Chapter 332 Extra 3 (Giving Up the World for Her)
Xiao Heng raised his lips, "Yes, friend."
"So Ziying... I don't want you to live in a cage any longer. Your world should be the vast expanse of heaven and earth, the wind in the woods, the moon beneath the eaves, not this tiny birdcage."
Ziying blinked her eyes, as if she understood what her master said.
Xiao Heng gently rubbed its head and said, "Go, go to the vast sea and sky, spread your wings and fly, be a free bird in the world, and enjoy the rest of your life."
The Purple Shadow is a rare bird that was presented as tribute and can live up to twenty to thirty years.
In the past two years, it has become increasingly old, and its feathers are not as shiny and dense as before.
Maybe...it won't be long.
Finally, he wanted to set it free, soar thousands of miles, and return to the earth.
Ziying seemed reluctant to leave, but raised her head and looked at the scenery outside.
In the end, she rubbed Xiao Heng's fingertips and refused to leave.
Xiao Heng smiled, "Don't worry about me."
"I will also be like you, stepping out of this palace wall and becoming the free wind between heaven and earth, without any cage to confine me."
"Let's go, dear."
After saying this, he raised his hand gently.
The purple shadow flapped its wings and took off. This time it did not linger, but only circled half a circle above his head, its cry clear and plaintive.
In a moment, it flapped its wings and rushed towards the eastern sky.
Watching the shadow fly farther and farther away and gradually disappear, Xiao Heng felt relieved.
I have been trapped in this palace for more than twenty years. The first half of my life was spent fighting for power, and the second half was spent fighting for the country.
He seems to rule the world, but in reality he is no different from the purple shadow in the cage - both are trapped in an invisible cage and cannot be at ease.
Now, Ziying goes to look for its forest.
And he also wants to find the person he is thinking about.
I bid farewell to the palace and head for the vast sky.
Xiao Heng put on a veil hat, and the gauze curtain fell, covering most of his face.
He walked down the stairs step by step. When he reached the palace gate, he suddenly heard a hoarse voice behind him: "Heng'er——"
Xiao Heng's steps suddenly stopped, and his eyes trembled under the veil.
He turned around and saw the empress dowager, half supported and half supported by a nanny, staggering towards him. The silver hair on her temples was blown messy by the morning breeze, making her look a little panicked.
"Where are you going? You are the emperor of Jingyuan, where do you want to go?"
The Queen Mother's chest heaved as she walked to Xiao Heng's side.
Xiao Heng gently opened the veil slightly and said calmly, "My Queen Mother already knows, so why ask again?"
"The Emperor!" The Queen Mother was so angry that she was shaking all over and her eyes were red.
"She's just a woman. Is it worth it for you to give up your status as an emperor to find her?"
"It's worth it!" Xiao Heng didn't hesitate at all, his face was firm.
"In the eyes of my mother, she is just a woman. But in my heart, she is my life."
"For me, a vast kingdom, a thousand years of emperorship, cannot compare to a smile from her brow."
Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother staggered back half a step, tears immediately filling her eyes.
He said Liu Yuetang was his life, and she believed it!
Thinking back, when Xiao Heng thought she had died in the fire, and when she quietly left the palace, it almost cost him his life.
But……
"But you are my only son, Heng'er."
The Queen Mother tightly grasped Xiao Heng's wrist, tears blurring his face. "Mother, I can't live without you."
There was a plea in her voice that was on the verge of breaking. Xiao Heng felt a bitter feeling in his heart and looked at the empress dowager quietly.
"Mother, do you know what I remembered when I heard you call Heng'er when I was standing at the palace gate just now?"
Without waiting for the Queen Mother to reply, he continued, "I remember when I was seven years old, when Mother Wen Yi came to Jinyuan Palace to pick me up. I stood at the gate of Jinyuan Palace. At that time, I wished so much that you would call out to me from behind and tell everyone that I am your son and no one can take me away."
"But what?"
