In the bitter cold of the northern desert, amidst the constant warfare, he struggled to survive amidst the clash of swords and the shadows of death, constantly on guard against enemy encirclements, yet he never received even a single word of greeting from her.
Even just one sentence...
"Yizhi, are you alright?"
Unfortunately, no.
Moreover, when he was covered in blood and corpses and desperately expanding his army, determined to create his own Flying Eagle Army, Empress Dowager Du obstructed him in every way, with seemingly plausible reasons.
"The national treasury is empty and the royal family is in dire straits. I am doing this for the sake of the Great Qi dynasty."
ridiculous.
Is the national treasury empty?
She claimed to be considering the interests of the royal family, yet she allocated funds every month to burn incense and pray at Yuanhua Temple and enjoy vegetarian meals at Liuyue Pavilion. Her life in the palace was extremely extravagant.
She enjoyed supreme honor while coldly watching him fight alone on the battlefield, his life and death left to fate.
Is this really his biological mother?
She was not even as good as Judge Hu, who had no blood relation to her at all.
Empress Dowager Du's gaze was icy as she said in a deep voice, "Xie Yizhi, I knew it. Princess Anrou has always been well-behaved and sensible. How could she have done such a scandalous thing before entering the manor?"
So, it was you who set this up!
Her voice suddenly rose, and she pointed her finger directly at Xie Yizhi, angrily rebuking him: "You are so ruthless, cruel, and bloodthirsty, you are not worthy to be my son!"
Today, I am determined to punish you severely so you will learn your lesson!
Upon hearing this, Xie Yizhi's lips curled slightly, but the coldness in his eyes was so intense it seemed to freeze.
He stepped forward, his gaze fixed on Empress Dowager Du, and spoke each word with resounding conviction.
"Mother, may I ask, have you interrogated the prisoners that I personally escorted back to the Dali Temple?"
Empress Dowager Du's expression remained unchanged, her tone chilling: "Interrogation? Do I need to interrogate her?"
She sneered, looking down at Xie Yizhi with disdain: "Everyone has seen what happened at Liuyue Pavilion. Your title of Prince Yi puts them in their place, how dare they tell the truth?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Yizhi's gaze darkened, and a murderous intent surged in his eyes: "So, Mother Empress has no evidence and wants to convict me based solely on a letter written in blood?"
Empress Dowager Du sneered: "What a joke! That blood letter was written by Lu Anrou herself. Isn't a living life enough evidence?"
The officials in the hall echoed his sentiments.
However, Xie Yizhi suddenly smiled, the corners of his lips curving slightly, but there was no smile in his eyes, like a hawk lurking in the shadows, finally locking onto its prey.
He said slowly, "Very well, since Mother is so certain, then I will ask you one last question."
Empress Dowager Du frowned slightly, seemingly impatient: "Speak!"
Xie Yizhi parted his thin lips slightly, his voice indifferent, yet his words were like sharp blades, piercing straight into Empress Dowager Du's heart.
"May I ask Your Majesty, am I your own son?"
The hall fell into a deathly silence.
It was as if even the air had frozen.
Empress Dowager Du remained calm, as if she had not been affected in the slightest.
However, Xie Yizhi still keenly caught the fleeting look of panic in her eyes.
*
A few hours ago, Yao Shiyu used the excuse of sorting through her mother's belongings to go to Yuanhua Temple alone.
She had to go there herself.
In this life, what wrong step did she take?
She clearly followed the path of her previous life, sending messages to Yuanhua Temple one by one, but until now, there has been no response from the Prince of Yan.
Could it be that none of the messages she sent out actually reached Yao Shiyu? She couldn't tolerate this possibility.
So, she took a desperate gamble and went to see the King of Yan in person.
Upon arriving at Yuanhua Temple, she immediately revealed her identity: "I am Gu Boyuan's wife."
Sure enough, Gu Boyuan's name was very useful.
She was led into the Buddhist temple, where a tall, thin figure wearing a mask sat on a prayer mat, holding a wooden fish and steadily striking it.
Prince Yan, Yao Shiyu looked at the familiar man before her, and her heart sank slightly.
In this life, she was unwilling to repeat the same mistakes.
She knew the Prince of Yan's temperament all too well. He was ruthless, cunning, and meticulously planned every step of his life. He even used his own flesh and blood as pawns.
In his previous life, the Prince of Yan sent people to persuade Gu Boyuan many times in an attempt to win him over, but Gu Boyuan remained loyal to the Great Qi and refused to listen to reason.
Finally, the Prince of Yan changed his approach and started with her. Over time, she became familiar with the Prince of Yan, and Yao Shiyu's ambition swelled. She was no longer satisfied with being a general's wife; she wanted more. So she gave herself to the Prince of Yan.
Yao Shiyu repeatedly tried to persuade Gu Boyuan to rebel, but Gu Boyuan was stubborn and wouldn't listen to her advice. In the end, Yao Shiyu killed Gu Boyuan, took the Flying Feather Army's military seal, and handed the Flying Feather Army over to the Prince of Yan.
With his powerful army, the Prince of Yan delivered a fatal blow to Xie Yizhi, who had no army at his disposal.
After Xie Qiyu's death, the country could not be without a ruler for a day. The Empress Dowager's faction knelt in front of the main hall of Yuanhua Temple, respectfully requesting the Prince of Yan to ascend the throne.
He ascended the dragon throne as he wished and made her his empress.
Yao Shiyu finally became the empress dowager of the harem, admired by all women in the world, and even Empress Dowager Du was trampled under her feet.
But on the very day of the investiture ceremony, Xie Yizhi reappeared and exposed Gu Boyuan's true identity.
Yao Shiyu watched as the Prince of Yan flew into a rage and personally shot an arrow through her heart, her gaze cold and indifferent.
Yao Shiyu loves Gu Boyuan, but she loves power even more.
Ironically, she didn't hesitate to kill the man who loved her most in order to become empress, but in the end, she didn't even get to warm the empress's crown before she turned into a skeleton.
In this life, she will start over, turn the tide, and make Gu Boyuan the crown prince.
The Prince of Yan will eventually die. He has no children, and Gu Boyuan will inherit the throne sooner or later. All she needs to do is be his Crown Princess and everything will fall into place.
She will not be as foolish as she was in her previous life; she will try to reach the top in a different way.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her anxiety, and looked directly at the Prince of Yan, calling out,
"Daughter-in-law greets Father."
"..."
The sound of the wooden fish suddenly stopped.
The Prince of Yan paused slightly, the wooden fish in his hand stopping halfway through its strike in mid-air.
He glanced at Yao Shiyu, his eyes deep and unfathomable. "Your mother told you everything?"
Yao Shiyu's heart skipped a beat.
really!
So that's the crux of the problem.
The Prince of Yan had long been secretly investigating his own flesh and blood, and had even recognized Madam Gu as his own!
No wonder the Prince of Yan hasn't responded to the messages she sent.
Yao Shiyu thought quickly and instantly understood the crux of the matter.
She remained calm and nodded, feigning composure. "Yes, Father."
She paused, then softened her voice, "My husband couldn't come, so my mother specifically asked me to come."
Her words successfully made the King of Yan's gaze deepen.
Yao Shiyu slowly lowered her eyes, a slight smile playing on her lips.
You made the right bet.
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