Quick Transmigration: The Charming Beauty Who Was Short-Lived and Alluring

Looking at Chu Yun kneeling on the ground, Qi Qingjia thought of her mother, Consort Min, who came from the noble Liu family.

The Liu family was originally a prominent clan in the Great Qi Dynasty, but it gradually declined due to the struggle for succession. The family eventually moved back to their ancestral home, Pingtai County.

Emperor Dezong had more than a dozen brothers, most of whom came from prestigious families and held high positions. With the support of their maternal clans, the princes fought each other to the death. Emperor Dezong, being the daughter of a minor official, naturally had no chance to compete with her brothers. She was enfeoffed as the Prince of Ping at a young age and was assigned to guard Pingtai County.

Consort Min and Emperor Dezong met in Pingtai County, fell in love at first sight, and were captivated by each other upon their second meeting, eventually becoming husband and wife.

Pingtai County was far from the capital, and the emperor was far away. Emperor Dezong and Consort Min lived a carefree life in their fiefdom, like immortals.

The two were deeply in love, envied by all. Consort Min herself thought that she would spend her life with Emperor Dezong in a secluded corner, enjoying the scenery and admiring the lotus flowers by boat until she died of old age.

Unexpectedly, a palace coup in the capital resulted in the deaths of most of Dezong's brothers, leaving only Dezong and a newborn infant alive. Dezong was appointed to the throne in this time of crisis, transforming himself from a prince in a remote fiefdom into the supreme ruler of the Great Qi Dynasty.

With each new emperor comes a new court, and the various noble families fought like fighting cocks. Unexpectedly, the one who finally ascended the throne was the most inconspicuous Prince Ping. Since none of them had the merit to support the new emperor, they set their sights on the position of empress.

The Liu family was weak, and Consort Min's status was not high enough for the position of Empress. Even though she was the first wife, she had to give up her position.

At that time, powerful aristocratic families held great influence, and Emperor Dezong had no choice but to yield. This yielding caused Consort Min to be demoted from wife to concubine, and she could only watch helplessly as another woman ascended to the position of Empress.

Because of this incident, Emperor Dezong felt extremely guilty towards Consort Min, and out of affection for her, he also promoted the Liu family.

The Liu family returned to the capital and enjoyed a period of great prosperity, gradually regaining its former glory.

Consort Min remained a favorite in the harem, and even the Empress had to avoid her.

Consort Min had both status and favor; her only regret was not having a child. However, she knew how to be content with what she had and didn't have much of an obsession with having children.

After Emperor Dezong ascended the throne, he began to suppress the aristocratic families. The Liu family, which he had personally supported, naturally became the sharpest knife in his hands, dealing with many aristocratic families on his behalf and incurring their hatred.

Finally, several powerful clans joined forces and listed five major crimes committed by the Liu family, once again suppressing them to the point of being unable to raise their heads. Out of respect for Consort Min, Emperor Dezong did not severely punish the Liu family and released them back to Pingtai County. Consort Min was extremely grateful for this.

Not long after, Consort Min became pregnant. After ten months of pregnancy, she gave birth to Emperor Dezong's youngest son, Qi Qingjia.

As the youngest son, Qi Qingjia was extremely favored by Emperor Dezong.

With the love of her mother and the favor of her father, Qi Qingjia always felt very lucky and happy before the age of seven.

Until one day he stumbled upon his mother crying bitterly in the Buddhist hall.

In Qi Qingjia's mind, Consort Min had always been beautiful and dignified; this was the first time he had ever seen her so distraught.

Consort Min's intermittent sobs overturned Qi Qingjia's previous understanding.

Qi Qingjia will never forget what Consort Min said back then.

"The life of a devout woman is nothing but a mirage, a fleeting and laughable illusion."

"You married me to deceive others, and you elevated my Liu family to have a handy weapon."

"Even Qingjia's birth was to restrain the Empress and the Crown Prince."

“My life has been ruined by him, and I have accepted my fate. But the child is innocent. I only pray that Buddha will bless Qingjia and protect him so that he may live a peaceful and smooth life. That would be enough for me.”

Qi Qingjia was precocious. When he heard Consort Min say this, he was filled with doubt. As he grew older, he finally understood that the happy family scene he had imagined was all fake, or rather, all that beauty was built on Consort Min's blood and tears, and was something she had obtained by suppressing her grievances.

Emperor Dezong's exile to Pingtai County was a scheme orchestrated by him and the late emperor. Both he and the late emperor detested the power of aristocratic families and were determined to weaken their influence. Thus, under the pretext of being exiled, they distanced themselves from the capital and watched as other princes vied for the throne, while he reaped the benefits.

The purpose of elevating the Liu family is to make them compete with the aristocratic families. Once their value has been squeezed dry, they will be discarded.

The emperor favored Consort Min in order to suppress other high-ranking concubines and to prevent the Liu family from having any disloyal intentions. This is why Consort Min remained infertile for many years.

The reason for having Qi Qingjia born was to restrain the Crown Prince.

The bloody truth was laid bare before him, making Qi Qingjia feel nauseous.

To protect Qi Qingjia, Consort Min kept quiet even after discovering the truth, continuing to feign compliance with Emperor Dezong. Qi Qingjia felt sorry for Consort Min and could only continue to pretend.

In the end, Qi Qingjia made a move that caused Emperor Dezong to suffer a stroke.

As for the imperial edict that allowed Qi Qingjia to stay in the capital and even leave him military power, it was all forged by Qi Qingjia.

On the day Emperor Dezong died, Consort Min learned of all that Qi Qingjia had done. After a good cry, she tried to pull herself together, but years of palace intrigue and emotional repression had already taken their toll on her health. Consort Min did not last long and passed away a year later.

After Consort Min's death, Qi Qingjia joined the army and gradually gained control of 200,000 troops, becoming the regent, second only to the emperor.

Boundless power did not bring Qi Qingjia happiness. He constantly regretted not growing up sooner to protect Consort Min, and he no longer believed that there was any true affection in the imperial family.

Therefore, Qi Qingjia felt disdain when he saw Chu Yun's deep affection for Qi Jingheng.

Knowing that Qi Jingheng's affection for Chu Yun was merely a means to an end, Qi Qingjia felt a sense of certainty and a sense that this was how it should be.

He thought Chu Yun was a foolish and naive woman. If it weren't for him, she probably would never have known that she was just a pawn in Qi Jingheng's hands until her death.

But now, Qi Qingjia realizes how wrong she was.

It turned out she knew everything, and even harbored rebellious thoughts.

If before, Qi Qingjia only wanted to use Chu Yun to strike at Qi Jingheng, now he genuinely wants to pull her out of the mire, just like back then, if someone could have helped his mother, perhaps his mother wouldn't have died so young.

Helping Chu Yun is like helping my former mother, or helping my former self.

Qi Qingjia liked this feeling, and even the way she looked at Chu Yun became gentle and pure.

"Consort Zhao," he called to her in a low voice, slowly emerging from the shadows.

Chu Yun was startled by his voice and looked over in surprise. Upon seeing who it was, she involuntarily fell to the ground. "The Regent?"

Qi Qingjia continued walking forward, "Your Highness Consort Zhao, how about we make a deal? I can help you take revenge."

Chu Yun frowned, staring at him as if assessing whether his words were credible.

When Qi Qingjia was two or three steps away from Chu Yun, he stopped, looked back at her, and coaxed, "I can help you."