The seductive princess is no longer being pursued; the aloof prime minister is facing a crematorium.

Chapter 294 The Emperor's Death
Inside the study of Wenshan Pavilion.

Having found the answers to everything I wanted to know, there seems to be no point in staying here any longer.

Si Ning chuckled lightly, nodded slightly to Pei Du at the table, and slowly stood up: "Since there is nothing else, I will take my leave now."

But as soon as Si Ning turned around, she heard a voice behind her.

"Her child."

Si Ning stopped in her tracks.

Turning her head, she raised an eyebrow at Pei Du, a hint of doubt in her eyes: "What?"

Pei Du raised his eyes, his gaze indifferent and cold: "She had a child with someone else in Baiyujing."

It sounded like a question, but the tone was too faint. Si Ning pondered for a long time before she could discern the meaning.

child?

what.

He smiled knowingly, a slight upturn at the corner of his lips: "That is indeed true. Why, when the Grand Secretary married His Highness a few days ago, didn't His Highness mention it to you?"

The man's beautiful lips pressed into a line, but he didn't say anything, remaining silent.

Perhaps harboring some malicious intent, Si Ning's smile deepened: "However, it is understandable that the marriage between you and His Highness was somewhat... hasty, and it is understandable that His Highness did not tell you."

After a pause, Si Ning smiled and said, "If you regret your decision, there's no need to worry. I've heard that Lord Lin of the Lin family wants to rekindle his marriage with Your Highness."

"The child's biological father is still alive; Mr. Si Ning's words are far from appropriate," Pei Du said coldly.

"So what?" Si Ning smiled, "If Lord Lin truly likes her, he might as well humble himself and become her concubine or something..."

Pei Du frowned, his face cold and stern.

In high spirits, Si Ning nodded slightly, said "Goodbye," and turned to leave.
-
The affairs in Chang'an have been mostly settled.

Before leaving the capital, Jiang Jinshuang went to the palace alone and met Jiang Huayan in the imperial study.

In just half a month, the man's once spirited appearance aged overnight. He looked old, his face was mottled, and his body showed signs of decay.

Looking at the aged man in the bright yellow dragon robe in front of me, the handsome and spirited man in my memory became increasingly blurry.

Seemingly hearing footsteps, Jiang Huayan, who had been dozing with his eyes half-closed, moved his eyelids and finally slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze slowly focused on Jiang Jinshuang. Upon seeing her, Jiang Huayan belatedly tugged at the corners of his mouth, a rare look of tenderness appearing on his face.

"Shuang'er, you've come to see your father."

For some reason, Jiang Jinshuang felt a lump in her throat.

She took a few steps forward, but stopped just before she reached his throne.

"Your Majesty, the matter in Chang'an is settled, and I must return to Baiyujing."

Hearing Jiang Jinshuang say this, Jiang Huayan nodded slowly, still smiling: "I have the kitchen prepare your favorite apricots. Baiyujing is cold all year round, so take some with you."

“No need, Your Majesty,” Jiang Jinshuang said in her usual tone. “Hot springs have been excavated in Baiyujing, so there will always be times when it is like spring all year round.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Huayan's smile became somewhat stiff, but he simply smiled.

He beckoned to Jiang Jinshuang, his withered fingers resembling twigs about to fall.

"Come closer, Father hasn't looked at you properly in a long time."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jinshuang took a few steps forward and finally stepped over the large desk, just as she had done countless times when she was young, and walked up to Jiang Huayan without any hesitation.

Jiang Huayan sat on the large armchair, and Jiang Jinshuang leaned down slightly, kneeling in front of him until their eyes were level.

Jiang Huayan has really gotten old.

With his thin, bony fingers, Jiang Huayan gently stroked Jiang Jinshuang's long hair and looked at her with a smile: "Shuang'er, have you... always harbored resentment towards your father?"

Jiang Jinshuang slightly raised her eyes and met Jiang Huayan's gaze.

