Chapter 95 The End [Full Text...]
When the servant rushed in to report, Xie Jianing and Meng Jing were talking with Xie Yushu. She, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, frowned at the servant and asked, "Why is he here? We didn't invite him."
The servants, not daring to raise their heads, said, "The Prime Minister said he has come to see Her Majesty the Empress."
Xie Yushu paused for a moment. Song Jie hadn't attended the morning court for nearly half a month. She knew he had fallen ill with the poison again and couldn't get out of bed. Calculating his days, she realized he didn't have much time left. In the end, she couldn't bear it, so she ordered someone to invite him into the mansion.
Song Jie was pushed in in a wooden wheelchair. In the golden autumn season, he was already wearing a fox fur coat. He was so thin that he was a skeleton, and his face was ashen as he was stuck in the wheelchair.
He spotted Xie Yushu from afar and gave her a weak smile.
The golden sunlight shone on his face, like light on a gray corpse. Xie Yushu felt a pang of sadness. She hated Song Jie on behalf of the female supporting character, Yushu. From beginning to end, she had only used Song Jie and had no sincerity whatsoever. But at this moment, she inexplicably recalled the Duke of Yingguo's birthday banquet a long time ago. At that time, Song Jie was also ill, but he was still cheerful and talkative, living like a human being.
Many memories of Song Jie cannot be reconciled with the Song Jie who is now like a skeleton.
Even those wicked Song Jie had a certain brilliance; his eyes would redden when he was in pain, and he still had flesh on his body when he was seriously ill…
Now Song Jie was pushed in front of her, his skin like a zombie's, covering his bones, and his lips were bloodless.
He is dying of illness.
Yet he still dressed neatly, wearing his old white jade crown, appearing before her as presentably as possible.
"It's been half a month since I last saw you. How is the Empress?" he asked her in a hoarse voice.
Xie Yushu then realized that in the past two weeks, Cang Shu had sent many letters asking her to go to the Prime Minister's residence to see Song Jie, but she had never gone.
Because he no longer wanted to, and there was no need for, he had no further use to them.
"I'm fine, how is Prime Minister Song?" Xie Yushu asked a question against his will, his true feelings obvious.
Song Jie smiled and said, "I'm fine too, I'll be free soon."
These words pierced Xie Yushu's heart like a needle.
She didn't like being soft-hearted towards Song Jie; everything he had now was what he deserved.
"That's good." She pretended not to care and smiled as she ordered someone to make room for Song Jie next to her.
Song Jie coughed a few times, raised his hand, and instructed Cang Shu to present the gift to Xie Jianing: "Miss Xie, we have known each other for a while, and you have shown me kindness. Perhaps I am not a friend in your eyes, but I thank you." He said sincerely, "I wish you a harmonious and happy marriage."
Xie Jianing accepted the gift, gently opened it, and glanced inside. It was a jade ruyi with excellent clarity. She couldn't help but feel a little guilty. In fact, after meeting Xiao Zhen, she realized that she didn't like Song Jie. She deliberately distanced herself from Song Jie and even scolded him for Xiao Zhen's sake. Later, after disappearing and returning home, her jealousy got the better of her, and she wanted to target Xie Yushu again to reclaim Song Jie, the lost territory...
She and Song Jie could have been friends.
"Thank you." Xie Jianing smiled with relief and said to Song Jie, "I was young and ignorant and said some bad things to you, but when we met at the Taoist temple, I really treated you as a friend."
Song Jie has never had any friends in his life except for Cangshu, and he doesn't need any more now.
He then raised his hand and ordered Cangshu to push him toward Wan Susu.
Wan Susu subconsciously showed a panicked expression, but Song Jie stopped in front of her and simply raised his hand to hand her a small box.
“There’s no need to panic at the Jade Maiden Temple.” Song Jie’s fingers were trembling slightly; he knew he couldn’t hold on much longer. “I’m just here to return the item to its rightful owner.”
Wan Susu opened the box in her hand, her eyes instantly reddening. Inside was a hairpin from years ago, a gift from the late emperor when she entered the palace. It was taken away by Song Jie's father when she was imprisoned.
Now Song Jie has returned it to her...
