Marrying the Crown Prince

Soon after, news spread that Consort Shu had suddenly fallen seriously ill and passed away.

Li Ziqiong was somewhat stunned. He knew that his mother had made a mistake, which was why she had been imprisoned by his father.

But he originally thought that as long as he asked his elder brother, the emperor, such a kind and benevolent person would surely understand his filial piety.

But his elder brother was very busy, so he waited and waited until the war ended and the peace talks between the two countries ended. Finally, the opportunity he wanted came.

He was overjoyed and prepared to enter the palace the next day to beg Li Ziyan. No matter how he begged, whether he knelt outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation or in the ancestral hall, as long as he could reunite with his mother, he didn't think it was a hardship.

But why, why did things happen so suddenly?

He was so close, just a little bit more, to be reunited with his mother...

Li Ziqiong felt as if her heart was being torn apart. She collapsed onto the soft couch in anguish, her eyes gradually filling with tears.

Tears welled up in his eyes, his gaze was empty, and his voice was filled with endless sorrow, "Why is it that I've just grown up and can finally be filial to you, but you're no longer here?"

He was wailing here, and Zhang Siwu, in the distance, was also weeping.

"Brother, we're almost home, brother..." she cried out hoarsely, "Brother, open your eyes and look!"

Zhang Siwu cried out in anguish, each call filled with endless sorrow and reluctance.

Her eyes were like a burst dam, tears welling up and streaming down her cheeks. Large tears fell onto the bedding, where they were instantly absorbed, leaving only a faint stain.

Zhang Siwu reached out and tightly grasped Zhang Sicheng's hand, which was already as cold as snow.

Because of the excessive force, her knuckles turned white and even showed some blue veins.

Overwhelmed by extreme grief and despair, Zhang Siwu's entire body trembled slightly involuntarily.

Seeing this, the envoy from Western Qin couldn't help but wipe away his tears and comforted her, saying, "Princess, he has passed away. You should not grieve too much and should take care of yourself."

"My brother and I have been through thick and thin together for so many years," Zhang Siwu said, wiping away her tears, her voice filled with grief. "How can I take care of myself? How can I possibly take care of myself?"

She cried uncontrollably and even fainted.

The envoy hurriedly helped Zhang Siwu up, and her maidservant rushed forward to take her away.

"Imperial Physician—"

"Imperial Physician—"

The maid called out as she quickly escorted Zhang Siwu back to her room.

The imperial physician hurriedly picked up his medicine chest and ran over, explaining that the princess had fainted due to excessive grief.

He prescribed a calming remedy and instructed the maid to prepare the medicine for the princess.

"Thank you, sir." The maid curtsied, expressing her heartfelt gratitude.

"Girl, you're welcome."

After seeing off the imperial physician, Zhang Siwu, who had been lying in bed with her eyes closed and her brows furrowed with grief, opened her eyes.

Her eyes were clear and bright, sparkling, showing no trace of the deep sorrow she had just displayed.

"Hmph," Zhang Siwu sneered, "It's too easy for him to die so peacefully."

The maid lowered her eyes and head, pretending to be deaf—I could hear nothing and see nothing.

The day after Zhang Sicheng's death, Zhang Siwu received a letter.

She played with the letter, finding the Emperor and Empress of Chen Kingdom extremely interesting.

You should know that her bedroom was heavily guarded, and this letter appeared out of nowhere on the bedside table in her bedroom.

I'm afraid that the spies from the Chen Kingdom hold a fairly high position within the envoy delegation.

But what does all this have to do with her?

The stronger the Chen Kingdom people are, and the deeper they hide, the more likely her hopes for revenge will be realized.

She opened the letter, which praised her for doing a good job.

Zhang Siwu twitched the corner of her mouth, somewhat speechless.

She skimmed through the letter, quickly finishing reading its contents, and then lit the candle containing the letter.

The flames burned quickly, stretching out long tongues of fire, and in no time, the words and paper were reduced to ashes.

Time flies like an arrow; in the blink of an eye, another three years have passed.

During these three years, the King of Yunqin fell ill because he could not bear the death of Zhang Sicheng, and his health deteriorated day by day afterward.

Without him keeping things under control, the royal family was engaged in fierce infighting.

Because of the endless factional strife, those officials who actually did practical work either chose to protect themselves with one side or were framed and demoted.

In stark contrast to them was the royal family of Chen Kingdom.

The late emperor did not have many children, and apart from the exceptionally intelligent Li Ziyan, the remaining princes were not particularly capable.

Prince Chong'an is a figure of considerable renown, but while he excels at maintaining the status quo, he is far inferior to Li Ziyan in matters of other importance.

amount……

That's not how it works.

In terms of having children, Prince Chong'an was far more capable than the Emperor.

Of course, this was also the only pain in the hearts of the court officials.

In any case, after three years of recuperation, the national treasury has been replenished, and the army is better equipped. While we can't say that we are invincible and unstoppable, we can certainly say that we have a large army and many generals, making us an unstoppable force.

With everything in place, Li Ziyan held Li Changyuan on his lap and played with him for a while until Li Changyuan got tired of it.

His lips trembled, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Li Ziyan then stopped, lifted the person off his knees, and placed him back on the floor.

"Go have some fun," he coaxed softly.

Once free, the little guy's potato-like legs quickly tumbled and he left the bedroom.

Zhou Zhou watched from the side and couldn't help but chuckle.

The child ran out, and the wet nurse quickly followed. Soon, only Zhou Zhou and Li Ziyan were left in the room.

Zhou Zhou was still looking at the letter, which was written by Ding Dong.

Ding Dong was originally an actor in a theatrical troupe. His singing wasn't particularly melodious or moving, but he was exceptionally handsome.

Later, she caught the eye of Zhong Xu, the youngest son of Jingwenbo, and was raised outside the family.

Who would have thought that one day, when Jing Wenbo was strolling around the streets, he would also take a liking to Ding Dong.

Unlike Zhong Xu, who was restrained, Jing Wenbo, as the elderly father, carried the man directly into the mansion.

And so, the reality of his true love becoming his stepmother came true.

Zhong Xu was depressed and sought solace in alcohol.

Unfortunately, at this very moment, Zhong Xu's ex-wife, Zhou Zhou's second elder sister Zhou Rong, remarried. Not only did she marry someone else, but she also married Ye Zejin, a powerful and favored minister of the third rank.

Ye Zejin, the youngest third-rank minister in history.

The person I once looked down on the most has such a good future; the woman I deeply love has married someone else, and to make matters worse, she married my own father.

Zhong Xu, intoxicated and with bloodshot eyes, stopped Ding Dong, who was alone, and dragged him into an abandoned courtyard.