“Back then, when the Empress Dowager plotted to murder the Prince, even if His Majesty wasn’t the mastermind, he must have known some of the details.” After a pause, Jiang Jinshuang’s tone remained calm and even: “But His Majesty didn’t choose to expose the Empress Dowager. Instead, he turned a deaf ear and a blind eye, allowing himself to be the incompetent ruler, using the Empress Dowager as a sharp sword to cut off the Prince’s head.”

Jiang Jinshuang took a deep breath, forced a smile, and looked at Jiang Huayan: "Father, you're scared, aren't you?"

He claimed it was the Empress Dowager's personal motives and that he was unaware of the situation, but he was clearly afraid that his uncle might one day rise to power and rebel. Therefore, he allowed the Empress Dowager to act as she pleased and issued that decree to kill him.

Jiang Huayan looked at Jiang Jinshuang, his eyes filled with shock and relief, his emotions complex.

for a long time.

He simply ruffled Jiang Jinshuang's hair again, his tone filled with tender affection: "My Shuang'er, you've always been the smartest one."

Jiang Huayan barely had the strength left to lift his hand. He coughed a few times, his face pale. "Father, in your entire life, you only made this one mistake, didn't you?"

“But a mistake is a mistake,” Jiang Jinshuang said, looking at Jiang Huayan with a fixed gaze. “Your Majesty taught me this yourself, so a mistake is a mistake.”

So what if he made one mistake? That's not a reason to exonerate him.

—But now, Jiang Huayan's "crimes" no longer need to be judged by Jiang Jinshuang.

He was terminally ill, and a cold had entered his body; he wouldn't live much longer.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Jinshuang slowly said, "Although Jiang Biechen is a bit cold-blooded, he is indeed the person His Majesty has cultivated, and the most suitable person to ascend the throne."

A king may be ruthless, and Jiang Biechen may not be a good person, but he will definitely be a good monarch.

Jiang Huayan did not speak, his gaze remaining fixed on Jiang Jinshuang.

His eyes were somewhat vacant, as if he had remembered something, and he tugged at the corner of his mouth: "A long time ago, when I took you from the hands of General Wenzheng's confidant, you were only the size of a palm."

"The person who carried you as you fled said that you cried the whole way you ran, and nothing you did could comfort you."

"But at that moment, as soon as I held you in my arms, you immediately stopped crying."

"You held my index finger and toiled for months, and for the first time you got a good night's sleep."

"At that time, when I looked at you sleeping, I secretly vowed that no matter what happened in the future, I would not let anyone bully you."

At this point, Jiang Huayan gave a weak smile and shook his head.

"But in the end, it turns out that the one who bullied my beloved Shuang'er was myself..."

When did it start to change?

At the very beginning, when he held that small and frail girl in his arms, he wanted to give her all the treasures in the world.

Why did it end up like this?

His Shuang'er suffered so much because of his selfishness.

Jiang Jinshuang smiled and took a step back.

The withered hand drooped limply from the top of her head.

Jiang Jinshuang looked at Jiang Huayan.

for a long time.

He lowered his head and respectfully kowtowed to Jiang Huayan.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for raising and nurturing me over the past twenty years."

"I consider this my respects to be due."
-
When the emperor passed away, all the people wore mourning clothes.

Crown Prince Jiang Biechen wept bitterly for three days before ascending the throne.

On the first day of her ascension to the throne, the new emperor issued an edict granting Princess Zhaoming a fief of 30,000 households, half a phoenix seal, the privilege of being exempt from death by imperial decree, and the power to oversee the country and rule as regent. If the new emperor's virtue was lacking, Princess Zhaoming could use the phoenix seal to remonstrate and whip him, or she could rule from behind the curtain.

The day before her departure, Jiang Jinshuang was watching Chuntao pack her luggage in the bedroom when she heard footsteps outside.

Looking up, Jiang Jinshuang recognized the person who had come.

It was Pei Du.