When she looked up at Song Jie again, she could no longer hate him. She was old, and the love and hate of the past should be settled. In fact, she had wondered if things would have been different if she hadn't given Song Jie the poison.
Perhaps Song Jie would have continued living an ordinary life among the common people with Granny Yuping.
Perhaps Song Jie will be found and brought back to the Song family mansion, but he certainly won't hate her that much...
Looking at the emaciated Song Jie, she finally shed tears. She wanted to say something, but couldn't utter a word.
Song Jie had already turned his wheelchair around and was no longer looking at her.
Wan Susu leaned on Qiao Bao'er's shoulder, wiping away tears very quietly. She regretted it. She didn't want to hurt anyone, but she was too hateful and too scared at the time.
Qiao Bao'er wiped away her tears but didn't know how to comfort her. Hate after hate, this life just passed by like that.
The banquet proceeded as scheduled.
Song Jie sat to Xie Yushu's side without speaking, only occasionally coughing softly.
Xie Yushu couldn't ignore him. He hadn't eaten or drunk anything from beginning to end, so she asked him what he wanted to eat so the kitchen could make some more.
Song Jie shook his head and said, "Your Majesty need not worry about me. I do not need to eat now."
"No need to eat?" Xie Yushu didn't understand.
Cangshu couldn't help but say, "The Prime Minister has been unable to eat for almost seven days. He vomits blood no matter what he eats, and his throat and teeth are completely rotten."
Even though Xie Yushu knew he was nearing the end, his heart still trembled.
What will he eat? Will he just starve like that?
She couldn't bring herself to ask, afraid of hearing an answer that would soften her heart even more. She hated him, and she couldn't betray Yu Shu by being soft-hearted towards Song Jie.
She then stopped speaking to Song Jie and left the banquet before it ended.
It wasn't dark yet; the setting sun was so red it looked like it was about to burst into flames.
She and Xiaodao boarded the carriage to return to the palace, and the grand procession passed through the long street to return to the palace.
Xiao Dao let her rest her head on his lap, and while talking to her, he took something out of his sleeve—a rabbit made of horsetail grass.
"When did you make this?" Xie Yushu touched it with his hand.
"I made this under the table when I was bored at the Yong'an Marquis's residence." Xiao Dao gently tickled her forehead and nose with the rabbit's ears, making Xie Yushu pat his hand and say it tickled.
Xiao Dao smiled and cupped her face in his hands, lowering his head to kiss her. But a drop of warm liquid dripped from his nostril and landed on Xie Yushu's face.
Is the red liquid blood?
Xiao Dao froze, and Xie Yushu's smile vanished instantly. She raised her hand and cupped his face: "Why is your nose bleeding?"
Xiao Dao opened his mouth to say something, but felt warm liquid gushing from his throat again. He didn't even feel any pain, only that the liquid kept flowing out of his seven orifices. Then his ears were ringing, and Yu Shu was swaying in panic before his eyes...
He knew he must have terrified Yu Shu, so he reached out and took her hand, saying with difficulty, "It's alright... I'm alright, don't be afraid..."
Blood flowed from the corner of his eye again, and Xie Yushu's face turned deathly pale. He immediately shouted to the coachman, "To the Imperial Hospital!"
#
"Imperial Physician! Quickly summon Imperial Physician Lu!"
The Yong'an Marquis's residence was in complete chaos. Wan Susu collapsed in Qiao Bao'er's arms, bleeding from all seven orifices and convulsing all over.
Everyone was terrified.
Pei Heng quickly stepped forward and had Qiao Bao'er lay Wan Susu flat on the ground first.
Once she realized what was happening, Xie Jianing rushed to Physician Lu at the banquet and pulled him over to treat Wan Susu.
Physician Lu knelt down to examine Wan Susu's pulse. His expression changed, and instead of speaking immediately, he asked Meng Jing and Meng Min to move her to the inner room first.
Meng Jing left Meng Min to settle the guests and keep Xie Jianing company, while she and Pei Heng carried Wan Susu into the inner room.
Once inside the room, Physician Lu said, "Your Highness, the Jade Maiden Temple has been poisoned."
Upon hearing the word "poisoning," Meng Jing knew it was no small matter. If Wan Susu had been poisoned at the banquet, then it was all over. There were so many people at the banquet, including the Empress and the Emperor.
