Hello Chang’an

Objectively speaking, Queen Changsun, who is praised and respected by others, is indeed a good person.

This empress, who has a good family background, appearance and temperament, has developed a sentimental and kind-hearted heart. It is the choice of the Changsun family to educate the third prince, not the Changsun Queen. This queen has been trapped in the pain of losing her son.

From the Crown Princess to the Empress, the Empress had two miscarriages, and once gave birth successfully but died in infancy. The Empress felt that she had sinned deeply and was unworthy of her own child, and she had already become depressed and ill.

No matter how deep the youthful love is, it can't withstand the passing of time. Even though the emperor feels pity in his heart, he doesn't want to face such a queen all day long. He doesn't allow the queen to guard the children's old clothes all day long.

But she knew that the queen had been secretly placing those things in the small Buddhist hall and chanting sutras every day to accumulate blessings.

That was the queen's last thought and support.

One night, the small Buddhist hall suddenly caught fire, burning up the queen's thoughts.

The queen almost threw herself into the fire, but was stopped by the palace guards and fell ill.

In front of the emperor, she was still just the concubine who was afraid that her secret would be exposed. Even when the emperor mentioned that someone in the previous dynasty proposed to appoint "Li Xiao" as the crown prince, she was so frightened that she turned pale and dropped the tea cup in her hand, and knelt down in panic and said , Axiao is too willful and unbearable to take on this important responsibility.

Yes, her son is actually a daughter. She just wants to get a little wealth right now. How can she dare to dream of climbing up the ladder even though she knows that she is carrying a fake that will never end? No madman would dare to do this.

But it was she who was secretly pushing for those voices suggesting that Li Xiao should be established.

Some noble officials took the initiative to find her. Her mother's family was humble, so she was suitable to be a puppet. She lowered her eyebrows and showed her loyalty, showed the posture that a chess piece should have, and just said that everything would be arranged by the adults.

The emperor had no better choice at that time. He really appointed "Li Xiao" as the crown prince.

Anyway, this is a prince who can be deposed and punished at any time. The emperor wants to use this deceiving prince as a shield for other princes. He wants to wait and see carefully to select a more suitable heir. After all, he is still a very young king. The opportunity There is still a lot and a long time.

But how could she give him time and opportunity.

Queen Changsun eventually died of illness.

The third prince fell and drowned after being drunk.

Another potential prince in the emperor's eyes also died unexpectedly.

All of this is certainly not accidental, but no one can find any trace. Even if there is, the trace will not belong to her.

Amid the open and covert fights and the flash of swords, she silently expanded her wings.

Even though she had always done a very clean job, as a beneficiary, the emperor was naturally suspicious of her and began to re-examine her.

But it's too late.

After she became the queen, she served the king with fear day and night. With so many opportunities, how could she not do something?

Thanks to her mother who was obsessed with alchemy, she knew that many elixirs had magical effects. Those elixirs could strengthen the body, but just a little "drug introduction" could destroy the foundation of the body without even realizing it. .

Those medicinal ingredients can be hidden in the tea, in the incense burner, even in the sachet hanging in the tent, or even the incense on her body. These things are not poisonous in themselves, but under the combined effect of the elixir, after hundreds or thousands of days and nights, With patience and accumulation, wonderful effects will appear.

The emperor seemed to have suddenly fallen seriously ill, but this was not the case.

The emperor began to tell some nonsense, and he told more nonsense. If he told the truth again, no one would believe it, or no one would dare to believe it.

What's more, all the confidants around the emperor have secretly submitted to her.

Looking at the morbid and angry king on the sickbed, she sneered and thought that the greatest ability of this emperor was that he was an emperor.

At that time, she had not yet thought that she must be the emperor, but Ashang's identity was a problem after all.

But after the emperor's death, something unexpected happened - the news of Axiao's death was suddenly announced.

Ashang came back soon, but Li Xiao died in front of others.

Ashang can no longer be Li Xiao. The forces that used to support Prince Xiao find it difficult to accept a woman becoming emperor. People in the country are in turmoil. Beidi has made a request for Princess Chongyue to marry...Under all kinds of pressure, she can no longer stay. Live in Ashang.

Is there really nothing she can do?

Of course, you can risk everything to advance and retreat with Ashang...but is it worth it?

She spent her whole life weighing the pros and cons.

And a long time later, when she finally dared to look directly at the truth in her heart, she was willing to admit that the conditions that prompted her to make the decision were not only the pros and cons, but also her ambition - she wanted to be the master of Dasheng Jiangshan, and she It was then that the possibility became clear.

