Thousands of miles away, in a royal palace nestled against the mountains and beside the water, with stunning scenery, retired emperors toured the beautiful landscapes of their motherland.
Since the retired emperor abdicated, he has dismissed all the concubines in the harem who have not been favored, and he has also sent some of the elderly women out of the palace to live with their children.
When he was emperor, he felt sorry for the empress, causing her to be sick and suffer for so long. Later, after realizing who was the person he would pursue throughout his life, he abdicated and only went out for a stroll with the empress dowager and some old servants.
The retired Emperor Xiao Ji was playing chess with the Empress Dowager (the former Empress). Incense wafted through the warm pavilion, and the outlines of snow-capped mountains could be seen in the distance through the window. Time had left its mark on them, but it had also settled into a peaceful and supportive relationship.
A eunuch entered quietly and respectfully presented two letters: "Reporting to the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Dowager, His Majesty in the capital and the Prince of Jing's residence in Jiangnan have received letters at the same time."
The Emperor Emeritus picked up his son's letter, glanced at it, and smiled. "Chengyu is showing more and more of the demeanor of a wise ruler. He's scolding that little brat Mingyu." He handed it to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager took the letter and shook her head helplessly. "Mingyu's temperament needs to be properly managed." She then picked up another letter from Jiangnan, unfolded it, and her gaze froze instantly. Her hand holding the letter trembled slightly, and the expression on her face changed from surprise to bewilderment, finally transforming into an indescribable complexity—a mixture of relief, reassurance, and a belated, profound sense of guilt.
"What's wrong?" The Emperor Emeritus noticed something was off about her expression.
The Empress Dowager handed him the letter, her voice trembling with a barely perceptible sob: "Chengjing... and Yuewei's child... are pregnant again, already more than two months along."
Emperor Emeritus Xiao Ji took the letter and read it carefully. He remained silent for a moment, his face showing little surprise, but rather a sense of relief that everything had finally settled. He put down the letter and looked at his wife, who had been by his side for many years. In the candlelight, the Empress Dowager's eyes were slightly red, her expression somewhat dazed, as if she were lost in some kind of memory.
“Zitong,” the Emperor Emeritus called the Empress Dowager by her maiden name, gently placing his hand on her slightly cool back. “Let bygones be bygones. Chengjing is the most stubborn of children; once he’s made up his mind about someone or something, not even nine oxen could pull him back. He abandoned everything to go to Jiangnan, and now he and his wife are happy, and they have An’an, and now they’ve welcomed a new baby… Isn’t this exactly the ‘peace and happiness’ we hoped for back then?” He paused, his tone carrying a soothing tone mixed with a hint of barely perceptible melancholy. “Yuewei… is a good child. Back then, we… wronged her.”
The Empress Dowager grasped the Emperor Emeritus's hand in return; her fingertips were icy cold. She took a deep breath, and when she looked up again, the complex emotions in her eyes had been replaced by a resolute, compensatory love. She looked at her husband, her voice clear and gentle, carrying an undeniable resolve:
“Your Majesty is right. I was foolish in the past and got stuck in a rut. Now, seeing Chengjing get what he wanted, seeing how adorable An'an is, and thinking that another little life with Chengjing’s blood will be born in Jiangnan…” She paused, her eyes glistening with tears, but a relieved and warm smile appeared on her lips, “How could we, as grandparents, be absent?”
She stood up and addressed the standing eunuchs, her voice regaining the grace and authority befitting an empress dowager, yet carrying an unprecedented urgency and joy:
"By imperial decree! The itinerary has been changed! Next stop—Jiangnan! The Emperor Emeritus and I are going to visit our grandchildren, and... our soon-to-be-born grandson!"
Inside the warm pavilion, the charcoal fire crackled. The snowlight outside reflected the tears and longing in the Empress Dowager's eyes. The warm breeze of Jiangnan seemed to have already dispelled years of estrangement and chill. A visit, traversing mountains and rivers, laden with guilt, reconciliation, and deep kinship, was about to begin. The Jing Prince's Mansion in Jiangnan was destined to experience unprecedented liveliness and fulfillment.
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