The old nurse beside her was also weeping bitterly, pleading, "Please, immortal, have mercy and do not blame our Empress. Our Empress once fought alongside His Majesty to conquer the realm, surviving countless dangers. His Majesty once promised her a lifetime of devotion to only her, to share the kingdom with her, and to set a precedent of two rulers governing together. When the Empress issued new policies during her regency, she offended the interests of men and was impeached by countless ministers. Many officials even crashed into pillars in court, and there were instances of court strikes. Those ministers all said the Empress was a hen crowing at dawn. For the sake of court stability, the Empress had no choice but to return power to His Majesty. But His Majesty gradually clipped her wings, confined her in this Fengyi Palace, and even made a move against her during childbirth..."
By the time the old nurse reached this point, she was sobbing uncontrollably.
Shen Yunyun was also deeply shocked. Although she had already guessed that the one who made a move against this Empress was likely the Emperor, she never imagined he could be so ruthless. He had made a promise of lifelong devotion to only her, but what if the Empress died in childbirth? There was still a throne to inherit, and the ministers would surely risk their lives to advise him to produce heirs. He would then go along with it and marry his true beloved.
Damn it.
Infuriating.
How was this any different from those modern scumbags? When they had nothing, they relied on each other. Once he succeeded, he abandoned his wife of humble origins and took a new lover. A classic case of making you endure hardship with him but letting others enjoy the blessings. So, as some big shot in economics said, men don't have love; they only love the value you bring. And at different stages of their lives, their needs for value change. So, he doesn't transfer love; he just shifts the value.
She reached out and helped the Empress up, saying to her, "Between love and power, you have to get one. If you're not ruthless, you won't stand firm. Bend when you need to bend, yield when you need to yield, as long as you achieve your ultimate goal. If you keep going like this, neither you nor Little Tangyuan will survive."
The Empress widened her eyes, looking at her as if pondering what she meant.
The battle outside had already ended. Or rather, it ended before it even began. Xu Zimo was a big shot from the cultivation world, handling these Taoists with ease, spot on. Those old and young Taoists were already kneeling before him, calling him their patriarch.
"Xu Zimo, come quickly and see Little Tangyuan."
Hearing Shen Yunyun's words, Xu Zimo coldly glanced at those people and stepped into the room. As soon as he entered, the whole room brightened; this man carried an aura of immortality. He looked at Little Tangyuan, then made a hand seal. Little Tangyuan shuddered, as if his soul had returned to its place, and he became no different from a normal child.
The Empress immediately moved to kneel.
Shen Yunyun said, "With Xu Zimo helping you from now on, you must firmly grasp power, or you won't be able to protect your child."
The Empress nodded vigorously.
Xu Zimo raised an eyebrow: "You want me to protect her?"
"To be precise, them, mother and child."
Xu Zimo nodded in agreement.
The Empress was overjoyed and quickly thanked him, telling Nurse Gui to hurry and bring the prepared gifts to Shen Yunyun.
Shen Yunyun accepted the gifts and looked at Xu Zimo again: "You can protect them, right?"
Xu Zimo smiled, his eyes full of warmth, and nodded.
Afraid of wasting time, Shen Yunyun went back first. She checked the time—had she already wasted an hour? She'd better hurry and stake out Wei Lingling.
Tang Yu and Wei Lingling returned together. Tang Yu first retrieved the home surveillance footage.