When I think of how this book will end. Wow! The drama is like so hot. Can't wait! Finale!!!
See you tomorrow.
Chapter 25
Grand Dowager Empress Wu
Rose Flower Palace
The Grand Dowager Empress smiled at the little bundle of joy saddled in the many blankets on her court lady’s hands. Her tiny eyes stared back and would wander around the room in curiosity so often. Lu Yun made a cute sound as she yawned tiredly, then burped, evidence of just having nursed from her wet nurse.
Grand Dowager stopped wagging the toy for Lu Yun. “I think our princess is tired and must rest. Take her away.” In so many years, since the birth of Cai Wenjin, she had not felt this happy. It was amazing what a granddaughter could do for an aging grandmother.
She observed her court lady handing the child to the assigned palace child caretaker. The caretaker was one of the best. Cai Wenjin was under her care as a baby.
“Lu Yun is two months old and already you can see the similarities to her father.” Her court lady adored.
“Yes, she looks so much like Luo Meng. What a beautiful child.” If only her father could recognise her. What a joy it would be.
Court Lady knelt before her and took on the hot water to prepare some tea for her. Grand Dowager Empress Wu was entertained by tea. It was the medicine to her soul.
The grandmother breathed in and exhaled in glee. Recently, the heavens had been on her side and treating her well. “I wonder how Luo Meng is faring, although what happened was in my favour.”
“News is that he is still the same. He has chosen to lock himself up, drinking his sorrow away, and holding on to the book as if it is the cure to his pain.”
This was why she was the rightful mother of Luo Meng and Mistress Ki was not. Even in her death, that woman was causing her Luo Meng pain.
Mistress Ki was found dead in the inn she was temporarily staying at. It was murder according to the officials, and among her belongings, they had found a book in which she wrote the journey of looking for her son. Apparently, at the time she was killed, she was now aware Luo Meng was her long lost child. Because it was contained in the book.
That book was then handed over to Luo Meng, who was depressed over the sad news of only finding his mother in death.
In her book, she wrote about her fears of her oncoming death. She saw it coming, Dowager Empress Wang was after her to shut her up for her secrets.
At least in this case, the Dowager Empress’ hands were clean, she would still be commendable in the eyes of Luo Meng and that was all that mattered.
“Does Her Highness think the ministry of discipline will sentence the Dowager Empress Wang? Educate your servant.”
The old woman chuckled. The Wang empress was already under another punishment, what was the use? If she could kill Mistress Ki from the frost palace, surely she could make any evidence against her disappear. “That diary says she feared the Dowager Empress Wang was after her, however in the eyes of the judge that will not mean she is actually the culprit.” Although it was obvious that nobody orchestrated it other than the Wang snake.
Mistress Ki was dead and so were the secrets she knew concerning Dowager Empress Wang. Dead with her. That must have been the sole purpose of everything.
“Have you seen Li Lian? Since she was a student of the fallen mistress, has she been mourning?”
“Answering to Your Highness. Not so. Li Lian has been as normal as she can be.”
“Of course. This is Li Lian we are talking about.” She would not be stupid to let her guard down.
“But Your Highness, about secrets,” her court lady was concerned, “Li Lian knows about the shame Noble Consort Qi has been committing, and she is close to the emperor, what if she speaks?”
This was why they abandoned Noble Consort Qi. She was incompetent. On the night of the massacre she had survived it because she was not in Hougong with the other women as she should have been. Rather, she was who knows where, busy experiencing the forbidden with an eunuch that belonged to the emperor for that matter.
They were too afraid the emperor would know it as he was already suspicious about Noble Consort Qi, wrongly suspecting her to be part of the massacre, though she wasn’t. He was close in his suspicions, only needing redirection.
The hidden palace maid working for Noble Consort Qi told the Grand Dowager that Li Lian found Noble Consort Qi committing the felony. Stupid Consort. It was a wise calculation when they encouraged Yuwen Hong to neglect the Qi clan.
“Li Lian is not that person. She minds her matters and has so many things to worry over than the matters of others. I doubt she will say anything.”
“But Your Highness, it worries me. We are using Li Lian who is worse than the Noble Consort. She is the child of a traitor. Are you not worried? Her nation killed your son.”
The Grand Dowager chuckled. “Yuwen Hong and I are different. He still has to grow up and is still immature, the immaturity of youth. Should children always suffer for the sins committed by their forefathers’ sins?”
“Her Highness is a woman of understanding. This servant learns everyday.”
The Grand Dowager smiled, but it was engraved by bitterness. She was still stuck on Dowager Empress Wang. The woman poisoned other women miscarriage so as to be the only relevant child bearing woman to her son, though all she could produce was girls, not beneficial for the empire. That Dowager Empress was more than scum and rottenness. Anyone who stole the life of an unborn from another happy expectant lady was a disgrace.
The same they had done to her.
She was quite in love with Gu Huan, the now royal grand physician. They were meant to be married, already betrothed. Nobody could speak against it as it was the obvious since they had been childhood lovers. Well, that was until the then emperor laid eyes on her and decided no matter what, she had to belong to him. At that time she was already pregnant with Gu Huan’s child as they were reckless and went on to share a bed before their marriage.
The emperor did not care that she was not chaste and that she was pregnant. He was heartless and selfish, ordered for her and instructed that she drink what would kill her child. The clan was delighted to have their first woman from among them enter the palace, so no one spoke for her.
All of them. They killed her first child. And that was what switched off the light within her since then. They stole from her the child with Gu Huan.
But that was until Luo Meng. Her child, Luo Meng.
“Your Highness,” her court lady brought her back from her thoughts. “Your Highness, Lady Luo has come to see her child.”
Dao was here. Good.
Because today she would offer to adopt Luo Lu Yun as a princess and her child. She was willing to raise her as her own just like Luo Meng.
S.V