Shen Mingzhu felt as if she could hardly catch her breath at this moment. Her heart skipped a beat, her fingertips turned cold, and she tightly grasped the cuffs on both sides. She saw the Empress Dowager seem to be in a daze for a moment, then turned to look at her fixedly and remained silent for a long time.
Thump, thump, thump...
Shen Mingzhu heard the beating of her own heart. She instinctively pursed her lips and looked at the Empress Dowager.
She stared without blinking, her eyes full of nervousness, and her heart tightened more and more.
"Zhaozhao."
The Empress Dowager finally spoke, calling Shen Mingzhu by her nickname, with a hint of indescribable emotion in her eyes.
Shen Mingzhu closed her eyes, reached out to wipe away the tears that were about to roll down from the corners of her eyes, and managed to suppress the sobs in her voice as she said, "Mother."
She had woken up.
The mother and daughter hadn't looked at each other like this for a long time. So when the Empress Dowager looked at her gently, Shen Mingzhu actually felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity in her heart. She tried hard to suppress the urge to turn her head away and stared at her fixedly.
She instinctively took a step forward, placed her hand on the other's, and suddenly felt as if her throat was blocked and she couldn't say anything else.
"You've worked hard."
A gentle voice came from above. Shen Mingzhu's eyes instantly turned red. She looked up at the Empress Dowager fixedly and asked, "Mother, what exactly have you been hiding from me? Is there anything that you can't even tell me?"
The Empress Dowager's hand suddenly stopped moving. She instinctively sighed, looked at Shen Mingzhu, and said, "Let the past be the past. You still have to move on. Zhaozhao, if I'm gone, you'll be all alone."
Shen Mingzhu suddenly lowered her head, withdrew her hand, wiped the tears on her face, and then continued, "How can it just pass? Brother... Brother is Brother!"
Shen Mingzhu realized that she was at a loss for words. She lowered her eyes and choked, not knowing what to say.
Why did even Mother, who loved her the most, say such things? Why? Did she really know how Brother died?
"Zhaozhao." The Empress Dowager looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and finally asked, "I know you won't stop. So how much have you found out so far?"
Silence.
Shen Mingzhu looked up at her and continued, "Is Brother's death related to Father?"
The Empress Dowager was silent for a moment and finally nodded.
Shen Mingzhu instantly felt breathless. She pressed her chest heavily, feeling as if something had hit her head hard. For a moment, her vision blurred.
Then...
"Did Father order someone to kill Brother?"
Shen Mingzhu stared at her tightly. Her palms were full of cold sweat as she waited for the answer she feared. There were even a few streaks of blood in her eyes.
"No." The Empress Dowager said, looking at Shen Mingzhu with a deep sense of sorrow in her eyes. "It was a series of unfortunate coincidences."
Shen Mingzhu was about to continue asking when she saw the Empress Dowager suddenly reach out and tightly hold her hand. Looking at her, the Empress Dowager asked in a low voice, "Is Xie Lang good to you?"
"... He's very good."
As she said this, before Shen Mingzhu could continue speaking, she heard the Empress Dowager let out a sigh of relief and continue, "I also want to tell you that if he treats you badly, then you can go to the Emperor and ask for a divorce."
After saying this, Shen Mingzhu didn't understand why the Empress Dowager suddenly brought this up. She then continued, "Why did Mother suddenly bring this up?"
The Empress Dowager stared at her tightly. After a while, she said, "Zhaozhao, I just hope you don't dig any deeper."
Shen Mingzhu felt that the Empress Dowager was simply joking.
"Mother, don't you really know?"
However, after asking this question, Shen Mingzhu saw the Empress Dowager suddenly close her eyes tightly, reach out and rub her temples, and then fall backward.
"Someone—"
She shouted out to the outside, "Hurry up! The imperial physician! Call the imperial physician!"
There was a flurry of activity. It wasn't until the imperial physician came that he glanced at Shen Mingzhu and then said with a hint of fear, "Your Highness... Perhaps Your Highness should leave for today?"
"The Empress Dowager can't take any more stimulation. Today, it might be..."
"Okay."
Shen Mingzhu looked dejected and her heart felt heavy. Finally, she took one last look at the Empress Dowager and then said to Chaoyan, "Aunt Chaoyan, come to me anytime if there's anything."
On the way back, the rain was gradually falling. Shen Mingzhu didn't take the sedan chair and slowly walked towards the palace gate, step by step.
Mother said that this matter was related to Father, but it wasn't Father who personally did it. It was a series of unfortunate coincidences.
Shen Mingzhu didn't even dare to think any further. She forced herself to divert her attention, but she still couldn't help but piece the whole thing together and couldn't stop recalling the scene of Father on his deathbed.
So when he said he regretted it, was it because of this?
Then how much effort did he actually put in, and how much did Mother know about it?
Shen Mingzhu closed her eyes. The palace gate was almost in sight.
"Sister—"
A call broke through the rain curtain. Shen Mingzhu turned her head and saw Shen Mingyuan running straight towards her, regardless of the embarrassed palace servants holding umbrellas behind him.
"Your Majesty."
Shen Mingzhu instinctively bowed, but was immediately supported by Shen Mingyuan. He wiped the rainwater on his forehead, which was mixed with sweat. His hair was sticking to his scalp, showing a hint of indescribable embarrassment.
Shen Mingzhu instinctively paused for a moment and motioned for Chuntao to tilt the umbrella towards him.
Seeing Shen Mingzhu holding the umbrella for him, Shen Mingyuan actually showed a hint of surprise. Finally, he pursed his lips and looked at her, saying, "It's been a long time since I last saw Sister return to the palace."
Shen Mingzhu frowned slightly.
Shen Mingyuan's words were rather thought - provoking. What did he mean by "return"?
Shen Mingzhu instinctively wanted to mock him, but the next moment, she suddenly remembered that the person in front of her might not be as she imagined.
So what had he done? What role had he played in all this?
"Your Majesty, do you have something to tell me?"
As soon as Shen Mingzhu spoke, she saw Shen Mingyuan instinctively take a step back and then continue, "Sister is joking. I haven't seen you for a long time. When I heard that you entered the palace, I rushed here in a hurry. I almost came too late."
Before Shen Mingzhu could speak, she saw Shen Mingyuan take another step back and even walk back into the rain.
"Sister, take your time. If I have the chance, I will definitely come to visit you."
Watching Shen Mingyuan leave, Shen Mingzhu felt rather confused. There seemed to be a hint of hesitation on his face. Finally, seeing him run out of her sight, just as Shen Mingyuan was about to leave, she saw the great eunuch beside Shen Mingyuan suddenly appear out of nowhere.
"Your Highness, this is something the Emperor wants to give you."
Shen Mingzhu frowned, took the small box, and asked, "What is it?"
"I don't know, Your Highness." As he said this, the great eunuch, looking rather embarrassed, quickly turned around and said, "I'll take my leave first."
After leaving the palace gate, Shen Mingzhu got into the carriage and took out the small wooden box, planning to take a look.
When she opened it, there were several letters inside. Shen Mingzhu instinctively held her breath and took out the letters.