Chapter 58 This Wealth and Glory, I Am Determined to Have It!

Upon hearing these words, Song Shiyu was greatly startled. "How could that be?" Before she could finish her sentence, the crucial point suddenly dawned upon her. "Could it be that in the past life, Dowager Empress Yang was the one who blocked the arrow for the Emperor?"

Slightly furrowing her brows, she carefully recalled the situation in the palace after the Dragon Boat Festival, analyzing in a low voice, "I was still very young back then, and many things are no longer clear to me. After the Dragon Boat Festival, we lingered in Dengzhou for two days. I remember when Cao Heyong mentioned the situation in the palace to my grandfather, he used the phrase 'loyally supporting and profoundly gracing with kindness.' Yes," she suddenly remembered something and said in a hushed tone, "Cao Heyong said that the day after the Dragon Boat Festival, the Emperor issued an edict pardoning Dowager Empress Yang's younger brother, Yang Zongjing, who had been exiled to serve in the military, and even ordered the imperial physicians to prepare medicine for Yang Zongjing to remove the tattooed brand from his face."

At this, Song Shiyu suddenly saw the light. "No wonder! No wonder Yang Zongjing had been exiled for two years without the Emperor ever thinking of him, yet he chose to pardon him at that exact moment!"

Hearing this, Li Xubai was filled with endless regret. If it were not for his current immobility, he would have been slapping his thighs in remorse. "Tell me, why must I be so impulsive? Of all people whose credit I could have stolen, why did I have to go and steal Dowager Empress Yang's credit? Now look at me, I've become a thorn in her side, a bone in her throat. This overwhelming wealth and fortune, tell me, should I accept it or not?"

Song Shiyu let out a chuckle. "Accept it, why wouldn't you? You fear her now because you are too weak. Once you grow strong enough to the point where even she finds you out of reach, she will be the one to fear you. But if you take a step back today, she will advance three steps tomorrow, eventually driving you into a dead end with nowhere left to retreat."

These words were like a wake-up call, instantly clearing away the entanglement in Li Xubai's heart. Like parting the clouds to see the sun, he cheerfully said, "Right, you are right! Enduring for a moment leaves you gnashing your teeth, and retreating a step makes you fume with rage—this lord is not going to pamper her!"

While they were talking, Wang Rukai walked in holding a medicine bowl. The worry between his brows had dissipated somewhat as he said to Li Xubai, "Take a sip first and see if there is any reaction."

Li Xubai twitched the corner of his mouth. "Reaction? What kind of reaction?"

Wang Rukai calmly replied, "That poison is extremely complex, and I couldn't identify all of its components in a short time. I had no choice but to brew an antidote based on the few ingredients I did manage to identify. Drink it and try. If it is effective, the dark blood on your back will lighten in color after half an hour."

"And... what if it's ineffective?" Li Xubai always felt that this Chief Administrator of the Imperial Medical Bureau was somewhat unreliable.

"Then after half an hour, you will experience agonizing abdominal pain. Just endure it for a while and it will pass."

Li Xubai immediately shoved the medicine bowl he had just brought to his lips right back into Wang Rukai's hands and cried out, "Are you a veterinarian or something?"

Wang Rukai raised an eyebrow in surprise. "How did Lord Li know that my mentor was most skilled at treating horses?"

Li Xubai: "......"

Song Shiyu was on the verge of laughter. After holding it in repeatedly, she said to Wang Rukai, "Thank you, Lord Chief Administrator. The medicine is still a bit hot; leave it here for now, and once it cools down, I will feed it to him."

Wang Rukai nodded, set the medicine down, and turned back as he walked away, tirelessly nagging, "You must drink it! You really must drink it! If you don't drink it, I can still tell by taking your pulse." With that, feeling uneasy, he closed the window and even removed the vases from the main hall, muttering, "You are not allowed to pour it out."

Li Xubai wore a look of utter despair. "He is the one who's going to poison me to death!"

Song Shiyu laughed while stirring the medicine bowl. "I know this man. His medical skills are astonishing, and he is bold in his use of medication, often prescribing unexpected remedies. Yet, his treatments almost always cure the illness at once. He wouldn't have served as the Chief Administrator for nearly twenty years otherwise. This antidote definitely won't be poisonous, so you can drink it with peace of mind."

