Something happened. This is not going to be bloody.

Only after Gao Ze brought the dead Tian Shuyu to the palace in Beijing did the masters in the harem receive the news.

The eldest prince and the eldest princess rushed to their mother's palace. Looking at their mother lying in the ice and their father who was in a daze with dark circles under his eyes, they were extremely sad and helpless for a moment.

Until the eunuch's voice came from outside the palace: "The Queen Mother is here."

The eldest prince and princess wiped their tears and went out to greet them.

Zhou Leng, dressed in plain clothes, arrived at the Queen's palace, where white silk was already hung.

Although the emperor had only returned to the palace for one day, it was said that this was the first time that the usually benevolent emperor punished a palace maid with ten strokes of the cane because she was wearing flashy clothes.

Now all the eunuchs and maids in the palace were covering their faces and crying, wearing white cloth on their heads and plain clothes.

"The Imperial grandson and the Imperial granddaughter pay their respects to the Imperial grandmother."

Zhou Leng raised her hand and walked to Gao Ze. She said in a deep voice:

"If you don't bury her, Shu Yu's body will rot. Do you want to watch her body rot and stink before you stop? If you can't bear it, then bury her alive with me. This queen mother will do your bidding."

After Zhou Leng finished saying this, the eunuchs, princes, and princesses in the palace all knelt down in fear.

Gao Ze turned around and looked at Zhou Leng. He said in a deep voice, "Please help me, mother."

Zhou Leng stepped forward and slapped the man on the face, knocking him unconscious. She said loudly:

"Shu Yu has passed away. Did she entrust anything to you before she died? Didn't she mention the two children and the Tian family? If you follow her, who will do the things she entrusted you to do? Do you have the face to see the queen?"

Gao Ze seemed to have thought of something. He turned his gaze to Gao Jiacheng and Gao Huan behind Zhou Leng and said, "My dear, come here."

The two children threw themselves into their father's arms and burst into tears.

The three of them hugged each other, heartbroken.

Zhou Leng said in a deep voice:

"Come here, summon the Jiaoli Temple to prepare for the queen's funeral."

"promise."

The Empress Dowager in the palace issued an imperial decree that the Empress had caught a cold and passed away due to the illness. Court was suspended for three days and the whole country was in mourning.

****

Since the Queen left, the Emperor seemed to be in a state of despair, and Zhou Leng was mostly in charge of the court.

Three years after the Queen's death, the palace announced that it would select another concubine.

This selection was different from the last one. All those who had similar eyebrows and body shapes to Tian Shuyu had their names left. This time, more than 20 people were selected to enter the palace. Although they were all given titles as concubines, there were still quite a lot of them.

Zhou Leng wondered in her heart what kind of substitute literature this was, but she didn't stop it.

The eldest prince Gao Jiacheng is suitable to be the emperor, and she is now fully committed to training him. As for Gao Ze, he is almost forty years old. Is it still necessary to care whether he is in love or not?

Zhou Leng has done everything that a mother should do. No one can take care of someone for a lifetime, not even parents.

The emperor, who used to be diligent and hardworking, now spends most of his time in the harem reciting poems, painting, playing the piano and playing music with people who look like Hetian Shuyu.

For a moment, Zhou Leng didn't know whether this was a sign of deep affection or a scumbag.

Zhou Leng thought that maybe because the other person passed away when the feelings were at their strongest, and was separated by Yin and Yang when they loved each other the most, such feelings were unforgettable. If they really stayed together for decades and the beauty became an old person, then there would not be such deep affection.

Time passed slowly as the eldest prince grew up.

Gao Ze didn't care about the changes in the court and the prosperity of Da Qi. He only saw the similar eyes and brows in the harem.

When Gao Ze was forty-three years old, he also came to the end of his life due to years of drinking.

Zhou Leng stood by the window and looked at his pale face. She asked, "Do you regret it?"

