Chapter 150 Finale

In December, Emperor Jingyuan issued an edict to promote Su Ming, the defender of Dingbei City, to the position of border defender, and the rest of the troops returned to the court.

Xihe carried Zhao Wanyu's ashes and the jade pendant all the way to Yuanyang Palace.

"Uncle Sanping, long time no see."

In the past ten years, Sanping's originally black hair has now had a few strands of white hair.

"Your Highness, you must have been tired on the journey. Please come in. His Majesty is waiting for you."

"good."

Sanping opened the temple door for Xihe, and Xihe held the ashes tightly in her hands and walked in slowly.

"Daddy." As soon as Xihe opened her mouth, tears began to fall.

She was only away for half a year, and when she returned, Emperor Jingyuan's hair had already turned gray.

Emperor Jingyuan smiled softly and held his little daughter in his arms as he did when she was little. "Don't be afraid, Daddy is here."

Xihe's eyes were sore and she burst into tears, "Daddy, Auntie... is gone."

Emperor Jingyuan breathed a sigh of relief. He took the urn with an indifferent expression and remained silent for a long time.

After a long time, a tear fell.

"I met her at the beginning of the year. She said she was getting married and hoped... I could bless her."

At the end of this year, Princess Zhao Wanyu returned to Beijing to report on her work. She met with Emperor Jingyuan once, just to get an imperial decree granting her marriage.

Emperor Jingyuan still clearly remembered the happy smile on Zhao Wanyu's face, but he only felt it was too dazzling.

"Did Daddy give it to you?" Xihe asked.

Emperor Jingyuan shook his head. "Father has written many imperial edicts, but this one... I can't write it."

Xihe looked at the jade pendant placed in the palm of his hand, and a guess came to his mind. He looked at Emperor Jingyuan with a hint of disbelief, "Daddy, you..."

Emperor Jingyuan smiled. He knew his clever little daughter had guessed his thoughts. "Do you feel disgusted? Do you think Daddy deserves to die?"

A king, however, had ulterior motives towards his own sister.

Xihe shook her head. "Xihe doesn't believe that there is right or wrong in feelings. If we really have to talk about right or wrong, then I am the one who deserves death for falling in love with the prince of an enemy country."

Emperor Jingyuan gently stroked his daughter's hair. "Love is what it is, it's not about right or wrong. I just regret it sometimes. I regret not keeping her in the capital. But when she was trapped in the capital, I couldn't bear to see her wings broken, so I sent her to the border, not knowing that this trip would separate us from each other."

Back then, he went against all odds and gave her the title of "Yuan Yang". He carefully hid his thoughts so that the empress dowager would not know and the ministers would not find out.

Their status as brother and sister determined their fate.

He never asked for anything, he just hoped that she could be happy.

"Daddy, you still have Xihe. Xihe will always be with you." Xihe had never seen Emperor Jingyuan look so lonely. It seemed like he was compromising with the fickleness of fate.

Emperor Jingyuan nodded and said, "From tomorrow on, Xihe will go to court with father."

"What?" Xihe was shocked. "Daddy, this is inappropriate! I..."

Emperor Jingyuan raised his hand to stop Xihe from continuing, saying, "Xihe, your elder brother is no longer fit to assume the throne. Jinyuan's accident was a huge blow to him."

Emperor Jingyuan privately asked the imperial physician that Zhao Jinyuan's injuries were too severe and even if he survived, he might never wake up again.

The plan went wrong and Zhao Chengning was to blame, but he was stuck in it and couldn't get out, and he had deep doubts about his own decision.

An indecisive crown prince cannot become emperor, and Emperor Jingyuan is even less likely to hand over Tianshuo's future to such a person.

He has six children in total, and after looking around, only Xihe is the most suitable.

"Xihe, Dad won't touch Cheng Ning's position as Crown Prince for the time being, but we must make sure everything is in place."

If Zhao Jinyuan never wakes up, Zhao Chengning will live in regret forever. Who will take care of Tianshuo's future?

