A middle-aged emperor, childless, was blessed with a beautiful and pregnant concubine who entered th

"System, is Cen Shaoyuan's situation the same as mine?"

Zhou Mingyi touched her son's fair face and finally couldn't help but ask.

The system was silent for a moment, then emitted a soft "buzzing" sound.

"System privileges exceeded..."

Zhou Mingyi: ...

I understand. Since it exceeded the limits of authority, it means that Cen Shaoyuan also experienced a similar rebirth or the recall of memories from her past life.

But if that's the case, why would Cen Shaoyuan choose to tell her this news?

This left Zhou Mingyi completely baffled.

Although Cen Shaoyuan was a playboy, he was not unaware that once this matter was exposed, the Cen family would face annihilation.

The struggle for imperial power has always been brutal.

Moreover, the deposed crown prince was an enemy that Zhou Mingyi had her eye on.

He must die.

The Cen family simply chose the wrong side, yet they also became victims of power.

However, if the deposed crown prince succeeds, the entire Cen family can also gain merit by supporting the emperor.

Therefore, the Cen family did not die unjustly.

……

The Cen family.

When the plaque on the gate of the Cen residence was taken down, Madam Cen was chanting sutras in the Buddhist hall.

Hearing the commotion outside, she put down her scriptures, opened the window, and saw a group of fierce-looking Imperial Guards rushing into the courtyard, grabbing people and taking things as they came.

Cen Fang was dragged out of the study, shouting "Injustice!"

Cen Shaoqing was dragged out of the house, his face pale and silent.

Madam Cen's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground.

She grabbed the sleeve of a member of the Imperial Guard, her voice trembling.

"Sir, what's going on? What crime has my master committed?"

The Imperial Guard shoved her aside and said coldly, "Treason."

Madam Cen's face turned pale instantly, and she collapsed to the ground as if her bones had been removed, unable to get up for a long time.

He kept muttering to himself, "How is this possible? How is this possible?"

She knew perfectly well what was going on in her heart.

Given their relationship with the deposed crown prince, it was only a matter of time before they were implicated.

Moreover, whether or not they were actually "implicated" is another matter entirely.

Although Madam Cen did not concern herself with court affairs, her husband and eldest son were so close to the former Crown Prince. It was only a matter of time before they were implicated after the Crown Prince was deposed.

She just didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

The Cen family's property was confiscated.

The family property was confiscated and the mansion was sealed off.

Cen Fang and Cen Shaoqing were imprisoned and charged with treason, to be executed in the autumn.

Cen Shaoyuan was not implicated, but he lost his official position, became a commoner, was driven out of the Cen family mansion, and moved into a dilapidated courtyard in the south of the city.

As a woman, Madam Cen was exceptionally spared by Emperor Qianwu, who did not implicate her and allowed her to take some personal belongings with her as she left with Cen Shaoyuan.

Madam Cen sat in the courtyard, gazing at the bare old locust tree, her tears already dried up.

She never imagined that the rest of her life would end up like this.

With all their property confiscated, the servants naturally dispersed as well.

The mother and son now do everything themselves.

But Madam Cen fell ill and lost all hope, so she didn't want to do anything.

He just sat there blankly.

Cen Shaoyuan came out of the house carrying a wine pot, sat on the threshold, and took a sip of wine.

He has lost a lot of weight in the past few days. His chin is pointed, his eye sockets are deep, and he looks like a dried-out old loofah, all wrinkled.

But his eyes were so bright, so bright, that they made people feel uneasy.

Madam Cen looked at him, and a hint of life returned to her dry eyes.

"Yuan'er, come here."

Cen Shaoyuan put down the wine pot, walked over, and squatted down in front of her.

"Mother, what's wrong?"

Madam Cen looked at him, her expression somewhat dazed.

Suddenly, she asked a question.

"Ah Yuan, tell me honestly, did you already know about your father and your older brother's affair?"

Cen Shaoyuan's hand paused slightly.

