You Ran recalled Chu Heng's drunken words last night: "Could you leave after the Emperor and Empress's wedding?"
Even though he was determined to let go, he still wanted to hold onto the last bit of memory.
A warm feeling welled up in my heart.
Strangely enough, once she figured things out, all the factors she had worried about before became insignificant.
What I didn't feel before, or what I didn't want to feel, I now feel much more clearly.
The more I think about it, the warmer my heart feels.
She slowly finished washing up and went to the old lady's courtyard, where she met Qianqian and Wanwan.
When Madam Yun saw her arrive, she was very happy and invited her to sit down and have breakfast together.
Wanwan pouted and said, "Mother, Grandmother said that once my brother and I enter the palace, we won't be able to live together anymore. Is that true? We won't be able to stay with you all day anymore either? I don't want to be separated from you, and I don't want to be separated from you, either."
You Ran paused for a moment, then said softly, "There are rules in the palace. After you enter the palace, you will be attending the elementary school, so naturally you can't live together. However, your mother will always be in the palace with you. You can come and play with your mother after school. Your mother promises that she will always be there."
Madam Yun understood the meaning behind her words and looked at her in surprise.
She smiled gently and nodded to her grandmother.
Madam Yun immediately showed a look of joy.
Qianqian looked at her mother in surprise. They had discussed life after entering the palace before, but her mother never made such a promise and sometimes avoided the topic altogether.
What's wrong with Mother today?
Only Madam Yun knew that her granddaughter must have figured out something.
After making up her mind, You Ran felt much more relaxed.
The thought of being able to stay with my children forever brings me great joy.
The thought that one of them was the same one from her previous life softened her gaze even more.
Just then, an old woman rushed in from outside the door, saying, "Reporting to the old lady, Miss Six, someone from the palace has come and said that the Empress Dowager urgently summons Miss Six to the palace."
You Ran, unaware of what had happened, could only get up, bow to Madam Yun, comfort the two children for a few moments, go back to the courtyard to change her clothes, and then get into the carriage to go to the palace.
Upon arriving at the palace, a sedan chair took her directly to the Hall of Diligent Governance.
She was stunned when she looked up and saw the plaque.
Why isn't this the Empress Dowager's Cixi Palace?
Nan Zhuo, who was at the door, saw her arrive and quickly came over to greet her, "Your Majesty the Empress, please come in quickly, the Empress Dowager is also inside."
You Ran found it even stranger.
After taking a few steps into the hall, I heard the Empress Dowager's reprimanding voice, one sentence after another.
What do you mean, "The Great Zhou has never had an emperor like you before"? What do you mean, "You've disregarded the empire for the sake of personal feelings"?
You Ran blushed upon hearing this. What was going on? Why did it sound like it concerned her?
Upon arriving at the inner hall, she immediately saw Chu Heng kneeling in front of the dragon throne, on which sat Emperor Shunqing, who was clearly furious, clutching his chest.
Empress Dowager Zhou stood by, trying to soothe him while scolding Chu Heng.
Looking up and seeing You Ran enter, he quickly stopped talking and said kindly to You Ran, "You Ran, you're here?"
Chu Heng also turned his head and saw her, his eyes filled with anxiety, "You..."
He seemed to have a thousand words to say, but he couldn't say them in front of his furious father and mother.
You Ran knelt down properly before Emperor Shunqing and Empress Dowager Zhou, saying, "This humble woman pays her respects to the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Dowager."
Empress Dowager Zhou first said to Emperor Shunqing, "Old man, please don't worry. With your daughter-in-law here, this matter will surely be resolved satisfactorily."
Having spent many years among the common people, Empress Dowager Zhou had long since developed a very down-to-earth way of speaking, and she always referred to Emperor Shunqing as "old man," a title she did not change even after returning to the palace.
Emperor Shunqing nodded slightly but did not speak.
Empress Dowager Zhou rose, descended the steps, and personally helped You Ran to her feet. Her tone softened, but she cut to the chase, "You Ran, this rebellious son of yours! He just said he wanted to abdicate and give way to a worthy successor, all so that you and the child could have a peaceful and uncontested residence. Tell me, what kind of talk is that?!"
You Ran was suddenly startled and looked at Chu Heng, her eyes filled with shock.
He was clearly drunk last night, but she just said that and he grasped the key point: he wanted to be an ordinary person.
But to her utter surprise, he remembered those words after he woke up.
To her even greater surprise, he actually put it into action.
The monarch of a nation, with a vast and beautiful land, a position that countless royal descendants would fight tooth and nail to attain, and he just casually said he didn't want it?
No wonder Emperor Shunqing was so angry he couldn't speak, and no wonder Empress Dowager Zhou kept scolding him.
Chu Heng received her shocked gaze, and a wronged expression appeared in his eyes, as if to say, "You said that if I were an ordinary person, you would marry me. You can't go back on your word."
However, he could not say these words in front of his father and mother, because if he did, they would think that she had instigated him to give up the throne.
But in his previous life, he abused her after being drugged, causing her to die in childbirth. In this life, he has already decided on her and is determined to fulfill her wish and marry her!
Yesterday, he wrote a letter of divorce in despair, thinking that he had no hope of marrying her in this life. Unexpectedly, during a trip to the dilapidated temple, he learned the reason why she did not want to enter the palace.
Later, he got so drunk that he was unconscious. When he woke up the next morning, he remembered what she had said, and he finally understood the crux of the problem.
She really just didn't want to enter the palace, not that she didn't want to marry him!
She disliked the constraints of the palace walls and hoped he would be an ordinary person!
So he got up early and invited his father and mother to the Hall of Diligent Governance, hoping to pass the throne to his fourth brother and have his father oversee the country.
Naturally, he was reprimanded by his father and mother, and his father was so angry that he couldn't speak.
After thinking things through last night, You Ran's mind opened up, and she understood the words in Chu Heng's eyes. She was deeply moved and her expression softened.
Empress Dowager Zhou continued, "The Fourth Prince is only eight years old. What does he know about politics? If we old folks are to oversee the country from the sidelines, then what was the point of handing over the throne to him in the first place?! We won't agree, and the court officials will never agree either! You Ran, tell me, what kind of thing is he doing? After he abdicates, how can he still give you the position of Empress Dowager?! And how can he protect you and your son?!"
You Ran knew that Chu Heng must not have revealed what she had said last night. She could feel Chu Heng's protective heart. She knelt down next to Chu Heng again. "Mother, the Emperor must have been drunk last night and is still talking nonsense. Please, Father and Mother, put your minds at ease. Let your daughter-in-law persuade him properly, and he will not have such thoughts again."
When Empress Dowager Zhou saw that her daughter-in-law had changed her form of address, she was overjoyed. "Good, good, good, Youran, good daughter-in-law! Your mother will help your father back to rest now. This rebellious son is now in your care."
After saying that, she hurriedly went to help Emperor Shunqing up, "Oh dear, old man! Did I tell you what I was saying? Only a daughter-in-law can handle this rebellious son!"
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