FID – Chapter 828

Chapter 828: Why Won’t You Let Him Go

The granny immediately leaned in close and whispered everything that had happened the night before to Liu Yusheng—word for word, including what the Empress Dowager had said, her expressions, and her reactions. She was truly anxious.

In this vast palace, there wasn’t a single person who genuinely cared about the Empress Dowager.

If anyone in the palace could stir any emotional response from the Empress Dowager, it would be the Princess Consort.

At the very least, since the Princess Consort had moved in, the Empress Dowager had gotten upset several times.

That had never happened before.

So—so she might as well treat a dead horse like a living one and give it a shot!

After hearing the maid’s account, a thoughtful glint flashed in Liu Yusheng’s eyes.

The Empress Dowager seemed quite concerned about her pregnancy.

Was it because she valued the royal bloodline? Or did she simply like children?

Suddenly, a memory from earlier that year surfaced.

Before returning to Xinghua Village for the New Year, her grandparents and parents had been invited to the palace for a family banquet with Xiao Feng.

The Empress Dowager had come by then, and she’d unexpectedly asked to hold Xiao Maodou.

Now that she thought about it, even though the Empress Dowager’s expression hadn’t changed much, the way she held Maodou had clearly softened.

That kind of gentleness only came unconsciously from someone who truly loved children.

Her eyes brightened slightly. Liu Yusheng raised her hand and knocked on the door ring.

“Your Majesty, it’s me, Nannan. My fever has gone down. Thank you for urgently summoning the imperial physicians last night. Without you, my two maids—unfamiliar with palace procedures—might not have known what to do. I could have ended up burning with fever all night. It’s fine if I were burned silly, but what I fear most is that it would have affected the baby in my belly.”

Silence answered her from inside.

“Your Majesty, I haven’t eaten anything since I woke up this morning. I’m really hungry. I’ve sent Zisu and Chenxiang to rest. If you don’t open the door and let me in, I’ll be starving all morning. I’m the younger generation. How could I eat first when you yourself haven’t had breakfast?”

Still, no response.

The old lady was clearly hardening her heart.

“Aiyo!”

“Your Highness, what’s wrong?” The granny was startled.

Liu Yusheng winked at her. “Granny, m-my stomach’s starting to hurt again… It must be because my fever just broke, and I haven’t eaten since last night. My stomach’s not holding up…”

“T-then…” The granny glanced at the tightly closed palace doors and braced herself to raise her voice. “Your Majesty, please open the door first! Her Highness’s stomach really hurts—she’s probably starving, and it might affect the baby! If you’re upset with her, maybe just let her come in and sit for a bit, have something to eat. You don’t have to speak to her, alright?”

Liu Yusheng held her forehead and whispered, “Granny… have you ever had children?”

“Your Highness! What a thing to say! I’ve served Her Majesty all my life. I’ve never married—how could I have children?” The granny’s face flushed red in embarrassment and indignation.

Wasn’t that slandering her reputation?

“Don’t get me wrong, granny. I only asked because what you said was off. How could you say I’m starving the baby? The baby can’t feel hunger in the womb!” Even if it could, it couldn’t say anything about it!

The granny was speechless. After a long moment, she spoke with a mournful expression, “What should we do now? There’s not a sound from inside. If anything happens to Her Majesty, how could I possibly take responsibility?”

Dealing with a sulking old lady was truly beyond her capabilities. Liu Yusheng tilted her head back and sighed softly.

Then she tugged the old maid aside. “There’s a window in the inner chamber, right?”

“There is. Why are you asking about the window, Your Highness?”

“If Her Majesty won’t open the door, I’ll have to climb in through the window.”

“……”

In a corner of the inner chamber, the elderly woman sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, her expression blank and numb.

Her eyes looked as though she had been crying, yet no tears fell.

She had let her enemy go.

She had let go of the person who killed her son and caused the death of her grandson.

All her bloodline was gone, and she alone remained in this world—like living in a hell on earth, both physically and mentally tormented.

What had she done it all for?

For revenge—because the bitterness was too deep.

But now, how could she face them?

“Innocent children…” the old woman laughed, but the smile was bleak and desolate. “And yet, wasn’t my Yun’er just as innocent? Why didn’t you let him go, Feng Qingbai? Why didn’t you let him go? Why didn’t you let him go…”

“I pitied his child—but who pitied my grandson?”

In royal succession struggles—victory crowns the king, while defeat condemns the vanquished.

Her two sons lost, and they died—she accepted that.

They died because of their own ambition.

But Yun’er?

What crime had her Yun’er committed?!

A rustle came from the window.

The Empress Dowager turned her head woodenly to look. There was a young woman climbing onto her windowsill, belly round with child.

The sill was half a person high, yet she climbed without hesitation, utterly disregarding the danger to her unborn child.

The Empress Dowager stared at her silently, expressionless.

That was Feng Qingbai’s child. If even his wife wasn’t worried, why should she be concerned for them?

“Get out, or I’ll have you thrown out,” she said with a dry, raspy voice, barely audible, her lips parting just enough to speak.

“Your Majesty, I’m a little afraid of heights,” Liu Yusheng said softly, meeting the older woman’s gaze, trying to stay calm.

The Empress Dowager before her was nothing like her usual neat and dignified self.

Her silver hair was disheveled, her face pale as paper—but what pained Liu Yusheng most was her eyes.

Empty. Numb. Brimming with a sorrow deeper than despair.

And yet, the aura around her was disturbingly unstable.

Just a little more provocation, and it seemed she would spiral into madness.

The Empress Dowager was teetering on the edge of a breakdown.

What on earth had caused her to change so drastically overnight?

Liu Yusheng’s heart tightened, an overwhelming discomfort rising within her.

She would rather the Empress Dowager be angry—lash out at her, sulk with pride—anything was better than this pale emptiness.

“I told you to get out,” the old woman said again.

Her gaze bore into Liu Yusheng—empty, distant.

Chilling.

Liu Yusheng saw hatred in those eyes. Deep, churning hatred.

“Your Majesty…”

“Get out!” the Empress Dowager suddenly snapped, her eyes flashing. She grabbed the nearest object and hurled it at Liu Yusheng.

Instinctively, Liu Yusheng tried to dodge. But she was crouched on the windowsill—one wrong move and her balance slipped. She had no time to grab the edge.

She fell.

“Ah!” Her face went pale with fright—her baby!

“Qin Yi!” At the same moment as her scream, a hoarse, panicked cry burst from the Empress Dowager.

Just before she hit the ground, a pair of strong arms caught her steadily and lowered her to safety.

Even after her feet touched solid ground, Liu Yusheng couldn’t calm her frantic breathing. Her face was white as a sheet, her soul nearly flown.

She had almost made a mistake she could never undo!

After slightly suppressing her palpitations, she realized the one who had caught her was a young man—someone who had suddenly appeared inside the room.

Over by the corner, the Empress Dowager had already stood up, staring at Liu Yusheng with the same look of shock. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly.

That cry from the Empress Dowager just now was to call this young man to save her.

No matter how much hatred was in her eyes before, when Liu Yusheng was really in danger, the Empress Dowager had still chosen to save her.

This old woman… Suddenly, Liu Yusheng’s nose stung, and tears welled up uncontrollably from her eyes.

She couldn’t hold them back no matter what.

An overwhelming impulse surged in her heart—Liu Yusheng rushed forward and threw her arms around the collapsing elderly woman.

She didn’t know what this woman had gone through to make her hate so deeply, to be in such pain.

Right now, all she wanted… was to hug her tight.