"Mother, what are you saying?"

Madam Cen stared at him.

"Don't lie to me. Your eldest brother leaves the city every three days, and your father goes to the old residence of the Eastern Palace on the first day of each month. Did you already know these things?"

Cen Shaoyuan remained silent.

Mrs. Cen's tears fell.

"Do you know why you didn't stop them? Why didn't you tell your mother? Did you just stand by and watch your father and your older brother go to their deaths?"

Cen Shaoyuan lowered his head and lowered his eyes, so no one could see the expression in his eyes.

"Mother, I can't stop him. Father won't listen to me, and neither will my eldest brother."

Madam Cen cried even harder.

"So you're going to snitch on us? And get your father and your older brother killed?"

Cen Shaoyuan's body stiffened abruptly.

He looked up at Madam Cen, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.

My immediate reaction was, "Mother, how...how did you know?"

Madam Cen pulled a letter from her sleeve and threw it in his face.

The letter was crumpled, with frayed edges; it was written by Cen Shaoyuan to Zhou Mingchong.

The letter specified the time, route, and people Cen Shaoqing was going to meet when he left the city.

The handwriting was messy, but every single character was clearly legible.

Madam Cen looked at him, her voice trembling.

"Ah Yuan, tell your mother, did you write this?"

Cen Shaoyuan remained silent for a long time.

Then he nodded.

"Yes, I wrote it."

Madam Cen's tears welled up instantly.

She raised her hand and slapped him across the face. "You unfilial son! That's your father! Your older brother! Why did you kill them?"

Cen Shaoyuan did not dodge; his face was turned to the side by the slap, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

He slowly turned his head to look at Madam Cen, his eyes bloodshot. "Mother, the deposed crown prince has already been deposed. Why did he run away? Why did he still contact Father and my elder brother?"

"The one who killed Father and my elder brother was clearly the deposed crown prince!"

Madam Cen didn't understand her son's thought process, but upon closer reflection, she felt that what he said made some sense.

"You, you..."

She pointed at him, unable to utter a word in rebuttal.

Her tone softened, "But you can't..."

"We can't tell outsiders about these things either."

"What if... Mother said what if the Crown Prince... Your father and your elder brother are doing something important!"

Cen Shaoyuan ignored Madam Cen's rambling.

"Mother, do you know what? I had a dream."

Madam Cen was stunned.

"What?"

Cen Shaoyuan's voice drifted on, tinged with pain and a hint of madness.

"In my dream, Chang came to our house, begging us to save her brother. I fell in love with her at first sight and patted my chest, promising to help her. But my father and elder brother turned around and drugged her, sending her to the Eastern Palace in a sedan chair."

Madam Cen's expression changed.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Cen Shaoyuan didn't look at her and continued, "Later, she died, beaten to death. Brother Mingchong was skinned alive, stuffed with straw, and hung on the city gate. I went to beg my father to save her, but he locked me up. I went to beg my elder brother to save her, but he said, 'She's just a woman, is she worth it?'"

He looked up at Madam Cen. "Mother, I'm only apologizing!"

Madam Cen looked at him in disbelief, as if he were a stranger.

"You...you're crazy? That's a dream! It's fake!"

"You killed your older brother and your father just for a dream? Are you even human?"

Cen Shaoyuan smiled bitterly, "Mother, that wasn't a dream! It must be real!"

Madam Cen couldn't accept it and backed away until she was pushed against the wall, her eyes wide as she stared intently at Cen Shaoyuan.

It was as if that person wasn't his own son at all, but an enemy.

Cen Shaoyuan seemed oblivious to Madam Cen's expression.

He continued, "I didn't mean to. I didn't want to hurt Dad and my older brother, but I can't let Ah Chang down either. I don't want to see her suffer!"

Madam Cen was so angry that she trembled all over.

"So you killed your father? Killed your older brother? All for a woman?"

Cen Shaoyuan suddenly raised his head. "Mother, what do you mean by 'a woman'?"

