The Prodigal Son

Peony Garden.

Upon learning that the assassination attempt had failed, the Empress Dowager flew into a rage.

When Zhao Yan arrived, the Empress Dowager's anger had not yet subsided.

Upon seeing Zhao Yan, the Empress Dowager's face immediately fell, and she berated him harshly: "You good-for-nothing! How dare you appear before me?"

That assassin was indeed sent by the Empress Dowager!

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

Zhao Yan lowered her head. "I never expected that beast Qin Yu would dare to use me as a shield!"

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager became even more furious. "Why did you have to go to that wretched place today of all times? Are you deliberately trying to antagonize me?"

Zhao Yan felt a bitter taste in her mouth, burying her head tightly. "I just went to join in the fun, I didn't expect Qin Yu..."

"I never expected this, I never expected anything! What do you need this head for?"

The Empress Dowager angrily interrupted Zhao Yan, staring at him with a frosty expression: "You've ruined all my good plans!"

Zhao Yan knew the Empress Dowager was angry, so he didn't argue much, but sincerely apologized: "Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

"I have no intention of blaming you!"

The Empress Dowager, panting heavily, said bitterly, "This assassination attempt failed, and Qin Yu will surely be even more cautious. Assassinating Qin Yu in the future will be as difficult as climbing to heaven!"

"This...it shouldn't be that bad, right?"

Zhao Yan raised her head. "Although Qi Dachui, who is by Qin Yu's side, is quite strong, as long as the Empress Dowager sends two experts at the ninth realm, they will definitely be able to..."

"A master of the ninth realm?"

The Empress Dowager swept her cold gaze over and demanded, "Do you think there are experts at the ninth realm everywhere? Are you afraid that unfilial daughter won't suspect me?"

Faced with the Empress Dowager's questioning, Zhao Yan was momentarily stunned.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhao Yan suddenly realized what was going on.

Yes!

Where are there so many ninth-realm experts?

It's not the Empress Dowager who wants to send someone to assassinate Qin Yu, but rather the scholars and literati who have been angered by Qin Yu who want to send someone to assassinate him!

Those people are already quite impressive if they can even get an eighth-level expert to come!

As for experts at the ninth realm, there are really very few people who can persuade them to join!

If the Empress Dowager really sent two ninth-level experts to assassinate Qin Yu, even a pig would realize that it was the Empress Dowager who sent people to assassinate Qin Yu, let alone Zhao Luan.

"Zhao Yan's thinking was inadequate; it was the Empress Dowager who considered things more thoroughly."

Zhao Yan admitted his mistake and took the opportunity to flatter the Empress Dowager.

"We can't touch Qin Yu for now!"

The Empress Dowager took a deep breath. "Continue to sow discord between Qin Yu and those scholars. Also, find a way to shift the blame for the assassination attempt on Qin Yu onto someone else. I will rearrange things on my side and try to..."

"Auntie, Auntie..."

Just then, Lü Si's sobbing voice rang in their ears.

Upon hearing Lü Si's voice, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but frown slightly.

Soon, Lü Si stumbled to the Empress Dowager and knelt down before her with a thud. Before he could even speak, he began to wail loudly.

"What are you howling about?"

The Empress Dowager was extremely annoyed. "What happened? Speak quickly!"

Lu Si raised his head, wiped away his tears haphazardly, and wailed, "His Majesty said that my father cursed her with witchcraft, and Qin Yu led the Golden Armored Imperial Guards to arrest my father and take him to the Baojing Division. My mother... my mother is still..."

As Lü Si spoke, he became increasingly agitated and broke down in tears.

The Empress Dowager's expression changed drastically, and she asked in a trembling voice, "What...what's wrong with your mother?"

"My mother...she..."

Lu Si wiped away his tears again and burst into tears, wailing, "My mother... miscarried!"

"What?"

The Empress Dowager suddenly stood up, her whole body trembling as she growled, "You...say that again?"

Zhao Yan was startled upon hearing the news.

Then came boundless ecstasy!

it is good!

OK!

Lu Si's mother had a miscarriage!

That's the Empress Dowager's closest cousin!

It is said that Lü Si's mother was basically raised by the Empress Dowager and her sister.

Now, Lü Chunqiu has been imprisoned, and his wife has suffered a miscarriage!