Gao Ze suddenly smiled and said:

"Mother, please don't blame me for being silent in the harem. My heart has died since Shu Yu left. If I were well taken care of, I could live for many more years, maybe twenty years, maybe even longer. But I don't want to live anymore. Shu Yu once said that the road to the underworld is too cold. I'm afraid that we have waited too long. From now on, Da Qi will be handed over to you, mother, to look after."

Zhou Leng frowned slightly but couldn't help but said:

"If you are so affectionate, then are the many concubines in the harem proof of your affection?"

After saying this, Zhou Leng looked at the other person's sad expression and dim eyes again. She took a deep breath and said:

"The imperial physician has tried his best to save your life. I am still here in the Great Qi. Although my name may not be passed down through the ages, I hope I will live up to the memory of the departed souls."

"Mother, you will always be someone I look up to, but... I am afraid I can no longer accompany you to see the prosperity of the Great Qi. Compared to you, I am ashamed of myself. After all, I have failed your expectations."

Zhou Leng stepped forward and held his wrist. After secretly feeling his pulse, she knew that this adopted son would probably pass away in half a month or a few days. She softened her tone and said,

It doesn't matter. You gave birth to a good son. You have contributed to the prosperity of the Great Qi Dynasty. There is no need to be ashamed. You have your own achievements and have never let me down. After all, I have never had high expectations of you. "

Gao Ze smiled bitterly and then felt relieved. This was his mother, and she had always been like this.

Zhou Leng turned and left. When he arrived outside the palace, many princes and princesses were already waiting at the door. When they saw the Empress Dowager come out, they all bowed and saluted.

Zhou Leng said in a sad tone:

"Go in and see your father. Don't make a fuss, and spend more time with him in the future."

Ten days later, Gao Ze passed away.

This time the new emperor's ascension to the throne was very simple and there was no struggle.

Whoever the Queen Mother supports will become the new emperor.

The eldest prince Gao Jiacheng ascended the throne. He was the legitimate son, born to the late emperor's favorite, and raised by the empress dowager, so he was the popular choice.

Zhou Leng went from being the Regent Empress Dowager to the Regent Grand Empress Dowager.

The heyday of Da Qi has arrived.

Gao Jiacheng married the queen when he was eighteen years old. He was different from his father. Perhaps he had seen enough of his father's love for his mother and his sadness and decadence, so he only doted on his concubines but did not love them, and only admired them but did not fall in love with them.

Maybe he was not a good man, but he was a good emperor. He worked hard to govern the country, was diligent in government affairs, and had many descendants.

When Gao Jiacheng was twenty years old, he was already a qualified emperor. A good emperor who likes to be in charge of power cannot have an extremely powerful empress dowager behind him.

Zhou Leng chose to leave.

One day.

On the bustling streets of Da Qi, Zhou Leng, transformed into an old woman, and Gao Jiacheng, transformed into a scholar, were walking in the downtown area, with shouting vendors beside them and children playing on the roadside.

Women did not carefully cover their faces when walking, pedestrians had few patches on their clothes, and there were no beggars on the sides of the road.

Zhou Leng whispered:

"Your father once said that he regretted not being able to watch the prosperous times with me. Now you have fulfilled your filial duty on his behalf."

Gao Jiacheng supported the Empress Dowager. His expression rarely changed. He said with pride:

"The prosperity of the world is the result of the hard work of the grandmother, and the grandson will surely work harder to surpass the grandmother."

Zhou Leng suddenly pointed to a restaurant and said, "I'm tired. Let's go try some local delicacies. I haven't eaten out for many years."

Gao Jiacheng did not stop them, but took them directly to the restaurant for dinner.

After returning to the palace that evening, both the grandparents and grandchildren were very satisfied with the day's itinerary.

The result that Zhou Leng was very satisfied with was to leave here and completely hand over Da Qi to Gao Jiacheng. Only after her death could those people she trusted be used by the new emperor.

Although this life was not full of ups and downs, he also witnessed the love, hatred and emotions in the harem.