"That's my fiancée. It was you who, because of your materialism and the decline of the Zhou family, didn't want to keep the engagement. If only..."

Before he could finish speaking, Madam Cen slapped him across the face.

The slap was so forceful that blood seeped from the corner of Cen Shaoyuan's lips.

"You beast!"

He knelt down with a thud, his cheeks flushed, but his eyes were filled with a fanatical madness.

"Mother, I know you hate me. But I don't regret it. The only thing I don't regret in my life is doing this."

Mrs. Cen's face was covered in tears.

She looked at her son, the son she had doted on since he was a child.

She thought she was just a spoiled brat and a good-for-nothing, and he was just a good-for-nothing.

But I never imagined he would be so confused!

She really gave birth to a good son and raised a good son!

Madam Cen suddenly laughed, but her laughter was shrill and mournful.

"Okay, okay, okay."

She stood up, her chest heaving violently, and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, staining Cen Shaoyuan's clothes red.

"mother!"

Cen Shaoyuan rushed over and supported her.

Madam Cen pushed him away abruptly.

He leaned against the wall, his face pale and his mouth covered in blood.

"The treasonous son...the treasonous son..."

She murmured to herself and closed her eyes.

Cen Shaoyuan rushed over, calling out, "Mother, Mother!"

He panicked and picked up Madam Cen, running outside.

But after running out, he didn't know where to go.

In the end, Cen Shaoyuan quietly went to his uncle's house.

However, the uncle's family was afraid of being implicated by the mother and son, so they only gave them money and didn't let them in.

After Cen Shaoyuan carried his mother away, the servants of the Zhao family looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Is that the young master?"

"Isn't that right?"

"Bah! What young master? He's a prisoner now."

"It's really strange, though. The Cen family was imprisoned and their assets were confiscated, so how come the aunt and the second young master are still unharmed?"

"Is it mostly His Majesty's benevolence?"

"That's not necessarily true. I heard that Lord Zhou's ability to obtain the evidence is inextricably linked to this second cousin!"

"What? Why would Second Young Master want to harm his own father and elder brother?"

"You wouldn't know that, would you?"

"It is said that the second young master was once engaged to the Zhou family... Her Majesty the Empress..."

Just then, the old woman next to Jin came out, and the meddlesome old women and servants immediately dared not speak.

The old woman said coldly, "Don't you have anything better to do than gossip?"

The servants looked at each other in bewilderment.

Fortunately, the old woman only gave a few words of admonishment and then turned and left.

After a while, someone said something.

"Fortunately, our young lady's marriage to the Cen family didn't go through..."

Jin's nanny paused, for who could argue with that?

If the young lady had married into that family back then, she would most likely have been implicated this time as well.

Whenever this is mentioned, the lady often says that the young lady is a blessed person.

A blessed woman does not enter the home of an unblessed one.

My great-aunt and my wife were very supportive of this marriage.

Although the second cousin is not very promising, he is handsome, and his daughter likes him. In the future, his mother-in-law will be his aunt, so he will not let his daughter suffer any grievances.

Thank goodness the marriage didn't happen...

Qianqing Palace.

The morning light shone through the window and fell on the imperial desk, making the whole hall feel warm and cozy.

After Emperor Qianwu finished approving the last memorial, he put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and rubbed his temples.

Fuquan brought the tea over and carefully placed it on the imperial table.

"Your Majesty, it's time for breakfast."

Emperor Qianwu nodded, but did not move.

He looked out the window at the gradually brightening sky and slightly curled the corners of his lips: "What is the Crown Prince doing?"

Fuquan smiled.

"Oh dear! Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince should have just woken up."

"Her Majesty the Empress said that children need to sleep more so they can grow faster."

Emperor Qianwu's lips curled up even higher as he stood up and strode out.

Fuquan quickly followed. "Your Majesty, you haven't had breakfast yet!"

Emperor Qianwu did not turn his head.

"For use at Weiyang Palace."