Li Xubai frantically refused, "It's not poisonous, but it causes stomachaches."

Song Shiyu put down the medicine bowl and sighed. "Since Dowager Empress Yang wanted to block the arrow for the Emperor, she must have prepared the antidote in advance. If you truly refuse to drink this antidote, then I will make a trip to the Chonggong Palace and find the antidote for you."

Li Xubai looked at Song Shiyu in disbelief. "Are there imperial guards in the palace?"

"Yes."

"The kind that kills people?"

"Correct."

"And can you beat them?"

"...... I don't know."

"Then off you go. You'll find out after you try."

Song Shiyu picked up a pillow and hurled it right at him.

Li Xubai chuckled foolishly, picked up the medicine bowl himself, and drained it in a single, unhesitating gulp.

Song Shiyu froze. She looked at him with a complex expression for a long moment before rising to her feet and walking toward the door. "I am going to ask that veterinary chief administrator if there is any way to relieve the pain."

This night was destined to be a sleepless one.

The lights in the Chunghua Palace remained unquenched.

Zhao Yizhen and Empress Dowager Wen sat facing each other, having dismissed all the attendants by their sides.

"Mother Empress, how do you view today's events?" Zhao Yizhen asked with an inscrutable expression.

Empress Dowager Wen thought deeply for a moment before speaking. "Erlang is a loyal and courageous man. Although somewhat timid, the Emperor can still make use of him." Pausing slightly, she continued, "The assassin seemed to have left room for maneuver, not acting like someone out to take a life, but rather as if trying to bring about a certain outcome."

Zhao Yizhen lightly tapped his fingers on the table, pondering aloud, "At the time, I was standing near the front of the imperial carriage. Mother Empress was on my right, aligned with me front-and-back. Dowager Empress Yang was standing on my left, slightly behind my position. Meanwhile, Erlang and Mother Empress were standing on the same side, though slightly angled toward me in profile, seemingly talking to Sheng Yanming."

Empress Dowager Wen also recalled the scene for a brief moment. "Indeed, that was how the situation unfolded."

Zhao Yizhen closed his eyes. "At that moment, the arrow was shot from the front-right toward the left side, which is why Erlang caught a glimpse of a flash of light. However, at that time, Erlang was not the only one who could see that light."

Empress Dowager Wen slowly said, "Is the Emperor suspecting..."

Zhao Yizhen felt a twinge of pain.

He did not want to suspect anyone, nor was he willing to suspect anyone—or rather, he had never truly suspected anyone in the first place.

Zhao Yizhen abruptly opened his eyes, which shone with a piercing, clear-headed agony. "Mother Empress, without solid evidence, I cannot casually suspect anyone."

Empress Dowager Wen gently patted Zhao Yizhen's hand, speaking for the first time in such a soft and tender tone. "The Emperor need not torment himself. If there is no solid evidence, go look for it. Use solid evidence to either prove or dispel your suspicions."

Zhao Yizhen felt a deep sense of comfort and solace in his heart. No matter what differences or estrangements he had with Empress Dowager Wen, and regardless of whether they were truly mother and son by blood, he could be certain of one thing: no matter where he went or what rebellious actions and decrees he made against Empress Dowager Wen, she would never wish for him to die.

Zhao Yizhen knew very well that the person in this world who most wished for him to live was not a court minister, nor the people of the realm, but Empress Dowager Wen—this mother with whom he maintained a harmonious facade while keeping his distance at heart.

Zhao Yizhen turned his hand over to clasp Empress Dowager Wen's, speaking softly, "In the past, Mother Empress disciplined me with great severity, and I once resented you for it. But I know that whatever Mother Empress did for me, you gave it your all."

Empress Dowager Wen smiled faintly. "In the imperial family, there is no room for ordinary affection. What I care about most is the empire of Dayu and the Emperor's throne; long ago, I lost the tender heart of an affectionate mother. Over these years, I have known that the Emperor has grown distant from me. The Emperor is grown now, and one day, this empire of Dayu will be handed over to the Emperor's own hands."

Zhao Yizhen was left speechless for a moment.