A wicked mother swaps her son and sucks his blood? The true legitimate daughter is reborn and goes o

I don't want to get entangled with her.

Before Xie Yuzhen could make a move, Song Qingning spoke up:

"Princess Yuzhen, if I were you, I wouldn't be so foolish as to cause trouble here just to have a good argument!"

Xie Yuzhen's face suddenly darkened.

She originally intended to make things difficult for Song Qingning to relieve the frustration she felt the day before.

But Song Qingning's words reminded her.

We must not act rashly; there is no need to rush into dealing with Song Qingning.

In an instant, Xie Yuzhen put on a smile, as if her previous aggressive demeanor had never existed.

"Qingning, thank you for your thoughtfulness on the anniversary of my mother's death. My father has instructed the younger generation to copy prayer flags, including me, the princess. You shouldn't mind if I copy them in the same room as you, right?"

Xie Yuzhen affectionately called her Qingning, as if the two had a very good relationship.

"I don't mind."

Song Qingning spoke indifferently, still not raising her eyes.

Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing Song Qingning in its warmth. Her brows were serene as she focused intently on her writing; the scene was exquisitely beautiful.

Beauty, and sharp claws—she disliked neither of them!

Xie Yuzhen narrowed her eyes slightly, and after a long while, she withdrew her gaze from Song Qingning. Then she ordered the palace maids to prepare paper and pen.

For several days in a row, Xie Yuzhen and Song Qingning copied prayer flags together.

Xie Yuzhen did not cause trouble for Song Qingning.

Besides Xie Yuzhen and Song Qingning, Liang Shuyi and Shen Wan'er were also copying prayer flags in the Imperial Concubine's palace.

Song Qingning and Shen Wan'er had never met. Shen Wan'er seemed to be deliberately avoiding her. Occasionally, when they bumped into Liang Shuyi, the two would simply nod and greet each other.

Soon it arrived at the anniversary of Consort Shen's death.

A few days ago, the entire palace began preparations. The anniversary of the Imperial Concubine's death was of great importance to Emperor Yuan, who even had the Imperial Astronomical Observatory calculate an auspicious time.

He also ordered the ladies of the court to enter the palace to participate in the memorial service.

Such a grand ceremony was held to commemorate the death anniversary of a concubine.

The crowd had their complaints, but dared not say a word.

Public opinion focused on the steadfast love between the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine.

Before dawn, Emperor Yuan had already arrived at the Imperial Concubine's palace.

He dismissed the palace servants, leaving only Eunuch Gao standing by.

"Imperial Consort..." Emperor Yuan offered incense and, as usual, stood before the memorial tablet of the Imperial Consort, looking at her portrait and missing his beloved.

His gaze traced the outline of the woman in the portrait.

Then I remembered the time when they first met.

"Back then, the late emperor ordered me to suppress bandits, and this task was of great importance to me at that time."

"At that time, the late emperor only had eyes for the crown prince and Prince Su, and even Xie Bi was more favored by the late emperor than I was."

"I know it's because I have no one behind me, but the more this is the case, the more determined I am to go to the late emperor and let him see me."

"That bandit suppression was an opportunity I fought hard for, and I must seize it firmly."

"For this reason, I disregarded the danger and ventured deep into the bandit stronghold."

"That night, I found an opportunity, but I still underestimated those bandits. When I fought with the bandit leader, I was injured and fainted. I thought I was going to die at the hands of those bandits."

"Fortunately, someone pierced the bandit's heart with a sword at that moment."

"With my last vestiges of consciousness, I saw you. You were wearing a rabbit mask."

"My beloved consort, you gave me my life, and you should also be by my side to rule my empire, but alas..."

A hint of sadness flickered in Emperor Yuan's eyes.

The eunuch Gao, who was standing to the side, had heard this story more than once, and comforted the emperor as always, saying, "Your Majesty and the Imperial Concubine are destined by Heaven."

She added a new line: "Such affection would move even the heavens. The bond that was not fulfilled in this life will continue in the next."

To be continued in the next life...

Emperor Yuan's eyes lit up; he was delighted to hear this.

He glanced at Eunuch Gao. "Where did you hear that story?"

