Exile? Servitude? Never allowed to enter the capital again?
These words, like sharp knives, twisted around in her heart.
Tearing her heart into pieces, the pain piercing through her bone.
"Emperor!"
She broke down, losing her last bit of sanity.
She no longer cared about anything and started shouting loudly.
"So much for a powerful, grateful Emperor!"
"If it weren’t for back then..."
"Mother!"
The Empress Dowager sneered coldly.
"Don’t call me mother! I am not your mother!"
Zhao Junyao’s heart also turned cold, and he laughed directly.
"All the better, I don’t want to be your son anyway!"
"All those things you did to me in the past, I won’t hold it against you!"
"This time, you conspired against The King, punishable by law! But I am still merciful enough just to deal with the Shih Family and Rong Family, to appease the masses!"
"I haven’t taken their lives, that’s already a great mercy!"
"We’re even then, from now on, we owe each other nothing!"
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager suddenly spat a mouthful of old blood and then burst into laughter.
"So much for great mercy, so much for owing nothing!"
"Good! Good! Good!"
The Empress Dowager repeated the word "good" three times.
"If you have the guts, kill me, tell everyone under heaven that I harmed you!"
"Go ahead, kill me!"
"The efforts I made over these years, the great support of the Shih Family back then, were all for an ingrate like you!"
Zhao Junyao wasn’t angry, just sneered.
"Since you say I’m an ingrate, then what harm is there in playing the part?"
Facing his conscience, he felt no guilt.
Over the years, the Shih Family committed many vile deeds under the guise of their power and influence.
He had merely given them light punishments and let things slide.
Noble Concubine Shih enjoyed immense favor in the past.
Was he not good to her? Even now, he is full of tolerance!
And how respectful and filial he was to the Empress Dowager back then.
And how did the Empress Dowager treat him?
Now that he could tolerate no more, were they satisfied?
Zhao Junyao slowly began to understand.
They supported him, but it wasn’t genuine support.
Merely wanting to use past merits to lord over and wield power.
They repeatedly tested his boundaries.
As soon as he made a move, they would jump out and call him an ingrate.
If that is the case.
Then he must indeed play the part of the ingrate.
Having understood this, he felt relieved.
The Empress Dowager saw the Emperor completely disregarding her threats.
Then she panicked thoroughly.
What to do?
Surely she couldn’t be truly exiled.
So she softened.
She started to cry and beg, listing how difficult it was to protect him in the deep palace back then.
The Empress Dowager spoke with tears streaming down her face.
Zhao Junyao remained unmoved.
Ridiculous!
He was already labeled an ingrate; why be soft-hearted?
Moreover.
The bond they shared had long been exhausted by their incessant greed!
Such a bond was nonsense.
He was fed up with these melodramatic antics!
"There’s no need to say more, the imperial edict is issued, the decision is made!"
"Whether you accept it or not, nothing can change it!"
The Empress Dowager broke down, loudly questioning him.
"Why, why?! What on earth for?!"
"I just wanted to help the Shih Family a bit, is that so unwelcome to you? After all, they helped you so much!"
Zhao Junyao sneered coldly.
"Grand Tutor Shih is already in an extremely high position; what more help is needed?"
An imperial tutor, the highest of officials, second only to one, above ten thousand, still not enough?
"Would you be satisfied only if I gave him the throne?"
The Empress Dowager was left speechless.
Zhao Junyao no longer wanted to say anything else, he snorted coldly and turned to leave!
The Empress Dowager felt dead inside, collapsing to the ground.
She was like a candle burned out, an oil lamp exhausted.
Planning all her life for the Shih Family, for Prince Yan, for Junqi.
Until she could plan no more.
She lay slumped on the ground, eyes vacant, suddenly much older.
She looked towards the empty doors.
Qingyun was not there.
Qingyun would never rush over again to help her up, saying.
"Empress Dowager, don’t worry, everything will get better!"
Not ever again!
The last straw broke her, and the Empress Dowager finally burst into tears.
Outside the door, indeed, no one came.
"Qingyun, Qingyun!"
After crying, the Empress Dowager forced herself to go out to look.
But in the main hall of Ningshou Palace, there wasn’t a soul.
All were gone, empty and void.
"Someone, anyone!"
She screamed like a madwoman, shoes and clothes all fallen off.
But she paid no heed, still running around looking everywhere.