Chapter 432: Kang Ge'er's Mother
Cheng Wang stared blankly ahead.
Indeed, from the moment he decided to rebel, there was no turning back.
"When Your Highness achieves great accomplishments, you can bestow upon Consort Yuan the title of Empress Dowager!" Xie Shi'an said calmly. "Other members of the Yuan family can also be enfeoffed as princes and marquises, with longevity tablets established to receive incense offerings from all common people!"
A flash of determination crossed Cheng Wang's eyes.
Meanwhile, standing atop the city tower, Consort Yuan clearly sensed that her sixth son would not turn back.
Had she not witnessed with her own eyes her sixth son surrounding the capital with over two hundred thousand troops, she might never have believed that her son had truly rebelled.
That once willful and immature child had actually accomplished such a grand undertaking.
She knew her sixth son had taken the wrong path, but since the mistake was already made and there was no turning back, how could she, as his mother, hold him back?
Consort Yuan suddenly broke free from the guards behind her and leaped from the city wall.
"Bang—!"
A loud crash echoed.
Cheng Wang was utterly stunned, then dismounted and rushed forward.
Xie Shi'an grabbed him: "Your Highness, beware of deception! Don't go over!"
He turned and ordered the manor soldiers nearby, "You there, bring Consort Yuan's body back completely unharmed. Quickly!"
The manor soldiers swiftly advanced and carried Consort Yuan's body back.
"Mother... Mother! Aaaah!" Cheng Wang roared in anguish. "Chu Hongyu! Yun Chu! I swear eternal enmity with you! Just you wait!"
He personally carried Consort Yuan's body back to the military tent.
He ordered people to carefully dress and adorn Consort Yuan, clothe her in the most beautiful garments, and place her in the finest coffin. Once he ascended the throne, he would bury his mother in the imperial mausoleum to rest with his late father.
"Shi'an!" Cheng Wang commanded. "Find a way to contact my eldest brother, Prince Ren. I want to collaborate with him."
Prince Ren was the former Crown Prince before Chu Yi. Three days after voluntarily abdicating, he went to his fiefdom. Prince Ren's territory wasn't far from the capital.
Xie Shi'an shook his head: "I already wrote to Prince Ren before this, but he never replied. When I sent a second letter, Prince Ren directly refused to accept it."
"Eldest Brother is utterly useless!" Cheng Wang fumed. "If Eldest Brother hadn't abdicated, Chu Yi and Yun Chu would never have had their chance!"
If he could ally with Eldest Brother, plus himself and Seventh Brother—the three legitimate imperial princes—they could easily gain the support of all common people... What a pity.
He said gravely, "Increase the dosage. Make these common people willing to charge into battle. We storm the city gates tomorrow!"
Xie Shi'an nodded: "Understood. I'll give the orders immediately."
Without provisions to sustain them, they couldn't afford a prolonged war. They should have launched a strong assault on the capital long ago.
While preparations were in full swing outside the city, news also reached Yun Chu.
"Empress Dowager, Yuan Shi and Xie Shi Kang have been brought back and settled in the outskirts of the capital," reported Qiutong, still in her travel-worn clothes, covered in dust. "The Xie clan hid these two in a pigsty—they suffered greatly... Those Xie clansmen show no loyalty to Xie Shi'an. With just a small bribe, they handed them over without much effort."
Yun Chu instructed, "Take Yuan Shi and her grandson to find Concubine Jiang. Have Concubine Jiang approach Tao Guizhi."
In her current position, it wasn't appropriate for her to appear personally.As for Jiang Yiniang, who had once been a concubine in the Xie residence alongside Tao Guizhi, the two shared some mutual affection, making Jiang Yiniang the most suitable person to handle this matter.
Qiutong nodded and immediately went to carry out the task.
It was evening at this time, with golden sunset rays spilling into the courtyard as birds flew overhead.
Yuan Shi sat in the courtyard holding Xie Shikang, gazing up at the sky with countless emotions surging within her.
Last year, upon learning that Xie Shi'an had returned to Jizhou, she immediately decided to sell the Xie family residence in the capital.
This residence had been purchased after Jingyu passed the imperial examination as the Number One Scholar, with the family exhausting all their resources to acquire it. It symbolized the Xie family's entry into the capital and served as their spiritual anchor. Even during the most difficult times, she had never considered selling the property... but when they could no longer sustain themselves, they had no choice but to sell everything and return to their hometown in Jizhou.
She had thought returning to Jizhou would be a fresh start.
Never could she have imagined that the money from selling the residence would be coaxed away by Xie Shi'an.
That alone was bad enough, but then one day, Xie Shi'an took Kang Ge'er away and imprisoned him. For the first time, she bitterly cursed her eldest grandson, only to end up imprisoned herself under the watch of the Xie clan members.
She and Kang Ge'er were locked in a pigsty for two full months. During those two months, she never saw the sky nor had a single full meal.
It wasn't until yesterday that she and Kang Ge'er were rescued.
She recognized their rescuer—she was a maid serving by Yun Chu's side.
She didn't know why Yun Chu would save her, but it was ultimately a good thing, because at least Kang Ge'er could finally see the sun again.
The child had been born prematurely and hadn't developed properly in the womb. After his birth, the Xie family declined. At first, they could still afford doctors for treatment, but later even that money ran out, and they had to endure day by day... Fortunately, as he slowly grew older, although Kang Ge'er remained somewhat slow and dull, he could at least speak—uttering words in short phrases—and could walk...
"Grandma... birds flying..."
Xie Shikang excitedly pointed at the sparrows on the branch.
Yuan Shi guided him to speak: "It's a sparrow flying..."
Just as she was speaking, the courtyard gate suddenly swung open.
Yuan Shi instinctively pulled the child into her arms and looked up to see Jiang Yiniang.
"Madam!" Jiang Yiniang walked in. "It's been so long since we last met—how have you become so thin... But Kang Ge'er has grown up. How wonderful, truly wonderful!"
Yuan Shi's gaze was wary: "What is this about?"
"Don't be afraid, Madam." Jiang Yiniang smiled gently. "I am here under the Empress Dowager's orders to take Kang Ge'er to his mother."
"Kang Ge'er's mother?" Yuan Shi froze completely. "Concubine Tao?"
Jiang Yiniang nodded: "On your journey from Jizhou, Madam, you must have heard people mention the Heavenly Maiden, right?"
Yuan Shi had indeed heard of it.
While imprisoned in the pigsty, though she couldn't leave, she could overhear the Xie clan members chatting. Recently, they often spoke of something called the Heavenly Maiden and Sweet Dew.
She heard that many villagers in Xie Village had made plans together to seek the Heavenly Maiden's blessing for Sweet Dew water.
Previously, she had thought that if given the chance, she would also seek Sweet Dew for Kang Ge'er, hoping he could quickly become a normal child.
"The Heavenly Maiden is Concubine Tao—Kang Ge'er's birth mother." Jiang Yiniang said. "It's getting late. We should hurry."
Yuan Shi's lips parted in astonishment, utterly bewildered.
But she knew now was not the time for questions. Holding the child, she followed Jiang Yiniang out the door.By this time, the sun had gradually sunk below the horizon, its lingering glow casting a faint light upon the earth as the carriage headed toward the camp outside the capital's main gate.
As darkness fell, the dense, shadowy crowd ahead appeared even more staggering, stretching beyond sight. Humans always harbor fear toward the unknown.
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