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Zhou Ling'er is the daughter of Zhou Changyuan and Lou Yan. Since childhood, she has been frail and sickly, born with a flawed Heavenly Mandate, making it impossible for her to become Kun Ze or Tian Qian, leaving her as merely a Zhong Yong. The root of all this lies in the potion that Lou Yan consumed long ago.
The monk who once traveled through Huaiyang left behind some pills, most of which were strange elixirs never seen in the Central Plains.
The potion that caused the unborn child to become a stillborn was also a secret medicine that Lou Yan had taken. Every time she closed her eyes and thought of the tragic events of that day, it only strengthened her resolve to eliminate this fetus. However, how could a fetus marked for life by Tian Qian and Kun Ze be so easily discarded? Moreover, at that time, she was still young and lacked the heart to go through with it; thus, after taking half of the medicine, she could not bring herself to continue.
Now, looking back, this was the greatest cruelty to Ling'er. Years have passed, and the girl who is now seven or eight years old has grown increasingly frail, much weaker than her peers. That potion ultimately left behind a disaster, sealing her fate for an early demise.
Lou Yan returned to the Eldest Princess’s Manor and for the first time took the initiative to enter Zhou Ling'er’s room.
Zhou Ling'er looked at her in surprise; this was the first time her mother had come to visit her since she had grown up. While other little girls were held tenderly in their mothers' arms, she had only been accompanied by her wet nurse and the servants who had cared for her since childhood. Those servants were strictly admonished not to get too close to her.
It had only been a day and night since Zhou Changyuan was imprisoned. Usually, Zhou Ling'er would see him only once every ten days or half a month. The servants dared not speak about her father's situation, so she remained unaware that he had been framed by her mother and thrown into prison.
"Mother... dear, are you here to see Ling'er?"
Zhou Ling'er lay weakly on the bed, stretching out her frail hand toward Lou Yan with great difficulty. Her delicate little hand seemed as if it would break with the slightest touch. She wanted to reach out to her mother.
Lou Yan quietly watched her from a distance. A storm brewed in her eyes, yet her expression remained unchanged.
This was the child she carried for ten months; born out of necessity for Cangzhou's military power and the honor of the Lou family—a cursed child destined never to be accepted or loved by her.
Zhou Ling'er felt content just being able to see her mother before she passed away. She knew that her mother disliked her father and that she herself was born after being forcibly marked by him; she was neither an endearing Kun Ze nor a child who could relieve the family's burdens as Tian Qian.
She understood that her mother did not like her.
Lou Yan slightly nodded and said in a flat tone, "You’re unwell; don’t move around. Just rest well."
After saying this, Lou Yan did not say anything more but walked over to a nearby table and sat down. From seven or eight steps away, she gazed out at the blooming lotus flowers outside the window.
The elegant lotus flowers were about to bloom, while dragonflies lightly skimmed across the water's surface. The cool summer breeze wafted through the window, causing the lotus leaves to tremble slightly. Everything seemed tranquil and beautiful yet silently foreshadowed an impending storm.
Zhou Ling'er watched her mother intently—the powerful Changyu Princess—regal and dignified. Yet now that she had returned home, there was a hint of sorrow in her demeanor, with an unshakeable mist clouding her brow.
Zhou Ling'er wished her mother could stay a little longer, but she didn't dare to speak up. She feared that if she did, her mother would come to dislike her and would never visit again.
They sat in silence for a while until Lou Yan stood up to leave.
This would be the last time they saw each other in this lifetime.
As Zhou Ling'er exited her secluded garden, a palace servant hurried over and whispered into Lou Yan's ear, "Your Highness, they have been discovered."
Lou Yan waved her hand lightly, showing little surprise; she had anticipated this all along.
Zhou Changyuan held no real power, so how could he promise those Powerful Families positions in the government? Moreover, aside from her emperor brother, only she was qualified to see the list of positions drafted by the cabinet before anyone else.
Before the imperial decree was announced to the world, it was far too easy for her to manipulate things. With just a promise of some benefit, those greedy and disgusting officials would bow and scrape before her, eager to please.
They were all repulsive beings, and sometimes she wondered why such people existed in the court.
Ah yes, there were still many former ministers left over from Tianqi in this court.
If her dear brother wanted to truly hold everything firmly in his grasp, he would need her to add that final spark—a blazing fire that could burn away all the filth in the court.
Even if this fire was destined to consume her as well, she would not hesitate.
For the glory of the Lou family, she would stake everything, including her life.
It had been two years since she entered the imperial city, and Lou Yu had been emperor for over a year now. During this time, she had abused her power and acted arrogantly due to her position just below the emperor. She had garnered the support of numerous officials in the court.
As a result, she grew increasingly reckless, even altering imperial edicts to misassign positions meant for ordinary citizens to those young masters from noble families who contributed nothing but lived off their family's wealth.
Yet every transaction and every name was meticulously recorded. She was waiting for an opportunity—an opportunity to present all this evidence of wrongdoing to Lou Yu.
At that time, perhaps she could find relief and return to the place she should have gone long ago—the eternally dark night years ago when her parents died during an assassination attempt to protect her.
“Cousin, are you there?”
A tender voice suddenly echoed in her ears.
“Cousin, don’t cry. I’ll take you away!”
“Look, Cousin, I’ve got your kite down!” In her memories, the boy raised the kite high, his face filled with pride.
“From now on, I’ll protect you, Cousin. I won’t let you suffer any more grievances.”
As time flowed on, the boy’s figure gradually grew tall and upright. The vague shadow in her memory had become the lofty emperor of today.
Lou Yu had become an existence that was beyond reach, no longer that little brat who followed her around begging for candy.
Lou Yan slightly tilted her head, gazing at the koi in the pond, a smile of contentment gracing her lips. This world seemed not as dark as she remembered.
She slowly extended her wrist, counting out the fish food in her hand and gently scattering it across the water’s surface, her movements soft and deliberate.
The koi in the Waterside Pavilion sensed the scent of food and surged forward, gathering in a frenzy to compete for the falling morsels. In an instant, the surface of the water erupted into splashes, intertwining to form a chaotic cluster of shimmering scales.
After watching this scene for a long while, Lou Yan straightened her back, turned around, and walked away with a calm stride.
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