At this moment, the Empress suddenly spoke up, saying, "I think this young lady's every smile and gesture is so similar to my sister who has been dead for many years. I know that Your Majesty has missed my sister very much over the years. Why don't you take this young lady into the harem to ease your longing?"
Suddenly, as she spoke, she fixed her gaze on Yi Shangyun and began to question her carefully: "I wonder where you come from, young lady? What is your ancestral home? I would like to quickly order someone to make arrangements!"
"Cough cough cough..."
Upon seeing this, the King of Dongning, who had just taken a mouthful of medicinal soup from Yi Shangyun's hand, immediately spat it out, splashing it all over himself and the ground. He choked and began coughing uncontrollably.
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun was momentarily stunned. However, seeing the old king coughing incessantly and looking disheveled, she quickly regained her senses and pulled out a light green brocade handkerchief from her body. Just as she was about to wipe the dragon robe, the King of Dongning snatched the handkerchief away and covered his mouth.
Yi Shangyun then took the soup bowl from his hand with one hand and patted his back gently with the other, saying anxiously, "Your Majesty, please slow down. Are you alright, Your Majesty?"
The King of Dongning was still coughing incessantly. After he calmed down a little, he waved to him and reassured him, "I'm fine, don't worry!"
The Empress Dowager, standing to the side, remained motionless, observing the two men's flustered expressions and reactions, her mind seemingly preoccupied with something.
After a long pause, she finally spoke, her tone a mix of reproach and mild anger: "Oh dear, look at this clumsy girl, how could she not take better care of you? How could she let the Emperor do it himself!"
Then, feigning concern, she stepped forward and softened her voice, saying, "Your Majesty, please be careful not to choke. Perhaps I should feed Your Majesty myself."
Upon hearing this, the King of Dongning hurriedly stopped her, saying, "No need. It's already late. Your Majesty should go back to the palace to rest. Yun'er can serve me here."
The Empress Dowager, still seemingly unwilling to give up, continued to plead, "But Your Majesty, I..."
When the King of Dongning saw him walking towards him, he hurriedly raised a hand and waved it at him, insisting on refusing him: "You may leave. I am tired today and need to rest."
The Empress paused, as if she wanted to say something more, but seeing the resolute attitude of the King of Dongning towards her, as if he didn't even want to look at her anymore, she had no choice but to compromise and say, "In that case, Your Majesty, please retire early tonight, and I will come to serve Your Majesty personally tomorrow!"
Although she said it aloud, she still held onto a last glimmer of hope, thinking that the King of Dongning would suddenly change his mind, or at least say something more to her.
However, the King of Dongning did not even glance at her again, let alone say anything.
Seeing this, the Empress was also extremely helpless. In the end, she could only glare angrily at Yi Shangyun, who was standing silently beside her, and order him, "Take good care of the Emperor, or I will not let you off lightly."
Yi Shangyun hurriedly curtsied and said, "Yes, Your Majesty the Empress, we respectfully see you off!"
With that, the Empress shook her sleeves one last time, turned around, and left Qingxin Palace in a huff.
After the Empress left, a while later, seeing that the King of Dongning seemed to have finally calmed down, Yi Shangyun tidied up the messy hall.
Seeing that the old king was finally resting with his eyes closed, leaning against the warm couch, even though it was late at night and he had been advised several times, he still stubbornly refused to go to bed. So, with no other choice, I walked towards the door, intending to go down and bring in some tea and snacks.
As she walked, she suddenly and unconsciously slowed down her pace...
In Yi Shangyun's heart, or more precisely, from the moment she stepped into and was left in this Qingxin Palace, countless questions had risen and fallen in her heart, over and over again for a very long time.
She had absolutely no recollection of being told, as Mei Zhixuan had said, that her true identity was that of the most noble and privileged princess of the wealthy and powerful Dongning Kingdom on the Spirit Void Continent.
If she were to so rashly claim kinship, wouldn't the old king think that she was conspiring with Mei Zhixuan to plot against that high-ranking official?
Yet, deep down, she was filled with curiosity about the woman who was revered as a deity by so many people around her.
What kind of extraordinary woman was she that a king could never forget throughout his life, and that she could still be praised by the people so many years after her death? Did she really have such a great mother? And why was she murdered?
Perhaps, only the man standing before me can explain all of this.
Hesitantly, a faint sadness flickered in her beautiful eyes. She glanced slightly at the person behind her and stammered, "Your Majesty..."
But before he could finish speaking, the King of Dongning cut him off: "Alright, it's late, you should go and get some rest!"
