Xu Qiuer held her child and murmured, “Look, this world will soon be yours, my son.”
The next day –
“Hereby decree: Confer Xu Qiuer, the Crown Princess, as Empress; Confer Qing Ya as Noble Consort; Confer Lady Xu as Consort. By imperial decree.”
When Xu Qiuer received the imperial edict, she didn’t even blink, as if she had long expected this. That night, Long Hanjie was about to go to bed when he fell straight to the ground. Xu Qiuer smiled and knelt down. “Your Majesty…”
Long Hanjie seemed to sense something and pointed at Xu Qiuer. She held his hand. “Your Majesty, rest assured…” Long Hanjie closed his unbelieving eyes.
The new Emperor had been on the throne for only a day before his death.
As the supreme ruler of the country, Xu Qiuer’s power remained unchanged, whether she wanted to establish her son or another concubine’s son as Emperor.
The day after the emperor’s death, the empress uncovered evidence of the noble concubine poisoning the prince and bestowed three feet of white silk upon Xu Fei Qinger for plotting against her. The old empress dowager’s power was dismantled overnight, and the third prince was installed as emperor, with Xu Qiuer acting as regent.
“Are you happy now that you’ve killed so many people?” Hao Li asked Xu Qiuer during their last meeting in the Forbidden City.
“Young Prince…”
Hao Li coldly snorted, “I’ve told you to call me brother.”
Little An almost fell to the ground, “Do you really plan to be a farmer on this land?”
Hao Li smiled softly, “Sometimes being a farmer can also be happy.”
“Why didn’t you tell Xu Qiuer that you loved her?”
Hao Li laughed silently; some things once passed are just passed…
“Appoint Gong Sun Jinyu as Left Chancellor.”
It was widely rumored in the palace that the empress could cover the sky because of the support from Gong Sun Jinyu, the Prince of Qin, and the King of Rong.
The following year, the eldest prince died of smallpox, and the second prince also died of the same illness.
– End of the book.
