Shocking! Five men are in love with the same woman!

The lingering charm of autumn still lingers in my heart, yet the wheels of time have already rolled on.

In the blink of an eye, December arrived with its biting winds and light, delicate first snow.

A few withered leaves remaining on the branches trembled in the north wind, as if whispering tales of past glories.

The streets and alleys are gradually draped in a silvery white coat, and the cool moonlight shines on the snow, giving off a faint blue glow, like a tranquil poem that has been sculpted by time.

Just as the city was blanketed in snow, everyone in the capital received some terrible news.

This terrible news came from the residence of the Ninth Prince of Western Chu.

It is said that the Ninth Prince's Consort, Lin Ya, has just passed away.

In fact, everyone has known for the past few years that the Ninth Prince's wife has been bedridden and has not left the house.

She thought it was nothing serious, but she never expected that she would die of illness just a few years after marrying the Ninth Prince.

What a terrible misfortune!

The Ninth Prince loved his wife dearly. It is said that after her death, he was so devastated that he vomited blood, suffered a mental breakdown, and never recovered.

Now, the greatest sorrow is a broken heart; he lies motionless in bed, like a soulless puppet.

What a profound and deep affection!

Separated by life and death, how lamentable and regrettable!

And so, a month later, they learned that the Ninth Prince had entered the palace to bid farewell to His Majesty, expressing his desire to leave this sorrowful place and return to Western Chu.

Their emperor then agreed.

Could Emperor Jingzhao refuse?

There was no need for him to come to Dazhao as a hostage in the first place.

In addition, Western Chu has been very well-behaved in recent years and has never caused any trouble.

Therefore, there was absolutely no need for the Zhao state to send members of the royal families of Western Chu or other countries as hostages.

Now that he has taken the initiative to express his desire to leave Dazhao and return, he will naturally agree.

So after returning to his residence, Chu Xiyao immediately began packing his luggage.

Three days later, he boarded a carriage and left Dazhao.

Apart from Emperor Jingzhao, he did not bid farewell to anyone else.

Because he has no public or private relationships with anyone.

So when he left, no one came to see him off.

In this very low-key and smooth manner, he led his entourage, who had come to Dazhao, on the road back to Xichu.

...............

The old charms have just been removed, but the new peaches have not yet been replaced.

As if it were just a turn of the head, the steed of time galloped swiftly, carrying the years to New Year's Eve.

The streets and alleys are decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. The big red lanterns sway gently in the wind, like leaping balls of fire, spreading the joy of reunion to every corner.

In the distance, fireworks suddenly burst into bloom, like a shower of stars or a profusion of flowers blooming in the night sky, instantly illuminating the entire heavens.

Inside the house, the fire in the stove was burning brightly, and the whole family sat around it, their laughter and cheerful conversation mingling with the aroma of delicious food, rising gently into the air.

At this moment, time seems to slow down, as if it is imbued with the rich atmosphere of the New Year.

Let every moment be etched with happiness and warmth.

Lingyan is already twenty-three years old this year.

At the New Year's Eve palace banquet, looking at Emperor Jingzhao's appearance, she knew that his time was up in the next few days.

Emperor Jingzhao himself was probably very clear about this.

Therefore, this year's Lunar New Year's Eve banquet was the grandest, most lively, and longest banquet in many years.

Emperor Jingzhao was not as serious and upright as in previous years.

Instead, she was very kind and approachable, getting along well with everyone without any airs.

Therefore, some intelligent people naturally understood the reason for his unusual behavior.

By the time they finally returned to the Crown Prince's residence, it was past midnight.

This shows just how lively and long the New Year's Eve banquet was tonight.

And Lingyan's prediction was correct.

On the morning of the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, Emperor Jingzhao ordered all civil and military officials, members of the imperial family, as well as all concubines, princes, and princesses to assemble at Longteng Palace.

Xiao Muyao was already handling state affairs in the palace.

Lingyan had not yet gotten up.

After being woken up by Ying Shuang, she heard the news while still half asleep and immediately became wide awake.

It seems today is the day.

At this moment, she couldn't help but feel a little sad.

It's hard to describe the discomfort.

But she always felt that her feelings for Emperor Jingzhao were merely those of an employee showing respect to their leader, and that she had no personal feelings for him whatsoever.

But when that day actually came, she felt extremely lost and heartbroken.

After calming myself down and washing up, I got up and started washing up.

When she arrived at the Dragon Palace, everyone except some courtiers who lived far from the palace had already arrived.

The Dragon Palace was shrouded in a heavy silence.

A heavy atmosphere filled the air, mixed with a faint medicinal fragrance, which seeped into everyone's nostrils and stirred their tense nerves.

The civil and military officials, dressed in their court robes, looked solemn.

Most of them still look very sad.

Only a few people secretly glanced at the people around them, exchanging meaningful looks.

The imperial family members stood together, and under these circumstances, even many of the spoiled brats dared not act recklessly and behaved very well.

The concubines were all exquisitely made up, but they could not hide their haggard appearance.

They either bowed their heads and wept, tears sliding down their carefully painted cheeks and soaking the brocade of their collars.

Or they stare blankly at the ground, the handkerchief in their hand crumpled into a ball.

The princes and princesses also looked very sad, their eyes fixed on Emperor Jingzhao on the dragon bed.

Emperor Jingzhao lay quietly on his dragon bed, his face gaunt and sallow.

Beneath his sunken eyes were dark bluish-black shadows, as if the years had mercilessly etched marks of decay upon him.

His hair was scattered messily on the pillow, a few strands of silver shimmering coldly in the dim light.

His eyes were closed, and his breathing was as faint as a candle flickering in the wind.

The rise and fall of his chest was extremely slow, as if each breath required the utmost effort.

Beside his bed sat the Empress, dressed in a magnificent phoenix robe, though the once majestic robe now appeared dull and lifeless.

She held Emperor Jingzhao's hand tightly, the veins on the back of her hand bulging, her nails digging deep into her palm without her noticing.

Her eyes were filled with grief and despair, and tears flowed freely like a burst dam, soaking Emperor Jingzhao's sleeves.

Consort Li sat on the other side of the bed, also sobbing uncontrollably.

Her makeup was already ruined by tears, and her eyes were swollen and red like walnuts.

Those once luscious lips are now bitten until they turn white.

Mechanically gripping Emperor Jingzhao's other hand, as if he could grasp his impending death.

Xiao Muyao stood tall and straight in front of everyone, his back as straight as a steel ruler, his hands clenched tightly at his sides, his knuckles white from the force.

His eyes were cold and resolute, and his brows were slightly furrowed.

His gaze was fixed on Emperor Jingzhao's lifeless face, his lips pressed into a straight line, as if he was trying to suppress the surging emotions in his heart.

Although he tried his best to remain calm, his slightly trembling shoulders betrayed the deep sorrow in his heart.

At this moment, Emperor Jingzhao was reminded by Eunuch Yuan that everyone had arrived.

A faint glimmer of light struggled to appear in his deep-set eyes.

His chapped lips trembled slightly, as if he were gathering his last bit of strength.

Then, he slowly turned his gaze to Eunuch Yuan.

His eyes held an unquestionable authority and a sense of entrustment, and he nodded slightly.

Eunuch Yuan was already in tears. He suppressed the excruciating grief in his heart and, with a trembling body, slowly walked towards the crowd.

He was tightly holding the bright yellow scroll that symbolized the supreme decree in his hand.

Every step I took seemed to use up all my strength.