On her deathbed, Consort Zhen thought of the late Emperor.
The happiest days of her life, which lasted less than forty years, were when she was favored by the late emperor.
As a high-ranking imperial concubine, a favored concubine, a concubine whom even the empress had to avoid for many years, she truly lived a very good life.
Cao Mi was a beauty from a young age, and her family often said that she was destined to enter the palace and accompany the king.
Therefore, the Cao family was extremely satisfied that she could become the eldest prince's principal wife.
The eldest prince is the emperor's eldest son and the legitimate son. According to ancestral rules, he should be the crown prince.
Therefore, Cao Mi would later become the empress.
Cao Mi was naturally happy as well.
What makes me happy is that I will be able to be in a high position in the future.
Empress, what woman in the world wouldn't want to be an empress?
My husband is gentle, handsome, and humble.
She was satisfied.
If we could just continue living like this, perhaps that would be another kind of happiness.
If it weren't for seeing His Majesty.
At that time, Shu Zhongjing was at the height of his charm. He was still young and energetic.
He was even more handsome than Shu Changfeng.
His imperial bearing far surpassed that of the eldest prince.
At least that's how Cao Mi saw it back then.
And this man showed her affection and admiration.
Cao Mi felt a thrill she had never experienced even on her wedding day.
When she was summoned to the palace, she already knew what was going to happen. But all she felt was joy and excitement.
I couldn't care about anything else anymore.
At that time, she was the same age as her niece.
Entering the palace, proceeding to the Beichen Hall, drinking and feasting with His Majesty—everything seemed perfectly natural.
I watched a song and dance performance, and then...
And then, it became like that.
She rose from the Crown Prince's wife to the Emperor's Noble Consort.
His Majesty bestowed upon her the title of "Zhen" (珍).
He told her, "Mi'er is the person I cherish most. She will also be the person I love most in the future."
That period felt somewhat chaotic and unreal when she thought about it, but she never went to the First Prince's residence again after that time.
The eldest prince is ill.
Confused, because she was still alive and had not changed her identity, there was no rumor that the Crown Prince's wife had died.
The Ye family has fallen out with the royal family, and His Majesty is powerless to do anything about it.
But they were unwilling to back down.
At that time, he truly doted on Consort Zhen, spending twenty days a month in Feiluan Palace.
Everyone in the harem loathed and despised her, but because of her high status, who could say anything?
The queen was furious and insane, but she dared not do anything about it.
Until the eldest prince passed away.
On the day she learned of Shu Changfeng's death, Consort Zhen was in a daze for a long time.
She had no special feelings for the eldest prince, but such a gentle and humble man suffered such humiliation and left like that.
She wasn't entirely without remorse.
However, this little bit of guilt wasn't enough to make her feel too bad.
Because at that time, she was madly in love with His Majesty.
Yes, she loves His Majesty so much. She loves him to the point of losing herself.
Even with all that on her shoulders, she didn't care.
The more helpless His Majesty felt towards the Ye family, the more he doted on her.
At one point, even the Empress had to stay indoors, while Consort Zhen was the most favored person in the harem.
His Majesty had no choice but to appoint the Fifth Prince as Crown Prince.
However, he also completely broke with the Empress and never visited her again for more than ten years.
For more than a decade, Consort Zhen remained a favorite, giving birth to the Eighth Princess and the Twelfth Prince.
Once the twelfth prince is born, His Majesty will declare him to be the future crown prince and the next emperor.
Consort Zhen believed it; she had always trusted Shu Zhongjing.
She believed everything he said.
For several years, she never even imagined that she would fall out of favor.
Until the young and beautiful Consort Wan entered the palace, and until the young and beautiful Consort Fanghui gave birth to a son.
Until... the young and beautiful Lady Cao entered the palace.
She was overwhelmed by immense fear. Before she even had time to grieve, His Majesty fell ill.
She was then imprisoned on charges.
Those months passed in a daze, just as dazed she was when she first entered the palace.
In the blink of an eye, the man passed away.
His Majesty...has passed away?
She felt as if she were walking on the edge of a cliff, overwhelmed by a tremendous sense of fear.
It seems like everything changed overnight.
When the new emperor ascended the throne, the empress dowager targeted her first.
In fact, she had considered this outcome before, but she always felt that His Majesty was still young and would depose the Crown Prince sooner or later.
But suddenly, everything became impossible.
She could no longer protect herself or the children.
These past few years of being locked up have been worse than death, but I can't die.
The Cao family is still alive, and the children need her to live.
But eventually, she couldn't hold on any longer.
Over the years, she had been burdened by too much pressure. Ever since the late emperor was still alive, she had had too many worries that she hadn't had time to resolve.
More and more.
She worried about the children, but she was powerless to help. She feared that her continued existence would only cause them suffering.
She was also afraid that if she died and couldn't see, her children would still suffer.
Finally, she couldn't escape her fate and died.
The new emperor's decree was like a death warrant.
Her son, on whom she had placed so much hope, was given away for adoption.
That was her son with the late emperor, the son of the man she had loved for so many years.
But she could express nothing but tears.
Finally, the Empress Dowager sent someone to tell her that she was not qualified to enter the imperial concubines' mausoleum.
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