In ancient times, she gave birth to seven daughters and was divorced by her husband's family.

The night was as dark as ink, and its coldness permeated every corner of the imperial city.

This is the center of imperial power, which determines the honor, disgrace, life and death of countless powerful people.

Pei Huizhou, the powerful and influential figure in the imperial court, knelt on the cold, smooth golden brick floor, before him was a low table on which sat a wine glass and a jug of imperial wine.

The emperor's voice was calm, and no emotion could be heard.

"Drink."

Pei Huizhou raised his head. His face looked extremely pale in the dim light, but his eyes were still as sharp as an eagle.

He looked at the emperor, then at the pot of wine, and without hesitation, picked up one of the cups.

The wine glass was getting closer and closer to his lips, and his hand was steady without any trembling.

The emperor's gaze was fixed on him, a complex expression in his eyes. He watched Pei Huizhou raise his head and drink the contents of the cup in one gulp.

The wine burned like fire when it entered his throat.

Not long after, severe pain suddenly exploded from the abdomen and quickly spread to every part of the body.

Pei Huizhou's body trembled violently, and the empty wine glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the smooth ground...

He curled up, veins popped out on his forehead, and cold sweat instantly soaked his temples.

The severe pain made it impossible for him to breathe, and he suppressed it into a low whimper.

When Pei Huizhou died, he didn't even make a sound of begging for mercy or crying out in pain.

The emperor just stood there quietly, watching.

He watched as the man whom he once trusted the most and who had once been his enemy walked slowly towards death in endless pain.

"..."

Pei Huizhou's eyes widened, the corners of his eyes torn with pain, and blood mixed with black poisonous blood slowly seeped out from his eyes, ears, mouth and nose.

Bleeding from all seven orifices, a horrible death...

The painful struggle lasted for half an hour.

Every moment is filled with torment.

Finally, Pei Huizhou's body stopped twitching and became completely stiff.

He fell to the ground, his eyes wide open, staring straight at the dragon throne above his head illuminated by palace lanterns.

At the last moment, he thought, maybe my life is just a joke.

If the emperor had known the truth earlier and told him instead of using him as a whetstone, would the relationship between him and Bai Lu still be one of mutual dislike?

Will they still have a love-hate relationship?

He will love and care for Bai Lu like Bai Lu's three brothers.

He will be Bai Lu's closest sworn brother... No matter how her three brothers discipline her... He will not be as strict as her three brothers, and he will not get angry with Bai Lu.

Will we have marriage in the next life?

In this life, his fate with people is too weak.

I hope that in his next life, he can be born into an ordinary family... and live a good life...

Pei Huizhou died with his eyes open.

A great hero died here!

Deathly silence returned to the imperial study.

The emperor looked at Pei Huizhou's body for a long time without moving.

He had known for a long time that Pei Huizhou would die. This ending was arranged and pushed forward by him personally.

But when this moment really came, an indescribable feeling of grief came over me.

A tear slipped from the corner of the emperor's eye and fell hotly on the back of his hand.

My heart aches so much.

Even if it was just a play, he was still a character in the play.

After acting for a long time and putting in real feelings, you can no longer tell which is fake and which is real.

The relationship between him and Pei Huizhou, as king and subject, father and son, enemy... all kinds of identities are entangled and have long been a mess.

Now, the accounts are settled, but the people are gone.

The emperor was sad for a long time.

He just stood there, looking at Pei Huizhou's body for almost the entire night.

The night watches outside the palace rang from the first to the fifth watch, and the sky turned from inky black to grayish white, but he did not move or sleep.

It was not until the morning court was almost approaching that the emperor finally seemed to wake up from a long dream.

He slowly raised his hand and waved to the figure waiting outside the door.

"Little Leo."

"I'm here." Steward Li bowed and walked in quickly.

The emperor's voice was hoarse. "Carry him... out."

Manager Li lowered his head, not daring to look at the tragic scene on the ground. He just replied, "Yes."

The emperor paused and added.

"I hereby decree that Pei Huizhou be posthumously awarded the title of Great General Protector of the Nation and the posthumous title of 'Wu Yi'."

