After the guards left, Mei Zhixuan closed his eyes for a long, long time before finally letting out a long sigh of relief. He was indeed exhausted after so many days and nights.
Suddenly realizing that her beloved son was still inside the room, a corner of her heart inexplicably softened. After a moment's thought, she slowly got up to go in and check on him.
However, when he stood at the door of the inner room, he mustered up his courage and finally managed to force a smile as he reached out and lifted the curtain of the inner room, only to find that the room was already empty.
Even the bedding on the tatami mat was neatly folded, and there wasn't a trace of any child in it.
Just as he suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of loneliness wash over him, and his gaze, filled with sadness and disappointment, lingered fixedly on the room for a long time before he finally had to snap out of it and turn back to his seat, he suddenly heard a familiar voice from the doorway: "Your Highness!"
Upon hearing this, Mei Zhixuan could no longer suppress the anger he had been holding back. Without even glancing at the person who had come, he blurted out in a very impatient voice, "I ordered you to go out and do something immediately, what are you doing back here?"
In fact, after being together for many years, Mei Zhixuan knew from the sound of footsteps that the person coming was his guard who had just left and then returned.
Upon hearing this, the guard was startled for a moment, but having followed Mei Zhixuan for quite some time, he knew that Mei was currently in great distress. After a brief pause, he finally spoke and reported, "Your Highness, a letter has arrived from Youlan Island!"
Upon hearing this, Mei Zhixuan looked up in astonishment and finally saw the guard's face, saying, "What? A letter from Youlan Island!"
The guard nodded, then quickly stepped forward and handed the letter to him.
Mei Zhixuan took the paper and quickly unfolded it. His eyes darted across the words on the paper, and his expression quickly brightened from initial depression.
Finally, he slammed his hand heavily on the table beside him, exclaiming with joy and excitement, "Great! Great! Heaven is helping me! This is truly 'when you think you've reached the end of the road, a new path opens up before you're in the dark,' our chance has come!"
The guard, seeing Mei Zhixuan suddenly seem to be in a very good mood, asked with a puzzled look, "An opportunity has come? What opportunity has come?"
Upon seeing this, Mei Zhixuan swiftly handed a secret letter to the guard.
Sure enough, the guard who had read the entire secret letter immediately looked up at Mei Zhixuan's face, seemingly unable to believe that what was written in it was true.
At this moment, he could only stare in disbelief and say, "This, this is just too much of a coincidence..."
Just now, after the two of them made up their minds, they were still racking their brains, thinking about how difficult it would be to rashly place someone next to the King of Dongning.
Moreover, the person planted must not only be useful to him, conveying some useful information, but also be able to cover up Yi Shangyun's true identity, protect him, and help him avoid the Empress's conspiracy.
And all of this seemed to fall into place at this moment because of the arrival of this letter.
Mei Zhixuan suddenly felt that Heaven was still very kind to him.
He dismissed the prophecy of national subjugation as a prediction that his grand ambitions were about to be realized!
Suddenly snapping out of his daze, Mei Zhixuan immediately ordered the guards, "What are you still standing there for? Go and prepare quickly!"
Qi Liao, however, suddenly seemed to hesitate, and asked weakly, "But... what about Her Majesty..."
Mei Zhixuan stood up, put his hands behind his back, and stood by the window. He gazed at the white jade tree outside the window and pondered for a moment before finally making up his mind and saying, "I, the prince, am here to handle everything. You can go and do it with peace of mind. The sooner we leave, the more at ease we will be!"
The guard gritted his teeth and said firmly, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will do it immediately!"
Several days later, that night.
The Dongning King's spacious and imposing study was brightly lit.
Inside, several charcoal braziers were constantly radiating a continuous stream of warm warmth, making it hard to believe that it was a cold winter day.
The air inside was filled with wisps of incense smoke, rising endlessly. Upon entering, one couldn't help but feel that the person residing here must be a celestial being banished from some realm of immortals.
In one corner of the room stood a rosewood and marble desk. At this moment, the King of Dongning, unable to sleep, had just finished writing a poem. Gazing at it, he softly recited: "When will the spring flowers and autumn moon end? How much of the past do I know? Last night, the east wind blew again in my small tower; my homeland is unbearable to recall in the bright moonlight. The carved railings and jade steps should still be there, only the rosy cheeks have faded. How much sorrow can one have? It's like a river of spring water flowing eastward."
After reciting the poem, Qi Liao let out a heavy sigh, as if his sorrow had only deepened.
At this moment, the young guard who had been silently accompanying him tried to persuade him with concern: "Your Majesty, it is already late at night, why don't you rest early!"
The King of Dongning shook his head, sighed, and said, "How I wish I could sleep soundly every night without worry! But..."
