Chapter 76
Lingwu paused slightly, forgetting to tell Sang Lingwu that all the soups she made would make people temporarily forget all their past.
But she didn't expect that after asking the question, Sang Lingwu would still remember to smile brightly at her.
Then she said earnestly, "Thank you."
"Why thank me?" Ling Wu's voice was soft and gentle.
"I don't know either, but seeing this magnificent scene fills me with contentment, as if... I have no regrets."
After saying that, she inexplicably floated towards the late emperor's bedchamber and knelt and kowtowed three times and nine times before the memorial tablet.
Lingwu raised her hand and touched her brow from a distance, bringing back all the thoughts she had forgotten.
Then she said, "I am guilty. I indulged in love, causing the people to suffer and the Qi Dynasty to be besieged on all sides. I have ruined the century-old foundation of our dynasty. I am incompetent and ashamed before my father, my ancestors, and heaven and earth."
A breeze blew, carrying no trace of spirits, yet it was incredibly warm. The butterfly that lingered on the memorial tablet passed through Sang Lingwu's soul and landed on the ground in front of her.
It seemed as if they were bowing in gratitude.
"Thank you, sir," Sang Lingwu said.
The butterfly flew out of the window and then quietly disappeared.
The purest souls always put revenge in the latter category. This was true for Bai Lingwu and Sang Lingwu, but Sheng Lingwu never even mentioned revenge.
However, it is precisely because of this that the underworld grants them an opportunity.
After all, there are eighteen levels of hell, each with a different kind of person to be punished. Those who are not in those levels can receive blessings, which is why they are purer than many other souls.
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June, Luanfeng Palace.
A baby's cry echoed throughout the imperial city, heralding the birth of the next empress.
After glancing at her, Ling Wu calmly issued her decree:
“The daughter born to the Empress shall be the Crown Princess.”
Then he stepped into the delivery room, which reeked of blood, but the midwife quickly stopped him, saying, "The delivery room is filthy, Your Majesty, you mustn't..."
But Lingwu did not stop, and the old man had no choice but to kneel down and dare not utter another word.
The attendants who had been waiting did not follow.
Yun Ji gave a faint but sincere smile.
Qianqing remained composed, occasionally revealing a slight smile, and sometimes lowered her head to look at the dried flowers sealed between her fingers, lost in thought.
Zi Sangqi patted his stomach, then pursed his lips before leaning against a tree, frowning in deep thought.
When Ling Wu stepped in, Xi Ruoyu was pale-faced and completely dazed.
Upon seeing Ling Wu, he raised his hand to touch her.
The scene of her first meeting with His Majesty four years ago, amidst the falling petals, with her gentle and courteous smile, is gradually fading away.
Then came that rainy night.
A thunderous roar echoed in his ears as his wife arrived in the rain, enveloped in the misty rain, yet she made sure to drape herself in a cloak of cold air as she stepped into the palace, lest she feel even a trace of chill.
"My lady." Xi Ruoyu felt a sudden lump in her throat.
He held Lingwu's hand tightly.
At this moment, he didn't want to push his wife away any further; this moment was enough.
"My lady, where is the child?" Xi Ruoyu asked, her fingertips trembling.
Ling Wu paused slightly, "She's fine, and you should recover quickly too."
After hearing this, Xi Ruoyu breathed a sigh of relief, but her fingertips were still trembling slightly.
"Your Majesty, what if Ruoyu dies..."
Lingwu interrupted, "I will not let you die. If you do die, I will go to the underworld and bring your soul back."
She glanced at Xi Ruoyu's pale face and bloodless lips, then suddenly reached out and covered the back of his hand.
"I'm here to handle everything."
"Your Majesty," Xi Ruoyu choked out.
Lingwu reached out and patted his back gently to comfort him.
The aloof young master in her arms seemed as if he could leave this world at any moment, his voice muffled and indistinct.
"If... Ruoyu dies, Your Majesty... will entrust the child to the Imperial Noble Consort."
He could tell that Yun Ji didn't love children. He didn't know why. Perhaps it was because he was afraid of losing his figure, perhaps because he was afraid of pain, or perhaps because his childhood, which he could never heal, instilled in him a fear of children.
He could see Yunji's fear of the child born from his own womb, a fear that made his hands go cold just thinking about it.
And a thousand acres...
Even though Qianqing had always been at odds with him, he possessed the pride of someone from a military family and would not resort to underhanded methods, much less harm the child.
In particular, it will not harm His Majesty's bloodline.
These words were left in the master's mouth as he fell into a coma.
However, Xi Ruoyu's worries stopped there.
The following year, it was June.
Despite the sweltering heat, Sangyu felt no irritation.
She stared at the chessboard the little girl in front of her had handed her, her lips twitching slightly, before squatting down to ask the little princess in a black phoenix robe a question.
"Please tell Your Highness, who told your royal aunt that she loves chess?"
The little and adorable Crown Princess had big, bright eyes that darted around, making one's heart soften.
"Five-nut!" A voice, though unclear, was full of energy. "Nobody!"
Sang Yu's heart skipped a beat; that little liar!
Then he glanced at the items on the baby's first birthday gift, and finally stared at Ling Wu with a dark expression.
Sure enough, she saw a smile in her own elder sister's eyes.
Sang Yu sighed softly, "Alright, then your aunt will have no choice but to use this chess set to defeat your mother!"
"Hmph~ Gugu can't beat me!"
Sang Yu smiled and pinched the Crown Princess's little face.
The little baby pouted, too angry to speak, and after a long while finally managed to utter a single, slurred, "Bad!"
He then grabbed the miniature jade seal, held it in his hand, and asked Ling Wu for a hug, looking aggrieved.
Xi Ruoyu slightly curved her lips, like a mountain spring covered by solid ice in the cold winter, clear and cool to the touch.
It was a rare moment of harmony and joy.
Zi Sangqi stood up, ignoring the gasps around him, and handed over the small gold jewel token from the Quanrong princess, saying, "This is a birthday gift from my father to Your Highness."
The young princess did not answer, but instead looked up at Ling Wu.
Lingwu nodded slightly, and the young princess accepted it.
Zisang then stepped back and returned to his seat.
Everything was understood without words; following her example, he presented a congratulatory gift for her child.
The first territory belonging to the next female emperor.
That night, the young princess went to bed early, but her father sat by the bedside, gazing at the bright moonlight outside the window.
After a while, he got up and slowly walked to the door.
Just as Ling Wu was about to step across the threshold, a delicate hand stopped her.
Lingwu looked in the direction of the gaze, "Ruoyu hasn't rested yet?"
"My lady has not had her pulse checked for a long time. It just so happens that the head physician came today, so I kept her here."
Lingwu grasped his hand and then went inside together. "Then let her take a number, so that my Empress won't worry."
This time, Xi Ruoyu grasped Ling Wu's hand in return, "Your Majesty is so kind, but I hope that Your Majesty can always be well."
Always and always.
While taking the pulse, Ling Wu stared at the physician for a long time, making her blush and her heart race, before she finally looked away.
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