"What happened to the Queen Mother? Did you call the imperial doctor?"
Concubine Pang finally managed to frighten the eunuch at the door. When she came in, she saw that Queen Mother Pan's face had lost all its luster and she looked depressed. She was not surprised, but it did not affect her expression of concern.
With that said, she walked a few steps to the embroidery bed, straightened Queen Mother Pan's brocade quilt, and looked at her pale and pretty face, feeling really sad and sympathetic in her heart.
"Don't worry, Madam. Although the official family was brought to the Empress Dowager to raise her, she is being taken care of very carefully."
"As for Pan Bao and others in the Pan Mansion, the court did not kill them all, they just decided on their distribution..."
Since Empress Dowager Pan took charge of the inner palace, she got along well with her and never treated her poorly.
Although Concubine Pang herself was disillusioned with the late emperor and no longer competed for his favor, and Pan wanted to win over Cao Bin, she was still somewhat grateful to Empress Dowager Pan.
The palace maid Xiao Tao explained:
"Mother Pang, I haven't eaten for several days."
Fortunately there was a well in the courtyard, otherwise they would have died of thirst rather than starvation.
Concubine Pang was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at the cold food on the table. She suddenly understood and said warmly:
"I brought some pastries, Queen Mother, please eat some first...Cao Wei, quickly bring the pastry box."
She was about to greet her young but muscular maid, but Queen Mother Pan grabbed her hands tightly:
"Sister Pang, is there any news about Cao Bin? When will he return to Beijing?"
Hearing this, Concubine Pang's face suddenly turned cold. She suddenly threw away Queen Mother Pan's hands and said in a cold voice:
"You want to drag Juncai into trouble?"
Seeing her reaction, Queen Mother Pan was puzzled and said quickly:
"Why did my sister say this? Cao Bin is in the center and has high military prestige. How can he stay upright?"
"If he does nothing, then the old woman and Wang Yanling will not let him go? What's more, I am the emperor's biological mother, so why should we usurp him..."
Concubine Pang turned around to leave, but when she heard this, she looked back and sneered:
"That's your business. At least Juncai can keep his wealth and honor. The Empress Dowager is not a stupid person and will not let Wang Yanling's family dominate."
What she cared about most was Cao Bin's safety, she didn't want him to risk his life to save a loser, and she didn't care about the national justice, the country, the country.
Originally she had some sympathy for the Queen Mother Pan, but when she saw that she was targeting Cao Bin, she immediately had the idea of sending poisonous snacks next time, since the Queen Mother was taking the blame anyway.
Queen Mother Pan didn't know that she was testing the gates of hell. She coughed repeatedly and said:
"Sister, listen to me again."
She managed to catch her breath, covered her chest and said:
"Sister, you underestimate their fear of Cao Bin. Even the late emperor was on guard against him, not to mention that old woman and Wang Yanling. They killed important officials like my father in court."
"If you think about it, even if Cao Bin can keep his wealth and honor, he will still be forced to seize power and be ostracized. Is this what he wants in his heart?"
She struggled to sit up again, raised her hands and swore:
"As evidenced by the gods and Buddhas in the sky, if Cao Bin can help me quell the chaos, I am willing to worship him as prime minister, be promoted to Duke, and regulate all military and state affairs. I will live up to my expectations for the rest of my life."
As she spoke, she seemed to think of something and said quickly:
"Cao Bin is still the emperor's adoptive father, he cannot ignore me..."
She vowed for a long time, but Concubine Pang's attention was focused on the sentence "Even the late emperor must be on guard."
Thinking of a certain possibility, she felt frightened and stared at Queen Mother Pan closely and asked:
"You...the Queen Mother also have a will?"
If she really has such a thing, once it is exposed, it will be a huge trouble for Cao Bin, not to mention that Wang Yanling and Queen Mother Liu have designs on Cao Bin.
Queen Mother Pan shook her head hurriedly and said:
"Sister, I misunderstood. I was talking about things that happened during the late emperor's lifetime."
What she wanted was this effect. She not only hid a threat, but also didn't want to completely break her face, so she could coerce Cao Bin into doing things based on her will.
