"After the great victory at Yunzhou, the Duke of Dingguo not only kept the Prince of Yan out of the city of Yunzhou, but also forced the Prince of Yan to retreat back to the Southern Kingdom. Now the Prince of Yan is the King of the South."
Li Wei told Yuwen Wuji the latest news, and as he watched the light in Yuwen Wuji's eyes gradually disappear, a smile appeared on Li Wei's lips.
"Your Majesty, it is this servant who cares about you the most." He took a handkerchief and wiped his body. Under his care, Yuwen Wuji hadn't developed a single bedsore. "Oh, by the way. Consort Shu wants to see you, but guess what? She was reported by her own maid. It turns out that she was also involved in the Empress's death back then!"
Upon hearing about Xie Wanqing's death, despair immediately filled Yuwen Wuji's eyes. He didn't want to hear it; he didn't want to!
Li Wei also stopped there, not saying anything more. After all, it's much harder to make someone live in fear before the guillotine falls than to make them accept a predetermined reality.
With a mother like Consort Shu who was involved in the death of the late Empress, even if the Fifth Prince's leg injury recovered, he would have no chance of ascending the throne.
Yuwen Wuji closed his eyes in despair, and only then did regret begin to creep into his heart.
If he hadn't killed Xie Wanqing back then, but instead had lived a loving and harmonious life with her, their child would have been the crown prince, and everything would have been so wonderful.
But it's all just imagination; there are no "what ifs" in this world.
Yuwen Wuji closed his eyes, lost in his own imagination. In his fantasy, he and Xie Wanqing were still as loving as ever, walking hand in hand in the Imperial Garden, with their little daughter by their side...
However, with a "thump," he was jolted awake from his fantasy.
Xie Liwei has arrived.
"His Majesty seems to be in a good mood." Xie Liwei parted his lips slightly, a smile playing on his lips, clearly pleased with the great victory at Yunzhou. After all, the Princess Consort was about to return.
Xie Liwei looked at Yuwen Wuji, and suddenly seemed to see through his heart, and said sarcastically, "Your elder sister won't come to see you. Besides, looking like a wreck, won't you feel ashamed when you see your elder sister?"
Sharp words turned into a knife and plunged into Yuwen Wuji's heart.
Yes, Xie Wanqing is only twenty years old now; she is beautiful and full of vitality. As for him, he is already on his deathbed, clinging to life every day with precious medicinal herbs. Once he stops taking the medicine, he will die.
Before, he really didn't want to live anymore, but now, he wants to hold on until Song Yaozhu comes back from Yunzhou and comes to see him!
He wanted to see her one last time!
He regretted it. Xie Wanqing had loved him so much back then. With all that affection, she would definitely want to see him again!
"The Eldest Princess has prepared the Sixth Prince's enthronement ceremony. His Majesty may now depart," Xie Liwei said to Li Wei.
Li Wei realized what was happening and stopped giving Yuwen Wuji his medicine that very day.
Without the medicine, Yuwen Wuji gradually lost his sense of the outside world. Taste, smell, sight, hearing... it was as if his five senses were sealed off, and he was plunged into darkness. No matter how he screamed in this darkness, no one answered.
"The medicine has been stopped for five days. The imperial physician said he has been having trouble swallowing, so he's been left hanging like this."
Li Wei suddenly found himself in a difficult situation. He could no longer feed the soup, and the person had lost all chance of living. Logically, this person should have died long ago, but he was still clinging to life and just refused to swallow.
Yuwen Xian sighed and walked to the bedside.
"Second Brother, what's the point of you holding on now? You killed him, what's the point of your feigned affection now?" Yuwen Xian didn't know if he could still hear her, but he still spoke his mind. "People pay the price for their actions, that's a principle I've always taught you, Second Brother. Go in peace, Second Brother, and don't delay Sixth Brother's ascension to the throne."
After Yuwen Xian finished speaking, he said to Li Wei, "Today, I will be placed in the coffin."
Li Wei was shocked. His body trembled, and he didn't know if he could survive the night!
Burying a living person is a major taboo!
But Yuwen Xian was no longer willing to wait. Yuwen Wuji had dragged it out for too long, long enough that voices of abdication were about to be heard in the court.
She is a member of the Yuwen family, and she must shoulder the honor and responsibility of this family.
On the sixth day of the fifth lunar month, an auspicious day, the new emperor, though a child, ascended the throne amidst the throng of ministers because he was the only healthy heir left by Yuwen Wuji.
The affairs of state were handled jointly by Prince Xuan and the eldest princess, while the regent, Xie Li, returned power to the emperor in his time of need.
In mid-May, the eldest princess ordered the selection of a son-in-law, seeking a suitable candidate from among the Xie family's nephews and nieces to solidify the alliance between the two families.
They all knew that this child was not Yuwen Wuji's true bloodline, so the eldest son of the princess was extremely important.
In June, Song Yaozhu returned to the capital, just in time for the Grand Princess's wedding. She was now the most honored woman in the entire Great Chen Dynasty, and no one dared to look directly at her face.
No one expected that the once marginalized eldest princess would be the one who had the last laugh.
As for the current Empress Dowager Song Wenyue, although she holds the title, she knows she is merely a puppet. Everyone knows the new emperor's true identity, and once the eldest princess gives birth to the legitimate eldest son, this new emperor will be disposed of, and she will be among those eliminated.
She begged Song Yaozhu to spare her life, but Song Yaozhu said calmly, "There has always been a way out, it just depends on whether you are willing to take it, sister."
Song Wenyue was ordained as a nun that very day and went to Huangjue Temple to become a nun. However, she was still constantly monitored by the Princess's people and lived a life of unbearable suffering.
