Chapter 112 Before the Battle
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the smell of medicine was even stronger than before.
The emperor leaned against the dragon bed, his face sallow, his eyes sunken, and his breathing heavy and labored, clearly indicating that his illness had worsened. When he saw Zhang enter, a faint light seemed to appear in his cloudy eyes, and he struggled to sit up.
In the halo of light, he seemed to see the way she looked when he first met her on Mount Huaqing, so dazzling...
"My beloved concubine...you've arrived." The emperor's voice was weak and feeble.
Zhang did not kneel down, but stood a meter away from the dragon bed, her voice distant yet respectful: "This sinful woman, Zhang, pays her respects to Your Majesty."
However, the emperor did not blame her for her weakness. Instead, he offered her a seat on the couch. He carefully examined Consort Zhang. The years and the hardships of the cold palace had left their marks on her face, but her unique, aloof and proud temperament had not changed. In fact, it was even stronger than before.
The hall fell silent for a moment, with only the emperor's heavy breathing remaining.
After a long silence, the emperor finally spoke with difficulty, his tone carrying a rare vulnerability and uncertainty: "I...I am ill this time, and the onset of my illness has been strange and fierce. The incompetent people in the Imperial Hospital are helpless. I'm afraid...I'm afraid I won't make it through this."
Consort Zhang listened quietly with her eyes lowered, her face expressionless, as if she were listening to something that had nothing to do with her.
Seeing her indifference, the emperor felt a pang of pain in his heart and couldn't help but reach out to grab her hand, but Zhang subtly avoided it.
The emperor's hand froze in mid-air, a trace of embarrassment and pain flashing across his face. He said in an almost pleading tone, "What happened to Wan'er back then was... I was confused. I wronged you... You've been in this cold palace for more than ten years. I haven't had a single day of peace in my heart."
"I know it's a good thing that Lin'er is taking you out of the palace, but... but could you please stay in the palace for the time being, for the sake of our past relationship? Keep me company, I'm afraid... I need you."
"You know that the only person I have ever loved is you. It is because you were unwilling to accept me that you have also harmed Lin'er."
These were his most genuine thoughts during his vulnerable moments of illness. He feared dying alone and hoped that the woman he had once deeply loved yet also deeply hurt would be by his side.
However, when Zhang raised her eyes, she looked at the old and sickly emperor before her, the man who had once bestowed upon her unparalleled favor and then personally pushed her into the abyss. In her heart, there was neither hatred nor love, only complete relief and a longing to stay away.
It's ridiculous that he still blames his own greed for power on a woman who has no power to rely on.
She slowly rose, knelt down, and spoke in a clear and resolute voice, leaving no room for negotiation:
“Your Majesty is too kind. The affection we once shared has long been worn away by the days and nights spent in the Cold Palace. This woman now only wishes to leave the palace with her son, to live out her remaining years in peace and quiet. The Empress and my sisters are already serving Your Majesty in the palace, and there is no need for another woman like me. I humbly beg Your Majesty to grant my request.”
Seeing the undisguised aloofness and desire to leave in her eyes, the Emperor finally understood that their relationship had long been severed and there was no possibility of anything more between them.
A wave of immense despair and sorrow washed over the emperor, who suddenly coughed violently, coughing up blood! The eunuchs rushed forward to attend to him.
Consort Zhang remained kneeling there, head bowed, her posture respectful.
The emperor waved his hand weakly, his voice hoarse and broken: "Go...you...go..."
Consort Zhang kowtowed and said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty." She then stood up, turned around without looking back, and walked out of the palace prison that had confined her for more than twenty years.
For her, the outside world was true freedom.
The emperor on the dragon bed, watching her resolute back, coughed up a mouthful of blood and fainted completely.
*
When Mu Cenlin helped his mother step into the gate of the Prince Jing's mansion, Li Bao'er was already waiting respectfully with all the servants of the mansion.
When she saw the person coming, she quickly stepped forward and, together with Mu Cenlin, respectfully helped Zhang Shi up on either side.
"Daughter-in-law Li Bao'er welcomes Mother Consort back to the mansion." Li Bao'er's voice was gentle. When Mu Cenlin sent someone to inform her of this news in advance, she had prepared everything. She felt sorry for her mother-in-law whom she had not seen for so long. She had been trapped in that one place for more than 20 years. How lonely she must have been.
Looking at her beautiful and elegant daughter-in-law, Zhang finally felt tears welling up in her eyes. She held Li Bao'er's hand tightly, her voice choked with emotion, "Good child... get up quickly, I'm so sorry to have wronged you."
"What are you saying, Mother? This is your home, how could you feel wronged?" Li Bao'er comforted her with a smile, and together with Mu Cenlin, carefully helped Zhang Shi into the palace.
After settling his mother in and having dinner, and seeing that she was in good spirits and resting peacefully, Mu Cenlin took Li Bao'er back to the main courtyard.
The night was deep, and the candlelight inside the room flickered.
Mu Cenlin embraced Li Bao'er, gently resting his chin on the top of her head, his voice filled with reluctance and heaviness at their impending separation: "Bao'er, the situation at the border is urgent, and I must lead my troops out in three days."
Li Bao'er's heart tightened. Although she had expected it, hearing it with her own ears still made her heart ache. She wrapped her arms around his strong waist and gave a muffled "hmm".
Mu Cenlin sensed her unease and held her even tighter, continuing, "This time, I'm leaving the capital, and my return date is uncertain. The situation in the capital is complex; Father is seriously ill, the Crown Prince is overseeing the country, and undercurrents are surging. I've already arranged for people to stay; Yuan Ting, Feng Li, and Zhu Zhi will all remain, and the guards at the Prince's residence will be tripled. You and Mother can stay here peacefully and wait for my triumphant return, okay?"
However, as soon as he finished speaking, the person in his arms suddenly raised her head, her beautiful eyes wide open, filled with the words "You can forget about it."
"No!" she refused decisively, leaving no room for negotiation.
Mu Cenlin was taken aback, and tried to persuade her: "Bao'er, the border is bitterly cold, and the war is dangerous. It's no child's play. You should stay in the capital..."
“It’s precisely because it’s dangerous that I’m going!” Li Bao’er interrupted him, her tone becoming agitated. “Mu Cenlin, what do you take me for? A canary that can only share the good times but not the bad?”
Bao'er broke free from his embrace, stood in front of him, tilted her head back with a fierce, stubborn look in her eyes: "Let me tell you, don't even think about leaving me alone in the capital! Wherever you go, I'll go!"
"Bao'er, stop fooling around." Mu Cenlin frowned, feeling both touched and worried.
"I'm not making a fuss!" Li Bao'er took a deep breath, her eyes becoming unusually serious. "Mu Cenlin, listen carefully. If you dare to secretly abandon me and run off to the border, the moment you leave, I'll pack my bags, take A-Yu, and head straight to the border to find you! I mean what I say! You should weigh the options yourself: is it safer for me to stay under your nose, or is it more dangerous for me to travel thousands of miles there on my own!"
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