Long Yi's voice was deep: "What are you talking about? How could I be the one who set the fire back then?"
Qiao Wanyou shook her head repeatedly, and tears immediately filled her eyes.
"Ever since I came back to you, I've been suppressing my emotions. Even though I've lost my memory, I subconsciously know that it was you who wanted to kill us, mother and son, so I didn't dare reveal anything. I figured that by being cautious, I wouldn't cause any trouble for the children."
Tears suddenly rolled down my cheeks.
Long Yi ordered Eunuch Han: "Go and guard it, and don't let anyone get close."
Fu Ciyi also ordered Nanny Li to guard it.
The two said they were leaving.
Yan Funing stood up and took out a handkerchief and gave it to her mother-in-law.
Qiao Wanyou took the handkerchief, wiped her tears, and continued, "Gradually, my eyes began to sense light, until I could see the outlines of people and objects. By the night of the Lantern Festival, I could see everything. I didn't dare reveal anything to you."
"I told myself that the person who wanted to harm us, mother and son, was right beside me. No matter who it was, the enemy was out in the open, but I had lost my memory and didn't know. I had to be cautious and careful."
"Do you know that feeling?"
Her tears fell.
Long Yi reached out to pull her hand, but she slapped it away.
She continued tearfully, "I can see the children, see the grown-up Wen Yu, and see what the twins, a boy and a girl, who were born after so much hardship, look like. I can't tell you how excited I am."
"When I left Beijing, Wen Yu was only five years old, and Nan Yao and Bei Mo were still in my belly. Now Wen Yu has grown into such a tall and handsome man. I haven't seen Nan Yao and Bei Mo since they were born, and they are growing up well now too."
"Fu Ning, my daughter! She is so kind, but I can't see her. So what if I could touch her?"
"When I saw them, I was so excited. It was all because of you. Because you wanted to kill us. I didn't dare to show it."
“Only when I wake up in the middle of the night will I be in bed, alone and excited.”
"I have had less time to be alone and excited, all because you have always stayed in my palace during this period."
"Your Majesty, the impact of the past is truly too great. So great that even though I have lost my memory, I don't want to return to the capital while I am in Ling County. So great that even if I return to your side, I dare not return to my original self."
"I'm being very cautious because I'm afraid the children will be in danger again."
"Even if I were in my own bedroom, even if I could see with my own eyes, even if I could really see the children, I could only calmly tell them that I could see them."
"I'm so calm, not because I'm not excited, but because I'm afraid you might have spies in my chambers."
"Now that we've come to this, let's be frank. You are the emperor, so it's easy for you to take the lives of us mother and son. If you want to kill us or cut us up, please finish speaking before you act."
"And now you say you've missed me for more than ten years."
"But you wanted to kill us mother and son back then. Even if you wanted to hide your mother's secret, even if you wanted to kill me, you didn't know that I was pregnant at the time, but Wenyu is your flesh and blood!"
Qiao Wanyou hit Long Yi like crazy, grabbed his collar and shook him hard.
"He's so sensible and cute, and you actually want to kill him too?"
I couldn't stop crying while speaking.
Long Yi held her in his arms and let her lean on his shoulder, her tears still flowing onto his dragon robe.
Fu Ciyi, Yan Funing, Fu Nanyao and Fu Beimo had never seen their mother in such a state.
The four of them called out, "Mom."
Long Yi reached out and patted Qiao Wanyou's back gently: "Even if I kill everyone in the world, I will never kill you."
"What about Wenyu?"
"That brat and my own princess caused you to faint. I did have the intention to kill you, but that was just angry talk, not true. Wanyou, even if you don't trust others, you should trust me!"
Qiao Wanyou sneered: "No, I saw you set the fire with my own eyes!"
Fu Beimo asked softly, "Did Queen Mother see how Father set the fire?"
Fu Nanyao also asked, "What shameful things did the Empress Dowager see?"
"Questions one by one, how did I start the fire?"
"Why can't it be you?" Fu Ciyi said coldly, "During the fire, I saw you standing outside the scene with my own eyes, watching coldly as the flames engulfed me and the people around me."
"Don't interrupt, you little brat. Listen to your mother." Long Yi scolded.
"That day, we had a huge argument. When you left my yard, you swung your sleeve and knocked over the flower-post lamp. Do you still remember?"
Qiao Wanyou's voice softened and the tears on her face subsided a lot.
Long Yi said, "Yes, you and I had a big argument that day. You said my mother had done something wrong to my father, and I said that was impossible. You thought I was defending my mother and not standing on your side, so we had a big argument. In fact, we had argued frequently before that, all because of your bad relationship with my mother. I thought the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was difficult, so I didn't take it too seriously. I didn't expect that argument to be so fierce."
This time he did not call himself "Zhen".
Qiao Wanyou shook her head and smiled tearfully, "The relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is difficult, all because your mother doesn't like me. I'm a mother-in-law now, but my relationship with Fu Ning is better than that of a real mother and daughter. If we talk about mother-in-law and daughter-in-law problems, then the problem lies with your mother. I know you want to defend your mother again, and it's only natural for a son to defend his mother, but what I said back then was what I saw and heard with my own eyes."
"What on earth did you see that caused you to have such a big misunderstanding?" Long Yi frowned.
Qiao Wanyou didn't answer, but asked herself, "Will you admit that you flicked your sleeve and knocked over the flower pillar lamp?"
"Yes, I was angry and upset at the time, and I did knock over the flower-post lamp. The flames instantly ignited the gauze curtains, but I immediately ordered the people around me to put out the fire."
Qiao Wanyou shook her head: "No, I only saw the gauze curtain catch fire. Wen Yu woke me up afterwards, and that's how we escaped."
Long Yi grasped the doubt in his words and said, "Wait, so after you saw me knock over the lamp and the gauze curtains caught fire, you fainted?"
"I seem to have fainted. I can't remember exactly what happened. My memory hasn't fully returned yet, but I remember the argument we had before the fire and the scene that caused it."
"I did order someone to put out the fire on the gauze curtains." Long Yi's eyebrows knitted tighter and tighter. "There's something fishy about this. The curtains started burning in the first half of the night, and the fire raged in the second half. There were several hours in between. That fire definitely had nothing to do with me."
"It has nothing to do with Father. So what happened to the fire back then?" Fu Ciyi asked coldly, "There was such a big fire. Didn't you investigate afterwards?"
"You bastard! How do you know I haven't investigated?" Long Yi cursed. "Everyone in the capital knows that the fire burned everything to ashes, leaving not even a trace. I even asked the Jingzhao Prefecture to investigate, but they couldn't find the cause. They only said it might have been caused by someone living in the courtyard accidentally knocking over a candle. But at that time, no one in the entire courtyard survived, and the matter was..."
Fu Ciyi asked again, "Even if the fire had nothing to do with you, I clearly saw you standing there in the open air watching with cold eyes. How do you explain it?"
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