Eunuch Wan said, "No matter how great your affairs are, they cannot outweigh the Empress Dowager's life. These days, the Empress Dowager is at the brink of life and death, and she could pass away at any moment. If by chance the Emperor comes out to see you and the Empress Dowager breathes her last during that time, wouldn't the Emperor be unable to bid her farewell? This is a charge that I cannot bear. I advise all of you to return."
"Is the Empress Dowager actually that seriously ill?" someone quietly murmured.
"Ill? It's the Emperor who is ill," another person quietly murmured in response.
"I think the Emperor can't hold on much longer," someone sneered.
Everyone whispered among themselves, but they refused to leave.
In the blazing sun, Eunuch Wan suffered too.
He was truly helpless, so he had to ask, "Official Cheng, why don't you speak up and tell me what great matter it is? I will convey a message to the Emperor to see if he is willing to come out to see you."
