Chapter 601: Seeking Mercy with Death

and tree bark when I was hungry. The blood on my leg dried up! He never came back! Mother, I was wrong. I want to go home, but I'm ashamed!"Li Laotai and Li Laoer, even if they had a thousand words,...Soon, Manager Yi led people out and took the Wu family to Kunning Palace.

The Emperor and Empress were both waiting. Upon seeing the old Marquis like this, even the Emperor frowned.

Originally, because I was forced, the slight displeasure in my heart also faded away...

The Empress disregarded all decorum and rushed over, sobbing uncontrollably, "Grandpa, what's wrong with you Why did you suddenly become so ill"

The madam was upset and, speaking to her own daughter, said bluntly, "Your grandfather suddenly heard about your younger brother going to the army. He was flustered and might have acted rashly."

"I have visited the palace many times to request an audience, but you refused to see me. As a result, your grandfather has grown increasingly worse. In just seven or eight days, he has become like this."

"Mother, this palace...this palace..." The Empress couldn't bring herself to say it. She was busy preparing for pregnancy and childbirth, only managing to wipe away tears.

The Emperor coughed twice and ordered Yi, the chief eunuch, to summon the imperial physician at once.

Soon, three or four old physicians with white beards arrived. After bowing and paying their respects, they began to take the pulse of the elderly marquis.

Unfortunately, after a lot of effort, everyone's faces were grim.

As one gets older, they tend to fear drastic emotional fluctuations, like intense joy or deep sorrow.

Old Master Hou suffered a stroke that came on suddenly and intensely. It was very severe, leaving him bedridden and requiring constant care.

Careful care can add years to your life.

If treated with disrespect, one should endure for a year and a half until the lamp oil runs out, then depart in a crane westward...

But the thing is, it can't be said that way.

The oldest physician carefully said, “The Old Marquis is advanced in years. He probably caught a chill recently and his heart isn’t at ease, which caused him to fall ill. We can prescribe some warming tonics and nourish him slowly. With careful care, he may recover in three to five years.”

Everyone in the room, not a single fool among them, heard the implied meaning of the words.

That's it, old master is beyond saving. Just let him die.

The Empress cried even harder, and the Prince and Princess also had red-rimmed eyes.

At that moment, Old Master Hou suddenly perked up. Seeing the Emperor by his side, he reached out to grab him.

The Emperor hesitated for a moment, then walked forward.

As expected, the old Marquis clasped his hand, his eyes filled with pleading, "Live... Sha, Wu Yan..."

Truly, the old Marquis doted on his grandson. Though half of his mouth was covered by a wind, he couldn't even speak clearly to the Emperor, but when it came to his grandson's name, it was crystal clear.

The Emperor finally softened and said, “Lord Hou, rest assured and focus on your recovery. I hereby grant a pardon to Wu Yan and he will not be required to join the army.”

The old marquis let out a long sigh, put down his hand, and closed his eyes.

The Prince and Princess were overjoyed, their son would no longer have to go to his death.

Although there was an amnesty, they also knew that it was hard-won by their father's sacrifice. Thus, the Prince immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Thank your Majesty for your compassion, but all the civil and military officials support the Northern Campaign. Our Wu family cannot stand idly by."

"This Wu Yan is truly useless, he'd only be a burden in the army. Therefore, I am willing to offer two thousand bushels of grain from my family's reserves to ease the burden for Your Majesty and Tianwu."

The emperor nodded and waved his hand, saying, "Rise. Go back and take good care of the old marquis."

"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty." The prince only then dared to stand up, completely at ease.

After some casual chat, the imperial physician presented a prescription. The emperor took a look and then left.

Although the old marquis and his son were the empress's elders, they were after all outsiders. It wouldn't be good to stay too long, so they also made arrangements to leave the palace.

But the Consort remained.

When everyone in the room had left, the Madam of the Prince's estate could no longer hold back and launched into a torrent of complaints.