"A hundred years after my death, have him buried in the imperial mausoleum, right next to my tomb..."

This is the supreme favor that an emperor can only give to his most beloved minister.

Manager Li was deeply shocked, but he didn't dare show it at all. He just lowered his head even lower.

"The slave obeys the order."

"Announce to the public that General Pei was discussing matters in the imperial study last night when he suddenly had heart palpitations. The imperial physician's diagnosis was ineffective... no medicine could cure him... and he unfortunately died suddenly." The emperor gave his final order.

This reason quickly spread throughout the palace... and was delivered to the court at the fastest speed.

Jinluan Palace.

The emperor sitting on the dragon throne had a haggard face and dark circles under his eyes. He looked at the officials below the steps and spoke in a deep and sad voice.

"My dear ministers, I have something sad to tell you."

He paused, and the entire hall fell silent.

"General Pei Huizhou, the Protector of the Nation, suffered a sudden heart attack at midnight last night and passed away."

As soon as this statement came out, the whole court was in an uproar.

The ministers' reactions varied: some were shocked, some expressed regret, some were secretly glad, and some were at a loss.

The prince, who was standing at the front of all the officials, was instantly horrified.

Pei Huizhou is dead? How is that possible!

The person who almost pushed him into despair, just died like that?

He didn't believe it, not at all.

The prince subconsciously felt that this was just a ploy by his father to protect Pei Huizhou and let him escape.

He faked his death and escaped, then hid behind the scenes and continued to serve his father!

This thought made him feel cold in his heart, but he didn't dare to show it at all.

He said nothing, just lowered his head.

But Pei Huizhou's followers behind him were really panicked.

Their greatest supporter had fallen, and it had happened so suddenly...

No matter what Huangdi was thinking, Pei Huizhou would never appear in public again... This made them all pale and panicked.

Bai Lu also stood among the court officials.

She also attended court today. Looking at the prince's profile, she quietly took a step closer to him and spoke softly in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

"Pei Huizhou is really dead."

The prince turned his head suddenly and looked at Bai Lu.

His eyes were filled with suspicion, but Bai Lu's expression was unusually calm, so calm that he couldn't find a trace of lying...

Bai Lu would not lie.

What she said was true.

The prince's first reaction was not ecstasy, but disbelief.

That's strange enough.

The court meeting in the Golden Palace ended in a strange and depressing atmosphere.

The officials dispersed in groups of three or two, each with their own thoughts.

The news of Pei Huizhou's death caused undercurrents to surge in the court.

The prince did not return to the Eastern Palace immediately.

He stood outside the hall, watching the officials' figures gradually disappear into the distance, until Bai Lu's figure appeared in his sight.

He walked over quickly and blocked her way.

"Come sit with me."

Bai Lu glanced at him and didn't refuse.

In the study of the East Palace, all the servants were dismissed.

A square table, a few exquisite side dishes, and a pot of warm wine.

The prince personally poured a glass of wine for Bai Lu, then picked up his own glass and drank it all.

The spicy wine slid down his throat and he slammed the glass down on the table.

He raised his eyes and looked at Bai Lu, a self-deprecating smile appearing on his face.

"...It's funny that I'm actually very sad today. Please don't laugh at me."

"He and I used to have a very good relationship."

His voice was a little vague, "We are like brothers, like brothers..."

Bai Lu listened quietly without interrupting. She simply picked up the wine glass in front of her and took a sip. It was extremely spicy.

The prince drank the second cup of wine. As the alcohol started to take over, he became more talkative.

"But later on, one wrong step led to another, and we eventually became mortal enemies."

He paused, his eyes becoming complicated.

"These days, I wish he were dead. Every day I think about how to kill him and make him pay for what he did."

He looked at Bai Lu, a hint of confusion in his voice.

"But now, he is really dead, I..."

The prince could not continue.

He found that he was not only feeling the pleasure of revenge, but more of an indescribable emptiness.

I feel mixed emotions, love and hate.

He really didn't expect that Pei Huizhou would die so suddenly.

Bai Lu also picked up the wine glass and took a sip.

The wine didn't taste good, a little bitter. She hadn't expected Pei Huizhou to die so hastily.

