Emperor Tai'an composed himself and walked in.

It was late at night, and the Queen Mother should have gone to bed long ago at her age. At this time, the palace lights in Cining Palace were still bright, and the Queen Mother was sitting upright on the couch, looking at Emperor Tai'an who walked in.

The mother and son looked at each other, but no one spoke for a moment.

After a long time, the palace lantern exploded with a candle, breaking the silence in the room.

The Queen Mother spoke first, her voice as old as a burning candle: "Shiro is here, sit down."

This title made Emperor Tai'an's eyes sore.

Yes, he is the fourth son of his mother.

But he is not the only one who is the queen of the mother...

After a long silence, Emperor Tai'an asked in a solemn voice: "Queen mother, is bloodline so important?"

It's so important that I would rather drive him off the throne and kill him.

After a longer silence, the Queen Mother asked: "Isn't it important?"

Emperor Tai'an moved his lips. Although everything had been dealt with long ago, at this moment when all the tenderness was broken, he still felt heartbroken.

"Back then, you led troops to Beijing and took away your eldest brother's throne. Didn't the Ai family have any mother-son affection for your eldest brother? But the Ai family still came forward to help you stabilize the situation, because you are also the son of the Ai family. The Ai family is only one

My son was missing in that chaos, and we cannot afford to lose another son..."

The Queen Mother's tone was not exciting, but one could see the restrained repression beneath the calm surface.

"It turns out that my mother has been complaining about me."

The Queen Mother looked deeply at Emperor Tai'an, her emotions aroused: "The Ai family has complained about you, but the Ai family also hopes that you will be well, healthy and long-lived, wise and wise, and pass on the legacy of your father from generation to generation.

"

"Son...hasn't he been doing this all the time?"

"Who are you going to pass the throne to?" The Queen Mother looked at him steadily, "Prince Ning's son, Prince Jing's son, or Prince Ding's son?"

"Prince Ning, Prince Jing, and Prince Ding are all sons of my father. My brothers—"

The Queen Mother stood up suddenly, and the emotions she had been suppressing finally burst out: "But they are not the sons of the Ai family, and their descendants have nothing to do with the Ai family!"

She defeated the imperial concubine, defeated the virtuous concubine, defeated all those who wanted to compete with her, and allowed her eldest son to sit on the throne smoothly.

The younger son was ambitious and robbed her brother's things. Although she was angry, she let it go. The palms and backs of her hands were full of flesh. She even loved her younger son more in her heart.

But now, the younger son is going to adopt the grandson of the imperial concubine, the grandson of Concubine De, and the grandson of Concubine Li...

Everything she worked hard to hold on to was ultimately advantageous to others. She thought she had the last laugh, but it turned out that she was the big joke.

"Queen Mother——" Emperor Tai'an turned pale, completely understanding the Queen Mother's thoughts.

But precisely this point is unsolvable.

It was impossible for him to resurrect his eldest son and bring harm to the country. The birth of his youngest son stopped him from thinking about reincarnation. As for his eldest brother's son, if he really adopted him, he would undoubtedly have a bad death in the future.

The Queen Mother looked at her son who could not hide his illness and said softly: "Besides, you are sick."

He is not young anymore. He has already owned everything he should have. The eldest son has several sons, so why not choose the most suitable one?

Emperor Tai'an felt a pain in his heart, and his haggard state became more and more obvious.

When mother and son talked about this, they seemed to have nothing to say.

He was silent, but the Queen Mother asked: "When did you notice it?"

All along, it was clear that she was a loving mother and a filial son, and she was happy. She took action for her eldest son, and he had already taken precautions. Think about it, isn't it always like this in the palace? She lost because she was old.

Emperor Tai'an's throat felt itchy, but he tried not to cough out.

If nothing else, it is true that he is sick.

"That day you went to see me, and I slept for a long time. You came again the next day, and I slept even longer. I felt something was wrong, so I called the imperial physician and the imperial physician to check..."

Emperor Tai'an didn't say what he had found. Mother and son looked at each other, knowing it well.

Isn't it this time?

The Queen Mother wants to ask.

If you have always trusted her wholeheartedly, why would you become suspicious just because she slept longer?

The Queen Mother did not ask in the end.

Isn't she like this? After her son directly gave Yi'an's consort to Princess Yuliu without consulting her, she was dissatisfied.

Parents and brothers in the Tian family cannot tolerate any quarrels and will inevitably develop them. Most of them will end in tragedy.

The Queen Mother was silent.

Emperor Tai'an sat quietly for a while and stood up: "It's time for my son to go back. There are still many things to deal with."

The Queen Mother took a deep look at Emperor Tai'an, and her voice was old and calm, as if the confrontation between mother and son just now had never happened: "Go, don't be too tired."

Emperor Tai'an walked slowly to the door step by step, suddenly turned around and kowtowed to the Queen Mother: "Mother, the son is gone."

The Queen Mother's eyelids trembled and she silently accepted Emperor Tai'an's gift.

The familiar figure disappeared at the door, the familiar footsteps gradually faded away, and the Queen Mother remained as motionless as a clay sculpture.

A close confidant knelt at the feet of the Queen Mother, her voice choked with sobs: "Queen Mother, the Emperor is still filial to you, as long as you speak——"

"What's the point?" The Queen Mother calmly interrupted Mammy, "The Ai family has been honored throughout their lives, and what they want is never just to live."

She shed a few tears, and she could indeed continue to live in good clothing and food, but from now on she was no longer the empress dowager who was deeply respected by the emperor, but a prisoner in the palace.

She couldn't stand this kind of day for a moment.

That night, the candles in Cining Palace were not extinguished. When dawn came, countless suppressed cries rang out.

At dawn, King Ping and Zhang Ze, the commander of the imperial army, colluded to break into the Qianqing Palace at night, which shocked the government and the public. Soon after, news came out that the Queen Mother died of fright in the palace chaos, which made the frightened hearts of all officials tremble again.

.

Zhang Ze was the distant nephew of the Queen Mother. Upon closer inspection, it is unclear whether the Queen Mother died of fright or committed suicide due to a failed palace coup.

No matter what, it seems clear that the Queen Mother must have died of fright, and the Emperor will not allow other rumors to arise.

The various officials once again urged the younger generation to behave honestly these days. Prince Jing, for example, immediately grabbed his youngest son and scolded him, just to calm his own nerves.

Treason is a serious crime, so all the members of Prince Ping's family were given white silk ribbons, except Qi Ming.

Emperor Tai'an summoned Qi Ming in Yangxin Hall.

When Qi Ming saw Emperor Tai'an, he didn't say anything and just bowed silently.

Emperor Tai'an looked at him with complicated thoughts: "I heard that you were tied to the bedpost, why weren't you with your father?"

Qi Ming hadn't had time to change his clothes, but his appearance of embarrassment could not hide his temperament like the bright moon. Hearing these words, he raised his lips and smiled: "It doesn't matter to you whether we were together at that time. Fourth uncle,

Bai Ling is not worth much, just give one to your nephew."

Emperor Tai'an looked at this nephew who was begging for death in an understatement and shook his head: "I have always made clear rewards and punishments. Since he said you were not his son at the beginning, you should not be implicated now. The tranquility of Qingyuan is just right for you. Go back."

Qi Ming smiled: "Since I am not his son, how can I live in Qingyuan?"
Chapter completed!