tallest building

Chapter 345 Father-Daughter Love

"What?! She's training with the Eldest Princess?! Who gave her permission?!" The Empress was furious.

"Your Majesty, please calm down, Your Majesty, please calm down. You are feeling better now. Please don't get sick from anger!" Yu Lu quickly said in a humble tone.

The Empress took a few breaths, then suddenly asked with a cold expression, "Could it be that she heard something?"

Yu Lu hurriedly said, "This servant doesn't think so. She's almost completely isolated in this palace. Who would inform her? Besides, not many people know about this matter. I think she knows she won't get away with it, and since the Princess is someone she can rely on, she came up with this idea."

The Empress paused for a moment before saying, "The Eldest Princess has been staying in the palace these days. You should also have someone keep a close eye on her. She doesn't seem to have any self-awareness; what if she has some ill intentions..."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant has made all the arrangements," Yu Lu said. "There will certainly be no problems."

"Your Majesty, the Grand Tutor is requesting an audience outside the palace." At that moment, a young eunuch rushed in to deliver the message.

Since Dong Gang was exiled after his incident, and Dong Sicheng was demoted for taking responsibility, no members of the Dong family have entered the palace again.

However, the Empress was not blamed at all, nor was Grand Tutor Dong implicated.

Everyone believed that this meant the Emperor still cared deeply for the Dong family, and that the Dong family would one day regain their former glory and favor.

Even the Empress herself thought so.

"Oh my, what brings the Grand Tutor here? Although it's July and the weather isn't as hot as usual, it's still summer," Yu Lu said. "Quickly, prepare the sedan chair."

Grand Tutor Dong's status was extraordinary, and the treatment he received from the Emperor was also beyond what ordinary people could achieve.

He did not need to bow when attending court, but he could ride a horse or sit in a sedan chair when entering the palace.

Therefore, Yu Lu ordered people to quickly prepare a sedan chair.

"Why is Father here?" the Empress asked anxiously. "Isn't he supposed to be kept in the dark about the Crown Prince's affairs?"

“That may be true, but Your Majesty, think about it. First, what kind of person is the Grand Tutor? How could he be kept in the dark? Second, the Chen family's affairs are common knowledge, so it would be difficult for the Grand Tutor not to know!” Yu Lu had no choice but to say this.

The Empress sighed; she knew Yu Lu was telling the truth. Although her father was old, he was not senile.

"Go out and fetch the Grand Tutor into the palace," the Empress said. "I doubt we can keep it a secret forever."

Grand Tutor Dong and the Empress had not seen each other for several months. When the father and daughter met again, they both felt that each other had become haggard and aged.

"Father, how have you been these days?" the Empress asked, suppressing her sadness.

"I'm almost eighty years old, it's already quite good that I can still walk," Grand Tutor Dong chuckled. "But Your Majesty, you seem to have lost weight again."

"As you know, I suffer from summer heat, but I always manage to gain weight back by autumn," the Queen said with a smile.

Grand Tutor Dong shook his head and murmured, "Ah, I still remember what you looked like when you were sixteen or seventeen! You were chubby and fair-skinned, and always had a smile on your face. Even if you were angry, a little coaxing would make you forget about it in the blink of an eye."

The Empress couldn't help but think back to her own youth, a time when she was truly carefree. "You've always been straightforward and quick-tempered, but you never kept your troubles to yourself. You would tell me everything that bothered or saddened you," said Grand Tutor Dong. "But now, you've learned to keep your worries to yourself and don't tell me anymore."

"Father..." The Empress could no longer hold back and threw herself into the Grand Tutor's arms, crying bitterly. "Father, it's not that I intentionally wanted to hide it from you, but I really didn't want you to be sad along with me."

Tan'er is long gone. Although the old stories have been brought up again, they are old wounds. I'll just have to endure it all by myself. After all, I'm his mother; he's flesh and blood of my own flesh!

Grand Tutor Dong reached out his hand tremblingly and gently touched the Empress's hair, saying, "Your father is old and can no longer protect you. His Majesty has been on the throne for over twenty years and will not tolerate any subject surpassing the imperial family."

The Chen and Dong families were related by marriage, yet their clans were exterminated. This serves as a clear indication that the power of life and death ultimately rests with the Emperor.

"Father, His Majesty is also heartbroken. Chen is truly too cruel. Our Dong family's support and trust in them have been in vain," the Empress said, tears streaming down her face. "If they are not punished thoroughly, how can the hatred in my heart be appeased?"

Grand Tutor Dong gazed at his daughter and sighed silently. His daughter was strong-willed but lacked wisdom; she still couldn't discern the Emperor's true intentions.

But it's probably better not to know!

If she finds out, she certainly won't be able to hide it from the Emperor.

Didn't she also hope that the Emperor would remember her past merits and the more than twenty years of marriage with the Empress, and grant the Empress and the Dong family a peaceful end?

"Father, don't worry, I'm fine." The Empress wiped away her tears. "I'm so glad you came to see me. We haven't eaten together in a long time. A cook came to the palace, and her cooking is just what I like. Father, please try some today. If you like it, I'll ask her to make it often and send it out of the palace for you."

“Very well, it’s not easy for me to go to the palace, and I can’t go there often,” said Grand Tutor Dong. “Last night I had a dream that your mother came to my bedside and asked me to come and see you.”

When the Empress heard Grand Tutor Dong mention her mother, tears welled up in her eyes again; her mother had passed away several years ago.

"I imagine my mother in heaven is worried about me," the Empress said. "It's all because of me that you two have to worry about me."

“I was thinking that I probably wouldn’t live much longer,” Grand Tutor Dong said with a bitter smile. “Otherwise, why would I dream of your mother coming to my bedside? I’ve never dreamed of her even once in all these years since she passed away. When she was alive, I did everything I could to be good to her, so I have no regrets.”

"Father, don't worry too much. You're in good health and will live to be a hundred. It's probably because you've had so many sad things lately that you're thinking of Mother," the Empress said hastily.

"Perhaps! But everyone dies eventually. Once I'm gone, don't be sad. What I've experienced in this life is more exciting than what most people experience in several lifetimes." Grand Tutor Dong smiled calmly this time. "Your Majesty, just take good care of your health, and that will be goodnight."

The Empress always felt that the Grand Tutor's words were very ominous and unpleasant to hear, but she couldn't say anything about them.

He simply had someone change the tea for the Grand Tutor to change the subject.

Grand Tutor Dong had lunch in the Empress's palace and rested for a while before leaving.

He developed a fever in the middle of the night after returning home, and his family hurriedly invited the imperial physician for treatment. After a lot of trouble, it was already dawn.

However, Grand Tutor Dong's illness did not improve, so he quickly reported it to the Emperor.

After hearing this, the Emperor said, "The Imperial Medical Academy must do its best to treat the Grand Tutor. He will be richly rewarded if he recovers."

The Empress was very pleased to hear the news and instructed Zhang Ma to prepare a proper meal and send it outside the palace.