Queen Jing'an lay in bed, unable to fall asleep until Princess Jinyi and the Eighth Prince left, and finally drifted off to sleep in the Emperor's arms. This time, she seemed to see her modern self. That morning, while she was going to work, Zhou's mother came into the room and called her to get up, but she couldn't. She was then taken to the hospital.

When Zhou's father and mother were worried, Song Ning appeared at the hospital and moved her directly to the VIP ward of a private hospital. Zhou's father disagreed, but later Zhou Shuyan's boss accompanied Song Ning and explained that Song Ning was just doing charity and asked the old couple to accept it for Zhou Shuyan's health.

Zhou's mother was the first to agree, and later Zhou's father was also persuaded. Zhou Shuyan underwent various tests in the hospital, and foreign experts were invited to come. The final results showed that Zhou Shuyan had experienced some kind of stimulation, which led to a decrease in brain activity and turned her into a vegetative state.

The current medical conditions can only wait for Zhou Shuyan to wake up on her own. During this period, she can recuperate in the hospital, or arrange medical conditions at home and go home to recuperate and wait for her to wake up.

Empress Jing'an wanted to continue reading, but an arm pressed against her, nearly suffocating her. The scene before her vanished, replaced by a magnified image of a handsome, middle-aged man. His thick eyebrows were slightly furrowed, long eyelashes clung to his eyelids, and his tall nose and slightly pale lips gave him a haggard look.

She struggled to lift the arm that was resting on her and was about to throw it aside, but she was met with a pair of smiling eyes. Then the man hugged Queen Jing'an tightly. He sighed softly and said, "Fang Ting, it's great to have you back."

Empress Jing'an, slightly stiff, slowly softened in his arms, her eyes closed, and she remained silent. She didn't know what to say. Yesterday, Zishu had told her everything that had happened recently. In the past, she would have been filled with remorse and wished she were dead. So many lives had been lost, and all people were created equal. How could she be so noble as to demand so many lives at their expense?

However, she seemed different now. I don't know if she had been assimilated, or if the experience of life and death had made her give up some things. She had actually experienced the meaning of "a rage for a woman" in her middle age.

The two sons would never come back, so it was better this way. There were no more beautiful women in the palace. Without the conflicts of interest, at least Princess Jinyi and the Eighth Prince could be saved, as well as the lives of the other princes and princesses.

She let herself be held by the Emperor for quite a while, until Zhou Defa came from outside and whispered, "Your Majesty, it's almost time to go to court." Only then did Empress Jing'an speak, "Your Majesty, it's time to go to court."

The two supreme rulers ate breakfast together, and the Emperor, beaming with joy, left Fengyang Palace for his morning court session. Princess Jinyi and the Eighth Prince came over a short while later to pay their respects. After a few words, the other princes and princesses in the palace sent their servants with gifts, all to congratulate Empress Jing'an on her awakening.

They did not dare to come and pay their respects without being summoned. Empress Jing'an ordered them to return the gifts one by one and told them to observe the rules and stay in their own palaces when they had nothing to do.

During breakfast, the Emperor and Empress Jing'an discussed the possibility of appointing the Eighth Prince as Crown Prince. Empress Jing'an disagreed at the time. She then asked Princess Jinyi to leave and spoke to the Eighth Prince alone: ​​"My son, are you interested in the Crown Prince?"

The chubby-faced Eighth Prince said in a childish yet resolute voice, "Mother, I am interested. I will definitely be a qualified crown prince."

Queen Jing'an waved her hand to invite the Eighth Prince closer and said softly, "My son, the throne of the Crown Prince is the most dangerous position in the world. The Emperor protects the country, and the Crown Prince must protect himself as well as the people."

The Eighth Prince, eyes full of admiration, nodded and said, "Mother, I am not afraid. I want to help my two elder brothers accomplish what they failed to do."

When mentioning the two deceased princes, tears welled up in Queen Jing'an's eyes. She hugged the little Eighth Prince and finally burst into tears.

The Eighth Prince's soft body was hugged by Queen Jing'an, but it was like a small pine tree. Although it was still short, it stood tall among the mountain peaks and would not fall down despite the wind and rain.