"But Daddy, I am a woman." Xihe frowned.

Emperor Jingyuan patted her on the back and said, "Why can't a woman be emperor? Your aunt is also a woman, but she is no less capable than men on the battlefield. Daddy's Xihe dared to mobilize all forces to conquer the Northern Desert. How is she any less capable than your brothers?"

Emperor Jingyuan was open-minded and allowed women to take the imperial examinations, filling Tianshuo's court with talented people. He was an unprecedented wise ruler.

Xihe wanted to say something but was interrupted by Emperor Jingyuan.

"It's settled. Let's start court tomorrow."

Emperor Jingyuan seemed very tired, so Xihe withdrew. Before leaving, she glanced inside and saw Emperor Jingyuan's gloomy face and white hair on his head, and her eyes couldn't help but turn red.

She grew up and her father grew old.

She is no longer the willful little girl she was when she was little.

Xihe sent the butterfly flower hairpin to Concubine Xian, who cried bitterly and said that Zhao Jinyuan was cruel.

The next day, Xihe followed Emperor Jingyuan to court, starting her twenty-one-year political career.

The Later Records of the History of Heaven states:

In the 20th year of Jingyuan, Princess Zhaoyuan took over the government as the crown prince.

In the 28th year of Jingyuan, the second prince Zhao Jinyuan woke up but was unconscious.

In August, the former Crown Prince Zhao Chengning resigned from the position of heir to the throne and took his brother to seek medical treatment.

In the 32nd year of Jingyuan, Emperor Jing died and was buried in the Ming Mausoleum.

In the first year of Jianning, Princess Zhaoyuan Zhao Xihe ascended the throne and became Emperor Wen. He changed the laws and issued a general amnesty.

In the third year of Jianning, he set out to attack Nanli. When he reached the side of Fushui, he encountered a swamp. Witchcraft blocked the way and he could not take it down for a long time.

In September, Emperor Wu of Beili sent troops, and the two countries worked together to drive the enemy back to the hinterland and directly capture the imperial city.

In December, the two countries divided Nanli in Dingbei City, using Ningqu as the line to divide the land.

For the next hundred years, there was a trend of confrontation between the North and the South.

…

In the ninth year of Jianning, Emperor Wen died without a coffin or an inscription.

The following year, Emperor Wu of Beili died.

…

In the first year of Jiahe, they were buried in the same coffin.

*

【The Dawn of the End】

It's winter again, but this year it seems to be a warm winter without severe cold.

Xiao Mingxuan climbed up to the tall building, boiled a pot of hot tea, leaned on the railing and looked out, silent and speechless.

"Mr. Nangong, please persuade His Majesty. If you stay any longer, you will catch a cold again."

The sword did not take Xiao Mingxuan's life that year. The bead and jade pendant he hid in his chest saved his life. Instead, he took advantage of his serious injury to return to Beili safely. He did not encounter any assassination along the way, which was quite strange.

Afterwards, he asked the imperial physician, and he said that even if there was no object blocking it, the sword would have avoided the vital parts.

Over the years, Nangong Yan always wondered whether Zhao Xihe really wanted to kill someone with that sword, or... he had other intentions.

"You go down first."

Nangong Yan climbed onto the high platform, looked at the prematurely aged emperor in front of him, and said, "Missing the little princess again?"

Xiao Mingxuan smiled and said, "When have I not missed her?"

Nangong Yan had been with Xiao Mingxuan for more than ten years, and had seen him rise and fall. Now he actually felt a bit more pity for her, "If you want to see her, go see her. At least it's a thought."

Unexpectedly, Xiao Mingxuan shook his head and said, "I won't go. I just want to know that she is doing well."

Nangong Yan finished a cup of tea and was about to turn around and leave when his eyes suddenly caught sight of a figure outside the city and he was stunned.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Nangong Yan in a daze, Xiao Mingxuan followed his gaze and when he saw a beautiful figure not far away, he froze in place, not even noticing when the tea bowl in his hand broke.

"She's here?"

——

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