My Lord, the princess doesn't want you anymore.

When the Queen Mother passed away, all the vassal states were in mourning.

A curfew was imposed in the entire capital city of Zhenguo for one month, and all private marriages, banquets and entertainments were prohibited throughout the country for three months.

The mourning hall was set up in Shoukang Palace.

Mei Qianyue had been guarding the coffin for two days and two nights, hardly closing her eyes.

Although the emperor had kept her under house arrest in Shoukang Palace for more than two months, the empress dowager did not mistreat her. Because she was Mei Xueer's sister, the empress dowager took good care of her.

Therefore, there have been fewer disputes in the past two months, and life has been plain and stable.

I miss him, but I can't see him.

We met again on the day of the funeral.

There was no crown prince in the Kingdom of Jin, and Cui Hongxiao was the only prince. When he knelt and bowed in mourning clothes, he was at the head of all the princes.

The two just exchanged glances and didn't say much.

Cui Qimo was really sad, and his eyes were red as he knelt in front of the coffin.

Zhang Yuanpan said that the empress dowager died peacefully due to her old age and illness, as well as depression. She died without even being able to take a breath.

But Cui Qimo didn't quite believe it. When he came to visit Shoukang Palace yesterday, the empress dowager was still fine. She also told him that the dowry in Pingjin must be sufficient so that she would not be looked down upon when she went to Xiling.

Why do I suddenly feel depressed today?

A hint of coldness flashed in his eyes: "After I left yesterday morning, who else came here?"

Madam Kuang did not dare to lie, "Your Majesty, Consort Shu and Consort Xian came with Princess Pingjin to sit for a while this morning. In the afternoon, the Queen Mother took a short nap. In the evening, Prince Jing came to see us, and when he left, Prince Qi also came. But the Queen Mother was not in a good mood, so neither of them talked to her much, and they left after sitting for a while."

Cui Qimo frowned, "So many people?"

Madam Kuang: "These days, the ladies of the palaces and the princes and princesses often come to accompany the Queen Mother to relieve her boredom."

Cui Qimo: "Where is Princess Xiaoqin?"

Madam Kuang: "These days, the Princess of Xiao has been staying in her own courtyard and has never come out. By the way, Prince Xiao wanted to visit the Queen Mother yesterday, but the Queen Mother was afraid that something might happen and cause trouble for the Emperor because the Princess of Xiao was also here, so she didn't allow it."

Seeing that he couldn't get any information out of him, Cui Qimo had no choice but to give up.

He left with a somewhat dazed look on his face, walking aimlessly in the palace, and suddenly stopped.

He looked up and found himself standing in front of the gate of Anyuyuan.

He sighed and walked in.

All the servants in Anyu Garden had been replaced again, and there were even imperial guards guarding the place.

Since being poisoned again, the Eighth Prince has been in a coma, his pulse is intermittent, and the imperial physician is helpless.

It was just as Mei Xueer said, if you are poisoned again during the detoxification period, the previous toxicity will be aggravated several times.

Cui Qimo looked up at the sky, closed his eyes, and felt extremely sad.

"Go, send more people to continue looking for Mei Xue'er's whereabouts!" He gritted his teeth and said, "If she can save my son, I will forgive her for everything that happened."

"Yes!" Eunuch Li quickly turned around and gave orders to the secret guards.

The eighth prince had been lying motionless on the bed, his face pale, like a living dead.

Who wants to kill the Eighth Prince repeatedly?

Who is being bothered and whose way is being blocked by such a child?

This is also a problem that Cui Qimo can't figure out.

He had already thought about each of his sons and each of the concubines in the harem over and over again in his mind, but he still could not find a clue.

The Queen Mother and the Eighth Prince were his last hope of family affection, but now one is gone and the other is lying here half dead.

Cui Qimo couldn't help but feel sad.

Am I wrong?

He sat on the edge of the bed, holding the Eighth Prince's cold and stiff little hand, and a tear fell.

He once again spoke to himself and counted his sons -

Boss, you are the crown prince, but you are so dissolute and useless that you even rebelled. Don’t you deserve to die?

Second brother, you have been very smart since you were a child. I was optimistic about you, but your mother was so anxious that she even harmed the prince. This is an unforgivable crime. In order to avoid a stigma on you, I concealed everything, but I never thought that your leg injury would accompany you for the rest of your life. According to the Dazhen law, you cannot inherit the throne. I wanted you to be rich and noble for the rest of your life, but I never expected that you would be calm on the surface, but actually ambitious. After the death of the prince, if you had fought for it uprightly, I could even ignore the law that those with physical disabilities of our ancestors could not be named as crown princes and let you live in the East Palace. But you actually formed such a huge underworld force outside without my knowledge. Haha, Lord Ye... Second brother, are you going to imitate the deposed prince and rebel? You betrayed me first, not me. Don't you deserve to die?

