"So, brother wants them to be buried with you?"
"No! We can't do this!"
Gu Yefeng shook his head, at a loss.
He, who was decisive and resourceful in the military camp, and whose disposition was never this indecisive.
Only when his weakness was grasped by others did he become like this.
"Brother, don't worry, I already have some plans, but I still need your full cooperation."
Gu Qianying grabbed Gu Yefeng's arm, signaling him to sit down.
The next day.
Rumors spread throughout the capital that Gu Qianying, with her multiple identities as the eldest daughter of the Gu family, the Ninth Princess Consort, the Sect Master of Juesha, and the Empress of Demonic Arts, swaggered back to the Gu residence. Gu Yefeng, overjoyed, hosted a grand banquet at the Gu mansion.
He invited many officials who had been close to the Gu family in the past, as well as some friends who were close to Gu Yefeng.
These friends were all young masters from noble families.
The banquet was very grand, and Gu Yefeng also, in his personal capacity, distributed porridge in the city, earning a reputation for kindness and good deeds.
As the saying goes, "tall trees catch the wind." Gu Yefeng's frenzied actions over several days quickly drew several memorials from some frugal civil officials in the court, who knelt in the palace to accuse Gu Yefeng of excessive extravagance, forming factions, and improper conduct.
Prince Guo, Nangong Cong, who was overseeing the state beside the young emperor, angrily threw the memorials on the ground and coldly ordered the attending eunuch, the Grand Supervisor, "Go and arrest General Gu Yefeng for me!"
The Grand Supervisor took the order and, with several Imperial Guards, hurried from the palace to the Gu residence.
Empress Dowager Meng, who sat on the other side of the young emperor, glanced at Xue Yang, the civil official who was kneeling on the ground and accusing Gu Yefeng.
Her jade fingers, hidden beneath her wide sleeves and clutching an embroidered handkerchief, trembled.
Qianying is back! She is really back!
The three red lines on her wrist reappeared.
It felt as if ten thousand poisonous insects were gnawing at her insides, causing unbearable pain. She clutched the embroidered handkerchief tightly.
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, and the pain almost made her faint.
A small hand beside her suddenly took hers.
Empress Dowager Meng turned her head and met a pair of clear, innocent eyes.
The young emperor did not speak, but smiled at Empress Dowager Meng and opened his mouth.
Silently.
Yet Empress Dowager Meng could understand what the young emperor was trying to tell her.
*Mother Consort, if it hurts a lot, pinch my hand hard.*
*Mother Consort, hold on, it will stop hurting soon.*
Looking at the young emperor's tender little face, Empress Dowager Meng's eyes seemed to mist over.
How could she have forgotten that her son had been given the same slow-acting poison as her?
When the poison acted up, the pain was unbearable, but after the pain, it would pass.
Every ten days, Nangong Cong would send them the antidote.
It could not completely cure the poison, but it could temporarily alleviate the toxicity, allowing them to live longer.
Without pinching the young emperor's hand hard, Empress Dowager Meng endured the pain with immense willpower.
How could she bear to pinch her son's small hand?
After an unknown amount of time, the pain in her body seemed to subside slightly, but Empress Dowager Meng could no longer hold on and fainted.
"Empress Dowager... Empress Dowager..."
"Mother Consort... Mother Consort..."
The Empress Dowager fainted, and all the civil and military officials panicked.
The young emperor, his face pale, squatted in front of Empress Dowager Meng, his small body trembling, lost in thought.
Nangong Cong, with a dark expression throughout, placed the memorials heavily on the desk, summoned a imperial physician for Empress Dowager Meng, and sent people to escort her back to her palace.
After the imperial physician attended to her for a while, Empress Dowager Meng finally woke up.
The first thing she did upon waking was to confirm where she was.
The little maid kneeling beside her said, "Empress Dowager, you fainted in the hall just now. Prince Guo kindly sent people to escort you back to the palace and summoned an imperial physician for you."
As she spoke, the little maid's eyes were full of admiration, and her words were filled with disrespect towards Empress Dowager Meng.
"What? I fainted?"
Empress Dowager Meng's face turned ashen. Without her shoes, she got out of bed, pushed the little maid aside, and ran towards the side hall in a panic.
The little maid watched her frantic retreat, her eyes filled with disdain. She stood up, patted the non-existent dust from her knees, and leisurely followed.
Empress Dowager Meng ran to the side hall and pushed open the door with great haste.
As soon as she stepped into the hall, she heard cries of pain coming from within.
"Si'er!"
Empress Dowager Meng rushed inside, her skirt brushing against the ground. Her jade foot accidentally stepped on it.
She fell, landing on the ground, and looked up into a pair of sharp, cold eyes.
Beside her, the young emperor Murong Si was hanging upside down from the ceiling beam, unclothed.
His small frame was covered in whip marks.
Several swollen and bleeding wounds had already scabbed over, but after being whipped a few more times, those wounds split open again, a recurring phenomenon that had become his norm.
In front of Nangong Cong, whenever his mother made a mistake, Nangong Cong would punish him for it.
This time, his mother had not been able to endure the pain and had fainted in the hall.
The moment his mother fainted, he knew that tonight would be another long and arduous night.
After a few whips, the young emperor Murong Si's little face turned as pale as paper.
