He was still just a child, and upon hearing news of his own mother, his emotions immediately collapsed.

"She is still alive at Longevity Hill, but she faked her death and left the palace. In the eyes of the world, she is already dead. You can go to see her, but you must not reveal her identity, otherwise it will bring disaster upon her, understand?"

Song Xibai's voice was gentle, like a flowing stream, which calmed Yuan Qian down a little.

He wasn't quite sure, so he glanced at Yuan Shen.

Yuan Shen deliberately put on a stern face and glared at him.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Speak your mind. Being timid and hesitant is not like the Xiao Ba I know at all."

Although the tone was fierce, it stirred Yuan Qian's heart, and tears fell uncontrollably.

He wiped his face with his sleeve and bowed sincerely to Yuan Shen.

"Your Majesty, may I go see my mother?"

Yuan Shen nodded and instructed Commander Yue, "Take him to Longevity Hill later."

He paused, then glanced at Yuan Qian again.

"There is no longer Consort Shu in this world, only Abbess Wangnian remains."

Yuan Qian opened his mouth, his mind full of thoughts, but in the end, he only managed to utter a single "Yes."

After giving his instructions, Yuan Shen dismissed the two of them.

He followed Commander Yue and turned to leave the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

As he stepped across the threshold, a biting wind blew in his face, making him shiver.

The cold wind filled his sleeves and collar, and it also filled his heart.

But then, the dark clouds parted, and soft sunlight shone down, falling on his eyebrows and eyes.

Yuan Qian subconsciously raised his hand to shield his eyes.

Commander Yue had already descended the steps and, not hearing his footsteps, turned his head to look at him from below.

Aren't you leaving yet?

Yuan Qian snapped out of his daze, responded twice, and hurriedly followed.

But at this moment, he couldn't help but recall the time when he fled the capital with the fake emperor.

From being the most favored prince to becoming the son of a traitor, the change in mindset and the fall from grace were difficult for Yuan Qian to adapt to at the time.

He lived in constant fear, terrified that one day guards and eunuchs would burst in and take his life.

Therefore, when the fake emperor's men found him, he was tempted, did not cry for help, and followed the man's instructions to quietly leave the palace.

However, upon seeing the fake emperor, Yuan Qian realized that he had been too naive.

The fake emperor, with only a dozen or so remaining imperial guards, hid and fled for a long time before finally managing to leave the capital.

Yuan Qian thought that if they just went far away and found a place where no one knew them, there wouldn't be anything wrong with that.

Although his father wasn't the emperor, he was still his biological father, and the affection they had for each other over the past ten years was genuine.

But his father didn't think so.

The fake emperor, having lost everything, was like a wild dog cornered against a wall, desperately wanting to fight his way back and reclaim the throne.

Yuan Qian stayed by his side the whole way, and the two of them ate, drank, relieved themselves, and slept together, so he heard a lot of his foul language.

He suddenly realized that this person, who had pretended to be an emperor for more than ten years, was fundamentally different from others.

Afterwards, they encountered an attack. Yuan Qian watched his father, who, when faced with danger, did not hesitate to use his most loyal subordinate as a shield. At that moment, Yuan Qian felt his heart sink.

He wondered, if in the end all the guards were dead, and only he and he were left, would he protect him or push him out when they encountered danger?

Once the thought came to mind, I couldn't suppress it.

In the days that followed, Yuan Qian became even more terrified. He even began to miss the days when he was imprisoned. Although he was also afraid, at least he had enough to eat and drink, and the people who served him were still the same ones he knew.

Then he thought of Yuan Shen's magnanimity and tolerance, and how he had never given him a hard time, even when his mother secretly harmed him.

Yuan Qian thought to himself, "I might as well go back to the capital and beg my brother, the Emperor, for perhaps he will spare me."

So, on that day, Yuan Qian couldn't help himself and, when he was alone with his father, he tentatively spoke up.

To everyone's surprise, the fake emperor flew into a rage, slapped him across the face, and gave him a severe dressing-down.

Then, Yuan Qian was imprisoned again.

This time, he didn't even have anyone to talk to.

After spending a day and a night in the dark room, Yuan Qian begged for mercy and was finally released.

Afterwards, he managed to appease the fake emperor, and when he had the chance, he pulled the hairpin from his hair and stabbed it into the emperor's throat when the emperor was off guard.

At that moment, the fake emperor clutched his bleeding throat, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace, trying to grab him. He looked just like a demon trying to drag him to hell.

For several days after being rescued by Commander Yue, Yuan Qian would still see this image in his mind whenever he closed his eyes.

He murdered his father... His sins can never be washed away in this lifetime.

But when he thought of his mother still being alive, Yuan Qian felt that it was nothing.

He was not afraid of anything as long as he could see his mother again.

With a fresh feeling, Yuan Qian followed Commander Yue out of the palace gates, boarded an inconspicuous carriage, and was taken out of the capital towards Longevity Hill.

When Yuan Qian left the palace, Song Xibai was strolling with Yuan Shen in the Imperial Garden.

The sun was out today, a rare treat. The sun was warm, and the wind had stopped.

The Imperial Garden shows no signs of winter desolation; even in this cold winter season, one can still see blooming flowers and evergreen leaves.

Yuan Shen walked slowly, and when the servants were a little further away, he suddenly asked her a question.

Why did you tell him that Shu Ning was still alive?

Song Xibai blinked, looking completely innocent.

"Did I say something wrong? Then Your Majesty may punish me."

Yuan Shen pinched her nose: "I didn't say anything wrong, I was just curious."

Song Xibai giggled, took his arm, and pressed her body close to his.

"Well, it was just a sudden inspiration. When I first saw the Eighth Prince... Yuanqian, I thought to myself, how come he doesn't resemble his parents at all? His father is so bad, and his mother is so cruel. This child looks timid and cowardly, which is nothing like the Eighth Prince I've ever met before!"

"But after hearing what he said, I knew he was truly worthy of his parents' blood. To be able to attack his own father and kill him with a single blow is something an ordinary person couldn't do. He must have planned this for a long time and thought about it a lot. His ruthlessness is just like his parents'!"

“If you really push someone like that too far, who knows what he might do? His Majesty’s position is still stable, so he’s not afraid of him yet, but having such a potential danger is never a good thing. So I’m thinking, what does a child think of most when faced with a crisis? It’s definitely his mother!”

"Knowing that his mother is still alive will keep a soft spot in his heart, preventing him from becoming corrupted or being taken advantage of."

After Song Xibai finished speaking rapidly, she waited for Yuan Shen's praise.

To everyone's surprise, Yuan Shen frowned slightly and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Turning to the dark side?"