Zong Zheng Xiaoting held his chin and looked at Concubine Rou Gui without blinking, deep confusion revealed in his eyes without any disguise.

"Mother, I don't understand."

"I'm afraid, no one in this palace understands." Concubine Rougui smiled bitterly. This knot, this grievance, has been suppressed in her heart for too many years.

As for the Emperor, she had long given up on the matter of Concubine Li, and she could not accept it even though she was the only one he had ever loved.

"Mother..." Looking at Concubine Rougui, Zong Zheng Xiaoting had a familiar feeling. This expression of sadness and nostalgia was somewhat similar to the look of Le Tian's mother in his memory when she was rarely sad. Was he missing his family too much?

Zong Zheng Xiaoting reached out his hand and wiped away Concubine Rou's tears.

"Ting'er, have you ever blamed your mother for not caring about you?" Pulling down her daughter's hand, Concubine Rougui looked at Zongzheng Xiaoting with guilt.

"Just like a mansion is as deep as the sea, behind these high walls, there are so many concubines, such a complicated previous dynasty, a harem that may be human today and ghost tomorrow. I understand this." Zong Zheng Xiaoting sighed and half-comforted Concubine Rougui.

In the ancient harem, women were fighting and vying for the honor of their family and for a man.

In fact, isn't it the same as the intrigues, calculations and mergers in the business world?

However, in the business world, people pursue themselves and success, while in ancient times, the harem was for the illusory family.

Zong Zheng Xiaoting's words made Concubine Rou Gui nodded heavily.

Zong Zheng Xiaoting smiled at Concubine Rou Gui, "Mother, what happened back then?"

Concubine Rou Gui sighed heavily and told Zong Zheng Xiaoting everything that had happened.

"That year, your father knew that the late emperor intended to marry your eldest sister to him, so he wanted to go and see what the true character of this talented woman who was talked about all over the capital was like." When talking about her youth, there was still longing in Concubine Rou's eyes.

Zong Zheng Xiaoting looked at Concubine Rou Gui in amazement. Her every frown and smile, even the look of her memories, vaguely overlapped with his mother's.

"My eldest sister and my third sister, we three sisters are somewhat similar. However, the emperor at that time regarded my eldest sister, who was playful and unruly, as the youngest, and my third sister as the eldest sister. In the eyes of the emperor, my third sister was too dignified and rigid, while my eldest sister was too cynical. No matter which extreme they were, they were far from what he hoped for." Concubine Rougui's words made Zong Zheng Xiaoting nod his head. Indeed, the empress's temperament was dignified, rigid, and conservative.

"Did mother fall in love with father at first sight at that time?" Zong Zheng Xiaoting asked, tilting his head.

"It's not love at first sight." Concubine Rougui smiled. "At that time, if we talk about appearance, it wouldn't be me that the emperor fell in love with at first sight. The emperor concealed his identity and came to visit, but he pointed fingers at and commented on my eldest sister and third sister. We are sisters with deep affection, but we are also the kind of people who protect our shortcomings. Naturally, I would not be polite to him."

Concubine Rou Gui told the story word by word about the past when she had a verbal battle with the emperor because of her protection of his shortcomings. At that time, the emperor, who had always been obedient and flattered, naturally began to admire and love her gradually during this exchange.

Love never tolerates any other colors.

Without the high-ranking status and the constraints of family interests, the love that grew during that period was truly sincere.

"But, my eldest sister also disappeared at that time for no apparent reason. No one could find her. It was as if she had vanished into thin air... So the Emperor's decree of marriage changed to that of my third sister."

Zong Zheng Xiaoting watched Concubine Rougui turn sad and sighed in his heart, thinking that the imperial family was the most ruthless.

Even if Zong Zheng Wei Mo loved her deeply, being a crown prince still meant he had responsibilities and helplessness, let alone being the emperor after he ascended the throne?

I have watched a lot of dramas about the harem, and sometimes, I yearn for this kind of love, but it is not allowed with the emperor. The harem and the former dynasty are indeed intricately connected.

Concubine Rougui finally entered the palace in order to pursue her own love, but in the end, she also buried the beauty she once longed for.

Zong Zheng Xiaoting continued to listen to Concubine Rou Guifei's words, and the sighs and sorrows in his heart became more and more prolonged.

I listened to how Concubine Rougui was gradually injured, how she became more and more desperate, and how she was led by Concubine Li step by step into house arrest.

"At that time, Concubine Li protected me just like I protected my eldest sister and third sister," Concubine Rougui said sarcastically. "She even tried her best to make you weak and sick. When the emperor investigated, all kinds of evidence showed that I poisoned you to consolidate my favor and win more love from the emperor."

Concubine Rou's words also made Zong Zheng Xiaoting stunned. If that was the case, then what Concubine Li did was just to take advantage of the emperor's nostalgia and become a substitute for Concubine Rou?

The reason why Concubine Rougui endured it was because her poison was buried deep in the ground without anyone noticing. She realized that Concubine Li was not a simple person, and she knew that Concubine Li's purpose was to use the concern for her to consolidate her sisterly love in the eyes of the emperor?

Because she understood, for the sake of her daughter, Concubine Rougui could only let her original anger and misunderstanding continue indefinitely.

"Did mother choose this path because of me?"

"Haha, it was also to escape. When all the evidence pointed to me, the emperor silenced all the insiders, and then questioned me, saying that I had changed. Whenever there was a conflict, he would favor concubines with advantages that I didn't have, which made my heart bleed drop by drop... After I gave birth to you, in order to protect your healthy growth, the emperor and I agreed from the beginning that he would treat you the same as other princes and princesses."

A long sigh, filled with helplessness.

Concubine Rougui looked at Zongzheng Xiaoting with a sad smile, "If I had to say, the thing I regret most in my life is that I treated Concubine Li as a sister. I pretended to be indifferent to you in order to protect you, so the emperor must have a lot of regrets for you, Ting'er. I know this, the queen knows it, and Concubine Li knows it too."

"So, Concubine Li's kindness to me is just to serve as a bridge between us and my father so that he can pamper me well?" Zong Zheng Xiaoting narrowed his eyes. If this was the case, everything would be clear.

Concubine Rou Gui nodded, "If she hadn't been plotting against you to marry, I would have just accepted it."

Yes, the excuse she gave for not being able to get over it at that time was the marriage. But now it seems that Concubine Li’s intention was not to really marry her!

Zongzheng Xiaoting pursed his lips, "Concubine Li's ambition is not small."

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