Third brother... Alas, you were the son I devoted the most fatherly love to, and your mother was the only woman in the harem who entered my heart. But I didn't expect that my true love would be trampled and humiliated by your mother. The shame she brought to me is unbearable for any man. I know you hate me because of your mother and the late emperor, but I wish you would die even more. Don't you deserve to die?

Fourth brother, you may look simple and honest, but you are the one who knows how to survive and how to live a carefree life. However, although you are a little clever, you have no interest in power and are not suitable to be a prince. In fact, it is good to be a prince who is idle and rich all your life and fiddle with flowers and plants when you have nothing to do.

Fifth son, you are capable, but not as smooth as my other sons. You are always straightforward, and your likes and dislikes are all written on your face. However, being in the center of imperial power, these are your most fatal shortcomings, so the capital is not suitable for you. You have been a disciple of Dong Daxueshi since you were a child, so you are naturally good friends with the third son. Therefore, I have to find an excuse to move you to your fiefdom Dianzhou, and you are not allowed to enter the capital without an imperial edict. Because I don't want you to stay in the capital and become a helper for the third son.

Sixth son, what can I say about you? In fact, among all my sons, you are the one I like best. You are brave and resourceful, and you are the god of war of Zhen. You are kind but not pedantic. You are kind when you should be kind, and you are cruel when you should be cruel. But the heavens are playing tricks on you. You have the blood of the royal family of Chang. Tell me, how can I hand over Zhen to you with confidence?

Eighth brother, you are my youngest son. I am most sorry for you. I have neglected you for so many years, so long that I have forgotten that I have a son like you, and you have suffered so much. But it was you who made me suddenly realize that I was needed by my son. Your brothers either coveted my throne and wanted to kill my father to seize power, or did not take me seriously at all. Only you regarded me as a father. You are still young and may not understand that after being in a high position all your life, you suddenly find that the family happiness of ordinary people has become a luxury... I know that you have complaints about your biological mother, but I have no choice but to do it. When you grow up, I will slowly tell you. In fact, during that time, I was thinking about ordering your mother to die, but I didn't expect you to suddenly appear in front of me. That day in Merlin, I saw you being bullied by the servants, and suddenly my heart seemed to be hit hard by something, and it hurt.

……

Cui Qimo sighed and moved his gaze to the small body on the bed. He stared at it for a long time until it was dark, then he got up and left.

Just as he turned and left, closing the door, a tear silently slid down the corner of the Eighth Prince's eye.

The next day, Cui Qimo went to Anyu Garden again, still sitting beside the bed, looking at the Eighth Prince for a long time.

Just as he stood up and prepared to leave, he suddenly heard an unclear mumbling behind him.

He turned around suddenly and saw the Eighth Prince frowning and mumbling something.

"Imperial Physician, call the imperial physician quickly!" He rushed to the door and shouted happily.

After saying that, he turned around and went back into the house, "Son, are you awake?"

But the Eighth Prince seemed to be in a nightmare, with an expression of extreme pain.

Cui Qimo lowered his head and put his ear close to the Eighth Prince's lips.

He finally heard what he was saying -

"Dad...Mom...Mom..."

Cui Qimo felt as if something hit his chest hard, causing his chest to churn like waves.

Judge Zhang rushed over and quickly felt the Eighth Prince's pulse. "Your Majesty, the Eighth Prince has shown signs of waking up. It seems that Miss Mei's previous prescription for suppressing the poison is still effective. However, I am not sure how much of the poison can be eliminated."

This is the best news these days.

Cui Qimo waved his hand and asked the imperial physician to quickly get the medicine. Then he looked at Eunuch Li and sighed, "Pass on my oral order. From now on, Concubine Lin will move back to Anyu Garden and be ordered to take good care of the Eighth Prince..."

Eunuch Li: What? ...

The ritual in the palace lasted for seven days. Next, the empress dowager's body would be moved to the imperial mausoleum to be buried with the late emperor.

During these seven days, everyone from the emperor to the court officials and palace maids hardly got a good night's sleep and were in a state of extreme fatigue.

This is the opportunity Cui Hongqi was waiting for.

After the empress dowager's funeral, Cui Qimo, the royal ladies and court officials left the imperial mausoleum and returned to the imperial city. The huge procession did not move in an orderly manner.

Everyone has been having a hard time these days.

The emperor had two carriages, exactly the same, one in front and one behind.

When passing through a valley, there were sudden sounds of breaking through the air. Before everyone could react, the two dragon chariots were already filled with dense arrows.

"Escort——"

The scene suddenly became chaotic.

"Father!" Cui Hongqi, who was following the dragon sedan, was about to ride forward to check.

A clear voice came into my ears: "Second brother!"

It was Cui Qimo's voice, coming from a two-horse carriage behind him.

Cui Hongqi: I clearly saw him get on the dragon chariot, but why is he staying at the back?

He gripped the reins even harder, and veins bulged on the back of his white hands.

Turning back, his face was filled with anxiety and worry, "Father, I'm glad you're okay!"

"Second brother." A voice continued to come from the carriage: "You have difficulty walking, come on board, I will protect you."