The Legend of Zhen Huan: Rebirth of Ling Rong

"Baojuan, have you received any letters from home recently?" I asked curiously.

"My lady, there has been no letter from your family recently. This is a bit strange." Baojuan also had some doubts.

"Well, go to the Hanlin Academy later to find Jinchuan and ask him to pay more attention to the family affairs, especially my father. I am always a little worried. Don't let my father make any mistakes again and get caught."

"Yes, I'll go there soon!" Baojuan immediately understood what I meant.

"Your Majesty, something bad has happened. The Queen Mother is seriously ill. The Empress Dowager has asked all the concubines to come over. I'm afraid the Queen Mother may not make it!" Baoque came in hurriedly and told me.

"As expected, the Queen Mother was already seriously ill, and she died sooner than I thought. Baojuan, go tell Juqing to take good care of the princess. Baoque, come with me."

After that, I changed into plain clothes and went out with Baoque. I saw my sister at the door, and we left together.

"I heard that the Queen Mother is seriously ill and may not be able to make it now!" my sister whispered to me.

"Don't worry, sister. The Emperor and the Empress are here at this time. We just need to keep a low profile. Let's go quickly. It won't be good if we're late."

When we arrived at the Empress Dowager's bedroom, the Emperor was sitting beside the Empress Dowager's bed, and the Empress Dowager was sleeping.

The Empress was kneeling on the side, and the Imperial Noble Consort and Noble Consort Jing were also kneeling behind the Empress. My sister and I looked at each other and knelt behind them. Sister Mei came after us and didn't say anything, just knelt with us.

After a while, the Queen Mother seemed to wake up. She said in a daze: "You have betrayed me. You promised that after the selection, you would..."

The Empress understood the Empress Dowager's intention and, fearing the concubines would overhear her, she said, "Your Majesty, I'm sure the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty still have something to say. I and my sisters will go out and wait outside!"

The Emperor also heard the Empress Dowager's mumbling and said, "Okay, you guys go wait outside first, let me talk to the Empress Dowager."

Everyone stepped out and knelt outside waiting.

After a while, the Queen Mother seemed to wake up and opened her eyes to look at the Emperor. The Emperor was also delighted and asked hurriedly, "My Queen Mother, you are awake? How do you feel?"

"The Empress Dowager is dying. Can you let her see Prince Fourteen?" The Empress Dowager asked the Emperor in a pleading tone.

The emperor's face changed when he heard this. He thought for a moment before speaking, "Mother, your son was raised by Empress Xiaoyiren. Unlike the Fourteenth Prince, you brought him up personally. Your son doesn't spend much time with you. At times like this, please let your son be with you!"

Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother became even angrier and began to question the Emperor, "You simply won't let Fourteenth Brother go? Mother knows your temper, so she's been keeping it to herself and not daring to speak. But now, please consider this as a plea from Mother to release your brother!"

"Your Majesty, don't have to worry about the affairs of the court anymore." The emperor said coldly.

"Emperor, you have imprisoned royal relatives, and have caused brothers to kill each other. You have even spared your own brother. You will end up being separated from all your relatives and even from your own flesh and blood!" Seeing that begging the emperor was useless, the empress dowager spoke out her true feelings.

"Empress Dowager, it wasn't my son who wanted to do this. They forced me to do it." The emperor explained to the empress dowager with red eyes.

"I rose from a humble concubine to become a concubine. I have devoted all my efforts to your throne, but now I have to watch you brothers kill each other..."

"Empress Mother!" The Emperor suddenly spoke, interrupting the Empress Dowager.

"My son truly loves Chunyuan and treats Yixiu well. He is extremely filial. I have been keeping silent about the matter between the Empress Dowager and Longkodo. I have to thank the Empress Dowager for personally dealing with Longkodo and saving my son from a bad reputation." The emperor could not help but express his discomfort.

Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother was filled with despair. She knew that she would never see Fourteen again...

Then he closed his eyes peacefully and passed away with the late emperor...

The emperor felt a mixture of love and hate for his mother. He longed for a mother's love, but he never received it. His mother only had his younger brother in her heart. Even in her dying moments, he was the only person she wanted to see.

The emperor slowly stood up, knelt before the empress dowager's bed, and began to sing a nursery rhyme: "Empress Dowager, go to sleep quickly so that you can grow up and draw your bow..."

"Mother, you've never sung a song like this to me before. Could you sing it for me again?"

The Empress Dowager passed away, and the Emperor was heartbroken.

His face was full of sadness and despair. He stood silently in front of the mourning hall, staring at the portrait of the Queen Mother, his heart filled with sadness.

The queen went to persuade the emperor, but the emperor remained expressionless.

After the Empress Dowager's funeral, the Emperor was in a bad mood for a while. Everyone knew about it, but no one dared to mention it.

"Hongli, you are aware that your father is deeply distressed by the Empress Dowager's affairs. As a prince, you should show him your care and consideration, fulfilling your filial duty. Furthermore, the Third Prince is now being raised by the Empress herself, and he is the eldest son. Under these circumstances, you must learn to restrain your edge and not act too flamboyantly. Remember, a tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind; a pile that stands out on the shore will be swept away by the current; and those who stand out from the crowd will be criticized. Only by keeping a low profile can you remain safe in this palace."

"Don't worry, mother. I understand the truth behind this. I will definitely remember your teachings and will not let you down."

"It's good that you understand. My mother's family is not high-class, so she can't help you much."

"Mother, please don't be so polite. No one in this palace likes me. When I was little, I only had Nanny Zhang to keep me company. No one wanted to play with me, and I had no friends. But when I first met you in the Old Summer Palace, I felt a close connection with you. If it weren't for you, how could I be where I am today?"

"Good boy, now that you and I are one family, I naturally hope you are well."

"I naturally understand mother's painstaking efforts." The Fourth Prince expressed his understanding.

The mystery of the Fourth Prince's origins has always been a source of doubt in my mind. Ever since I began raising him, I've been determined to find out. So, I secretly sent Baojuan to find out.

After a long and difficult investigation and verification, one day, Baojuan told me an astonishing news: it turned out that the biological mother of the Fourth Prince was actually Master Mo Yan from Ganlu Temple. This discovery shocked me.

But soon, I realized that this secret could bring us a lot of trouble and danger. Once this secret is revealed, the consequences will be disastrous.

Therefore, I decided to bury this secret deep in my heart and never let anyone know, including the Fourth Prince. The more people know, the greater the risk.