"Ye Fei, when I am gone, you shall leave the palace. The world outside is vast, and you must see more of it. Do not be like me, who confined myself for a lifetime for one man."
Lan Ruoyu's voice sounded very calm. In the past, she had always felt indignant. They had grown up together, yet simply because she was not the crown prince, she was not favored by him?
To gain his love, she usurped the throne, forced her own sisters to their deaths, and slaughtered the opposing families. It was she who brought about the extinction of the Lan clan. Yet, despite committing all manner of wicked deeds and obtaining everything she desired, she could not win the heart of that man.
"Your Majesty, this servant will always stay by your side."
Lan Ruoyu shook her head. "You are still young and need not be confined to this imperial harem. Xiao Man is not a malicious person; she will allow you to leave the palace. After you leave, go and see the beautiful landscapes outside for me. I have been confined to Bianjing city for many years and have not ventured out. I do not know what the outside has become."
"Your Majesty, if you wish to go out and see, this servant will accompany you. Wherever you wish to go, this servant will be with you."
Lan Ruoyu shook her head. She knew her own body best. Even if Xiao Man did not kill her, she would not live much longer. Feng Moran had used her as a cauldron to detoxify himself, but the result was counterproductive. She was supposed to be immune to all poisons, but instead, the toxins in her body became imbalanced. Now, she was merely a walking poison, and she could die from a toxin outbreak at any moment.
"I cannot go out." Lan Ruoyu reached out and caught a falling leaf. Her life was like this leaf, at its end, yet she was still stubbornly holding on. She wanted to see Feng Moran one last time and ask him why he was so cruel to her.
"Your Majesty, this servant cannot leave you."
"Ye Fei, no one cannot live without another. Without me, you will live a better life." Lan Ruoyu's voice was weak. "In the past, I also thought I couldn't live without him, but after leaving him, I still lived, even if it was like a walking corpse, I still lived."
"Your Majesty, this servant truly..."
Lan Ruoyu's gaze fell upon the doorway. A person walked in, who turned out to be the Second Princess.
The Second Princess entered, carrying a food basket. "I heard that Mother Sovereign has not been eating lately, so I asked the Imperial Kitchen to prepare dishes that Mother Sovereign loves and send them over."
Lan Ruoyu looked at the calm and composed Second Princess, a trace of confusion flashing in her eyes. This second daughter, whom she had always overlooked, was the one who truly hid her talents. Even when Xiao Man instigated the coup, she had not been implicated in any way.
"Has Xiao Man returned?"
"Your Majesty is occupied with important matters and cannot return for the time being. If Mother Sovereign has anything to convey, you may inform this daughter, and this daughter will relay it for Mother Sovereign." The Second Princess took out the dishes, placed them on the table, and then handed the chopsticks to Lan Ruoyu. "Mother Sovereign, please eat."
Lan Ruoyu looked at the exquisite dishes on the table, all her usual favorites, but she had no appetite. Still, she mustered her strength and tasted a bite of each.
"It still tastes the same, nothing has changed."
"The imperial chefs in the palace have not changed, so naturally, it tastes the same as before." The Second Princess took a small stove and placed the wine pot inside to warm it. She then added two pickled plums. Once the water boiled, she took out the wine pot and poured a cup for Lan Ruoyu.
Lan Ruoyu picked up the wine cup and drank it down in one gulp. "Do you have any news of him?"
"None." The Second Princess knew Lan Ruoyu was asking about Feng Moran. She could never understand why, with Lan Ruoyu's disposition, she would go mad for a man, giving up herself and everything else for him!
"He is indeed heartless, not even coming to see me one last time." Lan Ruoyu gave a bitter smile, her heart filled with immense sorrow. Until his death, he was still indifferent to her, yet she could not hate him.
"He is not worth it." The Second Princess frowned and said, "That person has no heart."
"Yes, he is not worth it, and I know he is not worth it, but I just cannot control my heart. As long as he looks at me one more time, I become happy. As long as he speaks one more word to me, I get so excited that I cannot sleep. To please him, I tried hard to become the person he liked, yet I couldn't even get an extra glance from him. Isn't that pathetic?"
The Second Princess did not reply. The current Lan Ruoyu was no longer the formidable Empress of Lan Yue who commanded storms. Now, she was merely a woman heartbroken in love, a woman who sought what she could not have, her heart filled with resentment.
"Do you hate him?"
"I used to hate him, hated him to the bone. But as soon as he smiled at me, all that hatred was thrown to the back of my mind." Lan Ruoyu coughed a couple of times, covering her mouth with a handkerchief. Black blood stained the handkerchief. The poison in her body had begun to erupt.
"Are you alright?" the Second Princess asked with concern.
Lan Ruoyu waved her hand, tossing the handkerchief aside, and gestured for the Second Princess to continue pouring wine. "I'm fine. I have let go now, but there is still one matter I need to ask your help with."
The Second Princess did not answer immediately because, in the current Lan Yue, the real ruler was not her, but Xiao Man. She did not understand Xiao Man well and dared not arbitrarily challenge Xiao Man's bottom line.
"Don't worry, it's nothing difficult." Lan Ruoyu's voice grew weaker. "It's about Ye Fei. He followed me for so many years. When I became a prisoner, he was the only one who stayed by my side. After I die, let him leave the palace and give him a way out."
"Your Majesty, this servant will not leave." Ye Fei crawled to the Empress's side. "This servant will always stay with you."
The Empress tenderly stroked Ye Fei's head, her eyes already growing hazy. "Ah Fei, leave the palace. If you have the chance, ask Feng Moran for me, ask him if he ever loved me? Even a tiny bit would suffice. This is my last wish. Will you fulfill it for me?"
"This servant... obeys." Ye Fei sobbed uncontrollably. He understood that Lan Ruoyu was at the end of her strength. Even if she forced herself to endure, it was immense suffering for her. Death, for her, was a release.
Lan Ruoyu smiled with relief and looked at the Second Princess, awaiting her reply.
"I promise you that I will plead with Your Majesty to release Young Master Ye from the palace."
A smile appeared on Lan Ruoyu's face. Her head drooped slowly, and the hand caressing Ye Fei's head also fell. A generation's Empress died silently in the cold, desolate palace.
"Your Majesty!" Su Dan Novel Network
The Second Princess closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and concealed all her emotions. She felt neither love nor hate for the Empress. Although the Empress was not a good mother, she had ultimately provided them with a life of food and clothing. She should at least send her on her final journey.
"This daughter bids farewell to Mother Sovereign. May Mother Sovereign ascend to the Western Pure Land." The Second Princess knelt and kowtowed three times to Lan Ruoyu, thanking her for her upbringing. "Guards, prepare the Emperor's body for burial."