Chapter 98: A Son Cannot Live Without His Mother

The fifteenth prince looked up at the unrecognizable Concubine Dun, and his eyes instantly turned red.

This was the first time Concubine Dun spoke to him since he moved out of Qiuhua Palace. He felt wronged but also very happy. Tears were still welling up in his eyes, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.

But when he thought about how she was so determined not to want him, he felt very uncomfortable. He deliberately straightened his face and spoke in a deliberately distant tone, "What does the queen want to say to me?"

Looking at the little boy she had raised since childhood, Concubine Dun's throat choked up. She held his little hand with one hand and put the other hand on his head, gently stroking it, just like she had done countless times before.

Feeling the gentle touch of the hand on his head, Fifteen's tears, which had been held back for a long time, suddenly rolled down. He turned his head away awkwardly, not wanting Concubine Dun to see him crying.

She doesn't want him anymore, so she wouldn't feel bad even if he cried to death, so why should he embarrass himself in front of her.

Seeing the little boy turning his head away and crying secretly, Concubine Dun felt as if her heart was being grasped by a big hand. She felt so distressed that she turned her head away and wiped the corners of her eyes quietly.

The maid standing nearby was heartbroken and whispered, "Your Highness, it's very hot outside. Bring the little prince inside to sit down."

Concubine Dun held Fifteen's hand and walked into the palace. Fifteen did not struggle and followed her in.

Concubine Dun took Fifteen to the couch and sat down. She looked at the little boy carefully and saw that his face was much thinner than before. She felt distressed and guilty, but didn't know what to say.

It was she who had bad intentions first, and it was she who suggested not to have a fifteenth birthday. It seemed too hypocritical for her to say anything caring now.

Fifteen waited for a while and saw that Concubine Dun held his hand tightly and remained silent. He couldn't help but look up at her.

Concubine Dun's eyes were filled with sorrow. She stared at him without blinking, tears already streaming down her face.

Concubine Dun always used to dress up beautifully, but the few times he secretly came to see her, he found that she only had a simple bun and did not wear any jewelry. She looked very haggard.

The fifteenth prince felt upset and subconsciously reached out to wipe Concubine Dun's tears. He habitually called out, "Mother Concubine..."

When the word "Mother" was called out, both of them were stunned. Shiwu pursed his lips and swallowed back the words of comfort that were about to come.

But Concubine Dun could no longer hold back and pulled the little boy into her arms. She hugged him and cried bitterly, "Fifteen, I was wrong. I'm sorry for you."

Concubine Dun cried heartbrokenly and kept saying apologies.

Fifteen was held in that familiar and warm embrace. He pursed his lips and tried to hold back his tears, but finally couldn't hold it back anymore. He reached out and grabbed Concubine Dun's clothes and started to cry loudly.

Ever since he moved out of Qiuhua Palace, the little boy has been pretending to be strong and indifferent, using indifference and numbness to build a fortress for his wounded heart.

But no one knew how sad and heartbroken he was.

Sometimes, he was particularly envious of Seventeen. Although Seventeen had a hard life before, now he had Rufei who loved him and was happy all day long, and his life was full of hope.

But what about him? He was originally pampered, but suddenly he was abandoned. He moved to Jingming Palace alone. No one cared about him, and no one loved him anymore. He had to live like this for the rest of his life.

The little boy cried more and more aggrieved, sobbing and complaining: "Why don't you want me? I have already kowtowed and admitted my fault."

Concubine Dun knew that the Fifteenth Prince was talking about him apologizing to Concubine Shu on her behalf, and she felt even more pain in her heart.

Yes, it was Concubine Shu who made the mistake. What kind of evil did she have? Why did she blame the Fifteenth Child? That was the child she raised with her own hands, such a well-behaved and lovely child.

Concubine Dun burst into tears: "Mother is wrong, Mother is really wrong."

The palace maid beside her couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she slowly retreated to the door, turned her back and started crying along with him.

The mother and son hugged each other and cried for a long time before they stopped.

Fifteen, like before, grabbed onto Concubine Dun's clothes and nestled in her arms, which had grown from small to large. Her little shoulders were still shaking, but she felt extremely at ease.

Concubine Dun's eyes were red and swollen. She held the sobbing little boy tightly in her arms and rocked him gently. The dark clouds that had been weighing on her heart for months slowly dissipated, and it seemed as if some sunshine was pouring in. She felt much more relaxed, and her brows, which had been locked for a long time, also relaxed.

The two of them sat there quietly until they heard a growl in their stomach.

Fifteen covered her stomach with her two little hands and said awkwardly, "I'm not hungry."

The little boy's words made Concubine Dun burst into laughter. She said, "Hurry up and serve the meal."

Seeing the mother and son reconcile, the palace maid waiting at the door was so happy that she almost cried. She replied happily, "Yes, I will go right away."

While the palace maid was out serving the meal, Concubine Dun asked someone to fetch some water. She took a wet towel and carefully wiped Fifteen's face and hands. She held him in her arms from beginning to end, never letting him go for even a moment.

The eight-year-old boy, like a baby who couldn't take care of himself yet, leaned obediently in Concubine Dun's arms and let her take care of him without any resistance.

He felt that Concubine Dun still loved him, but at that time she said in front of His Majesty and the Queen that she didn't want him, so how could she easily go back on her word?

He didn't know if she would treat him like this again after today, so he had to cherish this opportunity. Thinking this in his heart, the little boy nudged himself into Concubine Dun's arms again.

