"Brother, do you think something will happen? Why do I feel so panicked in my heart? I always feel... something strange after the death of the Queen Mother." Empress Zhang said solemnly.
Zhang Yanling felt her panic, and he already had some judgments in his mind, but he couldn't say too much to the queen. The queen was already panicked, and she must not let her worry more at this moment, otherwise if she couldn't control her emotions, she would
Counterproductive.
"Second sister, don't think too much. This matter is not a big deal. Although the death of the old Queen Mother is strange, I am sure that she will not reveal anything. Think about it, that matter was done by the Queen Mother, and it is related to the Zhou family
She will never talk nonsense to the emperor about her own life or death. If she was really brave, she would not have succumbed to us in the first place." Zhang Yanling said softly.
Empress Zhang nodded slightly and breathed out. She agreed with this. The old empress killed Little Jasmine herself, wasn't it just in exchange for a compromise to preserve the Zhou family? If she revealed anything to the emperor, wouldn't all her previous efforts be wasted.
"Then do you think the old Queen Mother's death was just a coincidence?" Queen Zhang asked with a frown.
"Probably not. Maybe... it's a wish to die!" Zhang Yanling said softly.
"What?" Queen Zhang said in shock.
"Second sister, think about it. If a person has a ghost in his heart and is asked about this matter, he doesn't want to involve others. If this matter comes out, he will die. Escape? Can't escape. Tell him.
, if more people die, the people he cares about most will also die. He bites the bullet and refuses to say anything, but others are obviously suspicious and will continue to ask. In this case, what should he do? "
"I'm afraid...the only option is to die and silence myself..." Queen Zhang said horrified.
"Yes. I silenced myself and completely cut off the clues to this matter. Moreover, her death in this way will also make the emperor feel compassion and guilt, and perhaps he will not pursue the investigation any further. I think this
That's her intention." Zhang Yanling said solemnly.
Empress Zhang stared in shock and was speechless for a long time. If this was the case, the old empress was quite decisive. But when she killed little Jasmine that day, she had already seen how decisive and ruthless she was. Unexpectedly, she was also so decisive towards him.
Severely.
"Of course, this is just a guess. What is true, it may not be the case. In any case, when the Empress Dowager Zhou died, this clue was broken. What I can conclude is that the emperor must have gotten nothing from the Empress Dowager Zhou. Otherwise, then
It's another ending. So, second sister, you don't have to worry too much, things are not what you think." Zhang Yanling said in a low voice.
Empress Zhang nodded slowly, and then asked after a while: "Then why did the emperor act so... sneaky? But he regretted your wedding and tested me a lot?"
Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "Second Sister, the Emperor may have doubts in his heart, but this suspicion is limited to asking the Queen Mother. As for the situations you mentioned, I think it is because you are too worried. To put it bluntly, Second Sister is at peace in her heart.
Just like the old queen mother, she also has ghosts. If there is a ghost in her heart, she will naturally feel that everything is wrong."
Queen Zhang frowned and said, "That's it?"
Zhang Yanling nodded and smiled: "That's all."
Empress Zhang was suspicious and pondered undecided.
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "Second sister, I know you still have a lot of worries and doubts in your heart. Believe me, it will be fine. Do you remember what I told you last time? Even if you take a step back, the emperor knows about this.
So what? Will he disclose this matter regardless of his face? He can only pretend to know nothing. Besides, the Queen Mother Zhou is dead, the murderer is dead, and the clues have been cut off, so he can't find out anything.
. Could it be that he would question you directly without any evidence? The emperor would not do that. Second sister, don’t be suspicious, time will dilute all this."
Empress Zhang nodded slightly. Although she still had doubts in her heart, her younger brother's words were not completely unreasonable. She seemed to be too suspicious. She secretly thought about every word and deed of the emperor many times. The more she thought about it, the more fishy she felt. Maybe.
It's really because I have a ghost in my heart. Maybe I really should change my mentality to avoid living in doubt every day.
The two siblings chatted a few more common things. Just as Zhang Yanling was about to leave, there was the sound of footsteps outside and someone shouted: "The Emperor has arrived."
The two siblings quickly stood up and bowed when they saw Zhu Youtang striding in from the door.
"I respectfully welcome your Majesty."
"Your Majesty, Zhang Yanling, goes to see the Emperor."
The two siblings saluted quickly.
Zhu Youtang was a little surprised to see Zhang Yanling here. He said in a deep voice: "Oh? Why is Yanling here?"
Zhang Yanling said: "To report to the emperor, I have not been in the palace for many days, and I am worried about them. So I came to the palace to visit the emperor and the queen. Say hello to them."
Zhu Youtang nodded and said: "I'm determined. Get up."
Zhu Youtang sat down on the chair, Zhang Yanling stood up and stood aside. Queen Zhang made tea for Zhu Youtang and served it.
Zhu Youtang greeted: "Let's all sit down and talk."
Empress Zhang slowly sat down, but Zhang Yanling was still standing. Zhu Youtang didn't pay attention. He took a sip of tea, looked at Zhang Yanling with bright eyes and said solemnly: "It's okay to come and visit the empress. The empress seems to be in a bad mood recently.
It seems that there is something unhappy in her heart, but she refuses to tell me. Maybe you two have a deep love for each other and she is willing to talk to you."
After hearing this, Empress Zhang stood up quickly and said, "Your Majesty, I am not in a bad mood or unhappy about anything."
Zhu Youtang smiled and said: "So I'm overthinking it? If it wasn't there, it wouldn't be there."
Zhang Yanling said: "The second sister just said that the emperor is diligent in government affairs, working day and night, sleeping very little, and eating very little. She is worried that the emperor works too hard. I think the second sister seems to be in a bad mood because of this matter."
Zhu Youtang glanced at Queen Zhang, smiled and said: "So it's because of this. I misunderstood."
Empress Zhang sighed and said: "The emperor and I have been married for so many years. Is it possible that I still have something to hide from the emperor? The emperor has indeed worked too hard."
Zhu Youtang nodded and said: "That's right. Could the queen hide something from me? I can't help it. The country is so big and there are so many things. I don't have enough time, so I can only be more diligent. The queen doesn't have to worry.
I’m fine.”
Zhu Youtang picked up the tea and drank it, making a thin sound.
Empress Zhang asked softly: "Has the burial of the old Queen Mother been completed?"
Zhu Youtang nodded slightly and said in a deep voice: "I have been laid to rest. Tomorrow I will issue a funeral order, and all the people in the world will mourn together. The old Queen Mother was a philanthropic and virtuous person in her life, but I didn't expect to pass away so quickly. I am very sad in my heart. If she hadn't protected me back then, I would have been dead.
How could it be today?"
As Zhu Youtang spoke, his eye circles seemed a little red and his voice was a little sad.