It was in Da Yi.

The autumn rain last night was as fine as silk. The Emperor suffered from the cold and had a fever. He didn't take the morning ritual in the morning.

The Emperor kept dreaming.

Suddenly, his body shook, and he shouted "Yunxi" and woke up.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, what's the matter with you?"

Noble Concubine Hui lay on the head of the bed and wiped the man's forehead with a warm water-soaked handkerchief. She looked much more relaxed.

"Amitabha. Blessed by our ancestors, Your Majesty have finally reduced the fever."

"What time is it?"

Huanan Xin turned his heavy sore eyes and looked at the light and shadow reflected on the windows. He asked wearily when he sat up.

Noble Concubine Hui quickly picked him up and smiled.

"Just after noon, Your Majesty. Did you forget? You took medicine in the morning and have been sleeping until now. I'll call the imperial doctor right away to take your pulse."

Huanan Xin waved his hands.

"Don't bother anyone. Isn't there still medicine? I don't like people coming and going in the palace. I feel dizzy."

"Well, I'll accompany you."

Noble Concubine Hui obediently offered tea, and Huanan Xin drank it and ordered.

"Give me some soup."

"Okay."

With her beautiful eyes brightened, Noble Concubine Hui restrained her joy, personally walked out of the bedroom, brought in a bowl of sweet porridge with the right temperature, and fed it to the Emperor spoonful by spoonful.

The sweetness of the porridge was light and mild. The porridge flew into the intestines and stomach along the throat, which alleviated the discomfort of the whole body.

"What kind of porridge is this?" Huanan Xin asked.

"This is cubilose gingko porridge. It calms the mind, which is the most beneficial to Your Majesty's physical recovery."

Noble Concubine Hui smiled quietly. Her slender fingers moved the exquisite spoon and scooped some porridge.

Huanan Xin turned his head to avoid porridge. He looked into the agate bowl with a water leaf thread pattern and seemed to be thinking about something.

The Emperor seemed to sigh and hung his head.

"Put it down. I have no appetite and don't want to eat."

Noble Concubine Hui immediately realized it and put the bowl and spoon onto the table.

She took a yellow pear from the dish, peeled it quickly, divided it into thin slices, inserted a piece with a golden fruit fork, and handed it to the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, you've just got rid of your fever. Naturally, you feel bitter in everything you eat. It's better to chew some pear slices. It's the best way to reduce internal heat."

Huanan Xin took the slender golden fruit fork and bit off the snow-white and juicy pear slice.

"Just now, I dreamed of her again..."

After a moment of silence, he bowed his head and said. It seemed that he could not stand the abnormal fatigue. He leaned against his body, and his face looked sallow due to illness.

Noble Concubine Hui was dejected when she saw it.

She couldn't bear to see her beloved man mourn for another woman, even though that woman was dead now.

No matter how beautiful the woman was, she turned into black ashes in the fire.

How could she, Shi Yuanqing, compete with a handful of ashes?

Huanan Xin didn't care what the woman around him was thinking at the moment. He was in a bad mood and muttered to himself.

"I dreamt that she was still the chief maid of Concubine Xu in Chuxiu Palace. She came all the way in purple with a kite in her hand and took me to fly a kite by the pond with her. She smiled so sweetly that she lit up my eyes brightly."

"Later, the sunny day suddenly became overcast. The water in the pond rolled and the strong wind broke the kite rope."

"She wasn't worried at all. She smiled and said to me: 'Your Highness, wait. I'll chase the kite back.' I grabbed her and wouldn't let her go, but she pushed me away. As a result, I watched her running and was swept in by the high pool water."

"I cried loudly for her. When I woke up, I knew it was just a dream... Yunxi... My Yunxi is gone..."

Noble Concubine Hui was moved and used her sleeve to wipe tears.

When she looked at the Emperor again, the woman put on a comforting smile.

"Your Majesty, you must take care of yourself. Don't be too sad."

Huanan Xin, who was unwilling to listen, with red eyes and rare tears, said faintly.

"I can always dream of her these days. She knows me best. She's right. I love her because I cherish the memories of working together with her in the Palace and going through hardships. But Yuanqing, tell me why my relationship with Yunxi has become like this... Why have I become like this with her...?"

The tearing pain in the throat forced the man to silence and shed tears with solemn sadness.

Noble Concubine Hui was also sad and wanted to cry. She had never seen the handsome man in front of her with such a sad gaffe as today.

"Everyone thought it was because I was greedy for Yunxi's beauty that I did many rebellious things and asked her to enter the Palace even if she had been married. I also thought there was no woman in the world to surpass her appearance until I met Ruiji and... Yunxi left me forever."