She immediately asked again, "How long has she been poisoned? What kind of poison?"
"This poison contains at least several highly toxic substances." Physician Lu's face was deathly pale. "She took effect within half an hour of being poisoned, which must have happened at the banquet..." He hesitated to say that she had been drugged, but said anxiously, "Your Highness, you should immediately stop the banquet and move the guests to the warm pavilions. I'm afraid there may be others who have been poisoned..."
Before Physician Lu could finish speaking, Pei Heng decisively said, "Your Highness, please settle the guests at the banquet first. I will go after the Empress and the Emperor." Before he finished speaking, he had already rushed out of the inner room.
The people at the banquet had long lost their appetite. Only Song Jie, in his wheelchair, slowly poured himself a glass of wine and spilled it on the ground as a farewell to Wan Susu.
The setting sun was like blood, and he covered his mouth and nose and coughed again. Then he heard Pei Heng come out quickly and say, "Everyone, please go to the warm pavilion to rest first."
But Pei Heng didn't even stop walking, and quickly rushed out of the Yong'an Marquis's residence.
Song Jie guessed that he probably had to go to save the Empress and Xiao Dao, and it was too late.
Outside the Yong'an Marquis's residence, Pei Heng mounted his horse and was about to crack the whip when he saw a member of the Imperial Guard riding quickly from afar, calling out urgently, "General Pei!"
Pei Heng recognized the man as Xie Yushu's trusted confidant, and his heart sank. He immediately asked, "Has something happened to the Empress and the Emperor?"
"Yes!" the imperial guard replied urgently, "The Empress orders you to go to the Imperial Hospital immediately!"
Oh no! It seems the poisoner wasn't just targeting Wan Susu!
Pei Heng rode at breakneck speed, his heart pounding in his chest. He almost subconsciously prayed, "Please don't let it be Xie Yushu, please don't let it be Xie Yushu."
When he arrived at the Imperial Hospital and was led into the pharmacy by Jin Ye, he saw Xiao Dao lying on the side couch with blood coming from his mouth and nose, and Xie Yushu sitting unharmed beside him. He didn't realize that he was secretly relieved.
“Empress…” Pei Heng stepped forward quickly. Xie Yushu looked up at him as if she had come back to her senses, and her eyes instantly reddened.
She said, "He was clearly about to get better, Pei Heng."
Pei Heng felt as if he had been struck a heavy blow. He had never seen Xie Yushu like this before, not even when she was being coerced by the late emperor.
He instinctively reached out and placed his hand on her thin shoulder, completely disregarding propriety and not caring about the Emperor's condition. He only wanted to comfort her as soon as possible: "His Majesty is blessed with good fortune; he will be alright."
But before he could finish speaking, the imperial physician who was administering acupuncture and bloodletting to the emperor knelt down in panic, his sweat-drenched face almost touching the ground, and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, this old minister has done his best..."
"What do you mean by 'tried your best'?" Pei Heng grabbed the imperial physician by the shoulder and lifted him up, angrily saying, "Go and summon all the imperial physicians and do everything in your power to save His Majesty!"
"It's too late, General Pei..." The imperial physician's voice trembled, his eyes red with anxiety. "Before you arrived, Her Majesty the Empress ordered all the imperial physicians skilled in poisons to come and treat His Majesty. She had also sent someone to Yuqing Temple to fetch Master Yumiao! But... it's too late!"
It turns out that she had already done everything she could in the first instance.
Pei Heng's fingers trembled as she looked at Xie Yushu. She moved closer to Xiao Dao, took his hand, and called out to him, "Xiao Dao, I'm here. Is there anything you want to say to me?"
Xiao Dao, lying on the bed, had his eyes open but his gaze was fixed as if he couldn't see anything. He only had his hands tightly gripping Xie Yushu's hands, and his lips kept moving but he couldn't make a sound.
The imperial physician broke free from Pei Heng's grasp, knelt by the bedside, and while administering acupuncture, said to Xie Yushu, "Your Majesty, this old minister is now sealing His Majesty's heart and throat so that he can say a few more words to you. Please hurry."