Noticing the little boy's dependence on her, Concubine Dun felt very sad and her heart softened. She bent down and kissed the little boy on the head. Without any hesitation, she made a decision immediately.

When the food was served, Concubine Dun carried Fifteen to the table, put him on a chair, and picked up the chopsticks to put food into the bowl in front of him.

Crystal shrimp, braised yellow croaker, lotus root and pork ribs soup...

Fifteen looked at the table full of his favorite dishes and felt surprised. He couldn't help but look at Concubine Dun.

Concubine Dun said nothing, just focused on putting food into his bowl one by one. The maid beside him smiled and explained: "My little prince, since you moved out, the queen has ordered the kitchen to prepare your favorite dishes every day, and she is looking forward to your return to eat a meal."

It turned out that his mother had always been thinking about him. The Fifteenth Prince felt warm in his heart. He looked at Concubine Dun and saw that she looked uncomfortable. She was still putting food into the bowl that had been piled up like a mountain in front of him.

The little boy pouted, tears flashing in his eyes. He reached out and hugged Concubine Dun's arm, buried his little face in her arm and rubbed it, and said in a muffled voice: "Mother, do you still want me?"

Concubine Dun had already made up her mind. She planned to ask Fifteen after dinner whether he was still willing to acknowledge her as his mother. If he was willing, she would take Fifteen to see the Empress and His Majesty, kneel down and kowtow, and beg Fifteen to come back. But she didn't expect that he would ask the question first.

Hearing the boy's cautious voice, Concubine Dun threw her chopsticks on the table, held the boy's shoulders with both hands, looked into his eyes, and said with a trembling voice: "Are you still willing to have me as your mother?"

Fifteen nodded: "Fifteen has always been willing, it's mother who doesn't want me."

The aggrieved look in the little boy's eyes made Concubine Dun's heart ache. She hugged the little boy into her arms, crying and laughing: "I'm sorry, I will never do such a stupid thing again in the future."

The fifteenth prince was overjoyed. He raised his head from Concubine Dun's arms and asked eagerly, "Does mother still want me?"

There were tears in Concubine Dun's eyes, but she smiled and nodded heavily: "Yes, yes."

After receiving such a positive answer, Fifteen was overjoyed, his face lit up with joy, and he jumped from the chair to the ground, "Mother, I will move all the things back now."

Seeing the little boy dancing with joy, Concubine Dun couldn't help laughing. She reached out and took him, touching his little face lovingly: "Fifteen, let's eat first, and then go find the Queen and His Majesty."

The King never jokes. When Fifteen heard this, he immediately became nervous: "Mother, will the Queen Mother and Father agree?"

---

Fengyi Palace.

After hearing what Concubine Dun said, the Queen remained expressionless and just silently looked at Concubine Dun who was kneeling on the ground.

Seeing that the empress was frowning and didn't answer, Concubine Dun kowtowed again, speaking earnestly and crying: "Your Majesty, I really know I was wrong. Please give me a chance. I will serve Fifteen wholeheartedly in the future."

Fifteen, who was kneeling beside Concubine Dun, also kowtowed and cried: "Mother, please forgive my mother. I can't live without her. I miss her very much, I really miss her."

The fifteenth prince stopped talking, pulled Concubine Dun's sleeve, and started crying.

The queen said nothing, still keeping a serious face. She had long seen that the mother-son relationship between Concubine Dun and Fifteen was not over, and she knew that the two secretly visited each other, and she had long expected that this day would come sooner or later.

But raising an imperial heir is no joke, and she cannot give in easily. She must let Concubine Dun know that it is not easy to bring the child back, so that she will not easily have any other thoughts in the future.

She was silent for a while, then she slowly spoke: "Princess Dun, when the Imperial Concubine repeatedly asked you if you had made up your mind, and you said you had, I agreed to your request."

Concubine Dun kowtowed again and said, "Your Majesty, I regret it. Ever since Fifteen moved out, I have been feeling uneasy and have been unable to sleep or eat. These past few days, I have thought about everything over and over again and have finally figured it out. What happened to Concubine Shu was an unintentional mistake on her part. She did not intend to harm me, and it had nothing to do with Fifteen."

The Queen asked, "Do you really think so?"

Concubine Dun nodded repeatedly: "Although Concubine Shu caused me to be unable to have children, she also sent Fifteen to me. Fifteen is so well-behaved and filial, I really love him. At that time, I was crazy, but now I have really thought it through. I beg Your Majesty to give me a chance." Concubine Dun said, choking up again.

Fifteen also begged: "Please give my mother a chance."

Seeing that it was almost done, the Queen sighed and said, "As a mother, it's not that I am inflexible, but you know that I agreed to this matter with the consent of His Majesty. Now that you are like this, I can't make the decision on my own. I have to ask His Majesty first."

Fifteen held onto Concubine Dun's arm, her face full of worry. Concubine Dun showed a courageous look: "I beg the Empress to plead for me. As long as you allow me to be Fifteen's mother again, I am willing to accept any punishment."

The queen looked at Concubine Dun with scrutiny and sighed in her heart. However, in just a short period of time, the once lively and beautiful woman became extremely thin, haggard, and tattered, as if she had aged several years in an instant.

But it doesn't matter. After all the trouble Concubine Dun made before, she finally resolved her worries. Now that she wants Fifteen back, I believe she will definitely treat Fifteen well.

The queen stood up and helped Concubine Dun and the fifteenth prince up: "Go with me to Chongde Hall. I will go to plead with His Majesty."