Chapter 46 A Happy Ending (The Finale, Part 2)
With the rebels quelled, Huo Lin and his elder brother Huo Xun, as the only two remaining generals in the court, were immediately tasked with leading troops to guard the pass and prevent invasion from neighboring countries during this turbulent time.
The emperor was seriously injured. Although his life was temporarily saved, the imperial physicians admitted that His Majesty did not have many years left to live.
In the palace, the princes were either dead or insane, and the emperor lay on his bed, tightly gripping Liu Xi's hand.
He had sent people to search for the Third Prince, but there has been no news of him to this day.
There has never been a precedent of a woman succeeding to the throne, but what is the point of entrusting the country to a madwoman?
"I can't hold on much longer."
The emperor, his voice hoarse, strained to raise his chin and look at Liu Xi, who was sitting by the bedside.
"I have guarded this empire my whole life, but in the end, I only have the princess by my side."
Liu Xi understood the emperor's meaning; the current outcome was something she had never expected, and she couldn't think of a suitable solution for the time being.
Even the Empress Dowager supported His Majesty's decision to pass the throne to Liu Xi. She hoped that Liu Xi could act as regent and give birth to an heir as soon as possible, so that Liu Xi's son could inherit the throne.
Liu Xi told the Empress Dowager that she and Huo Lin had secretly pledged their lives to each other and had already bowed to heaven and earth, but to her surprise, the Empress Dowager showed no dissatisfaction.
"With the Huo family as a support, Xi'er can sit more securely on the throne."
Having said all that, Liu Xi had no reason to refuse.
The emperor, supporting himself, personally negotiated with the envoys of the three northern kingdoms. The third prince, Murong Xiaohe, readily agreed, which was considered a great concession to Liu Xi.
Before leaving, Murong Xiaohe whispered something in Liu Xi's ear.
"If the princess changes her mind in the future and wants to find a different husband, remember to consider me."
Of course, this was mostly said in jest.
The Celestial Empire ushered in a long-awaited period of peace. The Emperor drafted an imperial edict and personally handed it to Liu Xi for safekeeping. It might be five years, three years, or even one year. On the day the Emperor passed away, Liu Xi would ascend the throne and become Emperor.
After tidying everything up, Liu Xi went to the Cold Palace alone.
Since Liu Yan went mad, Liu Xi hadn't visited him once. Now she finally had time to have a proper chat with him.
Inside the room, Liu Yan sat quietly, and when he saw that the visitor was Liu Xi, he didn't even get up.
“I know you’re not actually crazy, right?”
Upon hearing this, Liu Yan raised his head. He was unusually calm, so much so that Liu Xi felt he was a complete stranger.
"Recently, I've been having a lot of strange dreams."
Liu Yan spoke, his expression calm.
"I dreamt of your care, help, and support for me in the past. You maneuvered between the Imperial Concubine and the Emperor, and helped me ascend to the position of Crown Prince."
"Then you must have dreamed that the first thing you would do after you ascended the throne was to kill me."
Liu Xi interrupted Liu Yan and said in an unusually relaxed tone.
Liu Yan looked up. "Yes."
"Now there are only the two of us, the two heirs, left in the palace. If you go to the Emperor and clarify that you were only pretending to be crazy because of the Seventh Brother's intimidation, the Emperor may consider passing the throne to you."
Liu Xi's words were very sincere, which surprised Liu Yan.
He remained silent for a moment, then let out a sigh of relief.
"No need. I think my elder sister wouldn't want to spare my life."
"Avenging someone's death is a duty I must fulfill."
Liu Xi chuckled calmly, "Even if you say that, I won't be moved."
Liu Yan closed the book that was open in front of him, stood up and stood facing Liu Xi.
"Will my elder sister let me die with some dignity?"
"You are, after all, my younger brother."
When Liu Xi left the Cold Palace, the sun was setting.
All grudges came to an end at this moment, but Liu Xi's life did not turn to darkness. After one night, the sun rose high in the sky.
The emperor held a grand wedding for Liu Xi and Huo Lin, with all the arrangements made according to the emperor and empress's wishes.
Huo Lin took Liu Xi's hand, and the two slowly ascended the high platform.
Liu Xi sighed softly, speaking in a voice that Huo Lin could hear.
"Actually, I originally planned to fake my death and escape from this palace."
"Now that we're dressed in phoenix robes, we're destined to never live the mundane life of an ordinary couple."
Huo Lin gently squeezed Liu Xi's fingers.
"Life is long. Why doesn't Your Highness have a few princes to raise? Once Your Highness can entrust the country to the children with peace of mind, we can hide outside the palace and live as an ordinary couple."
Huo Lin had expected Liu Xi to blush like a little girl, but to his surprise, she teasingly raised her eyebrows and tilted her chin slightly.
"In that case, I must trouble you, my consort, to work hard so that I may give birth to a prince as soon as possible."
Huo Lin's face flushed red and then turned pale. He stammered and couldn't get a reply, so he could only nod.
Time flies, and the days pass like an arrow.
Six years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the palace has completely changed.
Less than a year after their marriage, Liu Xi became pregnant with a daughter. The delivery was difficult, but it didn't frighten Liu Xi herself; instead, it terrified Huo Lin.
In the following years, Huo Lin insisted on asking the imperial physician for a contraceptive prescription, and then took advantage of Liu Xi's inattention to pour it into his own stomach, saying that he did not want Liu Xi to experience the pain of childbirth again.
Liu Xi looked at the pile of folded documents on the table with a troubled expression, then looked up at her daughter Liu Hua, who was reading attentively, and a wicked thought came to her mind.
Who says a woman can't be an emperor? She's already set a precedent.
It would be better to have his daughter learn the ways of governing the country right away. Once she has mastered the skills, Liu Xi will immediately hand over the throne to her and no longer concern himself with the messy affairs of the previous dynasty.
As Liu Xi thought this, she couldn't help but let out a sly laugh, regardless of the fact that her daughter was only five years old.
Fortunately, Huo Lin was able to help her take care of some of the affairs of the previous dynasty. He had just finished his negotiations with his ministers and returned to the Mingzheng Hall when he saw Liu Xi throwing a tantrum on the throne.
"I don't want to be emperor for even a day longer!" Liu Xi wailed.
Huo Lin picked her up horizontally and bounced her around in his arms.
"Why don't you become a tyrant from now on, and let's live a carefree life together? A hundred or a thousand years from now, we will be recorded in history books as the most infamous rulers of our generation."
Liu Xi pouted, "If that's really the case, then it's because my consort is bewitching me and has made me neglect state affairs, becoming incompetent and tyrannical."
"Why not?" Huo Lin lightly pecked Liu Xi's lips, eliciting a sigh from Liu Xi in return.
"No way—I don't want to be infamous—"
Amidst laughter, Liu Hua raised her small hands to cover her eyes, then burrowed under the table and curled up into a ball.
"I'm still here!"
Liu Xi immediately bared her teeth and claws in Huo Lin's arms.
"Hua'er! I hereby decree that you shall immediately ascend the throne and become the Great Emperor!"
"Really? Hua'er is only five years old." Huo Lin said seriously.
"Mother Queen, you're doing this again! I'm not going to study anymore!"
Liu Hua nimbly rolled out from under the table and ran away in a flash.
Seeing this, Liu Xi pinched Huo Lin's ear.
"Huo Lin!! Go and bring your daughter back immediately! I'm abdicating!!"
(End of text)
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