The Legend of Zhen Huan: Rebirth of Ling Rong

"You don't have to thank me. I just did what I wanted to do. I have my own intentions."

From that day on, Concubine Ning's hatred for the emperor became even deeper, but she became more submissive to him on the surface, which pleased the emperor very much.

Upon hearing that the emperor was seriously ill, the queen asked for permission to visit him, but was flatly refused by the emperor.

"In death or life, I and the Ulanara family will never see each other again. In life, we share the same clothes, and in death, we will be buried in the same grave. Only Empress Chunyuan can be buried with me."

After a few days, the Emperor's condition did not improve. I knew that all this was due to Concubine Ning. She had always been by the Emperor's side, so she knew the Emperor's health best.

During this period, the emperor was seriously ill and unable to handle the trivial matters of state affairs, so the fourth prince learned to manage the affairs, and Lord Zhang Tingyu assisted and taught him.

Hongli performed very well and acted carefully and prudently, and all the ministers in the court praised him highly.

During this period, the emperor left all the affairs of the harem to me, because the imperial concubine was weak and could not withstand such hard work.

After dinner, Su Peisheng came over in person and said that the emperor wanted me to come over. My intuition told me that the emperor must have something important to tell me.

"Do you know why the Emperor is looking for me?"

"I don't know about this. The Emperor has been ill recently, so he's naturally worried a lot..."

"Concubine, please pay your respects to the Emperor!"

"Noble Concubine Rong, you are here..."

"How does the emperor feel today? Are you feeling better?" I asked softly.

"Do you also think that what I did was wrong?" The emperor's sudden words caught me off guard.

"What does the emperor mean? I don't quite understand."

"As for the Seventeenth Brother, I know you've all been talking about me behind my back, saying I'm heartless and disregarding brotherly love. Seventeenth Brother and I are the closest, but I'm the Emperor. As an emperor, how can I be merciful and act on emotion? If we weren't born into the royal family, we would definitely be able to be brothers in harmony and love..."

"I understand your Majesty's helplessness and have never misinterpreted your intentions."

"I suddenly feel like I'm getting old. One day, I'll have to hand over this throne to someone more capable. I still have high hopes for Hongli, but the Fourth Prince isn't your biological son. What do you think?"

Although the emperor is ill, his imperial majesty remains, which forces me to answer carefully.

"Your Majesty, I understand no political affairs, nor do I dare criticize them. Your Majesty is concerned with the selection of the Crown Prince, not whether I will be the one to bear him. I am unfortunate, with only one daughter, Roujia, and I don't know if the child in my belly will be a prince or a princess. But as long as it is Your Majesty's decision, I will obey His Majesty."

"What if I find a foster mother with a more noble family background for the Fourth Prince?" I could tell from the emperor's suspicious character that he was testing my ambition.

"As long as it's legitimate, I won't have any objections."

"I understand what you mean. If you take good care of the princess and give birth to the baby safely, it will be the greatest blessing. I like your understanding and your understanding of when to advance and when to retreat the most."

"I often think of the past. Although you were of humble origins back then, you were very intelligent, quiet and reserved. Being with you made me feel at ease. I know a lot about you, but you acted prudently and always knew your limits..."

"Your Majesty..." I wanted to speak.

"Okay, it's getting late, you should go back first."

"Yes, I'll take my leave." I slowly walked out.

News came the next day that the Junggars were ready to take action again after hearing the news of Prince Guo's sudden death.

The emperor was extremely anxious, but this anxiety made his condition worse. In the end, he could only stay in bed, unable to get up and handle state affairs.

At this critical moment, news arrived from the front that the situation at Yanming Pass was critical and that a capable general was urgently needed to support them. However, the court could not find anyone who could take on this important task.

At this moment, the Emperor, lying on his sickbed, was filled with regret and self-blame. He remembered that his own paranoia had led him to execute the loyal and capable Prince Guo. Had Prince Guo lived, he would surely have been able to avert this crisis. Unfortunately, it was too late. Now the Emperor could only watch helplessly as the country fell into peril, powerless to do anything.

"Old Seventeen, I was wrong after all. Now that I think about it, I'm so sorry for you..."

On that worn, decaying bed, lay a thin, gaunt figure. He was the emperor, once supreme and powerful, wielding the power of life and death over all. Yet, at this moment, this once awe-inspiring emperor had lost his former glory.

His face was as pale as a piece of white paper, without a trace of blood. His lips were trembling slightly, and he was dying. Every breath he took seemed so difficult and weak.

"I'm sorry, brother Your Majesty, I cannot accept this apology." The one who said this was Prince Guo.

"Brother Emperor, I have already taken care of the border issue! The Junggar army has now retreated. Not only that, I have also signed a treaty with them. They have agreed that for the next twenty years, they will not dare to intrude even a little bit on our border again!"

At this time, Prince Guo reported this great news to the emperor with a calm expression.

"Old Seventeen? You...you're back? Is it really you?"

Prince Guo couldn't help laughing when he saw the emperor's surprised expression. "Haha, my royal brother, of course it's me. What's the matter? Could it be that my royal brother can't even recognize me?"

He spoke calmly, and as soon as he finished speaking, he raised his foot and slowly stepped forward. Each step seemed steady and powerful.

He stood before the Emperor's dragon bed, straightened up, and looked directly at the Emperor lying on the bed. A faint smile curved his lips as he spoke softly, "Royal brother, you carefully prepared that cup of poisoned wine, intending to send this minister to the underworld. Unfortunately, it did not go as you wished. However, this time, this minister was able to escape death, and the person I should be grateful to is not you, my Royal Brother, but your Imperial Concubine."

"What did you say? You guys..."

"Your Majesty, please don't be angry. Being angry is not good for your health. I have nothing to do with Prince Guo. The reason I helped Prince Guo is that I couldn't bear to see Your Majesty lose such a good general..."

"Brother Your Majesty, I dare to reveal my true feelings to you today. To be honest, I have never harbored the slightest desire for the supreme throne. All along, my heart has been devotedly assisting you, Your Majesty, in governing this vast nation. However, within the imperial family, how much of the so-called brotherhood can remain? Perhaps there was once a time of genuine affection, but the warmth and trust of the past have now vanished without a trace."