There is no room for reconciliation between the Empress Dowager and Zhao Luan!

This was a terrible blow to Lü Si and the Empress Dowager, but for him, it was a great blessing!

My mother had a miscarriage.

Lu Si repeated the sentence again, tears streaming down his face, "I saw her legs were covered in blood, all blood! Aunt! Aunt, you have to do us justice..."

As Lü Si spoke, he cried and kept kowtowing, his forehead visibly bleeding.

"Unfilial daughter! This unfilial daughter!"

The Empress Dowager roared with bloodshot eyes and angrily walked out. She had only taken two steps when her body suddenly stiffened and she clutched her chest.

"Empress Dowager!"

Seeing that the Empress Dowager was not feeling well, Zhao Yan immediately helped her up, asking with concern, "Empress Dowager, what's wrong? Empress Dowager..."

The Empress Dowager remained silent, her face contorted with pain.

"puff……"

A mouthful of blood spurted from the Empress Dowager's mouth, and her body fell straight backward.

"Empress Dowager!"

"aunt!"

"Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"

As the Empress Dowager vomited blood and fell into a coma, the entire peony garden was thrown into chaos.

While waiting for the imperial physician to treat the Empress Dowager, Zhao Yan inquired about the situation at Lü Si's home.

Qin Yu personally led the Golden Armored Imperial Guards to search the Lü residence and found all sorts of random things. His father had already been escorted to the Baojing Division.

Qin Yu originally intended for the Golden Armored Imperial Guards to arrest him and imprison him in the Treasure Mirror Bureau, but fortunately, Yun Zhao deliberately had him released, allowing him to run to the Empress Dowager for help, saying that they were also acting under orders and that his mother's miscarriage was an accident...

As he continued, Lü Si couldn't help but burst into tears of grief and indignation, cursing Qin Yu repeatedly.

He was certain that those so-called witchcraft items were definitely a frame-up by Qin Yu!

The Lü family absolutely does not possess those things!

Qin Yu, that beast!

He had already agreed to help him deal with Zhao Yan, yet he still wanted to kill the Lü family!

About half an hour later, the Empress Dowager regained consciousness thanks to the efforts of the imperial physicians.

It was fortunate that there was an imperial physician attending to the peony garden; if they had gone to the palace to fetch one, the Empress Dowager would probably have been dead by the time he arrived.

"Empress Dowager..."

"aunt……"

Upon seeing the Empress Dowager awaken, Lü Si and Zhao Yan, their eyes red and swollen, quickly approached her.

"Cough cough..."

The Empress Dowager coughed weakly twice and said feebly, "Zhao Yan, you... stay. Lü Si, you go out first!"

"Auntie, how are you?"

Lu Si held the Empress Dowager's hand tightly, his eyes brimming with tears.

"go out!"

The Empress Dowager's eyes widened in anger.

Lu Si was so frightened by the Empress Dowager's appearance that he dared not speak and quickly and cautiously withdrew.

Only after the door closed did the Empress Dowager, her face frosty, growl at Zhao Yan: "I've been driven to the brink by that unfilial daughter! You, take up your pen and write a letter to your father!"

Zhao Yan's eyelids twitched, and he tentatively asked, "What does the Empress Dowager want to do?"

"Purge the court of corrupt officials!"

The Empress Dowager growled through gritted teeth.

What?

Zhao Yan's heart pounded wildly.

The Empress Dowager was finally enraged by the Lü family's affairs and decided to use the plan that Lü Chunqiu had told him before.

After regaining his composure, Zhao Yan feigned concern and asked, "Empress Dowager, is this appropriate?"

"At this point, what's the point of talking about what's appropriate or inappropriate?"

The Empress Dowager glared at Zhao Yan. "I will find a way to force that unfilial daughter to Ningzhou. Send a reliable person to deliver this letter to your father! Remember, it must be someone absolutely reliable!"

"good!"

Zhao Yan agreed, "However, I still want to advise the Empress Dowager to think it over carefully! After all, this is no small matter."

"Don't worry, I'm not made of clay!"

The Empress Dowager, breathing heavily, said bitterly, "I will force this unfilial daughter to make a choice!"

At this moment, the Empress Dowager resembled an enraged lioness.

That icy gaze sent a chill down Zhao Yan's spine...