If she did that, not only would she not be able to predict the reactions of Concubine Pang and Cao Bin, but even if she succeeded in seizing power, it would arouse the hostility of the other party and sow troubles that would be difficult to eliminate.
Concubine Pang looked at her suspiciously for a while, and when she was about to speak, the maid leaning against the window suddenly whispered:
"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother is here!"
Sure enough, not long after they changed the topic, the palace door was opened, and Queen Mother Liu walked in surrounded by a group of eunuchs and maids.
She glanced at Queen Mother Pan, then looked at Concubine Pang, and asked with a cold face:
"The Ai family has an edict for a long time. Pan is a guilty person and no one is allowed to visit! Why did you force your way into the imperial guard?"
As she spoke, she pondered for a moment and said:
"For your first offense, please shut yourself up and think about it for a month."
She was worried that Concubine Pang would stand up for Cao Bin's people in the court, which would frustrate Cao Bin's plan, but she didn't expect that she would knock on the door herself.
Concubine Pang did not defend herself, she bowed and said:
"I realize that I have made a mistake, so I will resign now."
Seeing how knowledgeable she was, Queen Mother Liu nodded with satisfaction, then looked at the snacks on the table and sneered:
"Ms. Pan is ill and can't even eat a meal. How can he eat these hairy things?"
"The Ai family has not tasted Concubine Pang's craftsmanship, so please send it to my palace..."
Don't you suspect that I will poison you? Then go hungry, it will be a perfect trap for you.
In fact, she did not intend to kill Queen Mother Pan. Pan Renmei's death in the court had already caused a bad impact. If the emperor's biological mother died in an unknown manner, she would have no way to explain it to the world, and the consequences would be too great.
Moreover, she was nearly sixty years old, and she had some concerns about what happened after her death, and did not want to offend the little emperor to death.
The most important thing is that she already has a better idea, which can make the little emperor and Pan hate each other, and firmly hold the little emperor in her hands...
Seeing her say this, what could Concubine Pang say? It's just that she doesn't have the skills to make snacks, so those pastries are just taken from the chef to make up for the expenses.
Queen Mother Pan gritted her teeth with hatred, and her stomach was already in rebellion when she heard that the cakes were going to be taken away.
Just as he was talking, someone from the palace suddenly came to report:
"My Lady, Lord Kou led someone to break into the palace. He also said that Prime Minister Wang is as fearful of the enemy as a tiger and dare not rescue Jiao Siluo. He has no foresight and is as courageous as a woman!"
When Empress Dowager Liu heard this, her face suddenly darkened. She was not scolding Wang Yanling, she was clearly insinuating herself.
"Let's go, I want to see if he wants to force me to succeed?"
After saying that, he supported the old eunuch and turned around to leave.
Seeing this, Empress Dowager Pan showed some sarcasm on her lips. These people were no different from her own father. They were afraid of enemies and had no ambition.
In the blink of an eye, she and Xiao Tao were the only ones left in the palace, and she felt even hungrier.
Just when she was thinking about how to survive, Xiao Tao carefully took out two pieces of pastry from her arms and presented the treasure:
"Mom, I secretly hid two snacks, please eat them quickly."
Queen Mother Pan's eyes suddenly lit up. She quickly grabbed one piece and stuffed it into her mouth. Just as she was about to eat the second piece, she saw Xiao Tao looking at her eagerly. She broke the second piece of pastry in half and gave half to her:
"You should pad your belly first and leave half of it for emergency purposes. We still don't know when we will be able to get out of trouble."
After negotiating with Concubine Pang, Queen Mother Pan felt that her hopes had greatly increased.
The only worry now is that Empress Dowager Liu and Wang Yanling are in a strong position, and Cao Bin cannot deal with them, or cannot deal with them with an overwhelming advantage.
In that case, there is still no way to change her situation.
After thinking so wildly, she gradually fell asleep in weak contentment.
I don’t know how long it took, but a few stones flew from the yard under the night sky and hit the window. Then Xiaotao called out in Queen Mother Pan’s ear:
"Mother, my cousin is here to save you."