Xiao Heng pursed his lips in sorrow.
The Queen Mother burst into tears.
"But I turned back every few steps, but I never saw you."
He took a deep breath. "Mother, do you know that I couldn't live without you at that time? In my heart, you are the only mother."
"But you still ruthlessly abandoned me."
Hearing this, the Queen Mother's heart was broken, her eyes filled with regret and pain. She tightly grasped Xiao Heng's hand and choked with sobs, "Heng'er, Mother was wrong, Mother was wrong."
Xiao Heng gently pushed her hand away with an expressionless face.
Her hands were warm, warmer than I had ever felt before.
However, it could no longer warm Xiao Heng's heart.
"Mother...oh no."
Xiao Heng changed his tone. His eyes were as distant and cold as if he were looking at a stranger. "Queen Dowager, your son is dead. There is no longer any Emperor Xiao Heng in the world. There is only the commoner Xiao Heng."
He lowered his robe and bowed, reaching the ground with a deep salutation. The veil slid down to cover his face. "I will take my leave. I hope the Queen Mother takes good care of herself."
When he stood up, his gaze did not linger for a moment, he turned around and walked out.
"Heng'er..." The Queen Mother wanted to reach out and hold him, but her fingertips only brushed the edge of his bluish-white clothes.
His back was resolute, without any hesitation.
Until the plain shadow disappeared outside the palace gate, the Queen Mother completely collapsed and fell to the ground.
She finally understood what the Grand Empress Dowager had told her: "A child's heart is like a piece of hot tofu. Once it gets cold, it can never be warmed up again."
Even though she felt a thousand regrets, no matter how hard she tried in the past few years, Heng'er was always cold and indifferent to her.
The wrong path and broken heart can never be recovered.
"Heng'er..." The Queen Mother suddenly raised her hand and pounded her aching chest again and again.
"I was wrong! I was wrong!" Her voice suddenly rose, filled with heart-wrenching sobs.
"Empress Dowager..." Nanny Zhu grabbed the Empress Dowager's wrist and held her tightly in her arms.
The two hugged each other in agony. Nanny Zhu stroked the Queen Mother's back and said in a hoarse voice, "Queen Mother, please let the Emperor go. He will be happy when he leaves."
"These years...he has suffered so much."
"Let him leave the palace and live as he pleases."
The Queen Mother sobbed in pain, her tears soaking Nanny Zhu's clothes, "This is my retribution! This is my retribution!"
In the past, she was obsessed with the death of her youngest son and believed that Heng'er had killed him.
So, she hated Xiao Heng, blamed him, and was angry with him.
She ignored him and let Empress Wen Yi take her away.
And now, tit for tat.
Her son... her only son, didn't want her anymore.
After that, she had no children, no husband, and no companion.
Despite his noble status, he lived alone and lonely in this nine-story palace.
The morning mist dissipated, and only her lonely figure remained in front of the palace gate, and the silver sunlight scattered all over the ground.
A funeral bell suddenly sounded from the depths of the imperial city, heavy and gloomy, freezing the empress dowager's crying.
In the Purple Palace, Zhou Defu announced the decree with tears in his eyes:
The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims:
Since I ascended the throne, I have relied on the blessings of Heaven and the protection of my ancestors to ensure peace and prosperity for the country and the people. However, my health is now failing, and I know my time is near. I dare not abandon my responsibility to the nation, and I have issued this will to determine my final arrangements.
After I pass away, I will pass the throne to the eldest prince Xiao Cheng'an, and order him to ascend the throne as emperor, inherit the throne, and preside over state affairs.
Prince Beichen and Grand Tutor Chen were appointed as ministers of state to assist the new monarch, rectify the government, and ensure the safety of the country.
The Queen has always been virtuous and has made great contributions to my upbringing. After my death, she should be honored as the Empress Dowager and receive the filial care of the whole world.
All ministers inside and outside the country must strictly abide by this edict, work together to assist in governing the country, and not go against my will.
So ordered.
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