After a few more needle pricks, a hoarse voice finally escaped Xiao Dao's throat: "Yu Shu..."
"I'm here, I'm here." Xie Yushu pressed her face against the knife, unaware that she was crying, but her tears soaked Xiaodao's face.
"Don't cry..." he said, "I'm very content... Don't cry, miss..."
Xie Yushu realized she was crying only when her throat started to twitch.
Xiao Dao laboriously raised one hand as if trying to grasp something. Xie Yushu wanted to hold his hand, but then heard him call out again, "General Pei..."
"Your subject is here." Pei Heng immediately bent down and grasped his hand. The hand was stiff and cold, devoid of any warmth. He saw that Xiao Dao's pupils were already dilating.
But Xiao Dao struggled to hold Xie Yushu's hand tightly in his palm, and with his last breath said, "General Pei, Yushu... help Yu..."
He died before he could finish his last sentence.
Xie Yushu pressed her forehead against the back of his hand and finally burst into tears.
Pei Heng knelt on the ground, recalling the words Xiao Dao had said when they were wounded on the battlefield: "If I die, I would trouble General Pei to take my bones back to Miss Yu Shu. She is having a hard time, and I would be grateful if General Pei could help her..."
Hurried footsteps and voices came from outside the door: "Your Highness! Master Yu Miao has arrived!"
But it was too late.
Hearing Xie Yushu's cries and seeing her trembling shoulders, Pei Heng couldn't help but tighten his grip on her hand in Xiao Dao's cold, stiff hand. What should he say? How could he comfort her? At this moment, all words of comfort seemed so powerless.
He reached out and placed his hand on her trembling back, bringing his body close to hers for her to lean on.
But even her sadness and pain have time limits.
The Emperor's sudden death will surely bring turmoil to the court; she still has so much to do.
Before she could even wipe away her tears, she raised her head and ordered: "No one in the Imperial Hospital is allowed to leave. The news of His Majesty's death must not be leaked for the time being. Just say that although His Majesty was poisoned, he is still receiving treatment."
She needs time.
"Your subject understands." Pei Heng knelt at her feet, his eyes filled with both certainty and uncontrollable heartbreak.
His hand was still tightly holding hers.
Xie Yushu saw pity on his face, and her heart settled at that moment. She had already lost Xiaodao, and she could not afford to lose the throne as well. She needed Pei Heng to be loyal to her and only to her.
“Wan Susu was also poisoned at the banquet,” Pei Heng told her. “When I left, I didn’t know if anyone else had been poisoned.”
Wan Susu was also poisoned.
Xie Yushu almost immediately realized that Song Jie had poisoned him.
Besides him, who else could hate both Xiao Dao and Wan Susu at the same time?
Her grief and pain suddenly ignited into hatred, and she directly ordered Pei Heng: "Arrest Song Jie, and throw him into prison immediately without interrogation."
Pei Heng then realized that she suspected Song Jie was the one who poisoned her.
"Zhang Ling." Xie Yushu turned around to wipe away her tears and ordered Zhang Ling, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards who was to escort her in.
When Zhang Ling knelt behind her, she turned her face back without a trace of panic or disorientation. There were no tears on her face, only icy hatred.
She ordered Zhang Ling, "Carry the palanquin into the Imperial Hospital and send me and His Majesty back to the palace. All the imperial physicians on duty today shall come with me to the palace to continue treating His Majesty. No one else shall leave the Imperial Hospital."
"There is one more thing." Xie Yushu looked at the imperial physician Liu Yi kneeling at his feet: "Imperial Physician Liu, I am two months pregnant."
Pei Heng was taken aback. Was she pregnant?
Liu Yi was also taken aback, and looked up at her in surprise. He was always the one who checked the Empress's pulse, so he knew perfectly well whether she was pregnant or not...
But the Empress stood up, her magnificent auspicious robes revealing an unquestionable face. Her figure loomed over Liu Yi as she said, "I was planning to wait until the pregnancy was stable after three months before making any announcements. However, His Majesty has suddenly encountered an accident, so I must announce this in advance to bring him some good fortune."
Liu Yi realized that whether the Empress was truly pregnant or not was irrelevant; at this moment, she must already be carrying the Emperor's child.