"Your Majesty, although you are now the mother of a nation within the palace walls, you are still our Wu family's daughter. Our family has always treated you well. How can you bear to ignore us during such a time"

"You're Yan Ge'er's own brother! How can you stand by and watch him go to the army to his death Your second aunt already angered Marquis Xinting by forcing Lian to marry him. If your younger brother ends up under Marquis Xinting's command, he'll likely be the first one sent to feed the knives!"

"I came to see you three or five times, and I paid a few hundred taels of silver tickets. You didn't even show your face!"

The Empress felt uneasy, but also wronged.

Last time, for her cousin's sake, she pleaded with the emperor several times, which angered him.

Besides remembering to give her some face in public, I basically treated her like air the rest of the time.

Not only can she not rely on her family for help in vying for attention, but they also hold her back in various ways.

Just like this conscription, she thought that the children and grandchildren of high-ranking officials in the imperial court would all be in the ranks of the conscripted. Surely someone would find a way out.

Whether it's donating money, or joining together to write letters of appeal, the family should take action.

It was just that they didn't expect the officials to be reluctant to donate flesh, dragging it on for so long, which actually made things worse at home, and even the grandfather was almost dying...

If she had known this earlier, she would have pleaded with the Emperor even if he completely despised her!

She took her mother's hand and whispered, "Mother, I also have my hardships. My relationship with the Emperor is growing worse and worse. The Emperor treats our family more and more superficially. The root of it all is that I haven't given birth to a prince."

If I give birth to a legitimate son, no one in this palace will be able to surpass me. Even the Emperor, for the sake of his legitimate son, would have to visit me more often and bestow gifts upon my family.

"So, I've been resting and recuperating lately, taking care of my health with herbal soups. As a result, I've been less focused on home affairs."

The mistress of the crown prince's eyes lit up, remembering that the emperor's eldest son was almost going to be established as the crown prince. In the future, her own daughter would be the empress dowager, which would be the most glorious time for the Wu family!

All of her anger vanished instantly. She took her daughter's hand tightly and asked, "You're right, that's the way it should be... But will it work"

The Empress smiled wryly, "No, perhaps it will take some more time to adjust."

"Goodness, we can't wait any longer. You're not getting any younger, and the longer we wait, the worse it will get." The Madam urged, glancing furtively at the door before lowering her voice, "You stay here. I'll see if I can find some good remedies outside."

"Is it useful" the Queen hesitated.

"There's definitely something that works. Let me ask around."

The Lady Consort seized it all, for her daughter, for the family, and even more so for her son who needed his sister's care!

Without mentioning the commotion and scheming within Kunning Palace, let's just say that on the shores of Suijin Beach, Jia Yin had a terrible time being tested by Zhang Shenyi in the morning. After finally being released, she saw a group of women sitting under the eaves of her house.

Li Laotai took the lead, with Tao Hongying, Wen Fuzi, Wen Juan, and even Huiniang and Liu Saozi all sitting together.

They were huddled together, surrounded by a large pile of bean pods. They chatted idly as they shelled the beans.

Needless to say, it's about parenting advice again, because Wen Juan is already blushing furiously.

Jia Yin ran forward, hugged Grandma, greeted her briefly, and then ran to Ye Shan's courtyard in the Ye family.

She had planned to stockpile food, but household chores kept piling up, so she never got around to it. Today, taking advantage of some free time, she quickly gave the order.

The Marquis went into the city, and Ye Shan, with nothing to do, was sharpening his swords.

This sword was the Japanese war blade that Jiayin had taken out from the spatial storage back then. It has always been used by the Marquis.

A martial artist would never dislike a good weapon, Ye Shan had finally gotten his chance and been grinning from ear to ear since this morning…s full of disbelief, and passed out.Ye Shan Mali pulled their socks off and stuffed them into their mouths. Then she unbuckled their pants and tied their wrists together. Bending down, she exerted her...