Aside from court sessions, Emperor Jingcheng spent all his time in the secret room with her. He massaged her, bathed her, read her stories, and talked to her…

Day after day, year after year.

News finally arrived from the frontier that Prince Yuan had committed suicide. People said that Prince Yuan had taken his own life because of the emperor's neglect and demotion. But in the end, Emperor Jingcheng himself knew that his younger brother could not bear the pain and longing and had followed her in death.

Di Jingcheng gradually lost hope. He worked diligently to improve his situation, but his heart was heavy with unresolved issues, and his health began to decline. It just so happened that he also wanted to visit the mother and child.

Emperor Jingcheng had long ago selected several intelligent and reliable sons from among his uncles' heirs and began to cultivate them, choosing the most suitable candidates for crown prince so that the Western Jing dynasty would have a successor.

—

In the fifth year of Emperor Cheng's reign, Emperor Jingcheng was pursued during his southern tour. He fled into the mountains and forests, accidentally entered a Yi ethnic tribe, and fell in love with a bright, kind, and pure girl named Ranla Azi at first sight.

The two then fell in love and made vows of eternal love. Azi abandoned the monogamous system and entered the palace, where she was made a Noble Consort. For the next two years, she enjoyed the emperor's exclusive favor. In the third year, she was banished to the Cold Palace, where she discovered she was six months pregnant, but was left all alone and helpless.

In the eighth year of Emperor Cheng's reign, he died tragically in the cold palace, along with his unborn child.

Later generations referred to Ranla Azi as Empress Yuancheng. Empress Yuancheng died at the young age of twenty. Emperor Cheng was only twenty-six years old, in the prime of his life, and was so grief-stricken that his hair turned white overnight. He then desperately searched for a way to bring her back to life, but to no avail.

In the twentieth year of Emperor Cheng's reign, he gave Empress Yuancheng a grand funeral at the imperial mausoleum, and the whole country mourned. The next day, Emperor Cheng, due to excessive grief and his long-term illness, passed away in the Qian Yuan Palace.

He left behind an imperial edict to pass the throne to Prince Chun's heir, Emperor Jinhe, and Xijing continued to create a prosperous and flourishing era.

Emperor Cheng had another decree, ordering that she be buried with Empress Chengyuan in the imperial mausoleum, so that they would never be separated for all eternity.

Rumor has it that Emperor Cheng committed suicide, clutching a black belt embroidered with blue thread tightly in his hand before his death.