As he spoke, his tone suddenly became agitated: "But this prophecy of national ruin follows me like a shadow. Whenever I lie on my bed and close my eyes even slightly, my mind is filled with chaotic images of fierce battles and bloodshed. The blurred faces of those who lie in pools of blood, those who have died on the battlefield—young or old—the countless people who have lost their husbands and sons, lost their homes that sheltered them, all stretching out their arms to me in terror, begging for my help. This is my kingdom, my people, but I… but I…"
Having said all that, he clearly couldn't bear to continue, so he slumped down weakly with a thud.
For several days, the young guard had watched his master grow increasingly depressed, to the point that he was now almost on the verge of losing his mind and collapsing. He was extremely anxious and distressed.
She quickly tried to comfort him, saying, "Your Majesty, what's wrong? Hasn't Her Majesty already discovered that this prophecy of national ruin was a treacherous plot by a spy lurking in our Dongning Palace, who conspired with Minister Zhang to spread rumors in court and bring chaos to our Dongning Palace? Besides, you have already personally ordered Minister Zhang to be beheaded. Why is Your Majesty still so stubbornly mired in it, unable to extricate yourself from this torment?"
Upon hearing this, the King of Qiliao Dongning burst into tears, crying out, "Lord Zhang, Lord Zhang, I'm so sorry, so sorry..."
The young guard was stunned by the scene before him: "For a traitor like Lord Zhang, killing him without implicating his family is already an act of imperial grace, letting him off too easily. Where does this talk of 'sorry' come from? Your Majesty, what's wrong with you tonight? Your Majesty..."
Just then, an announcement rang out from outside the door: "Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"
Upon hearing the sound, the young guard immediately looked towards the door. When he saw the person in the phoenix robe, exuding an air of nobility, stepping across the threshold, he quickly knelt down and bowed to the person, saying, "This servant respectfully welcomes Your Majesty the Empress to live a thousand years!"
The Empress Dowager glanced at him as soon as she entered, then smiled broadly and approached the King of Dongning at the table, bowing slightly and saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects!"
The King of Dongning seemed slightly surprised and raised his eyes to ask, "Empress, what brings you here?"
The Empress slowly rose, smiled gently, and stepped forward to say softly, "Your Majesty, I have heard that Your Majesty has been unable to eat or sleep well lately because of state affairs. I was worried about these clumsy servants serving you, so I came to check on you myself!"
After saying that, she called to the servants who came in with her, "Bring the nourishing soup that I personally prepared for His Majesty."
The King of Dongning seemed somewhat surprised upon hearing this and asked, "A nourishing tonic soup?"
As she brought out a bowl of soup from a carved wooden tray, she explained, “Nourishing the body with medicinal pastes is a method I have always enjoyed. These pastes are tonics and conditioning products, not medicine. While decoctions focus on quickly treating acute illnesses, medicinal pastes provide holistic conditioning of the body's functions, achieving both nourishment and treatment. Compared to traditional Chinese medicine decoctions, I believe medicinal pastes have advantages. For example, they are highly effective, non-toxic, neutralize the properties of other medicines, and have a stable and lasting effect. They also have both preventative and therapeutic functions, and their taste is sweet and easy to consume. Therefore, in my Dongning region, those who are weak and prone to illness, those who want to improve their health, manage chronic diseases, aid in post-illness recovery, women's health maintenance, men's strength, and the elderly's longevity, all take them.”
Upon hearing this, the King of Dongning seemed to be very pleased for his people, and said to the Empress, "In that case, Your Majesty has gone to great lengths!"
Then she personally scooped up a spoonful of soup and fed it to the King of Dongning, who happily swallowed it slowly.
The Empress Dowager smiled and asked, "Your Majesty, how are you feeling?"
The King of Dongning tasted it carefully and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Hmm, it is indeed very easy to drink, much better than those various tonics that the imperial physicians usually send over!"
The Empress Dowager said with a delighted expression, "In that case, I will have someone send Your Majesty this nourishing soup every day from now on. Your Majesty must remember to take it regularly."
Looking at the Empress's seemingly innocent and pure face, the King of Dongning said with conviction, "Very well, I promise you! Well then, Your Majesty, you've worked hard!"
Just then, the Empress suddenly leaned closer with a shy expression, tentatively sitting on the Emperor of Dongning's lap. Her eyes were filled with desire as she whispered in his ear, "Your Majesty, it's late. How about I stay and keep you company tonight? It's been so long since we last met, and I've missed your scent and warmth so much..."
As she spoke, she unceremoniously sent one of her soft, delicate hands wandering deep into the robes of the King of Dongning.
Just as the King of Dongning was feeling as if he were playing with fire, a notification sounded again from outside the door...
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