"Now I finally understand that I really loved her, but I love her tenacious and persistent character more. In particular, she has unswerving true feelings for her former husband, which she has never given me."

"Your Majesty..."

Noble Concubine Hui's heart was hurt by the Emperor's whispering and couldn't stop twitching.

The sadness at the bottom of her heart spread, intertwined with the hidden resentment that she shouldn't have.

After wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, the woman sat by the bed and said softly.

"Sister Yun was deeply favored by Your Majesty when she was alive. Now she has passed away, and you have conferred the title of Imperial Noble Concubine Duanmin on her and buried her in the imperial mausoleum. She has no more regrets. Your Majesty, you should also properly mourn and put down this relationship."

Huanan Xin looked straight at the woman for a moment with his teary eyes and frowned.

"Yuanqing, I know that you have been wronged in the past two years."

The woman's eyes widened in an instant, and she was very surprised.

Huanan Xin smiled bitterly and tiredly, holding her soft hand.

"You've always been considerate, tolerant, and obedient to me. I owe you something for awarding Yunxi the title of Imperial Noble Concubine Duanmin this time."

"Your Majesty, are you...?"

Suddenly, a stream of warmth spread inside her body. Noble Concubine Hui's eyes trembled and she was deeply moved. She snuggled up to the Emperor's chest and sobbed.

"Your Majesty, after listening to what you said, I am willing to give up my life for you. Your Majesty, how do you know you have never received the true love of a woman?"

"As long as you look at me, you will know that I love you from beginning to end, only you. Now I finally wait for your love, finally..."

The woman could no longer hold her emotions and burst into tears.

Today, she simply wanted to be willful, let her most real emotions show wantonly, throw away her identity as a Noble Concubine, ignore the palace rules and manners, and be an ordinary woman happily.

Huanan Xin hugged her gently. The sadness in his eyes gradually faded, rippling with rare warmth.

"You have served me for several years and should not be ignored by me. I have planned to make you the Empress. Liang Zhen―"

The Eunuch Superintendent opened the door and came in, standing in front of the bed and lowering his head.

Huanan Xin looked determined.

"Inform the cabinet to draft an imperial edict. Shi Yuanqing, the daughter of the head of the cabinet, has a famous family and a gentle character. So, she should be the Empress. She will be the Empress immediately. On the first day of next month, she will be awarded the Imperial Volumes and Jade Seal at the Title-conferring Ceremony."

―

It was in Jingdu of Ying State.

After receiving the news of the chaos in Yuanya Palace, the close attendant led the mysterious figure wrapped in a black cloak into the eastern garden quickly.

Several rooms were in a mess, with blood splashing on the ground and walls, which was shocking and tragic.

The servants of Ying State were carrying out bloody corpses from the room, who were the Honour Guards killed by the Tianyan Faction. Because Gu Di saw through the trick of Huanan Xin, he killed these people before they acted with the help of the chaos of the luncheon.

After avoiding the blood and entering the room, the close attendant was about to salute General Kamagawa. Suddenly, the General turned around coldly, slapped him, and then kicked down the man in the black cloak.

Because of this slap, the close attendant's teeth became loose and his chin almost dislocated. His short body rolled on the bloody floor.

"General, please calm down."

When the close attendant stood firm, he curled up in the blood and said while enduring the pungent smell.

Kamagawa Zhushui raised his hand and pointed at the two people opposite, scolding angrily.

"It was because you believed his nonsense that you caused trouble. Our warriors were injured and the document was not signed. At present, Huanan He ran away, but the Honour Guards of Da Yi he brought died on the land of Ying State."

"Do you know that when he goes back, he will complain to the Emperor of Da Yi, which will be very disadvantageous for us to ask for Kunhuang Island back in the future?"

After saying these words, Kamagawa Zhushui growled angrily at the man in a black cloak. He pulled out the short blade again, and the cold shining blade was placed in front of him.

"It's all your fault. You can’t do anything right. Are you their spy? Did you collude with them long ago and deliberately put us in a weak position?"

"General, consider it again."

When the close attendant found something bad, he came forward in time to stop the excited man and prevented him from approaching the man wearing a black cloak with a murder weapon.

The man in the black cloak sneered softly, like talking to himself and casually saying in Shinese.

"What did he say? Was he scolding me?"

Kamagawa Zhushui didn't understand and became angrier and angrier.

The close attendant quickly explained.

"Don't get him wrong, General. He said he could go after Huanan He, subdue him with his martial arts, and escort him back to sign the document with you."

Kamagawa Zhushui immediately stopped being angry and looked at the man in the black cloak with a grim smile on his face.