"Your subject understands."
"Your Majesty, I understand," Zhang Ling and Physician Liu both replied.
At this moment, Pei Heng also fully understood that this was the only decision Xie Yushu could make, and it was also the meaning of Xiao Dao's dying wish to "help Yushu".
With the Emperor's passing and the Empress having no children, the court will surely force the Empress to adopt a child from the royal family to inherit the throne. The best choice would be the eldest prince's thirteen-year-old son, but such a child is already quite sensible. Once he inherits the throne, Xie Yushu's position will be extremely precarious.
How could she possibly tolerate such a thing happening?
"Your subject obeys." Pei Heng clenched his fingers; he absolutely did not want to see Xie Yushu fall into such a predicament.
#
When Pei Heng led the Imperial Guards into the Yong'an Marquis's residence, Song Jie was already waiting. He knew that with Xie Yushu's intelligence, he would soon find out that it was he who had poisoned the man.
So he waited peacefully in the warm pavilion for news of Wan Susu's death, and also for Xie Yushu to come and kill him.
It's a pity that Xie Yushu didn't come.
Pei Heng led his troops into the warm pavilion, dismissed all the guests, surrounded him, and angrily walked up to him.
"Is he dead?" Song Jie's ashen face still held a smile.
Unable to contain his anger, Pei Heng reached out and grabbed him by the throat, almost lifting him up: "Did you really do this?"
Song Jie raised his hand to stop Cang Shu from saving him, and smiled again amidst the dizziness that was almost suffocating. He felt relaxed and happy: "Yu Shu isn't going to come and question me personally? Kill me?"
"Why did you do this?" Pei Heng didn't understand. Didn't he like Xie Yushu? Why did he have to make her suffer?
Song Jie was suffocating and unable to make a sound. Pei Heng let go and threw him into the wheelchair. He heard Song Jie still laughing as he coughed, "Let her come and ask me herself."
Pei Heng decided not to waste any more time with him and personally escorted him and Cang Shu into prison.
It was already quite cold at night.
Song Jie was locked in a solitary cell, enduring the torment of the cold poison.
Rats scurried around in front of him, stepping on the black blood he vomited. He shivered with cold and heard Cangshu pleading with the jailers in a distant cell to lock them together.
It's no use. Xie Yushu deliberately separated the gates so that he would suffer alone.
But he no longer cared about the pain; it was the price he had to pay.
He just wanted to see Xie Yushu as soon as possible, afraid that he wouldn't be able to hold on for more than a few days.
As he succumbed to the poison and fell into a coma that night, for the first time, he superstitiously hoped that he would wake up, at least... to see Xie Yushu before he died, at least to entrust Cangshu to Xie Yushu...
Although he knew from a young age that gods and Buddhas were useless.
But he was still overjoyed when he woke up the next day, mistakenly believing that the gods and Buddhas had finally shown him mercy.
But he soon realized that it wasn't divine mercy, but rather Xie Yushu's order for the jailers to feed him cinnabar pills. These pills, which he was used to taking, could bring him back to consciousness in a short time, but would also hasten his death.
That's good. It means Xie Yushu doesn't want him to die, and she will definitely come to see him.
He waited day after day, and the jailers fed him drugs every day.
Each time he was given the drug, he would get some information about Xie Yushu from the jailer.
On the first day, he heard from the jailer that the Empress had found out that he was the one who poisoned him, and that he had better pray that the Emperor could save him, otherwise he would definitely be executed along with his entire family.
The next day, he heard that the Empress had announced in court that she was pregnant and wanted to bring good luck to the Emperor.
On the third day, he heard that the eldest prince's son had tried to escape his confinement at the palace but was shot dead by the imperial guards in the main street, and that the second prince's son, terrified, had requested to be demoted to commoner status and exiled to a harsh, desolate place, never to return to Bianjing. Now, only Princess Yongle's son, Jinghong, remained in the palace...
On the fourth day, he was still somewhat dazed after being given the drug and could not hear what the jailer was saying. He only felt a pain in his feet, as if they were being gnawed away by rats.
Later, he couldn't remember how long he had been unconscious, or even whether he was still alive. He only vaguely realized that he was still alive when he heard Da Xun's funeral bell.
