The night is dark and silent like water.
The emperor, who was staying in the imperial concubine's bedroom, had a dream that night.
In his dream, he returned to the night when the queen gave birth eighteen years ago.
The queen screamed in pain in her bedroom.
He paced back and forth outside the palace.
Suddenly there was a cry, and before he could put on a smile, the sound died down.
The midwife who delivered the baby screamed and ran out in fear, holding a civet cat.
The bloody hairless civet cat frightened the empress dowager and concubines present.
But he didn't care about that and calmly let someone deal with it.
However, the news of this matter still leaked out.
There was a drought in the south, and the harvest was completely lost. The Imperial Astronomical Observatory said that there was an evil spirit causing trouble in the palace, while others said it was the queen.
Even the Queen Mother thought so.
Facing the calls from civil and military officials as well as the people, the prime minister put the country first and asked him to execute the queen.
But how important the Queen was to him, and how he didn't know that the Prime Minister and the Imperial Noble Consort were in cahoots with each other.
But at this moment, he had no way out.
In order to appease the people, he had to settle for the second best and banish the queen to the cold palace and banish her permanently.
Without his order, people inside could not come out and people outside could not come in.
Before being banned, the queen cried heartbreakingly and repeatedly said that she and her child were not monsters.
That night, the queen went crazy.
The scene changed, and he saw the crazy queen holding a child, grinning at him foolishly: "Your Majesty, look at our child, he is so cute."
The emperor didn't dare to get close or open his eyes, because he knew that every time he saw it, he would see a bloody civet cat.
When the queen saw him like this, she cried and said, "Your Majesty, please believe me. My child is not a civet cat. Look at him, look how cute he is."
The emperor looked at the tearful woman, closed his eyes, sighed deeply, and moved closer to gently stroke the queen's head, "Xiyao, I believe you."
The Queen looked disappointed: "No, you don't believe it. You don't even want to look at him. Your Majesty, in your heart, am I really a monster?"
The emperor's thin lips moved slightly, wanting to say something but not knowing where to start. He sighed helplessly and looked down. Who knew that the next moment, he was slightly startled.
This time, what was in the queen's arms was not a civet cat, but a pink and tender baby!
The baby giggled at him and stretched out its tiny hands to touch him.
The emperor held his breath and stretched out his hand, wanting to hold the little hand, but the queen and the baby in front of him instantly disappeared and his hand touched nothing.
The emperor woke up instantly.
He looked at the ceiling of the bed, then turned his head to look at the sleeping imperial concubine beside him, a hint of disgust appearing on his expressionless face.
He quietly got up and sat up, still thinking about the dream.
Eighteen years.
He never went to see her.
He is now over forty years old and the queen is thirty-four.
Having suffered so much in the cold palace, he couldn't imagine what Xiyao had become.
The emperor felt a slight headache. He raised his hand to support his forehead and felt even more disgusted with the woman on the bed.
But more of it is hatred for myself.
He couldn't even protect his loved ones and his own children. He was truly a complete failure as an emperor.
Thinking of this, the emperor put on his clothes and walked out quietly.
Upon seeing this, the palace maids and eunuchs who were guarding outside the door immediately woke up from their sleepiness, stood up straight, and bowed.
The emperor raised his hand and everyone fell silent.
"Don't disturb the Imperial Concubine." He looked at Eunuch Feng beside him and said, "Feng Cai, set up the imperial study."
Eunuch Feng responded in a low voice and followed him.
However, halfway through the journey, the emperor signaled Eunuch Feng and the others to return to the imperial study and not to follow him.
Although the young eunuch behind him was puzzled, he did not dare to say anything and obeyed the order.
The emperor went to the cold palace alone.
It was late at night and the cold palace was even more deserted. Occasionally, a concubine who had gone insane would cry and scream, which was very horrifying to hear.
The closer the emperor got to the cold palace where the queen lived, the slower his steps became.
He did not enter through the main gate. Looking at the high wall, he jumped over and entered.
What's strange is that although this is a cold palace, it is kept very clean, with vegetables and flowers planted in the yard.
Entering the bedroom, he saw the woman lying on the bed in the dim light.
The emperor's heartbeat quickened as he stepped closer.
In the light and darkness, a familiar yet unfamiliar face comes into view.
I want to reach out and touch it, but I am timid and stop in mid-air.
The emperor withdrew his hand and looked at it for a long time.
He stood up and made to leave, but the woman on the bed suddenly turned over and begged, "Your Majesty, please believe me. I am not a monster, and our child is not a monster either."
The emperor's body stiffened. He turned his head stiffly, only to find that the woman was hugging the pillow, her face was in pain, and she did not open her eyes. She was talking in her sleep.
The emperor looked up, paused for a moment, then went back to cover her with the quilt. He looked at the pillow in her arms with a heavy gaze.
After a long time, seeing that it was almost dawn, he turned around and left.
He couldn't just sit there and wait for death.
Xiyao can't wait any longer.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