Eunuch Gao reported, "Your Majesty, it is outside the palace."

"Outside the palace?" Emperor Yuan frowned.

"People everywhere are praising the love between the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine. They say that the Emperor has never forgotten the Imperial Concubine and that his feelings for her are deeply moving. They all hope that in the next life, the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine can continue their love story," said Eunuch Gao.

As soon as he finished speaking, Emperor Yuan's expression darkened slightly.

The eunuch Gao immediately knelt on the ground in fear, "This servant deserves to die, this servant misspoke, Your Majesty's body is too precious to be near..."

"Get up and step back," Emperor Yuan interrupted his plea for forgiveness.

His displeasure was not because of his advanced age, nor because he considered death unlucky.

It wasn't that he didn't want to rekindle his relationship with the Imperial Concubine, but rather that he worried these words would give the officials in the court something to criticize.

But soon, Emperor Yuan cleared his mind.

Continue looking at the people in the painting.

"Your Highness, back then I promised to marry you and make you empress. You understood my situation and gave up your positions as empress and principal wife to others. But I promised to pass the throne to our son. I will not break my promise again."

"But given the current situation in the court, I am unable to break the deadlock, so I have no choice but to use the anniversary of your death..."

"Imperial Consort, I know you are kind and don't like those low-class methods."

"But you love me, you love Qi'er. For my sake, for Qi'er's sake, I hope you will not hold a grudge against me today."

After Emperor Yuan finished speaking, he took a deep breath.

The sky outside was gradually brightening.

Today's ceremony to pay homage to the Imperial Concubine will be held in her palace.

At daybreak, the ladies of the various noble families in the capital would ride in carriages to the palace.

The noblewomen arrived early to pay their respects to the Empress.

Inside the Phoenix Palace.

The noblewomen waited for Empress Meng to change her clothes, all guessing that she probably wouldn't be happy today.

But when Empress Meng came out after changing her clothes, she was all smiles. "I just practiced my spear skills for a while. I'm sorry to have kept you ladies waiting."

She was radiant and walked with a brisk pace.

When she sat down, she was dignified and virtuous, with graceful bearing.

His expression showed neither sadness nor forced bravado.

"Why is everyone staring at me like that? Is my makeup inappropriate today? It's the anniversary of the Imperial Concubine's death, and I need to pay my respects. It's not appropriate for me to wear heavy makeup."

Empress Meng said with ease.

Someone remarked, "On the anniversary of the Imperial Concubine's death, why would the Empress offer sacrifices?"

His tone suggested he was going all out, and it was full of resentment.

Not only was she indignant, but everyone present was indignant.

Empress Meng smiled and said, "I have been sisters with the Consort for many years and we have quite a history. She has been dead for ten years, and I still miss her a little."

"Since it is His Majesty's decree, I will go to offer sacrifices together."

"Is the time here?"

Empress Meng asked Aunt Ling, who was standing to the side.

"There's still half an hour left, it's a good time for us to go now," Aunt Ling said.

"Then let's go together." Empress Meng stood up.

She led the way, followed closely by the noblewomen.

The group made their way to the Imperial Concubine's palace.

When Song Qingning arrived at the Imperial Concubine's palace amidst the crowd, Princess Yuzhen, Shen Wan'er, and Princess Rui were already there.

Consort Hui was busy making arrangements everywhere.

The sixth prince was in poor health and rarely attended any occasion.

But he came today.

Dressed in a pale white robe, his face appeared even paler and weaker, as if he might collapse at any moment.

"Lian'er..."

A soft call.

Xie Yuzhen strode towards Xie Lian, his gaze sweeping over Xie Lian with apparent satisfaction.

"That's more like it! My mother was your savior, after all. It would be incredibly ungrateful of you not to come on the anniversary of her death!"

Xie Yuzhen liked to see him looking frail and weak.

A malicious smirk appeared on his lips as he deliberately stepped forward, seemingly casually patting Xie Lian's shoulder, then subtly increasing the force and shoving him hard.

Xie Lian was physically weak, and even with his precautions, he couldn't withstand her push.

His body leaned back, and it was clear he was about to fall.

A hand was placed behind him.