When Cheng Ping woke up, he thought he was dreaming again.
In the dream, her mother was still there, sitting beside her, looking at her with a face full of sorrow and resentment.
Cheng Ping was startled and quickly reached out to grab his mother's hand, instinctively calling out, "Mother! Don't go."
As soon as the words of supplication left his mouth, Cheng Ping froze.
I've said those familiar words a thousand times in my dreams, but never before have they felt so real.
The woman's hands that I touched were soft, white, and delicate, the result of careful nurturing, and still warm from her body.
This is not a dream, it's real.
He stared blankly at the hand he was tightly clenching, but reason told him: he should let go.
But he didn't want to let go.
It was as if the person would vanish without a trace the moment they were released.
Su Liniang was also stunned. She did not expect to hear such a panicked and weak cry from her son, who was already in his early twenties.
In that instant, Cheng Ping truly resembled a child of only a few years old, just like when the mother and son parted ways.
Overwhelmed with guilt, Su Liniang patted her son, her voice softer than ever before: "Don't worry, Ping'er, I won't leave."
They can't leave either.
Cheng Ping felt relieved, took Su Liniang's hand, and slowly closed his eyes again.
Su Liniang touched Cheng Ping's forehead; he still had a high fever.
This high fever has been coming in waves for three days now.
Having finally woken up today, Su Liniang hurriedly ordered her guards to fetch the imperial physician.
The imperial physician examined him, prescribed medicine, and while washing and applying it, he was also fed the medicine.
Su Liniang had a change of heart and took care of him for the past three days.
The mother and son were sharing a room again after many years, their presence creating a sense of unease that made them both feel somewhat disoriented.
It felt like going back to the past.
Knowing that all hope was lost, Su Liniang calmed down for once, fed Cheng Ping medicine, and carefully wiped and cleaned his wounds with medicine.
The weather is hot, so the wound can't be bandaged and has to be left exposed to facilitate scab formation and healing.
To prevent him from itching, she would occasionally use a goose feather dipped in the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician to moisten his wound.
Cheng Ping just lay there, looking at his mother, without saying a word.
Su Liniang looked at Cheng Ping with a complicated expression, then suddenly laughed: "If I had known it would end like this, why did I fight for it in the first place? I only hurt you and myself."
Cheng Ping gave a bitter smile: Mother's reflection seems a little too late.
She has courted all sorts of self-destructive behavior, squandering the new emperor's trust. It's already a favor that he hasn't killed her. Now, it's going to be difficult for him to show mercy and release her.
but……
"Mother, I am already very grateful that you are here with me. This is not your fault, this is my fate."
Su Liniang gave a bitter laugh: "Yes, this is fate."
But why are some women so lucky?
Even though she already had a child with someone else, she still managed to catch the prince's eye.
But then the prince became emperor, leaving the empress's position vacant for her...
I'm not reconciled!
But what's the use of being unwilling?
The mother and son each had their own thoughts.
When the sound of rubble breaking rang out, Cheng Ping realized something was wrong: there were guards all outside, so how could anyone be walking around on the roof?
Before he could react, a broken arrow suddenly shot down from the roof and pierced straight into Su Liniang's scalp...
Without uttering a sound, blood flowed from Su Liniang's mouth and nose, and she slowly collapsed...
Cheng Ping watched as Su Liniang collapsed, his eyes wide with fury, but he was speechless.
With so many guards, how could no one know there was an assassin?
Since they knew, why didn't they stop it?
Then there's only one possibility: His Majesty has tacitly approved of this.
Did Mother's repeated self-destructive actions ultimately lead to her own demise?
It was something that should have been done in the first place, but Cheng Ping was still heartbroken.
He was panting heavily when he finally regained control of his hands and feet. He suddenly stood up, ignoring the lacerated wound on his back, and rushed over to hug Su Liniang.
Su Liniang's brain had been completely destroyed by the broken arrow; she was no longer breathing, her eyes were empty, and bloodstains were left at the corners of her eyes...
"mother……"
"mother……"
Cheng Ping carefully wiped the bloodstains from Su Liniang's ears, nose, mouth, and the corners of her eyes with his sleeve.
His sleeves were dirty, so he used the handkerchief that Su Liniang had left beside him to wipe them clean...
But it can't be wiped clean.
The blood was still flowing out...
Cheng Ping collapsed, clutching Su Liniang's bloodied face tightly to his chest, letting out a series of hoarse howls: "Ah...ah..."
The cuckoo's cry of blood could not surpass this.
Before he lost consciousness, a thought flashed through Cheng Ping's mind.
I have no mother.
The former guards, having received a royal decree, allowed the assassins to infiltrate.
Now that it was confirmed that Su Liniang had died, they hurriedly brought in the imperial physician to treat Cheng Ping's wounds.
After the imperial physician finished treating Cheng Ping with trembling hands and feet, he followed the guards' instructions and gave Cheng Ping some calming medicine before leaving in a panic.
I think I saw something I shouldn't have. Will I be silenced?!
After the wound was treated, a carriage rolled in. The guards carefully lifted Cheng Ping and put him into the carriage. The carriage left the manor and headed southwest.
In the palace, the new emperor, having learned the news, was playing chess with Consort Rong.
"If you let Cheng Ping go over at this time, won't he hold a grudge and harm Xiao'er and the others?"
The new emperor snorted: "He's not stupid. It's just that the fool kept being soft-hearted. Now that he has no more attachments, the person he hates the most is me. He doesn't hold such a grudge against them."
Consort Rong frowned slightly, lost her focus, and made a bad move.
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