Return of the Pearl

After they returned to the palace, they each walked towards their own palace. Like birds returning to their nests, the princes eagerly went to their mothers' bedrooms to pay their respects. However, when Yongqi returned to Yonghe Palace, he did not see his mother. He was anxious and ran around like an ant on a hot pan to inquire about her.

Finally, he learned a heartbreaking news. On the day he broke his leg, his mother was stripped of her title by the emperor's order, demoted to a commoner, and sent to the cold palace. What was even more unbearable was that she was also subjected to the extremely cruel punishment of "tigers and leopards playing with spring".

When Yongqi heard the bad news, he felt dizzy and his heart was broken. He couldn't believe that all this was true. His mother, the one who once loved him, had now suffered such a tragic fate.

The hatred in his heart was like a long-dormant volcano, suddenly erupting with earth-shaking power, gushing out violently. He widened his eyes, and there seemed to be two flames burning in his eyes. The raging anger was intertwined with endless despair, as if it wanted to burn everything in the world to ashes and turn it into nothingness.

He clenched his fists tightly, with such force that it seemed as if he could crush bones. His nails dug deep into his palms, leaving deep marks, as if he wanted to vent all the hatred in his heart in this way.

His lips trembled involuntarily, and he muttered to himself: "Father Emperor, why are you so heartless! Why do you treat us mother and child so cruelly! Isn't the child in Concubine Xian's belly safe and sound? Why do you punish my mother so severely? You are just partial! You still refuse to admit it?" His voice was full of grief and resentment, and every word was filled with pain and struggle.

His originally handsome face now became hideous due to pain, a distortion brought about by pain that penetrated deep into his bones. Tears kept rolling in his eyes, as if they were about to burst out, but he stubbornly held them back, refusing to let them fall easily.

His decadent figure stood alone in the palace, looking so lonely and desolate, as if he had been abandoned by the whole world and left in this cold corner, with no one paying attention to him. The atmosphere of loneliness and desolation, like a thick haze, enveloped him.

Cold Palace

Yongqi seemed to be dragging an extremely heavy body, and every step seemed to be dragged by a thousand pounds of force. He moved slowly and arduously towards the desolate cold palace. When he finally arrived at the cold palace and saw his mother, the unspeakable grief in his heart surged out like a bursting dam.

His mother, Hai, used to be so dignified and beautiful, but now she had become unrecognizable and heartbreaking. Her body was covered with shocking wounds, some of which were still oozing blood, while others had begun to fester and emit a disgusting stench that seemed to penetrate one's soul.

Those wounds, like ugly centipedes, crawled all over her body wantonly, making it unbearable to look at them. Her hair was like a mess of weeds, stained with some unrecognizable filth. Her clothes were so tattered that it was impossible to tell their original color. The holes revealed her pale and thin skin, as if it would fall down at the slightest wind.

Her eyes were empty and desperate, without a trace of life, as if she had lost all hope in life, leaving only endless pain and sorrow. That look made Yongqi feel heartbroken and miserable.

Yongqi seemed to be dragging a body weighing a thousand pounds. Every step he took seemed as heavy as if it were filled with lead. Every step he took seemed to exhaust all his strength.

He moved his feet with difficulty and extremely slowly, step by step, staggering towards the direction of Hai. His steps were so heavy and staggering, as if he was carrying an unshakable mountain on his back. Every step he took was accompanied by painful gasps, as if they were squeezed out with difficulty from the depths of his soul.

Finally, after going through untold hardships, he finally arrived in front of Hai. Yongqi's originally clear and pleasant voice became hoarse and low, as if it was squeezed out from the depths of his dry throat with great difficulty after going through countless hardships.

His affectionate cry rang out, "Mother..." These two simple words were filled with endless longing and pain. It was his deep attachment and concern for his mother, and the unspeakable pain and sorrow deep in his heart.

Hai huddled in the corner. Her once dignified and beautiful face had now become haggard, full of vicissitudes of life and fatigue. Her once bright eyes were now dim and full of sorrow.

When she heard the familiar voice, she thought it was her hallucination. She slowly raised her head in a daze, her eyes full of confusion and doubt. There seemed to be a layer of mist in her eyes, and her slightly trembling eyelashes seemed to be telling of her inner anxiety and expectation.

When she saw the extremely slovenly and disheveled man in front of her, a glimmer of disbelief flashed in her eyes. The glint was as short and dazzling as a meteor. She widened her eyes, as if she wanted to see the person in front of her more clearly. She looked at the person in front of her carefully, as if she wanted to find a trace of familiarity on his face.

Her voice was trembling, filled with deep doubt and uneasiness, "Who are you? You are not my Yongqi, my Yongqi will not be like this..." Her voice was full of heartbreak and despair, as if her world collapsed at this moment. Her hands were tightly grasping the corners of her clothes, and her body was trembling slightly, as if a gust of wind could blow her down.

Yongqi limped and moved towards Hai with difficulty. Every step he took felt like he was stepping on the tip of a sharp knife. The piercing pain made him frown and his face became paler. His forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, which slid down his cheeks, but he didn't bother to wipe them off.

Finally, he walked up to Hai, squatted down slowly, and said with a hint of uncontrollable sob in his voice, "Mother, I brought you some medicine for your wound. Please apply some medicine on your wound soon." His eyes were full of concern and heartache, and there seemed to be tears flashing in his slightly red eyes. He stretched out his trembling hand and gently held Hai's hand, as if he wanted to give her some strength.

At this moment, Hai was finally convinced that the limping and disheveled man in front of her was her son Yongqi, whom she had always been proud of. Her eyes revealed endless heartache and love, and that look seemed to be able to melt all the pain.

She stretched out her trembling hand and gently stroked Yongqi's cheek. The movement was as gentle as the breeze blowing across the flower petals. Her voice was full of concern, and her words were filled with deep confusion and worry: "How did you become like this? What happened to your leg? Didn't you go hunting? Your martial arts and riding skills have always been so outstanding, how did you get injured like this?" Her voice was full of heartache and anxiety, and every word was filled with her deep love and worry for her son.