CHAPTER 403: CHAPTER 371: THE TRUTH WITHIN THE PAINTINGS (PART 1)

What Old Marquis Lu gave her was the secret edict from the late Emperor.

The late Emperor ordered him to set off immediately upon receiving the secret edict, without a moment’s delay.

Therefore, his departure without a word was due to the imperial command he carried.

Before knowing the truth, she felt unwilling.

Now knowing the truth, she feels even more unwilling.

Clearly, if only that night had passed, the Lu Family would have come to propose marriage, and she could have smoothly become a daughter-in-law of the Lu Family, but the late Emperor happened to issue a secret edict that day, making him leave the Capital.

Perhaps the late Emperor had no intention, but her fate thus underwent an earthshaking change.

The missed moment of that day left one with more helplessness than regret.

It was as if something was right in front of you, yet as you reached out, it was just a fingertip away, unreachable no matter how hard you tried.

The Empress Dowager gripped the scroll tightly, suppressing the urge to set it ablaze, "I do not understand what is so important about these four paintings that the late Emperor had to send you away from the Capital on that day?"

Daring to enter the palace to see the Empress Dowager, Old Marquis Lu was already prepared to confess the truth,

he no longer concealed, "On the night before the old minister left the Capital, a celestial phenomenon occurred. Alchemists calculated that our dynasty would face an unprecedentedly large-scale war within a hundred years, and after this campaign, Great Chu would fall."

The Empress Dowager’s face turned pale, "How could it be..."

Old Marquis Lu continued, "The matter was of great importance. The late Emperor, to avoid causing public panic, silenced everyone and discussed countermeasures with the alchemists overnight.

Finally, he decided to let the old minister go out under the guise of collecting antiques and artworks to search for the legendary ’Liu’s Divine Weapon.’

"Liu’s Divine Weapon?"

Old Marquis Lu nodded, "In the Jin Dynasty, there was a Master Liu, known to the world for his extraordinary calligraphy and painting skills, yet few knew he was not originally surnamed Liu, but Liu.

The Liu family’s ancestors had a unique skill: designing mechanical weaponry.

Mr. Liu’s grandfather had once designed a set of mechanical weapons for the Emperor during palace times. Later, amidst the chaos of war, the Emperor’s army used that ingenious set of mechanical weapons to defeat opponents with fewer forces.

Afterward, the Emperor disposed of him to prevent rebellion from the Liu family, falsely accusing them and wiping out nine clans, leaving Mr. Liu as the sole survivor of the Liu family.

He escaped death, changed his name, and thus the world came to know him as Master Liu.

Mr. Liu dedicated his life to researching how to embed the Liu’s Weapon Diagram into paintings, resulting in the four subsequently renowned paintings: Shifang Cliff, Hundred Inches Heart, Thousand Feet Snow, and Ten Thousand Miles Spring.

The paintings the late Emperor instructed the old minister to find were precisely these four."

After a moment’s silence in the hall, Old Marquis Lu continued, "Back then, the late Emperor was so flustered by the alchemist’s prophecy that even knowing fetchining all four paintings was not an overnight task, he did not allow the old minister to stay a moment longer in the Capital. The secret edict required the old minister to set off immediately.

The Empress Dowager must have seen it: at the end of the secret edict, the late Emperor explicitly warned that if the old minister disclosed this matter to anyone, the Lu Family would face the calamity of extermination.

If not for the final painting being with the Empress Dowager, the old minister would not dare to enter the palace today or let you view the secret edict."

As he spoke, Old Marquis Lu lowered himself, pressing his forehead against the cold floor, "This concerns the society of the nation. I hope the Empress Dowager can temporarily put aside personal grievances and hand that painting over to the old minister."

The Empress Dowager did not speak, her grip on the scroll tightening bit by bit.

These hands of hers have held a pen, grasped a needle, tainted with lives, and stained with blood.

Yet never a moment did she feel the weight of something in her hands as heavy as now.

Heavy to the point where she could hardly bear the weight, from her fingers to her wrist, even her body was trembling.

She held forty years of hatred; what she thought was a heartless betrayal now seemed insignificant, absurd, and laughable with the truth revealed.

It was the blazing heat of summer outside, scorching enough to almost make white smoke rise from the ground.

Empress Dowager Renyi’s back was soaked with cold sweat, chilling to the depths of her heart.

Old Marquis Lu held his prostrate posture, remaining silent for a long time.

The Empress Dowager sat dazed for almost the time it takes an incense stick to burn before finally coming to her senses. She raised her hand, pressing her fingertips to the corner of her eye, all traces of fierceness vanished, her expression solemn and resolute, embodying the demeanor of a mother of the nation, "Someone, bring my box!"

Hearing the command, Jiang Quan, who was waiting outside, immediately retrieved the Auspicious Beast Pattern Long Box hidden in a secret compartment under the phoenix couch and carefully presented it before her.

The Empress Dowager did not take it but signaled with her eyes to the person kneeling on the ground, "Give it to the Old Marquis!"

Old Marquis Lu took the long box, knocked his head on the ground once more, "This old minister thanks the Empress Dowager for her great kindness."