Rejected, she had no choice but to suppress all her doubts and silently agree, "Yes."
But just as she was about to step out the door, after much deliberation, she gritted her teeth, steeled her resolve, and suddenly turned around, raising her voice slightly, calling out again, "Your Majesty..."
"Are you trying to ask me about the Empress Dowager?"
This time, surprisingly, the King of Dongning seemed to have already guessed the subtle thoughts hidden in her melancholy eyes, and did not refuse her again.
Yi Shangyun had wanted to ask more than once, but she was afraid that if she brought it up, it would stir up endless sorrows for the lonely old man in front of her, so she always swallowed her words back.
The King of Dongning took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. Finally, he slowly opened his eyes and looked at the painting "The Goddess of the Luo River" hanging on the wall of the palace, recalling, "Ruoxi, she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in this world, without equal."
Yi Shangyun stepped forward slowly and listened. Suddenly, she felt as if she had heard the name somewhere before. She whispered and repeated, "The Empress, her name... is, Ruoxi?"
The old king nodded slightly, then looked intently at Yi Shangyun, who was listening quietly, for a moment, and said with a hint of surprise, "The empress is right, it really is exactly the same! That year, I had just ascended the throne when a catastrophic disaster struck the country, nearly destroying the entire Dongning..."
And so, in the quiet hall, the old king was engrossed in recalling the events, while Yi Shangyun sat by the table, resting his chin on his hand and listening attentively...
"There is always a way out, so Yun'er, no matter how bad things are in your life, you must live well. Just like me, I never believed that God would be so cruel to me. Although all the signs on the surface indicate that my child has already gone with her mother, I always feel in my heart that she is still alive."
When he said this, the King of Dongning's eyes were full of tenderness. After he finished speaking, he finally fixed his gaze on Yi Shangyun's thin face.
With admiration in her eyes, Yunyi looked deeply into the old king's eyes. Suddenly, an impulse surged within her, and she suppressed it, silently asking, "Father, are you really Yunyi's father?"
Meanwhile, the King of Dongning's eyes were filled with hope, and he asked in his heart, "Is it you? Are you really the daughter of the apothecary of Western Qin, or my lost treasure? Are you not Ruoxi's flesh and blood?"
In the end, however, they both chose to remain silent and patient, simply looking into each other's eyes.
After an unknown amount of time, it was finally Yi Shangyun who spoke first, breaking the silence and comforting the old king: "Your Majesty, Yun'er believes that your princess is still alive. So, Your Majesty, you must cheer up. You and your daughter will definitely be reunited."
Upon hearing this, the old king was taken aback. Suddenly, a trace of sorrow crept onto his brow. He said, "I take your kind words to heart. I hope so. I would give my kingdom for one last look."
"I would give up the country for one last look," Yi Shangyun repeated, not quite understanding.
"If I could see that child one last time before I die, I would give up the entire kingdom for it without hesitation!" As if he understood the doubt in her eyes, the King of Dongning said with conviction.
Upon hearing this, the tears that had been hidden in Yi Shangyun's eyes for so long could no longer be held back and slid down her cheeks, appearing so crystal clear and dazzling under the lights in the hall.
She nodded and replied, "Yes, I definitely will."
Although reluctant to reopen that wound, at this moment, Yi Shangyun seemed to instinctively speak up, frowning as she pressed, "Your Majesty, what exactly was the reason for the death of the Empress Dowager back then?"
"Smack!"
Even after many years, the King of Dongning still gritted his teeth and slammed his fist heavily on the table beside him when he recalled the incident, roaring, "All of this is because of that King of Western Qin! He is the real murderer who killed Ruoxi! I will be forever at odds with that brat!"
"King Qin? King Qin Xuanyuan Han, the only brother of Emperor Jing of Western Qin?" Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun was stunned.
Once she realized what was happening, she quickly defended him: "But everyone praises the King of Western Qin for loving his people like his own children, so how could he be the murderer who killed the Empress?"
"Hmph!" King Dongning snorted coldly, saying resentfully, "That was just a smokescreen put up by that hypocritical King Qin. In fact, he is ruthless and has long been winning over the major officials in the Western Qin court, plotting to seize power!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Yi Shangyun stood up abruptly and retorted loudly, "You're talking nonsense. That's impossible. His Highness Prince Qin is not that kind of person."
Seeing her so agitated, the King of Dongning slowly rose and walked to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. He said, "Silly girl, you are too naive. In this world, no man can resist the immense temptation of supreme power and possessing the entire world. I cannot, nor can the King of Qin!"
With tears welling in her eyes, Yi Shangyun looked at the old king's face...
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