On the fourth day of the eleventh month of the fourth year of the Kangding reign, Prince of Qin Zhao Yingyi ascended the throne in the Purple Palace and accepted the homage of all civil and military officials. On the same day, his mother, Consort Qin Shufei, was posthumously named Empress Dowager Duanrou, and Princess Lu was canonized as Empress.
When a new emperor ascends the throne, it is customary to change the reign title. The Ministry of Rites carefully drafted five reign titles: Jingtai, Qianyuan, Taiping, Mingdao, and Yuanxi, and presented them to Qin Youran, asking him to choose one as the reign title.
However, Qin Youran had been busy for days and was already exhausted. He didn't want to bother with such trivial matters as choosing a reign title.
He glanced nonchalantly at the document handed to him by the eunuch, and said impatiently: "In my opinion, these reign titles are nothing new. Kangding is very good. There is no need to change it. Let's continue to use Kangding as the reign title."
Upon hearing this, the Minister of Rites frowned and said sternly, "Your Majesty, this is impossible. Since ancient times, there has never been a case of two emperors sharing the same reign title. This is unreasonable."
"Why not? I am the rule!"
Qin Youran vented his impatience directly on the Minister of Rites, his voice floating in the Wende Hall like waves.
This was the first time that His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin got angry after ascending the throne. All the palace maids and eunuchs serving in the Wende Hall hung their heads and held their breath.
Qin Youran stood up, flicked his wide sleeves, and walked away, leaving the Minister of Rites stunned.
…
On New Year's Eve, heavy snow was falling in the capital, and the corridors and glazed tiles of the palace were covered with a thick layer of cotton wool.
Lu Tianyun was wearing a thick moon-white fox fur coat and walking hurriedly on the palace road, followed by several eunuchs and maids holding lanterns.
"Empress, the road is slippery, please walk slowly." The palace servant followed Lu Tianyun's pace and reminded her.
Lu Tianyun was extremely anxious and ignored the palace servants' instructions. She walked hurriedly and soon arrived at Zhaohua Palace.
Zhaohua Hall is the palace where the late Concubine Qin Shufei once lived.
Yesterday, Qin Youran went to the Cining Palace to meet the Queen Mother and then disappeared. Lu Tianyun searched for him for the whole day.
Lu Tianyun walked into Zhaohua Palace and finally saw Qin Youran in the inner hall, as well as wine jugs and bottles on the ground.
Qin Youran was sitting on the ground with a bottle of wine in her hand. She had only drunk half of it.
Lu Tianyun looked at the wine jars and bottles scattered on the floor, squatted down, and asked Qin Youran with concern, "Your Majesty, why did you drink so much?"
Qin Youran reached out and groped the ground, picked up a bottle of wine and stuffed it into Lu Tianyun's hand. "Come, let's drink together. I just want to drink."
"Your Majesty, I don't drink." Lu Tianyun said. She was more concerned about why Qin Youran suddenly got drunk to relieve his sorrow.
"Come on, let's drink together."
Qin Youran pulled Lu Tianyun's arm, and Lu Tianyun fell to the ground.
Qin Youran gently clinked the bottle of wine in Lu Tianyun's hand and said, "Drink with me."
Then, Qin Youran took a big sip of wine to show off.
Soon, the bottle of wine was empty, and Qin Youran took another jar of wine and started drinking.
Lu Tianyun just watched Qin Youran drink one sip after another.
"Lu Tianyun, our future lives have been arranged by our royal brother. Are you willing to accept this?" Qin Youran suddenly asked.
Lu Tianyun was slightly stunned. She didn't expect Qin Youran to ask her about this. She looked at Qin Youran, and her phoenix eyes reflected Qin Youran's handsome face.
She clinked the bottle in her hand with Qin Youran's and said slowly, "Zhao Yingyi, if that person was someone else, I wouldn't want to be with you. But if that person is you, then I am willing."
Qin Youran was slightly stunned, raised a smile that seemed to be neither a smile nor a smile, and soon felt relieved.
Qin Youran shook the jar of wine in his hand, turned his head to look at Lu Tianyun, and asked, "Do you know how my mother and sister died?"
Lu Tianyun nodded, "I know. Aunt Sang said that the reason Empress Dowager Duanrou lost her pregnancy was because my aunt instigated Concubine Fang and Concubine Yu De to murder Empress Dowager Duanrou. It was my aunt who killed Empress Dowager Duanrou and Princess Huiyang."
Qin Youran shook her head. "It wasn't your aunt. The real murderer who killed my mother and sister wasn't the Queen Mother."
"Hmm?" Lu Tianyun looked puzzled.
Qin Youran took a deep breath and said, "Actually, the real murderer who killed my mother and sister was my father."
Lu Tianyun was shocked, thinking she had misheard, "What?"
Qin Youran's voice was filled with sadness and irony. "Isn't it ridiculous? The mastermind behind the murder of my mother and sister turned out to be my own father!"
"The Empress Dowager told me that it was my father who instructed her to instigate Consort De and Consort Gui to murder my mother. At that time, Consort De and Consort Gui's maternal families were powerful, and my father's implementation of the new policies was hindered. He was eager to eliminate the forces headed by the Fang and Yu families, and my mother became a sacrifice for my father to consolidate his imperial power."
At this point, Qin Youran's voice trembled, her eyes filled with pain and resentment. "My mother and sister were merely pawns used by my father to eliminate the power of the Fang and Yu families."
After hearing this, Lu Tianyun looked horrified.
Emperor Xiangfu was such a cold-blooded and heartless person that he used his concubines and royal heirs as pawns to eliminate the forces of the previous dynasty that threatened him.
Lu Tianyun looked at Qin Youran, her almond-shaped eyes filled with heartache.
Qin Youran took a sip of wine and said in a sad voice, "Even in the jade palace, it's so cold up there."
Lu Tianyun snuggled up to Qin Youran's side, holding his arms with both hands, resting her head on his shoulder, and said softly, "Even though it's cold up there, I will stay with you, Your Highness, and never leave you."
Qin Youran stretched out his hand and hugged Lu Tianyun tightly in his arms. He slowly closed his eyes, trying to absorb the warmth from Lu Tianyun to warm his cold body and mind.
From that day on, Qin Youran restrained all his emotions, as if to tell everyone that he was Zhao Yingyi, no longer Qin Youran.
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