After Zhou Yi cultivated the secret, he used his true energy to massage Empress Xia.
A month passed.
Empress Xia, who was originally pale, gradually regained some rosiness, and all the minor problems with blood stasis in the body disappeared.
This day.
Zhou Yi fed Empress Xia food and carefully wiped the residue from the corners of his mouth.
The true energy circulates, entering Empress Xia's body, following the meridians recorded in the secret massage technique, and circulates all over, and some light yellow dirt appears on the surface of the body.
"Mother, let me wipe your body for you."
Zhou Yi took a clean towel, soaked it with warm water, and carefully wiped Empress Xia clean.
The servants are neither men nor women, and do not involve human relations. His Majesty does not shy away from doing anything with his concubine, so there is no taboo in this matter.
After cleaning up, Zhou Yi was about to exit.
Empress Xia suddenly put away his ferocious face and said softly, "Your name is Little Yi?"
"My dear, you are not crazy..."
Zhou Yi pretended to be shocked, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed. "I am so rude, I hope you will forgive me!"
"It doesn't matter."
Empress Xia knew that Zhou Yi was pretending, but he didn't point it out. After all, eating and drinking was too embarrassing, so he asked, "I think you are quite smart, are you willing to do something for me?"
"This slave can't get what you ask for."
Zhou Yi agreed repeatedly, feeling excited in his heart, knowing that his opportunity had come.
Empress Xia would rather pretend to be crazy and eat too much, there must be a chance to come back, otherwise it is not worth making such a big sacrifice.
"In a few days, when the emperor comes, Cold Palace, there must be someone trying to kill him, so please protect him!"
"According to the order."
Zhou Yi didn't ask about Empress Xia's strategy. Such matters must be top secret. He had just been won over, and he didn't even get full trust.
He bowed and exited the room, sat on the steps, and whispered to Old Lu.
"Empress Empress is not crazy."
"We know."
Old Lu said, "I went out to bask in the sun a few days ago, and we found that all the palace servants around us have been replaced by new ones. It must be Empress Xia who is behind the scenes!"
Zhou Yi's eyes suddenly lit up. "So Empress, can you achieve great things?"
"It's up to people to plan things, but it's up to Heaven to make things happen."
Old Lu turned over and said, "There are only two princes left who have been crowned kings. If Deposed Crown Prince does not come back, then Prince Qi will definitely ascend the throne."
Zhou Yi said in confusion, "Prince Wei's mother clan, that is King Who Pacifies the North, the pillar of the country, commanding hundreds of thousands of troops!"
"If we were King Who Pacifies the North, we would definitely tell His Majesty early that we would not support Prince Wei's ascension to the throne for the sake of the lives of the nine tribes."
Old Lu said, "So don't look at Concubine Hua being favored. She is just a grasshopper in the autumn. After only a few days of being proud, His Majesty and Zhang Family have abandoned her long ago!"
Zhou Yi murmured, "That's King Who Pacifies the North's biological sister!"
"A biological sister is nothing, even a daughter has to be given up."
Old Lu asked with a half-smile, "You entered the palace at a young age. Did your family suffer a disaster, or did your parents sell you?"
Zhou Yi replied, "If you don't sell us, the whole family will starve to death."
Old Lu said, "Your parents abandoned you in exchange for food to survive. Zhang Family will also abandon Concubine Hua for the sake of the nine tribes. This is the same reason."
Zhou Yi was silent for a while, then suddenly sighed.
"The reason why we fought for power has been mostly destroyed today, and we are the only one left..."
"It should have been like this a long time ago. We are neither yin nor yang. Our ancestors abandoned us long ago."
Old Lu said quietly, "I was alone when I was alive, and I am a lonely ghost when I die. If Little Yi wants to fight, then there should be no family ties."
"Whenever someone threatens you with your parents, remember that you are already alone!"
Zhou Yi was lying on the steps, looking at the blue sky and white clouds, his thoughts flying.
Sometimes it was the love of his parents when he was a boy, sometimes he was experiencing the pain of castration, sometimes he flashed through the loneliness of palace life, and suddenly asked in a low voice.
"Old Lu, is there any technique in this world that can regenerate the disabled and make up for the deficiencies!"
