No matter how they tried to persuade him, Yan Shaoheng remained unmoved.
He held Chen Jingshu's body tightly in his arms.
"Your Majesty, why don't you eat something? You've been traveling non-stop since you returned from the border. If you continue like this, your dragon body won't be able to hold on. The Yan Kingdom still needs you."
Cheng Ying placed the food aside, intending to pull Yan Shaoheng out of the coffin.
"Get out!" Yan Shaoheng roared in fury.
His eyes never left Chen Jingshu for even a moment.
He is now filled with regret.
I regret not persisting a little longer at that moment.
He regretted that he still harbored illusions when faced with power.
Yan Zhixiao, dressed in white mourning clothes, strode in, his eyes filled with hatred as he looked at Yan Shaoheng.
"Who are you trying to fool with this act of deep affection now! You didn't exist twenty years ago, and I don't need you twenty years from now!"
Yan Zhixiao snatched the corpse from Yan Shaoheng's arms. Yan Shaoheng roared, "What are you doing! Give her back to me!"
Yan Zhixiao, his face full of anger, said bitterly, "You have no right to touch her! If it weren't for you, how could Mother have died such a tragic death!"
After saying that, Yan Zhixiao turned and left, carrying Chen Jingshu's body.
Yan Shaoheng wanted to stop him, but because he had not eaten or drunk anything for many days, he was extremely weak and could only watch helplessly as Yan Zhixiao took Chen Jingshu away.
Overwhelmed with grief and indignation, Yan Shaoheng coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.
Cheng Ying was shocked and quickly helped Yan Shaoheng up, shouting, "Your Majesty! Someone come quickly! Summon the imperial physician!"
Yan Zhixiao placed Chen Jingshu's body back into the coffin. He placed his hands on the coffin, his voice choked with emotion, "Mother, rest in peace. I will do my best."
Just as the guards were about to reseal the coffin, Yan Zhixiao stopped them, saying, "Reseal it tomorrow."
The guard assumed that Yan Zhixiao wanted to wait until the emperor woke up before saying anything more.
Outside the window, moonlight casts shadows across the ground, birch trees sway gently, and a night breeze caresses the scene.
Yan Shaoheng lay on the bed, his eyes vacant, as if he had lost all vitality and soul.
His body remained motionless, like an empty shell.
He stared intently at the ceiling, without uttering a sound.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
"Get up. How is Father? What did the imperial physician say? Has any medicine been administered?"
"Your Highness, the Emperor is overwhelmed with grief, which has caused his blood and qi to attack his heart. The imperial physicians have already used the best medicines, but this heart ailment can only be cured with a heart remedy."
Yan Zhixiao frowned. He walked to Yan Shaoheng's bedside and quietly gazed at his haggard face.
Yan Shaoheng looked at Yan Zhixiao's face, which bore a resemblance to his Jing Shu's. Gradually, the two faces completely merged together.
“Jing Shu…”
“Father, it is me,” Yan Zhixiao sighed softly.
That cry of "Father" completely awakened Yan Shaoheng; her Jing Shu was truly gone.
"Zhixiao..." Yan Shaoheng's voice was hoarse and weak, "You can go down first."
Only Yan Shaoheng and Yan Zhixiao remained in the room.
“I was wrong. You’re right. More than twenty years ago, I abandoned Jing Shu. More than twenty years later, it’s still me. It’s all because of me that Jing Shu…” Yan Shaoheng raised his hand, wanting to hold Yan Zhixiao’s hand, but he easily dodged it.
“I know you resent me, and I resent and hate you too. I also know that Jing Shu has always cared whether I still have feelings for her. It’s a pity about my legs…” Yan Shaoheng shook his head and sighed deeply. “That year, I met Yun Xi. He was extremely skilled in using Gu worms. He said he could cure my useless legs…”
"The price is that I will have to spend my whole life with those disgusting Gu worms. I can't be a normal man and stay with Jing Shu for the rest of my life."
"But I'm not reconciled. I hate those people. Only by standing in that position can I take revenge, get everything I want, and most importantly, protect Jing Shu."
"So, I agreed to Yunxi's request. From that moment on, I became a puppet of Gu. But I am very satisfied. Being able to get rid of the wheelchair, what does it matter if there are a few Gu worms?"
“A few days ago, Jing Shu came to the military camp to find me. I don’t know why, I was just so confused…”
“So you shouldn’t be here, you should be with her.” Yan Zhixiao interrupted him, staring at him firmly. “I know my mother never loved him, and she never even treated Yuexi as her own daughter.”
“Over the years, I have never seen her compete for that man’s favor. Since you say you value my mother more than the throne, then you should grant her wish.” Yan Zhixiao roared. “Last night, my mother appeared to me in a dream. She said, ‘The road to the Bridge of Helplessness is too dark. She is so scared. There are also many people bullying her.’”
Yan Shaoheng felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if a thousand needles were piercing his heart at the same time.
The pain made it hard for him to breathe, and his body trembled uncontrollably. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, but he felt no pain whatsoever.
At this moment, his mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts and emotions, making him feel extremely painful and helpless.
Over the years, he never cared whether Jing Shu in Yue Kingdom would compromise or submit; she was simply his woman.
Even if you are bearing children for someone else, it is still the same.
Unexpectedly, he had always disdained to compete for it, all for his own sake.
“Yes, that road is too dark…” Yan Shaoheng murmured. “Xiao’er, bring your father a writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone.”
As Yan Shaoheng was writing, he remembered something else. "Have the kitchen make a bowl of white fungus porridge, the kind your mother likes the most. I'm a little hungry."
After Yan Zhixiao left, he wrote a lot more on the paper and stamped it with the imperial seal.
"Cheng Ying, come in." Yan Shaoheng handed him the imperial edict. "Cheng Ying, I order you to assist Xiao'er well in the future."
Years of master-servant relationship made Cheng Ying immediately sense a bad premonition. "Master, you can't..."
Yan Shaoheng waved his hand, not wanting him to continue, "This letter is for Xiao'er. If anyone objects, kill them without mercy!"
"You have suffered with me all these years. Once Xiao'er is settled in the court, if you wish to retire, then go."
Yan Shaoheng gave Cheng Ying a lot of instructions, and Cheng Ying just silently agreed.
As soon as the door closed completely, an announcement was made: "The Emperor has passed away!"
Yan Zhixiao, who had just brought out a bowl of white fungus porridge from the western kitchen, shattered completely with a bang.
He ran to the bedside and plunged a dagger into Yan Shaoheng's chest, the blood staining his clothes red.
"Father!"
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