Prime Minister Song thought he was being discreet, but little did he know that his every move was being watched by the emperor.

He remained outwardly calm about the fact that people were siding with the prince while he was still in his prime, but he was secretly furious.

However, he would never say these things in the harem, but only to Lady Chang Le.

"Do you think I'm dead? You just think I'm old and useless."

The emperor never hid his temper in front of Lady Chang Le.

"Who said that?" Lady Chang Le glared at the emperor coquettishly. "Your Majesty means that I am also old and faded."

Lady Chang Le and the emperor were not that far apart in age, but Lady Chang Le was good at maintaining her appearance, and she looked like a young girl in both appearance and figure.

Knowing how to keep the emperor's heart, Lady Chang Le always managed her figure and appearance very strictly.

Lady Chang Le's witty remarks were what truly made the emperor laugh.

The emperor never showed mercy to courtiers who courted death; instead, he would find an opportunity to strike them down decisively.

The emperor did not mention the matter again. Song Chengxiang was not the only one who took sides; there were naturally other officials as well.

Sitting in the emperor's seat makes one more suspicious.

He sometimes has to wonder if someone is trying to harm him.

Lady Chang Le also gave Qi Fei a special reminder about this, saying, "Although it is said that a new emperor brings a new court, the world now belongs to the emperor."

Even if Lady Chang Le hadn't said anything, Shura wouldn't have done something so foolish.

Even if the emperor were to fall ill, he would not side with any of the princes, let alone if he appeared to be in good health now.

If you want to be a loyal minister, be a loyal and upright one. That way, no matter which prince succeeds to the throne, even if you can't win him over at first, you'll end up valuing him more once he's in power.

Those who took their positions early may have contributed to the rise of the new emperor, but there's no guarantee that the future emperor won't discard them after they've served their purpose.

What reason does the emperor need to kill someone?

Shura has always maintained a proper self-image.

The emperor made thorough preparations as soon as he first discovered a problem with his health.

The will was drafted, one copy was placed on top of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and the other was placed with Lady Chang Le.

He needed to make sure everything was settled for Madam Chang Le before he could leave with peace of mind.

When Lady Chang Le received the imperial edict, she lost control for the first time, her eyes filled with tears.

"Your Majesty, do you think I can survive on my own after you leave?"

She was willful her whole life, and many women in the harem wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible, but with the emperor protecting her, there was nothing they could do.

If the emperor were to pass away, the women in the harem would definitely be the first to target him.

But she didn't care at all.

"I only hope that in the next life, Your Majesty can be a true husband and wife with me, just the two of us, and no one else."

The emperor's heart stirred; he knew that Lady Chang Le had always longed for freedom.

But he trapped her for a lifetime.

The people in the capital have been restless lately because the emperor suddenly issued an imperial edict, passing the throne to the third prince and abdicating himself.

Everyone was watching and waiting, unsure whether the emperor was testing the waters or genuinely wanted to abdicate.

After the imperial edict was issued, another decree was issued, appointing Shura as Grand Tutor to assist the new emperor and bestowing upon Qifei the title of First-Rank Lady.

Qifei's two daughters were bestowed the title of Twin Pearl Princesses.

The timing was perfect, right when they came of age.

This imperial decree caused an uproar throughout the capital. What was going on? Why was it so sudden?

Although Shura has risen through the ranks over the years, this imperial decree has secured his invincible position with the new emperor.

It was nothing unusual for his wife to be granted a title, but no one expected that their two daughters would actually be granted the title of princess.

When they finally found out about the goddaughter that Madam Chang Le had adopted, they suddenly realized what had happened.

The emperor really loved everything about her; he actually bestowed the title of princess upon her simply because she was Lady Chang Le's adopted daughter.

But he was also wondering to himself if Shura was appointed Grand Tutor because he followed Lady Chang Le's lead.

Many people were tempted and wanted to follow in Lady Chang Le's footsteps.

But when they arrived at the mansion, they found that the person was not there at all.

"Madam, this can be considered a long-awaited reunion. Will you truly be able to travel with the Emperor Emeritus in the future?"

Qifei met with Madam Chang Le before she left, and Madam Chang Le's smile never faded.

"Yes, we've already planned the route. This time, I'm determined to travel all over this beautiful land, wherever I end up."

Her dream is to be free from constraints and to go anywhere she wants.

Now that my dream is about to come true, I'm naturally happy.

"Take care as we part ways on this journey."

Lady Chang Le's face was filled with an unprecedented carefree spirit; she was like a bird about to fly out of its cage, unrestrained and joyful.

Although she and the retired emperor left quietly, Shura and the new emperor knew about it.

The new emperor was still in the imperial study, sighing to Shura, "Grand Tutor, you may not know this, but I used to not understand why Father Emperor agreed to keep people outside."

Only now do I realize that this was also a form of protection.

The methods used in the imperial harem have always been cruel and silent.

His mother died in the palace.

But he was too young at that time to know how to avenge his mother.

After years of caution and prudence, he has finally secured this position.

It's time to investigate the cause of my mother's death.

After serving as Grand Tutor for ten years, the current emperor's position has become increasingly secure.

He trusted Shura a lot, but at this very moment, Shura proposed to retire and return to his hometown.

Despite the emperor's repeated attempts to persuade him to stay, Shura was determined to leave.

His three sons have grown up and are capable of handling things on their own.

Besides his third son, who learned business from his maternal grandfather, his other two sons also served as officials in the imperial court.

Their family even created a situation where the father and his two sons would appear together during the morning court session.

After leaving officialdom, Shura packed his bags and ran away with Qifei without saying a word.

They said they wanted to follow in the footsteps of the late emperor and travel across the beautiful land.

The Emperor Emeritus passed away a year ago, and Lady Chang Le also passed away with him.

When Qifei found out, she was really heartbroken for a while.

She and Lady Chang Le got along very well, and she was deeply saddened to hear of her death.

By the time the children received the news and rushed back, the couple had already set off.

The children were both amused and exasperated; their father acted as if he was afraid they would try to take their mother away from him.

Shura said he would take Qifei to travel all over the beautiful country, but the first stop was the burial place of Lady Chang Le and the late emperor.

He knew this was Qifei's unresolved issue.

After their deaths, the two were not buried in the imperial mausoleum, but were instead buried together in a scenic spot.

Sure enough, after Qifei had a good cry at the grave, she felt much better.

The two left their footprints in many places, and it wasn't until they were old and gray that Qifei held Xiuluo's hand and quietly left.

As Shura watched Qifei's body gradually dissipate, he stretched out his finger. The light spot circled around Shura's finger, as if kissing it, before slowly disappearing.

His figure also gradually disappeared after Qifei vanished.