In her impression, shouldn't a ruthless and powerful figure like Pei Huizhou be the ultimate villain in the stories she has read?

Shouldn't the villain die last?

Moreover, he must die at the hands of the protagonist, and the story ends in a blaze of glory after an earth-shaking struggle.

But his death was so hasty, like an insignificant supporting role in the story, he left the stage quietly.

This made her feel indescribable and...absurd.

Both of them were silent, each thinking about their own things.

The study was very quiet, with only the occasional clink of wine glasses.

Bai Lu was not in a good mood either.

This unhappiness was not due to Pei Huizhou's death.

Pei Huizhou's life or death was just one less problem for her. What really upset her was something else.

Her mother doesn't seem to love her.

This realization was like a thorn that pierced deep into her heart, causing her to feel a dull pain with every breath.

The two were drinking in silence when a voice from outside the study was heard.

"Your Highness, His Majesty has sent Chief Steward Li to summon Lady Bai to the Imperial Study for an audience."

The prince and Bai Lu looked at each other and saw a hint of doubt in each other's eyes.

Bai Lu put down her wine glass and stood up to leave.

Before leaving, the prince pulled Bai Lu's sleeve and whispered, "The emperor killed his most beloved son at this time. I'm afraid he must be very sad. Don't say anything that would make him unhappy."

"Your Highness, don't worry."

She followed Chief Steward Li through the palace walls and arrived at the imperial study.

As soon as she stepped through the door, she felt the emperor's undisguised excitement.

He was no longer the sorrowful king in the court.

"???"

Bai Lu was a little confused for a moment. What was going on with the emperor? Who gave the emperor stimulants?

The emperor stood up from the dragon throne, walked quickly forward, and stared at Bai Lu.

"Bai Lu, I want to ask you something."

His eyes were burning.

Bai Lu bowed and saluted.

"Your Majesty, please speak."

The emperor grabbed Bai Lu's arm with such force that it hurt.

"I checked Pei Huizhou's family records and discovered that he had personally visited the Heavenly Prison not long ago!"

"He was in the prison, and he got information about someone. That person was Shen Lanhua!"

The name Shen Lanhua made Bai Lu's heart tighten.

The Emperor seemed not to notice her reaction and continued speaking excitedly.

"Speaking of Shen Lanhua, do you know who she is?"

He didn't wait for Bai Lu to answer and continued talking, his voice filled with reminiscence.

"She is the closest maid to your mother, Zhao Bingyu!"

He looked at Bai Lu, his eyes full of anticipation.

"When I was sorting through the information related to Pei Huizhou's life... I discovered that he actually met Shen Lanhua before he was executed! Hahaha! Bai Lu! Do you know what this means? "

The emperor paced back and forth in the imperial study, seeming a little incoherent.

"Shen Lanhua is still alive! And she's been taken to the Heavenly Prison... They left quietly at the beginning, and we didn't care. Now they've suddenly arrested her, so her whereabouts must be suspicious!"

"What are the maids suspicious about? It must be related to Bingyu!"

"Does this mean... does this mean there's news about your mother?!"

He suddenly stopped, turned around and grabbed Bai Lu's shoulders with an excited expression.

"Maybe your mother is not dead!"

Bai Lu stood there in a daze, forgetting how to react for a moment.

The emperor was still immersed in his own speculation. He shook Bai Lu's shoulders vigorously, "Yes! It must be!"

He emphasized his tone, as if trying to convince himself and Bai Lu.

"If she was really dead, why did Pei Huizhou and the others take action against Shen Lanhua so quickly?"

"They must be trying to cover up something!"

At this time, the emperor did not know that it was actually the empress dowager who attacked Shen Lanhua.

He just thought that Pei Huizhou did it on purpose to prevent Bai Lu from finding out the truth of that year and didn't want her to discover the whereabouts of his mother.

He looked at Bai Lu, and in a mad trance, he seemed to have seen the woman he had missed for half his life.

Like... too much like.

Bai Lu really looks like her mother.

The emperor said, "If your mother saw how beautiful and capable you have become, she would definitely be very happy."

Bai Lu was silent.

Her mother...wanted to kill herself out of joy.

I am really happy.