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In the Qianqing Palace at that moment, Emperor Jia Yu had finished reading the secret letter and had been silent for quite some time.

Gui Zhong dared not even breathe loudly, waiting silently for the emperor's command.

"I instruct you to cease the task I previously assigned. From today onwards, return to the palace and serve me," Emperor Jia Yu said.

As the Crown Prince had predicted, His Majesty was not enraged after reading the letter; he was eerily calm.

Gui Zhong bowed and acknowledged the order.

Emperor Jia Yu then instructed, "Send Wang Dehai to the Kunning Palace to summon the Empress."

Gui Zhong obediently left.

The moment he was gone, Emperor Jia Yu couldn't resist pressing his fist against his lips, causing another bout of coughing.

His face flushed red from the coughing, and he panted heavily. The entire inner chamber resonated with his deep, muffled coughs.

After a long while, he finally lowered his hand and extracted an artwork buried beneath a stack of thick documents.

The maiden in the painting had captivating eyes and delicate features, her smile blooming like a spring flower yet exuding the tranquility of an autumn moon.

On that day, Qi Zhen brought this portrait to the Qianqing Palace, asking Xiao Yan if he was behind the avalanche.

"How could you be so heartless towards your own flesh and blood?!"

"You even praised her, saying she displayed the patriotism and concern for the people that her maternal grandfather embodied in Yangzhou," Empress Qi took his hand, placing the child's portrait in his palm through her tears. "Look at her, Xiao Yan, look at her! She was so beautiful, resembling both you and me! How could you bear it? She was our only child, how could you do such a thing?!"

Empress Qi wept uncontrollably.

Vases and incense burners shattered around them.

Emperor Jia You remained silent, tacitly acknowledging the girl's demise.

The news Guizhong conveyed was that the child had just been rescued from the carriage, but before they could assess her injuries, someone snatched her away. He didn't know who had taken her or whether she was still alive.

That was why he preferred for Qi Zhen and the Crown Prince to believe she was dead.

Wasn't this his plan all along?

The crown prince, well aware that she was his cousin, never gave up the idea of marrying her.

How could the future monarch of the Great Yin dynasty have a scandal of incest with his cousin?

Qi Zhen wasn't wrong; he was indeed ruthless. Between the crown prince and that child, he had chosen the crown prince.

Yet, now, a new twist has emerged.

Emperor Jia You held the letter in his hand, utterly perplexed as to how the Crown Prince could have dared to pen such words.

Does he not fear being beheaded upon his return to the capital?

Feeling a tickle rise in his throat, Emperor Jia Yu lifted the teacup and sipped the steaming broth slowly.

Qi Zhen was coming soon; he couldn't afford for her to hear him coughing.

The tea was scorching hot, and after a few sips, his throat numbed from the burn, gradually suppressing the lingering itch in his chest and lungs.

Before long, Wang Dehai's shrill voice echoed from outside.

"Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress has arrived."

Wang Dehai, not daring to enter the hall, informed Emperor Jiayou and then respectfully bowed aside to let Empress Qi in.

Emperor Jiayou put down the portrait and, after a brief gaze into Qi Empress's eyes, spoke warmly, "Come and keep me company."

After half a month of separation, Emperor Jiayou had lost even more weight, and his complexion had grown increasingly sallow.

Although she was angry and resentful towards him, seeing him in such a critically ill state stirred a wave of sorrow and despair within Empress Qi.

She sat down beside Emperor Jiayou and asked, "Your Majesty, what do you wish to discuss with this concubine?"

Emperor Jiayou replied, "The child is safe. The Crown Prince sent her to Da Tong."

Empress Qi's eyes shot up in surprise as she hastily asked, "She...is fine? That corpse wasn't hers?"

"Yes, that was an arrangement made by Gui Zhong with a female corpse," Emperor Jiayou confirmed.

Empress Qi stared fixedly at Emperor Jiayou for a moment. Then, with reddened eyes, she said, "Xiao Yan, why must you deceive me like this?"

For the past half month, she truly believed that the child was dead!

Emperor Jiayou remained silent.

He gazed at Empress Qi and suddenly held her cold hand, saying, "Does the Empress still remember the Xie family from Taiyuan Prefecture?"

How could Empress Qi forget?

The Xie family was an ordinary military household in Taiyuan Prefecture. The widow Zhen had single-handedly raised her five sons.

Back then, when Emperor Jiayou was forced to rebel in Taiyuan Prefecture, all five of the Xie family's adult sons had died in battle. Only the widow, whose eyes had nearly been blinded from doing needlework year-round, and the young son left behind by the eldest son were left.

In just one year, Zhen had lost four of her sons. The last remaining youngest son, who was only sixteen, died the following spring while blocking a poisonous arrow for Emperor Jiayou. He hadn't even married yet.

It was Xiao Yan himself who delivered the news of the death of Zhen's youngest son to her that day.

"The old lady already had eye problems, and in just two short years, she lost all five of her sons, crying herself blind. On that day, she didn't know that the soldier who brought her the news was none other than myself," reminisced Emperor Jiayou, a few strands of nostalgia appearing on his face. "I asked her if she hated."

Hated the heavens for being unjust, hated the world for its unfairness, hated him, this prince, for being powerless.

The elder madam clutched her youngest son's blood-stained battle robe, her voice trembling with emotion. "Hate! How could I not hate? I hate that our Great Yin has never known peace!"

Her father and brother had fallen in battle, as had her husband. Now, even the five children she had raised with great effort had perished on the battlefield! Year after year, the smoke of war never ceased to linger.

"You don't hate the Seventh Prince, do you? If they hadn't followed him, the five sons of the Xie family wouldn't have had to die, and your youngest wouldn't have had to sacrifice himself to save him."

The Seventh Prince lacked the support of his maternal clan and was not favored by the emperor. Thus, his forces were the weakest.

Every victory had been won through the blood of countless soldiers who had fought without fear of death.

Xiao Yan looked at the people who had died for him and often wondered: Was it worth it? Was it worth it for them to die for a weak and incompetent person like him?

"The old lady angrily smashed her bowl and cups after hearing my question," the Emperor Jia You said, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "She said that her sons were willing to die for me because they firmly believed that I would be a wise ruler."

Qi Zhen gazed at Emperor Jia You.

No wonder, after returning from the Xie residence that day, he had stayed alone in his room for a long time.

The people of Taiyuan Prefecture adored him.