The Prince Consort's Beloved

When Li Yuanqi arrived at Fengqi Palace, he saw Prince Yun sitting alone at the table, drinking by himself. He walked over to Prince Yun and sat down opposite him, then asked, "Where is my mother?"

Prince Yun looked at the wine glass in his hand, with a hint of sadness in his eyes, but his face was calm. He replied indifferently: "I don't know. She was not here when I came here."

After he finished speaking, he raised his hand, brought the wine glass to his lips, and drank it in one gulp.

He glanced at the dishes on the table again, and there was none of them that he liked.

Li Yuanqi was also upset at this time. Ever since Xiao Luobai returned to Beiluo, the war on the front line had become more and more stalemate. It seemed as if Xiao Luobai was deliberately challenging him, and he was beating his people back step by step. In just a short time, they had already lost three cities.

What's infuriating is that he had no choice but to send people to Huiyang City to recall He Wenzheng, and made it clear that he would not pursue the matter of He Wenzheng's fake death. He asked him to lead the troops to the battlefield, but He Wenzheng actually refused.

What's even more infuriating is that the envoy going to Huiyang City represented the reputation of his country, but the people he sent couldn't even enter the gate of Huiyang City and were driven back in disgrace. He Wenzheng and his elder sister simply didn't take him seriously. It was outrageous!

At the morning court today, several ministers kept advising him to re-employ Prince Yun. After all, Prince Yun had been an invincible and brave general on the battlefield. He was brave and resourceful, and was more powerful than He Wenzhen. If Prince Yun could put on armor and go into battle, he would be invincible and turn the tide.

But he had managed to depose Prince Yun from his military power with great difficulty, so how could he give it back so easily?

Li Yuanqi felt depressed when he thought of this. Seeing an empty wine glass in front of him, he poured himself a glass of wine and drank it in one gulp.

He put the glass heavily on the table and asked reluctantly, "The war situation is getting tense now, do you have any ideas?"

Prince Yun stared straight ahead, only at the wine glass in his hand. He slowly drank the wine in the glass before he uttered two words in a leisurely manner: "Negotiate peace."

Li Yuanqi snorted angrily and poured himself another glass of wine. There was no way of negotiating peace!

Xiao Luobai had dug such a big hole for him, causing a rift between him and his two sisters. He was determined to fight Xiao Luobai to the end!

But there was no general available at the moment, so he glanced at King Yun out of the corner of his eye. Was King Yun really the only one he could use?

No! He rejected the idea as soon as it occurred to him.

Since ancient times, whoever holds the military power has the right to speak, and power can never be delegated to him.

Li Yuanqi poured himself another glass of wine and just as he raised his hand to drink, the sound of a plate breaking interrupted his action.

Prince Yun and Li Yuanqi looked in the direction of the voice and were both stunned for a moment.

The porcelain plate beneath the Queen Mother's feet shattered, and the fallen food splashed all over the floor.

She looked at the wine glass in Li Yuanqi's hand with shock, and then moved her eyes to the side.

Prince Yun sat in her seat, Li Yuanqi sat in Li Heng's seat, and the empty wine glass was prepared by her for the late Emperor Li Heng.

Prince Yun looked at her in astonishment and called out in confusion, "Ruowan?"

The Queen Mother didn't care about the hem of her skirt being stained by the soup. She walked to the table in two steps. She looked at the wine glasses in Prince Yun and Li Yuanqi's hands with wide eyes. She said in panic: "You drank this wine!"

This was the poisoned wine she prepared for herself.

Prince Yun and Li Yuanqi both looked at her in confusion. Prince Yun opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

The Queen Mother's face turned pale instantly, and she cried out in fear: "A Yan!"

She hurriedly supported Prince Yun, with tears evident in her eyes.

Li Yuanqi looked at the two of them in astonishment. Before he could come to his senses, he suddenly felt a pain in his chest. He swallowed the pain in his throat, but the pain surged up regardless.

A feeling of impending death came over him.

Li Yuanqi frowned, gritted his teeth and stood up from the table. As soon as he took a step, he held on to the table and vomited blood.

When the Queen Mother heard the voice, she looked over in confusion, revealing a face full of tear marks.

She looked at Li Yuanqi who had vomited blood, her expression froze, her pupils suddenly dilated, and she shouted in a lost voice: "Yuanqi!"

Li Yuanqi raised his head and met a pair of tearful eyes filled with heartache and panic.

He was stunned for a moment. Was this the mother who never cared about him and was even unwilling to say a word to him?

Li Yuanqi blinked his eyes. He was sure that he was not mistaken. His mother's expression clearly showed that she cared about him.

Li Yuanqi's heart suddenly tightened, his eyes turned red, and he couldn't help but call out softly: "Mother..."

The Queen Mother let go of Prince Yun and walked towards Li Yuanqi. Li Yuanqi's heart trembled and a light suddenly appeared in his eyes.

He tried to stand up by holding onto the table, but just as he moved, he collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. A panicked voice rang out again: "Yuan Qi!"

Li Yuanqi raised his head again when he heard the voice. The worry and distress in the Queen Mother's eyes became even more intense. She was approaching him, one step, two steps, three steps...

This was a scene he had imagined countless times when he was young. His mother would hold him in her arms with a smile and ask him if he was hungry, if he was happy today, how his homework was going, and if anything interesting happened...

Li Yuanqi's red eyes were a little moist. He looked at the queen dowager who was moving closer to him, and his heart suddenly became conflicted. He was grown up now, so should he hug his mother, or let his mother hold him in her arms?

King Yun, who was not far away, suddenly spat out blood and fell off his chair.

The Queen Mother paused and looked back in panic.

Li Yuanqi suddenly became nervous. His expression was tense and he looked at his mother with anxiety and expectation in his eyes.

The Queen Mother turned around and looked at Li Yuanqi again, and paused for a moment.

In just a moment, she suddenly turned around and walked back quickly.

Li Yuanqi's eyes did not blink, his lips slightly opened, but he could not utter a word. After a long time, he slowly closed them again, and the anxiety and expectation in his eyes slowly faded away.

After a moment, he called out in a hoarse voice, "Mother..."

The sound was small, but deafening.

The Queen Mother held Prince Yun in her arms, tears streaming down her face. Her sobbing voice of "Ayan" echoed in the empty main hall of Fengqi Palace, striking Li Yuanqi's heart hard. The dull pain spread from his heart and spread to every part of his body.

The light in Li Yuanqi's eyes gradually dimmed.

He stared at his mother blankly, the obscurity in his eyes gradually turning into pain, a pain that was felt deeply and in his heart.

Fulai and Li Yuming, who were guarding the gate of Fengqi Palace, pushed the door open and entered.

Fu Lai shouted: "Your Majesty!"

He and Li Yuming supported Li Yuanqi on the left and right.

Li Yuanqi still looked at his mother without blinking. His eyes were bloodshot, and his dark pupils reflected the sad look of the Queen Mother hugging Prince Yun in panic and tears.

He suddenly laughed out loud, with a hint of madness in his laughter.

He was overthinking it. From childhood to adulthood, his mother had never loved him.

Li Yuanqi clenched his hands tightly, his knuckles turned white, and a dark tide surged in his scarlet eyes. He pursed his lips and squeezed out a word from between his teeth: "Go!"

This one word seemed to have exhausted all his strength.