The Empress Dowager pressed her lips together as she looked at him. After a moment, her voice trembled as she said, "The Old Marquis Lu endured humiliation and bore great responsibility for forty years. This gratitude should have been voiced by me."

"The Empress Dowager speaks too highly of me." As always, the Old Marquis Lu’s tone was steady, "I am indebted to the late Emperor for raising me, enabling me to gain a title through battle. It is my mission to fight for and protect the Great Chu’s society, and I would not hesitate to do so."

The Empress Dowager choked back tears for a long time, "Jiang Quan, escort the Old Marquis out of the palace."

After he left, the Empress Dowager stared unblinking at the spot where the Old Marquis Lu had knelt, lost in thought.

Decades of revenge became unreasonable, and her full resentment suddenly collapsed. She seemed to lose her support at that instant. As soon as she stood up, her vision went dark, her body unsteady, and she fell straight down.

Immediately, cries of shock from the Palace Attendants and eunuchs erupted in Shou’an Palace.

"Empress Dowager!"

"Empress Dowager..."

...

Just before her sixtieth birthday, Empress Dowager Renyi collapsed and remained bedridden.

Emperor Guangxi came to visit her.

Looking at his biological mother, who lay on the bed with a head full of gray hair in just a few days, Emperor Guangxi was heartbroken. His sharp gaze swept toward the Imperial Physician, "What is wrong with the Empress Dowager?"

The Imperial Physician was at a loss, stammering for a long time without giving a definitive answer.

Emperor Guangxi was enraged and was about to have someone drag him out for a beating when the Empress Dowager spoke up to stop him.

"Emperor..."

The Empress Dowager’s voice was weak, her usual decisiveness gone, yet her face remained calm.

"Mother, I am here." Emperor Guangxi moved over, bent down to listen, "Is there something you wish to say?"

"I am well aware of my own body’s condition," the Empress Dowager’s lips moved, "You don’t need to make things difficult for the Imperial Physician anymore."

"Mother, you’re just at the age of sixty, with many years ahead. It’s these incompetent physicians who are failing. I will immediately send for Dean Wang to come."

The Empress Dowager didn’t allow it, "Emperor, you should first listen to all I have to say."

The atmosphere of giving final instructions made Emperor Guangxi furrow his brow deeply, his eyes reddened, "Mother..."

"I have been bedridden and unable to rise from this illness, and I’m afraid I will soon reunite with the late Emperor. There are only a few unfulfilled wishes left. After I am gone, you must fulfill them for me."

"..." Emperor Guangxi couldn’t speak. The strong-willed mother who had rigorously demanded of him since childhood and taught him to be a wise ruler was suddenly at her end, and he couldn’t accept it.

"I lived my life fueled by hatred for the past. I reached sixty, made many mistakes, wronged my own daughter, harmed my young grandchildren. I failed Fanghua, failed Yanqing, and I even failed... that granddaughter whom I have never met. No matter what happens in the future, please treat Fanghua and her three children well."

Emperor Guangxi took a deep breath, "I understand."

At this point, the Empress Dowager suddenly grabbed Emperor Guangxi’s arm, "The entire Wu’an Hou Mansion is loyal and brave. The Old Marquis Lu devoted his life to the duties of family and country, with a loyal heart worthy of being granted the title of First-class Duke. I have already thought of the title: Duke Zhongguo, to be inherited by descendants forever."

Emperor Guangxi was shocked, "Why does Mother suddenly wish to bestow honors on the Lu family?"

He had just thought his dying mother was finally expressing kindness, reflecting on past affairs. He didn’t expect she would fully let go of her hatred for that person.

"Don’t ask too many questions, just follow my instructions," the Empress Dowager said with a slight gasp, and a hint of tears gleamed in her eyes, "Just remember well, if the future ever holds troubles for the nation, the Lu family will surely stand up to aid you in restoring a prosperous reign. Should that day come, the Emperor needn’t be concerned with the past. Fanghua’s husband, the War God, even if silent for years, will never truly be an ordinary person. The nation comes first, and then, be sure to summon him to lend you a hand."

Before the late Emperor passed, Emperor Guangxi had never heard such shocking words, and he didn’t expect them to come from the Empress Dowager’s mouth.

In a short period, Emperor Guangxi couldn’t easily agree to his mother’s request, instead trying to speak reassuringly, "I have already arranged for someone to deliver a letter to Ningzhou with the utmost haste, to have Fanghua come back. Whatever needs to be said, Mother can tell her directly when she arrives."

The Empress Dowager loosened her grip on her son’s arm.

Afraid she would be disappointed, Emperor Guangxi added, "Mother, rest assured, I will do everything in my power to see you treated and cured."

The Empress Dowager stared blankly in the direction of the door.

She wasn’t ill; she was empty after the collapse of her beliefs, and she knew better than anyone that she didn’t have many days left.

Her son’s voice reached her ears again, "Mother, no matter what, you must wait for Fanghua to return."

The Empress Dowager felt weary, moved her mouth but couldn’t voice any sound, unable to respond to her son, so she had to close her eyes.

Seeing this, Emperor Guangxi was frightened, his complexion changed entirely, and he quickly reached out to check if she was still breathing. Confirming she was alive, he let out a large sigh of relief and instructed Jiang Quan, "Quickly go and fetch Dean Wang."