Chapter 463 – The Time of Parting Eventually, that day arrived.

Chapter 463 - The Time of Parting Eventually, that day arrived.

He Jinli left Yun Li alone.

The crown prince knelt outside the palace with the others.

Yun Li wore a vibrant red dress, appropriate for the late autumn. She had deliberately changed into it to show him.

He Jinli leaned against a cushion and smiled. "So beautiful. Now that I'm about to leave, you still look as if you're in your twenties. It truly worries me."

Yun Li held He Jinli's hand and gazed at his white hair. "What are you worried about? If you're truly worried, take me with you. I've said it before, if you were to give me a vial of poison, I wouldn't hold any grudges."

"Are you serious? I'll really take you with me," He Jinli reached out to touch her face.

"Yes," Yun Li looked at him. "I'm willing to die with you and be buried beside you."

She spoke the truth.

At this very moment, if He Jining wants her to leave with him, she would go without hesitation. There's nothing too unbearable to part with; her son has his own life to live.

If her life were to end here, it wouldn't be too regretful.

He Jining sighs. "I can't bear it. I can't bear for you to die."

He gently caresses Yun Li's face. "I don't wish to die either. I want to stay by your side forever. But you're right, the emperor is also human. In the end, I can't escape this inevitability. I have to take the first step and leave you behind. Don't be too sad. When you miss me, look at the crown prince more often. Although he doesn't resemble me, he is our flesh and blood."

"Alright. Do you have any other regrets? Is there anything else I can do for you?" As Yun Li asks this, she doesn't realize her tears falling onto He Jining's hand.

He Jining uses both hands to wipe away her tears.

Even the slightest movement now causes him chest pain, and breathing has become a struggle.

"There is one thing: take care of yourself for me. You still have decades ahead, so cherish your health. Do whatever you desire. Go wherever you wish, but remember, in the end, return to my side. Return to me."

"Alright." Yun Li takes a deep breath to suppress the surging emotions in her chest. "In this world, I will always come back to you. The place by your side belongs only to me."

He Jining smiles at her. "I'm much older now, do you still like me?"

"I do. It's an honor to have witnessed you grow old gracefully since your twenties. I remember your youth, and I will always remember you now." Yun Li took out a handkerchief to wipe away He Jinli's tears.

Only at this moment did He Jinli realize that he, too, had been weeping.

"Yun'er, having you in my life is my fortune, my blessing," He Jinli embraced her tightly.

Yun Li's tears soaked the shoulder of He Jinli's robe. "Meeting you was wonderful, truly wonderful."

"You won't regret being with me, right? Even if you're unwilling to enter the palace, you won't regret encountering me, will you?" He Jinli asked.

"Yes, I don't regret meeting you. If there's a next life, I still hope to cross paths with you again," Yun Li looked up, smiling at him. "Don't doubt it, I genuinely like you. I cherish every moment spent with you. Even though the harem often frustrates me, it doesn't matter. I hold no resentment towards you in this lifetime."

"That's good to hear," He Jinli sighed, as if exhausted. "I've always been afraid, afraid that you're too proud, that you harbor many thoughts within you. Afraid that you have many grievances towards me that you can't express."

"How could that be? I've never held back with you. My feelings for you are genuine, both in love and in frustration. In our next life, let's be together, but please, don't be an emperor anymore, okay?"

"Okay."

He Jinli's grip on Yun Li's hand gradually weakened.

Yun Li wiped away her tears and called for the prince and the others to enter.

The prince crawled to the bedside, "Father..."

"Heng... Father is leaving. This kingdom, I entrust it to you. Remember... be a good emperor, for the people of the world... for the... common folk..."

"Father, I remember, I remember everything." The prince, weeping, grabbed onto He Jinli's hand.

"Take care of... your mother. And your brothers, for me..." He Jinli smiled at him, but his breathing was becoming increasingly labored.

"Father, don't worry, I'll take care of Mother, and I'll treat my brothers well." The prince sobbed, "Everyone Father cares about, I'll look after them. Every single one."

He Jinli nodded with a smile. Then he looked back at Yun Li.

Yun Li held onto his hand the whole time, "Your Majesty, go in peace, don't worry, I will take care of Heng. I will take care of your children. You know I can do it well, don't you?"

He Jinli smiled at her.

Yun Li bent down and whispered in his ear, "He Jinli, go in peace. In the future, I'll be buried with you in the same coffin. We'll always be entwined together."

Hekinli finally managed to utter a single name, "Yun'er," before closing his eyes.

The prince and princesses began to weep bitterly. The crown prince knelt beside the bed, holding Hekinli's hand, his sobs uncontrollable.

Yunli's tears also stained the emperor's clothes.

He should have left without any regrets, Yunli thought just before she lost consciousness.

She heard the crown prince's cries and, reassured, slipped into unconsciousness.

When she woke up again, the room was dimly lit. The crown princess was by her side, "Mother..."

"Yes," Yunli responded as she was helped to sit up, "Has His Majesty been taken care of?"

"Yes, Your Highness has been attended to. You... Are you alright?" The Crown Princess asked with concern.

"I'm fine, just momentarily overwhelmed by sorrow. Didn't the royal physician explain it?"

Yun Li got up from her seat.

Of course, the royal physician would have attributed the Empress's distress to excessive grief.

Yun Li was well aware of her own emotions; how could she not grieve after the severance of her connection with He Jinli?

"Mother Empress must take great care of yourself."

Yun Li nods, not wishing to say more.

With the crown prince, He Jinli, taking charge, Yun Li has no need to worry about the arrangements following Prince He's passing.

She focuses on fulfilling her duties each day.

To see him off.

For forty-nine consecutive days, she didn't shed another tear.

Only when He Jinli's coffin was carried out of the Imperial City did she stand on the city walls, watching the departing carriages and horses fade into the distance.

It felt as if it had snowed, but looking up, all she saw was the wind sweeping fallen leaves.

As if an era had finally come to an end.

It was then that she realized the entire city's trees were swaying, as if mourning their king.

The late autumn wind brushed against Yun Li's face.

A withered leaf, blown from who knows where, nestled in Yun Li's embrace.

Her pale hand gently held onto that stray leaf, whose origin was unknown.

After a long while, she released it, allowing it to be swept away by the wind to some distant, unknown place.

"I remember when His Majesty asked for my maiden name. I told him it was Yun Li. He said it was like a cloud, ethereal and a jade, clear and translucent – a beautiful name," Yun Li chuckled softly.

"But I told him, in truth, that the finest things in this world are fleeting, like colored clouds that disperse easily and lustrous glass that shatters readily. He disagreed, saying that I was blessed with profound fortune." Yunli smiled at the dogwood by her side. "He was right. In this life, I have schemed much against him, yet what he gave me was genuine fortune. Now, the colored clouds still linger, and the lustrous glass remains bright. It's just that the one who safeguarded them has taken his leave first."

"Empress, don't grieve too much, His Majesty would be heartbroken as well." Zhu Yu's face was streaked with tears.

Indeed, the sorrow runs deep, more so from the helplessness against the unpredictable nature of life.

Yun Li gazed at the carriage as it gradually vanished into the distance, softly whispering, "Jin Li, goodbye."

Thank you for the warmth you've bestowed, but should we ever meet again in another life, may we both be oblivious to this existence we shared.

This lifetime concludes here, everything is just as it should be.

The main narrative concludes.

"There will be a few side stories, not too many."