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墨書 Inktalez
In the northwest direction of the capital of the Nanchu Kingdom, there stood a grand palace covered with dazzling golden glazed tiles that shone brightly in the sunlight.
The walls were red and the roofs yellow, with the interior of the main hall resplendent in gold and brilliance.
On the golden dragon throne inside the hall sat a ruler who looked down upon the world. This person was the current emperor of the Nanchu Kingdom, who was also Ling Yuxuan's Second Uncle—Ling Zhiyuan.
"How goes the matter I instructed you to investigate?" Ling Zhiyuan asked sternly, addressing a kneeling imperial spy.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has recently been in frequent contact with the Three Princes and officials such as Du Fuxiang and Li Zhonglang. It seems they are conspiring and discussing something; as for the Second Prince Ling Haozhen, he is also involved with the Fourth Prince Ling Ming Tian, along with He Zhongtang and Chief Steward Mu from the outer court, all seemingly plotting some significant event—"
The spy reported respectfully to this Supreme One of the Nanchu Kingdom, detailing all he had observed about the movements and activities of various princes during his covert investigations.
Since the emperor feigned illness, all the princes had been restless, trying to form factions.
As for why the emperor chose to feign illness to test his sons, only Ling Zhiyuan, who had experienced brotherly strife, conflict, and even patricide himself, understood this best.
Not wanting his next generation to follow in his footsteps, he decided to stage such an unusual performance once his sons had grown up and begun their open and covert struggles.
This performance not only deceived his numerous wives and concubines but also kept most of his sons and officials in the dark about the true situation.
Only a few trusted individuals by his side were aware of and understood the entire truth.
"Hmph! What a Crown Prince! What a Second Prince! They must be wishing for my death!" Yulang, obey my command! I order you to uncover within a month what exactly my sons are conspiring about."
"Yes—" replied Yulang, head bowed as he acknowledged.
At this moment, Ling Zhiyuan felt as if a bottle of mixed emotions had been overturned; the more he thought about it, the more unsettled and furious he became.
"Your Majesty, please take care of your health! Do not let these trivial matters upset you," said an Elder Eunuch standing beside him. At this moment, he anxiously advised Ling Zhiyuan in a sharp yet delicate tone, concerned that he might be driven to anger.
"Yes! Your Majesty must prioritize your health." Yulang also took up Elder Eunuch's words to comfort Ling Zhiyuan.
With that, Ling Zhiyuan's expression gradually improved, and he waved his hand at Yulang below, saying, "You may leave, my dear minister."
"Yes—" Yulang did not dare to voice any objections. After responding, he promptly exited the hall.
After watching Yulang disappear from the hall, Ling Zhiyuan suddenly turned to Elder Eunuch and Chief Steward Pan. He then asked, "What do you think of my sons?"
"Uh? This—Your Majesty, may you live long. In this old servant's opinion, Your Majesty is quite clear about it; you know better than I do."
Elder Eunuch Pan smiled while bowing, pretending to be oblivious, all the while secretly glancing at Ling Zhiyuan.
"You old fox, I've seen through you. You just pushed all the questions back to me. Hmph!"
Seeing the slick and cunning expression on Elder Eunuch Pan's face, which resembled a slippery loach, Ling Zhiyuan felt both angry and amused.
"How could a servant dare? It's just that I truly lack knowledge. If Your Majesty were to ask how I should serve you well, I could certainly do it perfectly. But when it comes to political matters, especially those involving the princes, I am truly blind. I hope Your Majesty can see clearly!"
As the saying goes, serving a ruler is like accompanying a tiger. The ever-wise yet seemingly foolish Elder Eunuch Pan continued to play dumb.
"Hmph! What a lack of knowledge! What a blind man! I see that the smartest person in the world right now is none other than you, old Pan." Ling Zhiyuan scolded again.
"Uh? This—sigh—fine! This old servant is willing to accept punishment." Chief Steward Pan had no words to counter and could only laugh awkwardly in submission.
"You useless old servant! Get out!" Ling Zhiyuan said with an expression of disappointment, finally scolding Elder Eunuch Pan harshly.
Then he walked towards the back door of the hall without looking back.
During this time, in order to keep secrets under wraps, he had previously issued an edict stating that without his personal decree, no one was allowed to enter this palace. Those who disobeyed would be killed without mercy!
Soon, Ling Zhiyuan arrived at the entrance of his palace with Elder Eunuch and several guards accompanying him.
He left the guards outside the palace and entered with only Elder Eunuch.
The two crossed through the palace and reached a wall on the northern side, where they opened a secret door—
With Elder Eunuch holding a lantern, they traversed a long underground passage, then ascended a short distance before quickly entering a secret garden.