Xie Yushu still didn't come. During his brief moments of lucidity, he asked the jailer to send a message to the Empress, asking her to come and see him.
But the jailer merely shoved the medicine into his mouth with a mocking tone, saying, "Now you should call yourself emperor!"
He was too confused at the time to understand the meaning of those words.
When he was roused by the medicine again and heard Xie Yushu's voice, he struggled to open his eyes while lying on the ground. He slowly saw Xie Yushu sitting in front of him. She was wearing a court dress that only the emperor could wear. She gently nudged his face with her toe and said, "Looks like you're not dead yet."
He almost thought he was dreaming. He moved his fingers and touched Xie Yushu's dragon robe hanging on the ground. He smelled her familiar scent and realized that he was not dreaming. She really had come, dressed in imperial robes, and stood before him.
“You’ve finally gotten what you wanted…” He smiled from the bottom of his heart: “I’ve gotten what I wanted too.”
He didn't see much sadness on her face, so he said with difficulty, "Actually, you didn't like Xiaodao that much... You just lost a very obedient dog..."
Meng Jinyue pulled his hair up, seemingly intending to torture him, but a piece of his scalp was easily torn off. Instead, Meng Jinyue stopped and silently looked up at Xie Yushu.
"Don't bother to torture me anymore, I've been tormented all my life." He felt no pain and smiled at Xie Yushu, saying, "Say a few more words to me before I die."
He used all his strength to speak to her: "I heard you're pregnant, and I felt relieved... I didn't want to act so quickly, I wanted to wait until you were pregnant with the dragon's offspring and secured the throne... but I can't hold on any longer, I'm afraid I won't be able to take Little Knife with me before I die..."
A hint of anger finally appeared on her cold face, and she finally spoke to him, "Why do you hate Xiaodao so much?"
He couldn't help but smile when he heard her voice. "Why? Because he doesn't deserve your true love... I'm willing to support him to become emperor so that you can become emperor... not so that he can be worthy of your love... and because since I can't have your love, it's worth it to be hated by you so deeply."
Xie Yushu stared at him, as if she had finally resolved her doubts, and slowly relaxed her brows: "Song Jie, you hate him not only because of me, but also because he and you are both children that Wan Susu refuses to accept."
Song Jie stood there, stunned, his rotten heart feeling as if it had been pierced, a hidden yet sharp pain shooting through him.
“You think he’s just like you, someone who doesn’t deserve to be loved, but he got the throne, Wan Susu’s acceptance, and my affection.” Xie Yushu said with almost pity, “And you’ve never received any of these things, so you hate him.”
Song Jie's body trembled involuntarily, as if he were very cold or in great pain. His vision was blurring, but the image of Wan Susu forcing him to drink the poison kept replaying in his mind...
He heard his own voice trembling as he said, "No, no... please stop..."
Blood gushed from his throat and from his eyes. He struggled to Xie Yushu's knees, grasping her dragon robe: "Hate me, execute me! I, this treacherous minister, was originally just a stepping stone for you to become emperor... All the assets of my Prime Minister's mansion belong to you, Yushu... Yushu, Cangshu is yours too, spare him... You know he will be loyal to you..."
His blood was flowing more and more, and he knew he was about to die. This was his only plea before he died.
Xie Yushu simply looked down at him, saying almost cruelly, "It's too late, Song Jie. Do you know why I came to see you? Because Cang Shu committed suicide in prison..."
Song Jie raised his dark eyes, his pupils contracted as he looked at her, as if he couldn't believe his ears.
"He traded his life for me to see you one last time," Xie Yushu said with a sigh. "That's why I came to see you."
Cang Shu... is dead?
Song Jie opened his mouth, and the last mouthful of blood he spat out landed on Xie Yushu's dragon robe.
Xie Yushu reached out and caught his head as he fell, closed his eyes, and suppressed the surging pain. Song Jie and Cang Shu's fate remained unchanged; they came together, and they went together...
She felt an unprecedented loneliness. No matter how much she hated and killed, she was still alone...
But this boundless loneliness was interrupted and ended by Jin Yue's cry of "Your Majesty?"
