Zihe Hall.
Consort Chun lay quietly on the couch, as if her soul had been ripped away, leaving only a faint trace of life, as if a gust of wind could extinguish her completely.
To this day, she still can't believe it, nor can she accept it, that Yi Shangyun really left this world so suddenly.
Although she had learned that Emperor Jing was very likely the Empress Dowager's scheme to switch the crown prince, she tried her best to find a way to separate Yi Shangyun and Xuanyuan Han.
But she never expected that things would turn out this way before she had even done anything!
For decades, for the sake of Western Qin and her son, she ate vegetarian food and chanted Buddhist prayers every day, wanting to protect what little she had left and everything she wanted to protect.
But in the end, how did it end like this?
Recalling the past, tears streamed down Consort Chun's face.
If she had known this would happen, she should have treated her better.
She silently apologized to him in her heart, saying, "Yun'er, you are a good child. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, your mother really didn't expect that the trip to Lu County would take your life!"
At this moment, Granny Zhang entered the room.
Seeing her looking so sad and dejected, he stood at the door and sighed heavily.
He also murmured softly, "What a wonderful girl the Princess was, and how she and His Highness were so devoted to each other, such a perfect match. It's truly a tragedy that such beauty is so cruel, how could she have such a tragic fate..."
After saying that, he shook his head helplessly.
He continued forward, carrying a bowl of ginseng soup that he had just prepared that morning to the bedside of Consort Chun.
Worried that the temperature might burn her mistress, Zhang Mama gently stirred the food with a spoon while comforting her, saying, "Your Highness, you must eat something! Now that things have come to this, it's only making things difficult for yourself if you can't let go of this. The Princess Consort is the most filial and obedient; if she were still alive, she probably wouldn't want to see you like this."
Unexpectedly, despite all that he had said, Consort Chun's face remained completely expressionless.
Just as Zhang Mama seemed at a loss, Consort Chun suddenly looked at her face weakly and asked, "Where is His Highness? How is His Highness?"
When Xuan Yuanhan was mentioned, a hint of hesitation suddenly appeared on Zhang Mama's face.
Upon seeing this, Consort Chun suddenly became anxious and asked again, "What's wrong? Has something happened to His Highness?"
Consort Chun, after thinking about it, actually struggled to get up.
Seeing this, Zhang Mama quickly reached out and pressed her down, explaining, "Your Highness, don't worry, His Highness is alright. It's just..."
"But what? Hurry up and tell me, are you trying to drive me crazy?" Consort Chun said anxiously.
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Mama quickly explained, "When Yi Shangkun came to the Prince's mansion last night to report the death, he brought with him a bracelet that the Princess usually wore close to her body. But I heard that the bracelet suddenly disappeared last night."
"What's going on?" Consort Chun asked, puzzled.
Granny Zhang shook her head, seemingly not quite sure of the reason either.
So he simply said, "General Ye Cheng personally led a search party that covered every corner of the entire palace and every single person. But in the end, they couldn't find them!"
At this point, Consort Chun seemed to be lost in thought.
Suddenly, Granny Zhang remembered something and began to speak.
"By the way, Your Majesty. Lu Xian has also arrived with his children. They arrived last night, but because it was too late, they didn't come to disturb your rest. They should be here to pay their respects soon."
"Lu Xian and his children..." Upon hearing this, Consort Chun paused slightly and silently repeated the sentence.
Then a thought suddenly quietly arose in my mind.
She then hurriedly instructed Zhang Mama, "Help me up and do my hair!"
But when she heard that Lu Xian had come to visit her in person, she still asked Zhang Mama to do her hair and makeup, and helped her down from the bed, where she sat down at a pear wood table in the hall.
Above the main hall, wisps of incense smoke rose.
At that time, as soon as everyone crossed the threshold and entered the room, they all stepped forward and bowed to him.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty!"
"Lu Xian pays respects to the Imperial Concubine!"
"Tianlin pays respects to the Imperial Concubine!"
"Tianjiao pays respects to Her Majesty the Dowager Consort!"
"Get up, all of you. You've all been very kind."
Consort Chun mustered her last bit of strength and turned to Lu Xian, saying, "The Western Qin Academy is thousands of miles away from the capital, and with such a heavy rain, why did you come?"
Lu Xian replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Your Highness, please do not worry, it is nothing serious. I happened to be traveling and studying in the capital these past few days when I heard the news of the Princess's passing, so we rushed here! I hope Your Highness will take care of yourself and accept my condolences."
"Alas!" With a heart full of worries, yet unable to speak of them or find any solace, Consort Chun could only sigh heavily.
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Lu Tianjiao, who was hiding in a corner and sneakily peering around.
Then he spoke again, deeply moved, saying, "Time flies! Tianlin and Tianjiao, these two children have grown into adults in the blink of an eye!"
