"Get out! Get out! Pay me back for my father, pay me back for my father, woo woo woo, you scoundrel!"
Xiao Shan looked at Ling Yao, who had woken up, with surprise, but the next second, his waist felt numb.
"Okay, okay, I'm going out, going out, relax, relax."
Xiao Shan gritted his teeth and retreated with difficulty. He quickly looked at her, "What kind of dream did you have? You wouldn't wake up, you scared me to death."
"Why are you crying again? Hey, Your Highness the Princess, my dear grandmother, I was wrong, please stop crying, okay?"
"Father is gone."
Gone? What does gone mean?
"Dead?"
"Waa—" Ling Yao cried and hit him, "It's all your fault, it's all your fault, you pay me back for my father."
"Alright, alright, I'll pay you back, I'll pay you back. The Emperor is fine, he's sleeping soundly in the Taiyi Hall! Be careful of our child, you can't cry."
Xiao Shan knew she cared about the child, so he could only use the child as leverage.
Ling Yao indeed stopped, her face covered in tears. She opened her mouth and breathed, adjusting herself. The way she held back her sobs made Xiao Shan's heart clench as if gripped by a hand.
"I want to go to the Taiyi Hall," she said, trying to get out of bed.
Xiao Shan grabbed her, "I'll go, you wait here. Even if the Emperor is really not well, you can't mistreat your body. The child, the child is important, do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand." Ling Yao touched her belly and took a few more breaths. "Hurry up and go!"
Xiao Shan put on his clothes, called Qing He in, and then headed to the Taiyi Hall with his men.
At the same time, in the Grand Shaman's mansion, the Grand Shaman looked at the already dimmed star that had fallen and knelt down.
"Your subject respectfully bids farewell to His Majesty."
At dawn, nine mournful dragon bells rang.
The entire capital was awakened, and instantly, the situation became turbulent, with undercurrents surging.
However, as soon as the group led by the Right Prime Minister ran onto the street, they were ruthlessly suppressed by densely packed, well-trained troops.
At this moment, all parties realized that the entire capital was already under the control of the Divine Martial General.
The capital fell silent again, white banners hung on all the streets, orderly.
The Emperor had passed away, and the Noble Consort had followed him in death. Feathery snow began to fall from the sky, and the imperial palace was filled with desolation.
Ling Yao was only sad for one night before she composed herself. She was no longer the weak, ignorant little princess. Even Qing He couldn't help but be surprised.
She knew the princess's feelings for the Emperor best. To be so calm so quickly, it seemed she had truly grown and become stronger.
Xiao Shan was very busy. Seeing her like this, he felt both heartache and relief.
"You go and be busy, don't worry about me."
He had almost no time to return to the Phoenix Palace. Coming here now, he was naturally worried about her. For his sake, she had to pull herself together and not let him be distracted.
The former Emperor had passed away, the new Emperor had ascended the throne, envoys from foreign countries were arriving, and there were still unknown dangers lurking in the shadows!
Xiao Shan stroked her head, "Take care of yourself, everything will settle down soon."
"Yes, I know."
As long as he was here, Jing Country would not collapse.
Looking at her trusting and dependent gaze, Xiao Shan smiled, and half of his fatigue from the past few days disappeared.
After Xiao Shan left, news came from the Phoenix Palace.
The Empress was about to give birth.
Ling Yao's eyes turned cold, and she took her people with her. On the way, she met Song Beiting, who was on patrol.
"Princess, the palace is not peaceful right now, it's best to stay in the Phoenix Palace. I have arranged many guards here, it's safer." His face was bruised in several places, as if he had been beaten.
They say you shouldn't hit someone in the face, and one wonders who was so heartless.
"It's alright, I'm going to the Phoenix Palace. You continue your patrol."
"Shall I escort you there?"
"No need, Commander Song, do your job."
Song Beiting stopped, and a chill ran down his spine.
She called him Commander Song.
When Ling Yao arrived, the Empress was already exhausted. She was old, and recently she had been overly worried. She was barely breathing, hanging on by a thread.
Seeing Ling Yao, her eyes gained some clarity.
"I heard the bells," she said. "He's gone, hasn't he?"
"Weren't you waiting for this day?" Ling Yao said sarcastically.
"No... I..." She couldn't speak.
Yu Shan frowned and reported, "Princess, the baby's position is not right, I'm afraid..."
"Save the child, save the child, please, Yao'er, please, save him, send him to his father, please!"
The Empress pleaded, looking at her, her hair stuck to her face. Her former grace and nobility were now reduced to a sorry state.
She struggled to prop herself up, "Let me die, to accompany His Majesty, save the child, please."
She still wanted to have it both ways, to accompany her father and fulfill her promise to Prince Ru Nan.
How could she be so naive?
"Your father already has Consort Yi by his side. I don't plan to leave a place for you, you are not worthy."
Her father had committed suicide by swallowing gold. In a moment of clarity, he had maintained his dignity as an emperor.
The Noble Consort had left a letter and then followed him in death.
She had not received her father's love in life, and she hoped that in the next life, Consort Yi would get her wish.
The Empress collapsed onto the bed, her eyes vacant.
"Lan Ru is also gone, everyone is gone..."
Memories flashed by, and the Empress began to laugh foolishly, "Everyone is gone... What does it matter? He was only after the throne, for the sake of the people and the country, not for anyone else. Futu Ruohua, why are you so stubborn?"
Ling Yao frowned, "What are you talking about?"
Yu Shan whispered, "Princess, neither the mother nor the child can be saved."
Ling Yao looked at Qing He, and Qing He silently said "small."
Ling Yao nodded, and Qing He began to administer acupuncture. Yu Shan assisted.
The Empress seemed to sense something and cast a grateful look at Ling Yao, "You asked me last time who I loved, and now I know."
"I fell in love with His Majesty long ago, and my feelings for Prince Ru Nan were only guilt."
"But, His Majesty's eyes were only on his country, his society, his endless official duties. I neglected him, neglected you all, and refused to admit my feelings, thinking that if I protected myself, I wouldn't be so sad. But I forgot, the reason I fell in love with him in the first place was his responsibility and seriousness towards the world!"
"I was greedy, I hated that he was always thinking about the court, I hated that he could leave me at any time to see his ministers, and even more, I hated that he would switch children for the sake of the divine maiden! What did he consider me to be?"
"You know?" Ling Yao looked at the suffering Empress in surprise, "You know we are not yours..."
Regarding her father, Ling Yao had long understood. Her father loved her mother, but as she said, this love was always placed behind the country's great cause.
And the matter of switching children, he was good to her, taught her principles, and completely saw her as the hope of Jing Country, because of the divine maiden. He had no selfish motives; he simply loved this country too much.
Therefore, she did not blame him, nor was she sad anymore, because the kindness he showed her was real.
Now, he was gone, placing the hope of Jing Country on her, so she would do her best to protect it!
The Empress smiled sadly, "How could I not know? How many I carried, how many I gave birth to, even if I couldn't see, as a mother, I could feel it! Do you think Lan Ru didn't know?"
"She knew, but she loved His Majesty, she loved him too much, and chose to escape because of it. She was too foolish."
"Silly... all of you are silly." The Empress's voice gradually lowered, her eyes looking blankly at a certain spot, finally fixing.
The next second, a loud cry echoed in the room.