“Objectively, you’ve handled this well for your age, but you’re still not careful enough,” Wei Linxia said, pulling out a thin piece of paper. “Some people already know about this—more than one. Be more careful in the future. Go rest; you must be exhausted. Yaya, you should return to your palace too. I need to rest early.”
She dismissed them, and Feng Shou cautiously entered.
“Your Highness, the Emperor…”
“This time, I can be at ease. Feng Shou, you may go.”
In the large hall, only the occasional crackling of candles was heard. Wei Linxia took out a wax figure from a locked cabinet and whispered, “Qiushui, perhaps we can reunite two years earlier. Our son has grown up, gained strategy, and is far more capable than we were. I can finally be at peace.” Her eyes were slightly moist.
No one knows a child better than a mother.
Every time Xi Qi mentioned his father, she couldn’t help but understand his true intentions. The world misunderstood that she had encouraged Xi Linxuan’s western expedition leading to his death, and if her son believed this, her heart ached. Watching him grow distantly, she often contemplated telling him the truth, but the words always died on her lips. If he knew everything, he would seek his biological father, rewriting the past and bearing the burden of fratricide. It was better to let it go. Xi Linxuan had faced enough struggles; his latter years should be happy on the grasslands.
She had long decided to bear everything, keeping this secret. Her son was destined to be an emperor standing alone, and this small initial success should not be jeopardized.
She fell asleep, dreaming of a white tent, with Xi Linxuan emerging, holding a wolf-skin robe for her.
Meanwhile, Xi Yaya had not returned, and Wei Linxia grew anxious. She sent Fengshou to investigate. He returned with news that the Emperor had approved the right minister’s request.
Xi Yaya returned, her shoulders drooped with a dejected expression.
“Wang Ling said he has fulfilled his promise to the Empress Dowager. Now that the Empress Dowager has returned power and the Emperor has come of age, he naturally wants to retire to his hometown.”
He asks that you do not continue to press him. Moreover, he says he will never marry in this lifetime…”