This garden was only separated from the Cold Palace by a wall, yet it was not connected to it. It was an independent small garden that had always been strictly guarded by heavy-duty Death Warriors.
No one in the palace knew who lived here! Nor did anyone dare to inquire about it.
There were dedicated Death Warriors and maidservants serving here, and both the Death Warriors and maidservants did not speak to anyone from the outside world.
This was because they had been deliberately poisoned into silence many years ago to keep the secrets of this place.
When Ling Zhiyuan stepped into this garden, he saw a middle-aged woman dressed in plain clothes, busy trimming branches with a mute maidservant.
Although this woman wore no makeup, her innate beauty and unmatched aura gave the impression that she was someone unparalleled in both heaven and earth.
“Miao'er, I have come to see you again,” Ling Zhiyuan said, his eyes fixated on Miao'er with infatuation.
Miao'er came back to her senses, glanced at him lightly, then turned to point at a Stone Table in the garden. “Go sit over there. I will be there shortly.”
Ling Zhiyuan felt both flattered and surprised!
For nearly ten years, every time he came here, Miao'er had been extremely cold, indifferent to anything he did for her.
What was going on today? She actually spoke to him and even invited him to sit down.
"Um, um, um..." After hesitating for a moment, Ling Zhiyuan ultimately complied with her request and obediently walked over to the Stone Table, sitting down quietly to wait for her.
What would she want to talk about next? Ling Zhiyuan secretly speculated in his heart while feeling extremely excited.
For a full ten years, aside from the first two or three times when she scolded him and spoke to him, she had not said a word to him since he ascended the throne and officially became Emperor. From then on, every time he visited, she treated him as if he were mute, completely ignoring him.
So many years had passed, and how he wished she could speak to him again, even just a single word!
What was going on today? The person who hadn't spoken for a decade surprisingly showed no signs of past reproach and looked at him without the resentment she once had.
Just as Ling Zhiyuan was anxiously speculating alone, she—Miao'er—had already wiped her hands clean and gracefully approached him. She slowly sat down in front of him.
"Have you been well during this time? Are they taking good care of you?" Ling Zhiyuan appeared slightly agitated, looking at her with some guilt.
"I'm doing well. Actually, it has been quite difficult for them because of me over these ten years," Miao'er replied calmly without any expression, returning Ling Zhiyuan's gaze.
"Yes, as long as they can take good care of you. Miao'er, I really miss you. I often thought about coming to see you, but I was afraid you would treat me coldly like before. Do you know how many times I've wandered outside this garden over the years? My heart aches!"
Ling Zhiyuan tentatively shared his feelings that had accumulated over the years.
"Heh heh, Your Majesty is the ruler of a nation with countless wives and concubines. What am I, Miao'er, worth? What do I amount to?" Miao'er sarcastically mocked herself and also Ling Zhiyuan across from her.
"Miao'er, on the surface I have thousands of beauties in the harem, but for these ten years, the person I have always cared about most in my heart is only you. It's been ten years; don't you understand yet? I wish I could give you your freedom back, but every time I think about possibly never seeing you again or living under the same roof with you again, my heart breaks."
At this moment, Ling Zhiyuan seemed like a defeated rooster, his face filled with a sense of defeat.
"Zhiyuan, I don't want to bring up those past matters anymore. Now I just want to know where my Yuxuan is."
Miao'er no longer wanted to reminisce with this emperor, so she straightforwardly expressed her true thoughts and her greatest concern.
"That is our Yuxuan, Miao'er!" Ling Zhiyuan couldn't help but want to correct her 'mistake'.
"Whether he is mine or ours, I ask you for just one thing in this life: please, no matter what, find him and let me see him at least once before I die."
As Miao'er spoke, she couldn't help but shed tears of longing.
Her Yuxuan, who had entered the palace at the emperor's command that year, attempted suicide and was then completely confined and kept by Ling Zhiyuan, who publicly claimed she had already died.
From then on, she was forcibly kept in the palace, and for a full ten years, she had not seen her only, dearest, and most beloved son—Ling Yuxuan.
During this time, she repeatedly dreamed of her son, who had grown tall and handsome, like a jade tree standing in the wind.
But in reality, when would she be able to reunite with her son, even if it was just to catch a glimpse of him? Even if it meant her own death, it would be worth it.
So thinking this through, she finally realized: if she wanted to see her son, she must plead with the proud Your Majesty before her.
This was why she had shown such an unusual expression and manner of speaking to Ling Zhiyuan earlier.
"Rest assured, Miao'er, I will find a way to locate him. Regardless of whether he harbors hatred or resentment towards me in the future, I will have no complaints. As a sovereign ruler of a nation, the greatest regret and debt I owe in this life is to both of you. In the future, as long as you are willing, I will do my utmost to make amends to you."
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