In the mountains outside the capital city.
Prince Ning knelt before a solitary grave without a tombstone, burning incense and paper money.
He took out the contents of the food box one by one and arranged them neatly in front of the grave. After gazing at the grave for a long time, he murmured, "I'm only here to see you today, please don't be offended."
The Prince of Dingyuan went away with his father for more than a year, and then, citing his old age, handed over the affairs of the border city to me.
Helian Qing was still young, so I thought I would take care of him for him. Now that he's grown up and married that girl Suihuan, I'm returning what belongs to him to him.
And I should go home now. Even though I know my origins, I grew up in the palace, raised by you and Father Emperor, so I am your child, a child of the Xie family.
The Helian family only needs Helian Qing as the ruler; my dream has never changed—to be a carefree prince.
Speaking of this, there is something I need to tell you. My elder brother has informed our ancestors that the agreement between the Xie family and the Helian family to exchange children has been cancelled. From now on, the children of both families can grow up under the care of their respective parents.
My elder brother is as wise as ever. Although he knows that the ancestral agreement was out of loyalty, or perhaps prophecy, I think most children would not want to be switched if given a choice.
Another silence followed.
He added some paper money to the fire and continued, "I was shocked and angry when I learned what you did, but more than that, I was confused. I don't understand why you would do those things."
Why did you have to harm Father? You are already in the highest position. As long as you do not do evil, Father will always protect and respect you.
You resent your sister-in-law for killing Prince Yun and for disrespecting you, so you hold a grudge against her. But mistakes must be punished; isn't that the principle you taught your son?"
The incense ash broke!
His gaze sharpened. "I don't know if ghosts or reincarnation exist in this world, but Mother, please put it aside."
"Your Majesty is kind and benevolent. If you hadn't held onto your sister-in-law so tightly, if you hadn't harbored such ambitions, Your Majesty wouldn't have disregarded the bond between mother and son. You should be happily enjoying your grandchildren right now..."
A little ant on the grave mound was furious. It thought, "I've spoiled this son for nothing. He always speaks up for the enemy."
Prince Ning was unaware that Empress Zheng was there. Tears streamed down his face as he choked out, "Mother, I have not missed you for a single day since I left for the border."
Upon learning of your illness, your son was so anxious that he could not eat. He rode his horse for two nights without sleep to rush to the capital, but was stopped by the Emperor and the Prince of Dingyuan's men and forced to return to the border city.
I felt guilty for a long time. When I learned that you had been banished to the Cold Palace, I wrote letters to my father and brother to plead for you.
After Father Emperor sent someone to inform me in detail about your feigned illness and your every word and action, I did not know what to do. Your crimes of deceiving the emperor, plotting rebellion, and murdering the emperor are all capital offenses, and I have no reason to plead for mercy.
No matter how many mistakes you have made, you are the mother who raised me. Even if your kindness to me was partly calculated and meant to please my father, I have indeed lived a carefree and peaceful life for twenty years under your and my father's protection. I will never forget this kindness.
Saving your mother goes against reason and law, and is also unfair to those you have harmed. Seeing you in distress and remaining indifferent, your son is unworthy of being a human being.
"Your Majesty, I have been tormented and struggled for many years. Today, I wish to ask you, when you did those things, did you ever think of me even for the slightest reason, not even the smallest thing?"
He buried his head in his hands and wept bitterly, “Mother, I am an incompetent son, and I will never forgive myself in this lifetime.”
But I can't blame my elder brother and sister-in-law either. They did nothing wrong. I am deeply moved by the Emperor's kindness to you. How could you hurt him? How dare you hurt him?
Your son once took pride in your loving relationship and dreamed of marrying a wife who would be as devoted to you as your mother. But Mother, I dare not hope for that anymore. Tell me, what should I do…”
“When she was faking illness, I suggested that you return to Beijing, but she refused.”
The voice of the retired emperor came from behind.
Prince Ning looked up, his eyes blurry with tears, and saw the retired emperor. After not seeing him for several years, his father's figure was no longer upright; he had grown old.
"Father, what brings you here?"
Prince Ning hurriedly got up to pay his respects.
The Emperor Emeritus held his son's hand and said, "I heard you were returning to the capital today, so I guessed you would come here. You have always been kind and good."
But you don't need to feel guilty. It was her idea to stop you back then. In her eyes at that time, you had lost your usefulness to her.
What she needed was the Prince of Yan's heir to be her puppet in her power grab, so she tricked me into summoning Xie Qian to the capital.
Prince Ning was somewhat shocked, "She doesn't want to see me?"
The emperor knew that he had deep feelings for the empress, so he did not tell him this when he went to the border town, so as not to make him sad if he knew the truth. He never expected that this child would torment him for so many years.
The Emperor Emeritus sighed, “Ning’er, I have repaid her for all the kindness she has shown you.”
You are my own nephew. I am even more grateful to her because she knows how good she is to you. Perhaps she was sincere to you, but you also loved and trusted her passionately and sincerely. You owe her nothing.
Ning'er, you will experience many things and meet many people in your life. Let bygones be bygones.
Besides him, there are many others who truly care about you and wish you well. Your elder brother and sister-in-law, upon learning of your return, ordered a family banquet to be held in the palace. Your father also hopes that my son will live a happy life for the rest of his days.
Prince Ning hugged the Emperor Emeritus tightly, "Father, I'm sorry..."
He had previously harbored some resentment towards his father for not allowing him to return to see the Empress. He thought that perhaps if he returned to the Empress's side, he could persuade her.
She wouldn't have gone down a dead end and taken a path to ruin. But it turned out that the Empress Dowager had already abandoned him, and even if he returned to the capital, he couldn't persuade her in the slightest.
At the same time, he felt lost. He was a child of the Helian family, but he could not acknowledge them. The empress was gone, and his father had remarried. He and his elder brother were not close before. It was as if he suddenly had no home.
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