“Yes! It’s been so many years since we last saw each other,” Lu Xianyi sighed.
Consort Chun smiled faintly and said to Lu Xian first, "Over the years, I know that it has not been easy for you to be both a father and a mother!"
Lu Xian said, "As a father, this is what I should do."
Then, Consort Chun secretly decided that she would give her two children a good lesson today.
So he first looked at Lu Tianlin and said to him, "Now that you have grown up, a man should stand tall and upright in this world. You must know that you must never betray your promises. As children, we often recited that a drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude. But what about the person who gave you life?"
Lu Tianlin listened, feeling utterly shocked.
As he was pondering this, Consort Chun countered, "To the person who gave you life, would you ruin their reputation and repay kindness with enmity?"
Lu Tianlin knew exactly what Consort Chun was talking about, and could only sincerely accept it: "Your Highness is right, Tianlin knows he was wrong."
Upon hearing this, the vast hall fell into complete silence.
Then, Consort Chun looked at Lu Tianjiao, who was huddled in the corner, her eyes constantly darting away, seemingly unintentionally.
He slowly spoke again, saying, "These prodigies..."
Upon hearing this, Lu Xian, knowing that his daughter had done many wrong things, hurriedly interjected, "Jiao'er has been spoiled by her fellow students at Xiqin Academy since she was little. It's all my fault. I know she has done a lot of wrong things, and I will definitely discipline her more strictly in the future!"
Consort Chun smiled upon hearing this and continued, "This Tianjiao... can be considered as having spent some time by my side."
Looking back, when she personally taught Lu Tianjiao when she was a child, she discovered that Lu Tianjiao was indeed quite clever.
I learn everything faster than others.
While others struggled with the same question for ages, she answered it in no time.
Unexpectedly, her cleverness backfired; she was too clever for her own good and didn't use her intelligence for the right purpose.
Many things from the past are best left unmentioned.
The Consort Chun only said to her: "People say that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. Of course, I do not agree with this. A woman who is both talented and virtuous should be even better. However, I believe that a woman should be more virtuous and content with her lot, and should have a sincere and innocent heart, rather than chasing or coveting things that are not meant to be hers without any bottom line. Otherwise, she will end up with nothing but tears and regret."
Upon hearing this, Lu Tianjiao felt a mix of emotions.
It wasn't until Lu Xian subtly gave her a look that she came to her senses and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness. I will keep it in mind!"
Of course, Consort Chun knew that the arrogance and hatred that Lu Tianjiao had accumulated in his heart since childhood would not be so easily resolved by her words.
All of this today was just her final warning to Lu Xian in front of them.
Then she said to Lu Xian, "Lu Xian, don't be angry. The reason I said these things today is because I still regard them as my close relatives, just like when I was a child. If they are like strangers on the street to me, then I have no reason to care about them."
Lu Xian said, "Lu Xian understands. Thank you, Your Highness, for teaching Lin'er and Jiao'er. This is their blessing."
Seeing that Consort Chun looked tired, Xuan Yuanhan said with concern, "Your mother is still not well, so I will take Lu Xian and the others to leave now."
Consort Chun breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Alright, I am indeed a little tired. Please make yourselves at home!"
At this point, everyone finally got up and left.
Consort Chun also seemed to have exhausted all her strength.
He tried to get up, panting, but couldn't manage it no matter how many times he tried.
Zhang Mama stepped forward with heartache, helping her up as she said, "Imperial Physician Yue has instructed Your Highness to rest in bed. If Your Highness continues to disobey, this old servant will have no choice but to summon His Highness!"
Supported by Zhang Mama, Consort Chun walked back to the bedside, saying, "I know my own body well. At this moment, I'm afraid my son is even more distressed than I am. If you summon him here, wouldn't it just mean that my son and I would be heartbroken together?!"
"This old servant..." Granny Zhang hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
She then asked with concern, "Your Highness the Dowager and Dean Lu haven't seen each other for many years. Now that they've just met, she's already scolded his two children. Is that... really a good idea?"
Consort Chun said, "If a son is not taught, it is the father's fault. Lu Xian understands this principle. I am indeed educating them on his behalf, but I am also telling them that if one day they cross the line of the Prince Qin's mansion, I will not forgive them. There are some things that my son cannot say. But what do I, a woman, have to fear? At most, I will be seen as having a woman's opinion, which Lu Xian will not take to heart."
After thinking about the evil deeds the siblings had committed in the past, Granny Zhang asked, "Will Young Master Lu and Miss Lu listen to what Her Majesty said today?"
As Consort Chun ascended the couch, she said, "That Lu Tianlin, now that he's around Lu Xian every day, must have picked up quite a bit from what he's seen and heard. He probably won't be too bad..."
But when it came to Lu Tianjiao, Consort Chun hesitated: "But this Lu Tianjiao..."
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