Old Lu's eyes were slightly closed, as if he was asleep, and it took a long time before he uttered a word.
"Yes!"
Early spring in February.
Cold Palace has a new member, Deposed Crown Prince Zhao Ye.
Zhao Ye is nearly sixty years old, already an old man in this era, with white hair and a shaky walk.
Zhou Yi saw how weak he looked and doubted whether Emperor Hongwu could survive to death.
inside the house.
When Zhao Ye saw Empress Xia struggling like crazy, tears suddenly flowed from his eyes and he rushed towards him to cry.
"Queen mother, the child is unfilial!"
Empress Xia didn't seem to recognize his son, he whined and hissed like a vicious dog guarding his food, and screams flowed out of his mouth wantonly.
Zhao Ye was so frightened that he backed away, fearing that his mother would bite him.
From the bottom of his heart, Zhao Ye doesn't have much respect for his mother. After all, the first rebellion was when Empress Xia reported on her.
It was just an excuse to take care of my mother and return to the palace. I was closer to my father and could have more thrones, so on the surface I showed affection for her.
Zhou Yi took out a warm towel, skillfully wiped away the saliva from Empress Xia, and whispered.
"Your Highness, I don't recognize you anymore. If you come to visit me more in the future, you won't be like this when you get to know me!"
"Okay, okay, thank you Little Yi for your hard work."
Zhao Ye caught a glimpse of his mother's grinning face, and no longer had any intention of acting. He complimented Zhou Yi casually and left the room as if running away.
Zhou Yi's eyes flashed with a strange color, and he had a real understanding of the royal family's family ties.
Empress Xia put away his ferocious face and ordered, "Remember to protect Zhao Ye."
"According to the order."
Zhou Yi was doubtful that Empress Xia was pretending to be crazy, but he did not ask further questions. Instead, he said insinuatingly, "My Lady, there are some strangers coming to the surrounding palaces. Do you want me to send them away as slaves?"
Empress Xia had no doubts about him, he just thought that Zhou Yi was eager to make meritorious deeds so that he could be rewarded in the future.
"No, that's my arrangement."
Thirty-eight years of Hongwu.
summer.
Eunuch Bureau traced the charlatan and found traces in Prince Qi's house.
Emperor Hongwu ordered a search and captured the warlock and his disciples, as well as the completed curse altar.
In the middle of the altar, stands the spiritual tablet of Emperor Hongwu.
Prince Qi is irrefutable in the face of conclusive evidence.
Emperor Hongwu was furious and stripped Prince Qi of his title and demoted him to a commoner.
When the news came out, the Prince Wei party was delighted. All they had to do was wait for Emperor Hongwu to die and naturally ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor.
Early morning.
Zhou Yi Take good care of Empress Xia after eating, massaging, and wiping clean.
Then he picked up the food box and knocked on the door of Zhao Ye's room.
There was no response for a long time. I used Art of Breath Listening and found that there was no movement in the house. With Zhou Yi's profound skill, I could hear even the heartbeat clearly within a few feet.
"Not good!"
Zhou Yi's expression changed drastically, he kicked open the door and rushed to the bed, where he saw Zhao Ye bleeding to death from his seven orifices.
Suppressing the fear in my heart, I went to look for Empress Xia in a panic.
"Empress, it's not good, Your Highness has been poisoned and died!"
Empress Xia looked at Zhou Yi and moved his arms and legs. He felt much more relaxed than in previous years. He might be able to live a few more years, and the murderous intention in his heart quietly dissipated.
"No need to panic, report Eunuch Bureau, and someone will find out the murderer!"
"This..."
Zhou Yi suddenly woke up and looked at Empress Xia in shock. His old and calm face was more ferocious than a madman.
A few days later.
Eunuch Bureau found out that the murderer turned out to be Consort Hua's personal maid.
The palace maid confessed that everything was ordered by Consort Hua!
The news spread to northern Xinjiang, and King Who Pacifies the North personally returned to Beijing to plead guilty, and asked Your Majesty to punish Consort Hua in accordance with the law!
Emperor Hongwu thought of the Zhang Family's meritorious service and deprived her of the imperial concubine's position, so that Prince Wei became a vassal immediately.