Ashang bought her three years of stability. During those three years, she supported Li Bing as emperor. Those were the three years when she really began to take power and kill dissidents.

There was no detail about the **** journey. The old man finished his thrilling life in an understatement, and finally ended the story in the same calm tone:

"I became the master of this country as I wished, but my daughter died on the snowfields of Beidi."

When Ayun heard this, he wrinkled his forehead slightly, then relaxed it for a moment, as if he was thinking. After a while, the child asked a very superficial question: "Then do you regret it?" The old man looked at the setting sun, Said: "I have regrets, I have guilt, I have debts, but I have no regrets."

Apologizing for regret is nothing more than hypocritical rhetoric and political tactics.

If she regrets, it would be the greatest contempt and disrespect for the suffering that Ashang has experienced. To Ashang, that was a vicious denial and injustice.

It was only very late that she understood this truth.

After becoming emperor, she once asked Tian Jing why she had revealed the secret of heaven, and had she ever thought about the changes and hardships this prophecy would bring to the newborn baby -

At that time, Tian Jing said with a smile: "What Pindao did back then was also in compliance with Heaven's instructions. There is a cause and an effect." Your Majesty may wish to look back. Without this experience, would Your Majesty still be Your Majesty? 】

Cause and effect…

In the same way, since she chose to abandon the relationship between mother and daughter back then, she should bear the consequences now.

Ashang didn't need her regret to make up for it, and she didn't need to regret it either. As for other people and things, she has no reason to regret it.

She claimed the title of emperor as a woman with a different surname. How many people in the past and present have been able to do this? High and low means, praise and blame, right and wrong, success and failure, honor and disgrace, destruction and reputation...

None of this matters anymore.

The important thing is that she accomplished this, stood on the top of all living beings, and was once the most noble emperor in the world.

"No one needs to appoint me to inherit this empire, or judge whether I am qualified or not. I am the upright emperor..."

The old man's voice was slow: "The same goes for your mother-in-law. Before she became Li Suining, she relied on her own ability to gain the confidence to become the master of the country - the emperor of the Li family. Apart from the king and Taizong, I only recognize those who are truly qualified. She alone."

Choosing to be named emperor after Li Suining was not something Chang Suining could do. This was just the new emperor's kindness and compassion for the common people.

Someone praised her grandma, and Ayun was naturally proud of her. She asked, "So you also like my grandma, right?"

The old man did not answer the question directly. After a moment, he whispered: "She is the only person I owe in this life. But it is no longer important to her."

Ayun was puzzled, but she saw the old man's eyes looking over her head, towards the palace gate, and said softly: "Go, your mother-in-law is waiting for you."

A Yun turned around and saw A Niang standing outside the palace gate.

Ayun immediately jumped off the chair and said to the old man: "I have to go. I'll come back to listen to your story someday!"

Ayun said and ran towards the palace gate: "Aniang!"

The little girl stretched out a hand, and the light and shadow outside the palace door also stretched out a hand and held the child.

The mother and daughter turned around, their figures shrinking and disappearing in the light and shadow.

As the light and shadow shook, scenes from the past flashed before the old man's eyes. Many years ago, there was a little girl who wanted to hold the hand of her mother-in-law, but her mother-in-law never offered her hand, so the child held the corner of her clothes. .

Her mother never taught her how to be a mother, and she never taught Ashang either.

The old man's eyes dropped and fell on the corner of the sleeve of his knee-high coat, where there seemed to be wrinkles from being held by a young and round hand in the past.

The old man slowly smoothed the wrinkles, then gently pressed his old hand on it, leaned back in the chair, and slowly closed his eyes.

The sun sets.

On the way back to Ganlu Hall, Ayun was still thinking about the story. She thought about it again and again, and couldn't help but raise her head and ask her mother: "Aniang, is everything she said true?"

Li Suining: "Yes."

Ayun's eyes moved, but he reacted: "But Erchen doesn't seem to have told grandma what she said..." How could grandma be so sure?

Li Suining looked at the last twilight on the horizon: "Because I know her."

…

In June, the tenth year of Changhua, in a quiet palace courtyard, an old man passed away with no regrets until his death.

When Li Suining learned the news from Yao Ran, he was holding his daughter's hand while writing. The emperor's writing did not pause, and he still finished writing the whole big character smoothly before he raised his head.

…(End of chapter)