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Chapter 616: Prince (III)

Empress Dowager Zheng flew into a rage, smashed the tea bowl, and scolded the restless Prince Huaiyang and Prince Wu'an.

In the end, even Eunuch Zhao didn't dare to persuade him anymore. He stood in the corner with his head down, fearing that he would be affected by his master's anger.

"Zhao Chunming!" Empress Dowager Zheng turned her head angrily.

Eunuch Zhao had no choice but to step forward and say, "Your servant is here!"

Empress Dowager Zheng said angrily, "Immediately send my order to summon Prince Huaiyang and Prince Wu'an to come see me."

It was obvious that the furious Empress Dowager Zheng wanted to "crack down" on the two restless princes.

Eunuch Zhao knew his master's temper very well and knew that it was useless to persuade him at this time, so he promptly took the order and went to Zhaohe Palace, where he conveyed the Empress Dowager's oral instructions with a stern face.

Empress Dowager Zheng rose through the ranks from Crown Princess to Empress Dowager, and is still the Grand Empress Dowager. She is the oldest and most senior person, and her power and dominance are justified.

The Prince of Huaiyang and the Prince of Wu'an were each summoned by name and dared not refuse to go.

When they arrived at Jingyang Palace, they were greeted with a barrage of scolding.

Empress Dowager Zheng pointed her finger at Prince Wu'an's nose and angrily scolded: "At your age, you are already half buried in the earth and waiting to die, yet you still dare to dream of the position of the emperor! It's just wishful thinking!"

Prince Wu'an tried to refute: "The Empress Dowager misunderstood. Prime Minister Wang and I have always had some personal relationship. He was seriously injured, and I went to visit him. I had no other intentions."

"Bah! You are taking me for a fool! I am telling you clearly that the throne belongs to Prince Ping. If anyone dares to have such thoughts, I will kill him!"

The last sentence was said with gnashing teeth and bloodshot eyes.

Prince Wu'an didn't dare to look back for a moment, showing a bit of guilt and cowardice.

Empress Dowager Zheng dealt with Prince Wu'an and began to scold Prince Huaiyang.

The Prince of Huaiyang was a generation later, and the Empress Dowager Zheng had raised the Prince of Huaiyang's daughter for ten years, so it was easier to scold him. Such things as "ungrateful ungrateful wolf", "ungrateful evildoer", "wishful thinking", "seeking death" and so on.

Prince Huaiyang did not refute a word and just endured the scolding quietly.

After Empress Dowager Zheng finished scolding, she came forward with a cup of warm water and said, "Auntie, don't get angry and get yourself sick. Have a drink of water and take a break before scolding your nephew."

Empress Dowager Zheng: “…”

Empress Dowager Zheng was so angry that she grabbed the teacup and threw it at him. It was so close that there was no reason why she couldn't hit him. The whole cup of tea splashed on the clothes of Prince Huaiyang, and the teacup fell to the ground with a bang, breaking into several pieces.

Prince Huaiyang did not move, still maintaining a respectful posture, waiting to be scolded again.

Empress Dowager Zheng was extremely angry, but she calmed down instead.

How could the princes who coveted the throne change their minds just because she scolded them? The Prince of Huaiyang pretended to be respectful, but in fact it was also a kind of contempt.

After Emperor Taihe died, only the old, weak, women and children were left in the palace. If this happened in the civilian world, the clans with many sons and strong power would be wiped out. Now Emperor Taihe's body has not been buried yet, and the Prince of Huaiyang and the Prince of Wu'an still have to take care of the dignity of the funeral and dare not show too much. The real battle will be after the funeral.

There was nothing to be afraid of when Empress Dowager Zheng was furious and pointed at people and scolded them. But now that she had calmed down and looked at him with a gloomy look, Prince Wu'an felt uneasy. Prince Wu'an subconsciously glanced at Prince Huaiyang.

Prince Huaiyang was not panicked at all, and said in a gentle voice: "Auntie is a few years older than Uncle Wu'an, so you must take good care of yourself. Prince Ping is so young, and the palace will have to rely on Auntie to support it in the future. Auntie must not fall down."

Is this a comfort or a threat?

Nowadays, people who can live past sixty are considered to be very old. It is rare for people to live past seventy. Given the age of the Empress Dowager, even if she lived past seventy, it would only be a few years. Once the Empress Dowager passed away, who would be able to protect Prince Ping?
Empress Dowager Zheng was filled with anger, her eyes becoming increasingly gloomy and stern: "You are right, I really cannot fall. This country of Daliang was passed from my husband to my son, and then to my eldest grandson. Now that my eldest grandson is gone, it is natural that I have to pass it on to my youngest grandson. Not only must I live well, I must live to be a hundred years old. I will watch with my own eyes to see who dares to rebel like the King of Dongping and the King of Gaoliang did!"

Prince Huaiyang replied solemnly: "Please rest assured, Auntie. I will definitely support you and Prince Ping."

Prince Wu'an came to his senses, straightened his chest, and expressed his loyalty.

Empress Dowager Zheng waved her hand expressionlessly: "I am tired, you should go back to the mourning hall first."

Prince Wu'an and Prince Huaiyang bowed and took their leave.

Empress Dowager Zheng sat for a long time without moving. No one knew what she was thinking about, and her expression became increasingly solemn.

"Zhao Chunming, come here." Empress Dowager Zheng ordered in a deep voice: "From today on, arrange more people to keep an eye on Prince Wu'an and Prince Huaiyang. If there is any unusual movement, report it to me immediately."

Eunuch Zhao accepted the order in a deep voice.

"Go and ask Eunuch Lin to come in."

Apart from Eunuch Zhao, the only person that Empress Dowager Zheng could use was Eunuch Lin.

Eunuch Zhao was the most trusted and favored person by his master, and he was the one who went to various palaces to pass on orders. Eunuch Lin was much more low-key, and he did not show off his abilities on weekdays, but in fact, he had a group of skilled eunuchs under him. He also had contacts with two generals in the Imperial Guards.

It can also be said that Eunuch Lin is a person who specializes in "doing dirty work" for his master. The eldest prince's accidental fall and death more than 20 years ago, and the subsequent unexpected high fever of the King of Gaoliang, were all vaguely related to Eunuch Lin.

What was Empress Dowager Zheng planning to do when she summoned Eunuch Lin?
Eunuch Zhao felt a little frightened, but did not dare to ask more questions. He left the hall and went to summon Eunuch Lin.

Eunuch Lin is in his fifties, about ten years older than Eunuch Zhao. He is well maintained, with almost no wrinkles on his round, white and kind face.

Eunuch Lin nodded to Eunuch Zhao, then stepped into the Zhaohe Hall.

……

After dark, the ministers went to eat and rest.

Kneeling before the spirits day after day was very exhausting. After Jiang Shaohua realized that she was pregnant, she also noticed obvious changes in her body. She was not as strong as before, and was more easily tired and sleepy. She had a poor appetite and felt nauseous from time to time.

Fortunately, she did not have morning sickness. She concealed the slightest abnormality in her body very well. Except for those who were closest to her and most familiar with her, it was almost impossible for her to notice anything wrong.

Cui Du was by her side day and night, and except when he was sleeping, he would stare at her almost without blinking.

Jiang Shaohua was about to get up, and Cui Du immediately reached out to help him.

After Jiang Shaohua stood up, Cui Du quickly glanced at her still flat belly and whispered, "Let's go back to the palace for dinner."