Qiao Ci finished speaking and retorted, "I might not be the original owner of this body. Aren't you afraid?"
"Not afraid. From now on, I will pray to heaven every day, wishing that you will always be by my side." Li Su pulled Qiao Ci into his embrace. "So, please don't leave me easily, okay?"
"Okay."
Li Su was practically radiating pink bubbles at Qiao Ci's unhesitating reply.
Upon hearing that Li Su was almost assassinated, the Empress was frantic. When she also heard that Li Churuan was involved, she went around pleading for her daughter.
Only after everything settled down did she have time to visit her son, Li Su, who was unharmed.
She rushed over, pushed Qiao Ci aside, and scanned Li Su from head to toe with worry. "Asu, are you hurt?"
"It's been several days; any injuries should have healed by now." Li Su's tone was indifferent as he walked past the Empress to Qiao Ci's side. "Is Mother free to visit your son now?"
The Empress felt a pang of awkwardness. She had wanted to come the moment she learned of his assassination, but recalling his cold demeanor, she had hesitated for a night. Then, the news of Li Churuan being the mastermind surfaced, and she had forgotten about it.
"Is Mother here for a reason?" Li Su held Qiao Ci's hand, looking at the Empress whose intentions were clearly not pure.
The Empress's face flickered between green and white. After dismissing the servants, she spoke, "Asu, your Imperial Sister was also deceived into committing this foolish act. Now, all the evidence points to her, and your father is determined to demote her to commoner status and exile her to the frontier.
Your Imperial Sister is accustomed to a life of privilege. How will she survive in the future? You are the only one who can persuade your father. Speak a few good words for her, and she will be pardoned. Mother will ensure she behaves herself and never causes you trouble again."
Li Su looked at the Empress with growing unfamiliarity. "Li Churuan wanted to kill me, and you want me to plead for her?"
"Your Imperial Sister was instigated by Zhao Shimei, and she said she didn't want to kill you, but Qiao Ci. You..."
Li Su interrupted the Empress directly, "She calls Qiao Ci by her full name repeatedly. Setting aside whether Li Churuan intended to kill me, consider the woman beside me. If it weren't for her, I would have been killed long ago!
It's not that I don't value filial piety, but your words and actions are too selfish. You claim to be acting for my own good, but you are merely satisfying your own selfish desires. Li Churuan wanted to kill us both. According to Fengming law, let the consequences unfold as they may. I will not plead for her!"
Li Su's words angered the Empress to the point of chest pain, and a harsh remark escaped her lips: "Everything you have now was given to you by Mother. Yet, you dare to use it to hurt Mother's feelings. I shouldn't have brought you back then!"
Li Su stood tall and dignified. "At that time, I explicitly told you that I wanted to stay at the Grand Princess's residence. You escalated the matter to an issue between two countries without my consent, forcing me to return.
No matter what, you never cared about my opinion. Just like back then, when a villain grabbed me and another man and asked you to choose one, you chose your childhood sweetheart cousin without much deliberation. Later, you even claimed to the outside world that I had simply wandered off, ha~"
The Empress's eyes widened. "You, you remembered?"
"Yes, I remembered shortly after returning to the palace. Not only that, but I also remembered whose bloodline Li Churuan truly carried... Therefore, it would be better for her to return to her original origins." Li Su paused after speaking, then continued,
"I also hope that you will no longer interfere in the matters between me and A'Ci, nor use filial piety to pressure me. After all, one is my wife who saved me from dire straits, while the other is my biological mother who discarded me like worn-out shoes. There is simply no comparison."
Li Su's words were like thunder to the Empress.
She stared at her demon-like son in terror. How could he possibly know about Li Churuan?
The Empress's expression was filled with unconcealed panic. Looking around guiltily, she quickly left.
Qiao Ci looked at Li Su like this, feeling a strange sensation. "My cub has grown up."
Qiao Ci's words made Li Su, who was feeling melancholic, laugh. "I'm not a cub."
"You are."
"Fine, I am a cub."
Because of the Fourth Prince and the Grand Princess's affairs, the Emperor was furious, and his already frail health worsened. He fell gravely ill.
Consequently, the Crown Prince assumed regency.
In less than a month, the Emperor issued a decree of abdication, and Li Su ascended the throne as the new Emperor.
After the death of the Taishang Huang, the Empress Dowager dared not interfere in the affairs of the Harem. The Harem was managed entirely by the new Empress, Qiao Ci.
There wasn't much to manage, as the new Emperor only had one woman in his Harem. Thus, the officials saw an opportunity to express themselves, one after another urging the new Emperor to hold a selection for concubines to fill the Harem. All their pleas were rejected by the new Emperor.
For reasons unknown, the Empress Dowager became devoted to vegetarianism and Buddhism, remaining detached from worldly affairs, and Yun Jiuge's hopes were completely dashed. She, who had once been disdained by the new Emperor, was now even more unmarriageable. Finally, Grand Tutor Yun hastily chose a husband and sent her away to marry.
Gradually, rumors spread that the new Emperor was henpecked. There were even court secrets saying the new Emperor often served the new Empress, occasionally cooking delicious meals for her himself, and even handling tasks like washing her feet without the need for palace maids...
Zhao Shimei and Li Churuan, who were in the borderlands shearing sheep, heard the rumors and felt a shared sense of sorrow and desolation. Those who were once so close had become unreachable, while they themselves were exploited for their labor at the lowest level until they died.
The Emperor of Tenglong Kingdom, seeing his eldest daughter ascend to become the Empress of Fengming Kingdom, frequently adopted the demeanor of a father-in-law and engaged in distant conversations with the Emperor of Fengming Kingdom.
Qiao Ci did not let Li Su engage with him, but instead assisted him in managing Fengming Kingdom well. Within just a few years, Fengming Kingdom's economy, agriculture, and military power far surpassed Tenglong Kingdom's. Ultimately, the Emperor of Tenglong Kingdom began paying tribute annually to appease Fengming, lest Li Su decide to attack the weak Tenglong Kingdom if dissatisfied with anything...
The Emperor and Empress of Fengming Kingdom lived to old age and natural death. Despite having no children, the Imperial couple loved each other their entire lives. Their story of love, a lifelong commitment to one partner, became an eternal legend, praised by later generations.
*
Qiao Ci returned to the space, and a familiar electronic voice sounded: "Welcome back, Host! Hehe, the mission completion level is SSS, with a reward of 100,000 points. Host used one bottle of Jade Skin Cream in the small world, deducting 1000 points. You currently have 499,000 points remaining. Host is amazing, getting closer to 100 million points oh~"
Qiao Ci looked at Xiao Shaozi, who was wearing a layer of crimson gauze and swaying like a madam, feeling somewhat bewildered.
"To reward Host, Xiao Shaozi has prepared a special version of the fan dance for you. Hehe, I hope Host will like it."
As soon as the words fell, Xiao Shaozi transformed into Li Su's appearance, clad in a crimson gauze dress, twisting his body and making faces.
It was truly a jarring sight!