She opened her eyes and saw the dashing Jin Yue looking at her with concern. Suddenly, she remembered that behind her were Meng Jing, Meng Min, and many other female ministers and generals who followed her.
They were waiting for her to move forward and walk a broad, heavenly path.
These men she had loved and hated were no longer so important to her.
That night, she summoned Pei Heng to the palace.
She warmed a pot of wine in her bedroom and waited for him.
All the palace servants were dismissed, and Jinye and Yinya stayed outside the palace.
As Pei Heng stepped into the palace, he smelled a faint aroma of wine mixed with the fragrance emanating from Xie Yushu.
The palace doors closed behind him, and as he approached, he could see that Xie Yushu was sitting at the table, warming wine, dressed in a Taoist robe.
He remembered this outfit; it was the one Xie Yushu wore when he broke into Yuqing Temple and kidnapped her.
"Your Majesty." He bowed a few steps away.
Xie Yushu didn't look at him, but just smiled and said, "Pei Heng, let's have a few drinks like friends today."
She had him sit next to her and poured him a drink.
In fact, Pei Heng had already realized when he drank the first cup of wine that he shouldn't have drunk it or been so close to her. He knew in his heart that this cup of wine was meant to enhance the pleasure of courtly intimacy.
He also knew very well that as a subject, he should not be on equal footing with her, much less be so close to her.
But his heart led him to come over, sit beside her, and drink that glass of wine in celebration.
She had also drunk some wine, and looked at him with bright and gentle eyes, saying, "Pei Heng, I can't hide my fake pregnancy for long. I need a child. It doesn't matter who the father is; everyone will think she's Xiao Dao's child. If you want to stay, then stay. If you don't want to, then leave now."
She did not force him to stay.
Pei Heng knew perfectly well that once he left, other men would enter this palace and sit beside her, one after another trying to please her.
So he looked at her and hesitated for only a short time before drinking another glass of wine.
He desperately wanted to convince himself that it was the wine that had stirred his emotions.
But as he kissed her, images of her flashed through his mind—all the things he had fantasized about...
His guilt overwhelmed him; he couldn't deny that when Xiaodao died, she leaned on his shoulder and cried, and he had fantasized about embracing her.
Alone, she guarded Xiaodao's body, fighting to stabilize the situation. In the dead of night, she showed her vulnerability and said to him, "Pei Heng, sit with me for a while. I don't want to be all alone."
He had fantasized about kissing her like this... like this.
Pei Heng picked her up, placed her on the table, kissed away her tears, and trembled and clumsily sheathed his sword...
At the end of the following summer, Xie Yushu gave birth to a girl, who was immediately named Crown Princess.
The courtiers once again advised her to adopt Princess Yongle's son, Jinghong, so that he could inherit the throne in the future.
She didn't take it to heart at all, and when the Crown Princess was one month old, she officially reformed the system and introduced the imperial examination system for women.
In the golden autumn, she was holding her daughter under a tree looking at the bright orange persimmons when Pei Heng walked over from the corridor, carrying a newly made small wooden sword in his hand.
He smiled when he saw them, bowed, and then waved the wooden sword in front of the Crown Princess.
Xie Yushu handed his daughter to him: "Hold your daughter."
Pei Heng carefully took her into his arms. His daughter's tiny hand gripped his thumb, and it felt as if his heart was being held in his hands as well: "She looks more like you."
"Host, you have maxed out your popularity and health. The main quest is 95% complete. You only need to complete the last 5% to leave the quest world and return to the Wish World."
Xie Yushu was somewhat dazed; she had almost forgotten the purpose of her coming into this world.
But none of that matters now. She doesn't want to leave. She not only wants to be the emperor herself, but she also wants her daughter to be the emperor. Otherwise, why would she have chosen Pei Heng?
The new mission has just begun.
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Author's note: I finished writing the update in one go!
This story is now officially finished. Thank you all for your support. I might write a side story later, which will be given away for free as a bonus. Thank you again!
My next story is "Three and a Half Years Old is the Age of Transmigrating into a Book," also known as "My Mom is a Villainous Supporting Character in a Historical Fiction." It's a sweet little story about the parents' love! Welcome to add it to your reading list in advance. It will be released at the end of this month. Come and join the fun!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