With his consciousness blurred, he bit his lip hard, refusing to let himself completely faint.
He knew that if he couldn't bear it and fainted, it would be considered a mistake in front of Nangong Cong.
If his mother made a mistake, Nangong Cong would whip him.
Similarly, if he made a mistake, Nangong Cong would whip his mother.
He didn't want to see his mother whipped by Nangong Cong. At this moment, even if he couldn't bear it, he had to force himself to stay conscious.
At this moment, Empress Dowager Meng, disregarding her disheveled clothes, crawled urgently to Nangong Cong, hugged his leg, and pleaded tearfully, "Your Highness, it is all my fault. I was too weak and fainted in the hall. I beg you to spare Si'er. I will kowtow to you, I beg you."
She repeatedly kowtowed heavily to the ground, and soon her forehead began to bleed.
As pain struck, Empress Dowager Meng was like a wooden person, seemingly oblivious to the pain. Even with her face stained with blood, she did not care.
Seeing Empress Dowager Meng kowtowing and begging for mercy,
Nangong Cong suddenly smiled. He raised a finger.
The eunuch who was whipping the young emperor Murong Si stopped his actions and stepped aside.
Nangong Cong leaned forward, reached out, and firmly grasped Empress Dowager Meng's chin, forcing her to look at him.
"You want to beg for your son? Heh! Very well, do you remember how to do this from now on?"
Her cheek was being pinched painfully, and Empress Dowager Meng dared not move an inch. "I will not make any more mistakes. I beg Your Highness to be merciful."
"Hmm... your attitude in admitting fault this time is quite good."
He flung Meng's face away and Nangong Cong stood up. "Just saying it with your mouth is insincere. You know what you need to do, right?"
Stepping on Meng's hand, Nangong Cong went into the inner chamber.
Recalling past events, Meng trembled and stood up with difficulty, closing her eyes.
Without daring to utter a word, she followed Nangong Cong into the inner chamber.
Seeing this, the eunuchs serving in the hall, with their keen eyesight, sent the other maids away.
He also walked out, closed the door, and stood guard outside.
The young emperor Murong Si was still hanging upside down from the ceiling beam, unattended.
A moment later, Meng's screams of agony came from the inner chamber.
He watched his mother's retreating figure as she followed Nangong Cong, tears welling up in his eyes.
He didn't know what his mother would do with Nangong Cong after going inside.
But every time, he could hear his mother's screams of agony.
Although he didn't know what they were doing inside, he knew that Nangong Cong must be harming his mother!
An hour later.
Meng emerged from the inner chamber with Nangong Cong.
As he left, Nangong Cong patted the young emperor's face. "Kid, listen to your mother more from now on. Perhaps I'll spare your life a bit longer out of consideration for your mother, hahaha."
After slapping the young emperor's face twice, Nangong Cong left in good spirits.
As soon as he left, Meng, dragging her tired and aching body, quickly brought Murong Si down.
She hugged Murong Si and sat on the ground. "Son, it's okay now, we're okay."
The young emperor was held tightly in Meng's arms, his gaze falling on the blood flowing from beneath Meng's skirt.
"Mother Consort, you're bleeding again."
Meng shed tears, not daring to touch the wounds on the young emperor's back. She held his small hand, and with red eyes, shook her head. "Don't worry, Mother Consort is fine."
After sitting on the ground for a while, Meng began to tend to the young emperor's wounds.
She, who had never bandaged wounds before, was now accustomed to it, and her movements became more skilled.
Three years!
For three full years.
For three full years, she and her son had lived this hellish life.
In the first year, when her son had just ascended the throne, Nangong Cong had disguised himself well, not revealing any ill intentions to them.
In the second year, Nangong Cong, using his position as regent, frequently met with court officials in private.
At that time, she had begun to suspect Nangong Cong, but she had no evidence to prove that Nangong Cong harbored ill intentions.
At that time, she had also written to Gu Qianying, but Gu Qianying had not replied for a long time.
At a palace banquet, she was attacked by assassins, and it was Nangong Cong who saved her, thus dispelling her suspicions of him.
Later, after drinking a bowl of cooling soup served by her maid, Nangong Cong revealed his true colors.
It was then that she learned that the appearance of the assassins was a deliberate arrangement by Nangong Cong, intended to make her dispel her suspicions and hand over the tiger tally to him.
And the cooling soup she drank was poisoned, a slow-acting poison.
Since being controlled by Nangong Cong, she and her son had lived a hellish life.
"Mother Consort, it hurts so much. How long will we have to live like this?"
The young prince hid in Meng's arms, crying sadly.
He couldn't endure another day of being whipped; it hurt so much!
"Son, it's almost over... this kind of life is about to end. Your godmother Qianying is back. Mother Consort believes she will come to save us."
Since hearing from the civil official Xue Yang in the hall that Gu Qianying had returned to the Gu residence,
Meng's heart was filled with excitement.
"Godmother Qianying? Is she... very powerful?"
Her innocent eyes widened, and she was very curious.
"Yes, she is very powerful. She will protect us and come to save Si'er and Mother Consort."
Meng kissed the young emperor's head and looked at him seriously. "Si'er, promise Mother Consort, no matter when, you must listen to your godmother, understand?"
"Mother Consort, are you giving me to Godmother Qianying? Don't you want me anymore?"