With Shen Bochun imprisoned in the imperial jail, only the sounds of people respectfully reporting matters remained in the court.

This is what Shen Mingzhuang wanted to see, and fortunately everything went relatively smoothly.

The court affairs had piled up for several days, so today's grand court session lasted an hour longer than usual.

"How is the Empress doing?"

Jiang Wang coughed and asked He Wenqing, who had just returned.

"Don't you know what kind of person your wife is? What could possibly be difficult for her?" He Wenqing returned in a good mood and sat on the edge of the bed. Upon hearing this, Jiang Wang felt a little relieved and coughed as he sat back down.

"You need to take good care of your health. However, your hair can't turn back to black. It might grow back in the future, but the chances are slim."

These were all minor matters, and Jiang Wang didn't care at all. As long as he was alive, what did it matter what color his hair was?

"Mr. He Wen, before I woke up, I seemed to hear you say that you knew my mother?"

He Wenqing paused as he was tidying up the silver needles, nearly pricking his own hand.

"Ah," He Wenqing chuckled, "I did know him, but he's gone now, so let's not dwell on the past!"

Hearing a hint of melancholy in He Wenqing's words, Jiang Wang lowered his eyelids and smiled, a deep sense of melancholy also appearing in his eyes.

He almost never mentioned his mother to others, because every time he did, the scene of her passing would break his heart. Those past events really shouldn't be brought up.

In this quiet moment, He Wenqing suddenly sighed and spoke: "Your mother is a very good person, but she just had bad luck in marrying the wrong person."

After these words were spoken, there was another long silence.

Jiang Wang smiled bitterly. He didn't know what to say to his son, who was such a bad person.

"yes."

After a long silence, Jiang Wang suddenly nodded calmly.

“My father was indeed not a man of lasting affection. He had countless women in his life. My mother was just one of the women who amazed him for a short time. After he got tired of her, he casually threw her to the back of his mind. My mother never had a good day after entering the palace.”

A surge of intense emotion welled up in He Wenqing's eyes. He had always held a grudge about what happened back then, which was why he had never married. Now, hearing the son of an old friend talk about his former love, how could he remain calm?

“I used to have a knot in my heart about my mother. I always felt that it was my bad luck that caused her death. I felt that my mother left me because I was too dependent on her, so God was punishing me and taking her away from me. Every time I thought of my mother, I felt that it was my fault. Therefore, even if I liked someone, I didn’t dare to show it too obviously or openly declare my feelings…”

Whether out of respect for He Wenqing or because Jiang Wang did not want to speak to He Wenqing as a member of the royal family, he did not refer to himself as "朕" (Zhen, the imperial "I"), but spoke slowly to He Wenqing, word by word.

“My mother mentioned you before, only once. That day the moon was far away, and the moonlight shone down, illuminating the four palace walls. My mother told me that she actually had a sweetheart in the past.”

"Did she really say that?"

He Wenqing suddenly became excited and his voice choked up. He had always thought that Zhen'er had changed her mind, but he never expected that she still had him in her heart even though she was in the deep palace.

"My mother didn't say who that person was, she only said that if she had met my father a few days later, he probably wouldn't have entered the palace."

He Wenqing's deepest secrets, buried for decades, were unearthed and reopened, tearing open old wounds in his heart. He suddenly realized that decades ago, when he was heartbroken, Zhen'er was still thinking of him, but he had never taken any evidence and had concluded that Zhen'er disliked him. Now, he thought it was absurd and laughable.

Because of his blind overconfidence, he missed Zhen'er, missed a lifetime, and missed those precious moments that should have been beautiful.

Torn apart by inner turmoil, He Wenqing took a deep breath, his fingers trembling uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry to your mother."

The conversation ended abruptly there, and no one brought it up again. Jiang Wang didn't want to, and He Wenqing didn't dare.

When Shen Mingzhuang returned, it was almost noon.

She brought back several memorials. He Wenqing had already given Jiang Wang acupuncture, and when he saw Shen Mingzhuang coming over, he took the initiative to get up and leave.

Shen Mingzhuang glanced at his son, who had a somber expression, and patted the little guy on the shoulder with a smile, saying, "Yan'er and Xingtai have both gone to the palace and are waiting at Jiaofang Palace. Go play."

Upon hearing this, the seriousness on Jiang Xuan's face immediately vanished, and a smile appeared on his face. However, he did not leave immediately. Instead, he hugged his mother's arm, sweetly said "Thank you, Mother," and then went to the Jiaofang Palace.

He's still just a child. Although he studies hard, it's really asking too much of him to sit down and read memorials like an adult. Shen Mingzhuang didn't expect little Jiang Xuan to be able to review memorials at the age of six.

After his son left, Shen Mingzhuang turned around and returned to Jiang Wang's bedside.

Jiang Wang is still unable to stand up.

His coma was different from Shen Mingzhuang's. Shen Mingzhuang had the power of Shi Jiang to support him, so even after being in a coma for five years, he could jump and play as soon as he woke up. Jiang Wang was just a mortal. If it were someone else, their vital energy would be greatly depleted and they would probably be waiting to die. But He Wenqing pulled him out of the brink of death.

Jiang Wang had just woken up and was only just beginning to recover, so he could only sit there. Shen Mingzhuang felt sorry for him and had someone bring over a small table. He then read aloud the memorials he had brought to Jiang Wang in front of the dragon bed.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!