As for Gao Ping, she had already died. Xie Lu lied to Yuwen Wuji, saying she was still alive, but that wasn't true.
Gao Ping was imprisoned in a secret chamber by her son. After being deposed, Prince Jing accidentally killed the Crown Princess and was in a daze, having long forgotten his mother. Therefore, when Xie Liwei's men discovered the secret chamber in the Eastern Palace, they found a rotting and stinking corpse inside.
Gao Ping not only died, but she also starved to death.
A woman who was born into immense privilege eventually starved to death.
Song Yaozhu couldn't express what she was thinking; she only felt that everything was cause and effect, karma.
Her great revenge was fulfilled, and everything returned to dust.
Granny Qin found her son, who had been missing for over twenty years. To her surprise, Qin Er didn't hate her at all. After being captured as the Prince of Qin, he wasn't subjected to inhuman torture. It seemed the perpetrators were intentionally keeping this a secret, so they had him taught to read and write.
He was locked in a room where he couldn't see anyone, but fortunately he had books for company.
He learned principles and became successful through reading. He had always looked forward to the day he would meet his mother and brother, and when his wish came true, he acted like a child.
"Qin Er looks like a child." Xie Liwei thought this more than once.
“After all, he’s been locked up for so long, with no one to talk to, he just reads.” Song Yaozhu sighed. She didn’t tell Xie Liwei that when they first found Qin Er, he couldn’t even speak. Because no one had interacted with him for so long, his vocal cords had severely degenerated. But with his annoying older brother taking care of him, he’s much better now.
"Everything will get better and better."
In July, the eldest princess became pregnant and went to the Summer Palace with her ministers. When Song Yaozhu stepped into the place again, she felt as if she had returned to another world.
Yuwen Xian is now even more voluptuous and beautiful, and her husband standing beside her looks more like her attendant.
"Second Sister-in-law," Yuwen Xian addressed her upon seeing her.
Song Yaozhu was taken aback. This address seemed to transcend the flow of time, allowing her to see herself as a child.
Song Yaozhu pursed her lips, thinking to herself that her husband was indeed Xie Liwei's cousin. Xie Liwei was Xie Lu's nominal second son, so he should call her "Second Sister-in-law".
Is early pregnancy very difficult?
Yuwen Xian replied with a smile, "With a capable husband, the hard work can be halved. Second sister-in-law should understand this."
Song Yaozhu also smiled.
When does Second Sister-in-law plan to give Rugo and Wanqing a younger brother or sister?
"It depends on fate." Song Yaozhu thought about Xie Liwei's constant turmoil and wondered if it was possible to have a second child now?
After all, her elderly father's greatest joy in retirement is taking care of the kids.
"Second brother's crimes have been exposed to the world. Second sister-in-law, do you have anything to say?"
Yuwen Xian had Yuwen Wuji's "Edict of Self-Reproach" promulgated, still written by Cao Zhi, revealing to the world that he had murdered the Empress out of jealousy. Scholars throughout the land were shocked. However, Yuwen Xian's attitude of admitting her mistakes was very good, and with her marriage alliance with the Xie family, who would provide her with support, the people of the world were naturally willing to give this princess a chance.
When Song Yaozhu heard her ask that, she fell silent. The smile on her face froze.
Yuwen Xian seemed to have guessed who she was.
"There's nothing to say." Song Yaozhu turned her gaze to the distance. "I have nothing to say about things that have nothing to do with me."
Now she is Song Yaozhu, and she will no longer be swayed by Xie Wanqing's life.
The road ahead is long, and she wants to walk it with the person she loves.
When autumn came again, Song Yaozhu and Xie Liwei went to the Taoist temple together. The two offered eternal lamps and performed rituals for Xie Wanqing's former subordinates. After finishing their work, it was already late at night, so they stayed overnight at the Taoist temple.
Xie Liwei held Song Yaozhu's hand, and the two strolled in the courtyard.
A cool breeze was blowing, and the two held hands tightly; everything was peaceful and beautiful.
"Xie Liwei, let's go overseas and see the world. I've never been to sea before, maybe there are many different landscapes out there."
Xie Liwei nodded with a smile, "Okay, let's go together, with Father, the two little ones, and Granny Qin's family."
Song Yaozhu leaned on Xie Liwei's shoulder and looked up at the bright moon in the sky.
"Shen Qingque proposed abolishing the cabinet system and restoring the prime minister system. Based on his achievements, no one in the court can stop him from becoming the left prime minister. Cao Zhi has now gone to the Ministry of Revenue and is busy catching human traffickers all day long. Alas, when one has something to love, one will have ambition; when one has ambition, the road ahead will be bright."
Xie Liwei sighed.
"Then what are your ambitions?" Song Yaozhu looked up at him. Given his status, if he wanted to, he could easily command a large following and be elevated to the highest position by the people of the world.
Moreover, someone spread the word that he was a scholar, and now he is seen as a god descended from heaven in the eyes of scholars.
"My beloved is my elder sister. Wherever my elder sister is, that's where my ambition lies," Xie Liwei said with a smile.
He was never a man of great ambition; his concern for the common people stemmed from the fact that these were the mountains, rivers, and lakes that his sister loved.
"Is my older sister really willing to go to sea with me now?"
Song Yaozhu wrapped her arm around his and nodded. Having experienced so much, she realized that she was not indispensable to the people of the world.
But she is indispensable to her family. She wants to stay by their side, by the side of those who love her.
"I want to stay by the side of the people I love~"
Xie Liwei's heart pounded, and he couldn't suppress a smile.
"Sister..."
(End of article)
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