After walking for a while, the young guard suddenly asked curiously, "Is it really because Your Majesty had a dream last night about the Empress Dowager, and couldn't forget the place in the dream after waking up, that you came to this Phoenix Island?"
The middle-aged man walked ahead with his hands behind his back, pondering for a moment. Suddenly, his face darkened, and he said slowly, as if extremely sad, "Actually, I never dreamed of the Empress Dowager, and... I haven't dreamed of her for a long time!"
The young guard was genuinely surprised to see this, and a wave of sadness washed over him. He felt he shouldn't have asked such a question, so to break the awkward atmosphere, he quickly changed his mind and said, "Oh? Your Majesty, how did you come to suddenly come here?"
The middle-aged man frowned, his imposing presence radiating an air of authority. He stopped and gazed at the vast expanse of golden sand in the distance, where the setting sun cast its golden glow, and the waves crashed against the shore, carrying people ashore.
After gazing into the distance for a while, he said softly, "I have heard that the water quality around Phoenix Island is getting worse and worse. At night, it often turns into a vast expanse of eerie blue light emanating from the island. This beautiful island has therefore been renamed 'Azure Island.' If this continues, I fear it will soon endanger the lives of my people in Dongning. I do not want to cause panic in the palace before this news is confirmed, so I have come here to investigate personally."
Upon hearing this, the young guard immediately realized his mistake and exclaimed with admiration, "Your Majesty is indeed a diligent and benevolent emperor. This is a blessing for the millions of people of Dongning! I believe it is because Your Majesty personally visited Phoenix Island that you moved Heaven, which is why the phoenix appeared that night, dispelling the evil poison and restoring the beautiful land of Dongning!"
The middle-aged man smiled faintly, then took a step and continued walking. Suddenly, he asked, "Even the best emperor must abdicate one day. Now, I am already past my prime, growing weaker day by day. In less than two years, I too will abdicate and pass the throne to a more worthy successor. In your opinion, among my princes, which one is more suitable to be the crown prince?"
With a "thump".
Suddenly, the young guard knelt down behind him, trembling with fear, and said, "This servant is terrified! Your Majesty, may you live ten thousand years! How could you say such a thing?!"
"Get up!" The middle-aged man immediately turned around and shouted at him.
The young guard looked troubled, but helplessly got up and continued to follow closely behind, listening to the middle-aged man say in a low voice, "Birth, old age, sickness, and death, gathering and parting are the most common human experiences. I have understood all of this since the day the Empress left me. I just didn't expect that she would be so cruel as to not even entrust me with her dreams."
"Sigh..." He sighed deeply, paused, and then, recalling for a moment, continued, "But... but if only the baby in her womb could be born safely. Whether it's a boy or a girl, my empire, everything I have, I would willingly give it to him, only to her... But now... but now it is..."
"She was so kind; she saved so many suffering people. Why was Heaven so cruel to her alone, and so cruel to my unborn son, whom I had so much hope for..."
As he thought and spoke, tears welled up in his eyes, and the middle-aged man clenched his fists tightly, his fists clenching so tightly they seemed to be making a gurgling sound. He choked up several times as he spoke each heartfelt word.
The young guard was heartbroken and gritted his teeth as he took two steps forward to try and stop him, but the middle-aged man raised a large and powerful hand to stop him.
He slowly raised his head, as if trying to swallow back his tears of sorrow. After calming down a bit, the middle-aged man said again, "Speak, and I will pardon you!"
At this moment, the young guard only regretted his clumsy tongue, unable to comfort his master in the slightest, and still retreated, saying, "Your Majesty, this servant dares not presume to discuss the position of Crown Prince, please forgive me."
The middle-aged man raised one hand and waved it away, saying, "It's alright. I just want to hear your thoughts. Just say whatever you've seen in your daily life."
The young guard gritted his teeth, pondered for a moment, and then replied slowly, "Then this servant will dare to speak. In my opinion, the Third Prince is currently the best candidate for Crown Prince, both in terms of talent and character. However, the Second Prince has the support of the Empress, so it won't be so easy for the Third Prince to overcome the Empress's influence..."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man immediately turned to look at the young guard's face and said, "Your analysis is quite insightful!"
Upon hearing this, the young guard immediately bowed his head and knelt down, saying, "This servant is terrified, Your Majesty, please forgive me!"
The middle-aged man looked at him, took a deep breath, and said, "Get up!"
