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Date Published: March 28, 2020
Chapter t.i.tle: The Visitation to the Empress' Palace (2)
Chapter no. 25
(Qin Zetian's POV)
I can feel my heart's beat as I take in the strong smell of the burning incense sticks. My head feels dizzy, painful and I am somewhat becoming confused of what's happening around me. This smell is like a call for insanity.
"Ze'er what's wrong?" the princess asked, I shook my head slowly and waved my hand; telling her 'nothing' that should concern her
"Throw the incense sticks and open the curtains." I whispered, I look around, trying my best to look for the odd odor that lingers in the air like a morgue's perfume
Princess Rous.h.i.+ immediately ordered the maidservants to throw all of the incense sticks somewhere far from this palace. I unlit the candles and let the sun illuminate the palace as the curtains were opened.
"What is happening here?" A melodious voice travelled in the busy room, finding reasons for the uncalled commotion. I turned around and gave the empress a kowtow.
"Greetings to the empress, this humble subject pays respect. I am called Qin Zetian, daughter of the Right Prime Minister."
"Oh you are the daughter of right prime minister Qin and Lan'er" the empress clapped her hands and urged me to sit
"Her royal highness knew my mother?" I asked cautiously
"Come child, your mother and I were sworn sisters, even before the emperor confined me as his bride. Oh this old bones missed your mother very much. How is she?"
'Confinement' did the emperor marry her for political reasons only or was she forced to submit to the emperor's bed?
"She is well and youthful your highness" the empress then chuckled and she stare continuously at the brightness of the grounds outdoor, depicting a beautiful scenery of a forest in spring's peak
"Don't stand in ceremony, just call me auntie" then her cheerful voice was replaced by a lonely one, there must be a reason why she was confined here and why she felt broken
"Auntie, I will not speak around the bush anymore, can you perhaps accompany my mother for a few days? I promise auntie that you will have your appet.i.te back." Her sorrowful eyes finally had a glimpse of hope, and her face reflected the intensity of the shock
What made me wonder is the connection between her and my mom? It seems to me that she's so affected whenever I mention my mother.
"Hahaha, this child is really thoughtful, Rou'er go and ask audience for your father for me. Tell him I'll visit your aunt Mulan today and stay there for a few weeks. This old lady needs some fresh air."
"Yes mother!" then Rous.h.i.+ left the room, and my smile also vanished
"Eunuch Kang dismiss all of the servants, I'd like to talk to Zetian for a while" I finally felt the air blew the opposite direction, everything turned serious and I feel so guarded
"Yes your majesty" the Eunuch dismissed everyone in the room and led them away
When the servants are all dismissed, I hurriedly sat next to the empress.
"Auntie, can I check your pulse for a while?" I sat closer to her. She lend her hand. I reached for her pulse and check how badly poisoned she was.
"Zetian, can you promise me that you'll look after Rou'er at all times? I know death is inevitable, you are a sensible child and with you around guiding her I'd be satisfied. My body is on the verge of collapsing, and I know I might not make it till the next autumn festival. I'm afraid this will likely take a toll on her. I'm afraid she'll be left alone with no allies, she is still vulnerable to the lurking dangers in the imperial palace. The throne is dangerous, I've already made arrangements for my sons to work somewhere far and even send them to sects. The second prince will battle for the throne and Rou'er will be at risk because of political marriages. Please take care of her, this is the only thing I'll ever ask from you."
"I will, auntie the walls have holes. Let us go to the manor and let's plan for the future it'll be safer there."
The empress agreed.
"Mother! Good news, father have no disagreements. But he said we will need to keep your vacation as a secret. Shall we start preparing our things?"
"Rou'er you don't have to, I will take care of everything when we get to the manor. For now let's set out."
I skipped mentioning the main reason why they need to leave the palace in front of Rous.h.i.+, but the queen understood my intentions. Rous.h.i.+'s still much younger than me if we compare our maturity level. Her mother is severely poisoned and I need to find ways to cure it. The objects in her palace might contain poisons too so it's better to avoid bringing them.
"We will use my carriage so it won't raise awareness. We also need to remove the jewels that the both of you are wearing so we won't be suspected of creating crimes that might implicate Qin's clan in the future. Auntie we will drop by to the nearest inn and change your clothes too, and everything related in this palace"
"Do as you seem fit"
