
Moreover, after her elder brother's death, the emperor's health had been getting worse and worse. Finally, he died of depression.
All these were real. Shen Mingzhu had seen them with her own eyes. So she had never suspected that her father was involved in this matter!
But what if this was true? What if the emperor was really involved?
Shen Mingzhu shivered violently.
It started to drizzle outside the carriage. By the time Shen Mingzhu arrived at the palace gate, the rain was getting heavier and heavier. Suddenly, a flash of light streaked across the sky, followed by a thunderclap.
She looked at the palace and subconsciously hesitated for a moment. Finally, she got off the carriage.
Chun Tao was holding an umbrella beside her. She looked at Shen Mingzhu with concern on her face. She didn't dare to say a word. She just announced Shen Mingzhu's arrival inside.
"Your Highness!"
The moment she saw Shen Mingzhu, Chaoyan was startled. Then she quickly welcomed her in. "Come in quickly, come in quickly! It's raining. You mustn't get wet."
Shen Mingzhu came to her senses a bit. She asked Chaoyan, "Aunt Chaoyan, how is the Empress Dowager today?"
In her hurry to enter the palace, she had forgotten to ask about the Empress Dowager's current condition.
Hearing this, Chaoyan was slightly stunned for a moment and then continued, "The Empress Dowager seems to be a bit more energetic than the previous few days."
Was the Empress Dowager awake?
Shen Mingzhu was silent for a moment and then walked inside.
After passing through the screen, she saw the Empress Dowager sitting in front of a small table, as if looking at some letters.
"Mother."
Shen Mingzhu called out softly. She saw the Empress Dowager look up at her. Then the Empress Dowager seemed to recognize her with great difficulty. Then she said, "Sit down. Mingzhu, why don't you go and play with your elder brother? Why do you have to come to me?"
Shen Mingzhu didn't know how to answer. So she quietly sat aside and waited for the person beside her to look at her.
What was the Empress Dowager looking at?
Shen Mingzhu couldn't describe the feeling in her heart. Her face was slightly pale.
After a long time, the Empress Dowager looked up at her. She looked at her for a long time and then squinted her eyes. There seemed to be a bit of clarity in her eyes.
Was the Empress Dowager awake!