The young guard stood up as ordered. The middle-aged man gave him a deep look, then turned and walked towards a shady path, continuing as he went, "Actually, I've seen the Third Prince's behavior over the past few years. However, I've always had a feeling that from childhood to adulthood, despite his seemingly gentle and unassuming demeanor, he has always been hiding his great ambition. If I'm not mistaken, he must have been preparing for this all these years. Entrusting Dongning to such a person will likely lead to constant warfare and widespread suffering for the people!"
Upon hearing this, the young guard seemed to agree that it was inappropriate, but after a moment's thought, he hesitated and said, "But what if we hand it over to His Highness the Second Prince..."
As for the Second Prince Mei Zhihao, who was brave but reckless, arrogant and domineering, and extremely self-important, it was obvious that no words were needed; everyone already knew him perfectly well.
From that moment on, no one spoke.
"In this mortal world, everything is preordained. The arising and ceasing of relationships are all due to unfinished karmic ties and unresolved emotions. When karmic ties end, emotions also vanish..."
After a long while, for some reason, the middle-aged man suddenly repeated the old man's words in a low voice twice.
After saying that, he found the two fine horses that he had left behind on the shady path and mounted them.
With a loud "Giddy up!", the horse's hooves kicked up clouds of dust and fallen leaves on the forest path, and the master and servant galloped away.
As the moon rose above the treetops, the Dongning Imperial Palace was brightly lit under the deep, alluring night sky, accompanied by the occasional chirping of insects.
In the stillness of the night, a startled voice suddenly rang out from a corner of the vast palace: "What did you say?"
Following the sound, they found Mei Zhixuan, who had safely returned to the palace with the unconscious woman after leaving Phoenix Island, talking intensely with her by candlelight inside the room.
Mei Zhixuan said to her with a face full of apology, "Imperial sister, I'm sorry. Prince Qin, Xuanyuan Han, was evenly matched with the eldest prince of Beilie, Tuoba Ze, in the Northwest War. In the end, the two fought and both died on the battlefield. By the time I arrived, it was already too late."
Upon hearing this, the woman slumped down on the edge of the couch, covered her ears, and shook her head in disbelief, repeatedly saying, "Stop talking, stop talking, I don't believe it, I don't believe it, I don't believe it..."
He looked helplessly at her heartbroken state and comforted her, "Royal sister, calm down. I know it's hard for you to accept this fact, just as it's hard for you to accept your identity. Suddenly, you've gone from being the daughter of a pharmacist from the Western Qin Kingdom to the noble legitimate princess of our Eastern Ning Kingdom. But the fact is the fact, whether you believe it or not!"
Seeing that he was unlikely to calm down anytime soon, Mei Zhixuan straightened his back and stood beside the table in the center of the room. He glanced at a wooden tray on the table, which was full of newly made men's robes.
After thinking for a moment, he added, "By the way, these men's clothes were specially prepared for you by your royal brother. Until your personal safety in the palace is 100% guaranteed, you should stay in this courtyard as a man and do not go out. If the Empress's people find out, you will be in danger. Try these clothes on first. If they don't fit, your royal brother will have them altered immediately."
The woman remained lost in her sorrowful thoughts, unable to pull herself out. Seeing this, Mei Zhixuan shook his head helplessly and said, "You'll have to endure this for a while. Your brother will definitely find a way to explain to Father as soon as possible that you've regained your status. Please don't worry..."
"Get out..." Before Qi Liao could finish speaking, the woman, without even looking at him, suddenly shouted.
“Royal sister, your brother is doing this for you…” Mei Zhixuan seemed to want to try to explain something, but the woman suddenly raised her voice and shouted even more sternly, “Get out…”
“Royal sister, you…” Mei Zhixuan was filled with mixed feelings, but in the end he could only say in a low voice, “Alright, it’s getting late. You should rest well first, and your brother will come to see you another day.”
"Waaaaah, Your Highness, Yun'er is so sorry, so sorry, so sorry..."
As soon as he stepped out of the door, he heard the heart-wrenching sobs of the woman behind him. Mei Zhixuan was also filled with pain. He finally steeled himself and slowly walked out, silently saying in his heart, "I'm sorry."
As soon as he stepped out of the courtyard, he saw his guards hurrying in.
The guard approached him respectfully, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Your Highness."
Mei Zhixuan glanced at him and asked in a deep voice, "How's the cabin?"
The guard reported, "As Your Highness instructed, I personally handed the divine medicine to Greenie. To prevent any mishaps and avoid revealing my identity, I did not linger for a moment longer and hurried back to the palace."
As they walked, Mei Zhixuan nodded slightly, recalling, "This time, the phoenix phantom appeared again at the wooden house on Youlan Island at night, which is enough to prove..."
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