The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

The Empress Dowager gazed into his tearful eyes, which seemed to shimmer like a mountain spring carrying the moonlight.

In the past, she gave all her forgiveness and tenderness to Bu Ran.

Therefore, let him have a quiet corner and allow him to stay away from the hustle and bustle of the world.

It's not that she didn't love him, but rather that her love was so intense that she restrained her desire to seize him by force.

But now his eyes are filled with her.

At this moment, she didn't want to let go.

She recalled how, just moments before, Consort Zhao had been ordered to move out of the palace, and had even pointed at her and cursed her resentfully.

"Bai Yining, what good is your status as Empress Dowager? You still lost Mingyue forever, destined to live a lonely life! That pure and innocent person... in the end, no one can have him! Hahaha!"

At that time, the Empress Dowager remained silent, for she had no way to refute it.

"Undyed".

The Empress Dowager stepped forward, looking down at him with an air of domineering certainty in her eyes.

She didn't care whether he was tied up or not.

"Now that you've brought yourself to my bedside, you have no choice but to come and get away."

"Once you're on my bed, you belong to me."

"If you want to escape now, it's not too late."

Despite the Empress Dowager's words, she tightened her grip on his prayer beads with her fingertips, giving him no chance to escape.

Tang Xi Qingyuan's face, like a frost flower held in someone's palm, suddenly blushed.

Even though he wasn't a young man, he still couldn't help but blush in front of his beloved.

But he didn't say anything.

They didn't say they were leaving.

Those bound hands were slightly curled up, as if trying to suppress the surging emotions in their chests.

His rustling was still as domineering as ever.

Unreasonable.

Leave him no way out.

But it was precisely this domineering nature that moved him so deeply.

He waited for decades, his devotion unwavering.

He lowered his eyes, his eyelashes fluttering down like butterfly wings.

a long time.

Tangxi Qingyuan raised her head, her eyes filled with tears and light, clear as ever.

"Susu, I won't leave. I pray to Buddha day and night, only asking Buddha to save you from this calamity. But now, I don't want to pray to Buddha anymore, I want to protect you myself..."

His voice was gentle yet firm.

"And our children."

He looked up at her, as if trying to etch her image into his very bones and blood, to imprint it into the rest of his life.

"Susu, would you be willing to take me in?"

The Empress Dowager reached out and gently stroked his face.

This is the person she has been longing for for half her life.

"But Bu Ran, here... the turmoil will never end..."

"Susu, please don't let me leave again. I don't like to fight. But this time, I want to fight for the chance to stay by your side."

Tang Xi Qingyuan's eyelashes trembled slightly, like butterfly wings just awakening, and tears fell one by one, making her look extremely pitiful.

"Since you're begging me like this..."

The Empress Dowager's voice was a little hoarse, and her eyes were a little red, but she couldn't suppress her smile, and her eyes were gentle.

"Then I will reluctantly take you in. Bu Ran, you look so pitiful."

Outside the window, the sun shines brightly, and spring is in full bloom.

Golden light streamed in through the carved window, casting a soft, diffused glow throughout the room, falling gently on the loving couple who seemed to be shining.

They can finally rekindle their romance, hold hands, and grow old together.

"Shushu... could you help me untie this?"

Tang Xi Qingyuan blushed and asked in a low voice.

"Ah, it's quite charming even without dyeing it like this... I like it very much."

At this moment, the Empress Dowager resembled a wicked woman who was forcing a highly virtuous monk.

"Mother, have I disturbed you?"

Tang Xiye's voice came from the palace gate, carrying the deep, cold tone of an emperor.

As he entered the Thousand Autumns Palace, he saw his mother and the Master Buran, who was bound hand and foot to the bed, seemingly enacting a scene of a domineering empress dowager forcibly loving him.

His weak and easily bullied biological father, Tang Xi Qingyuan, was lying on the couch with a flushed face, his clothes slightly disheveled and his cassock loose, exuding an indescribable charm and tenderness.

He couldn't help but click his tongue.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager glared at her angrily, her eyebrows furrowing.

"You know you're disturbing us, why don't you leave? Get out of here!"

She spoke with great force, rattling off a string of sentences in a fierce manner.

"Zhizhi has already left the palace. If you dare to bully Zhizhi like that again, see how I deal with you!"

"..."

Tang Xiye felt guilty after being scolded and took a half step back, looking embarrassed.

A hint of embarrassment appeared on that solemn imperial face.

"I'll leave now, you may continue."

Tang Xiye glanced at Tang Xiqingyuan and had to admit that his biological father was indeed good-looking.

Especially when he cried with tears streaming down his face, even his mother, with her heart of stone, couldn't bear it.

"Should I... learn from this? Self-bondage and such... what a clever tactic."

Tangxi left Qianqiu Palace at night, having just finished her morning court duties, and rushed over.

He had heard from Shen Cuo that Zhizhi had entered the palace, and he thought he would be able to see her, say a few words, and ease his longing.

Unexpectedly, I was still a step too late, and we missed each other.

"Your Majesty, Strategist Yan has sent word that Princess Jing has returned to Jingye Xuelu."

"Furthermore, the theft of items from Qianqiu Palace was secretly carried out by the Zhao family. Military Advisor Yan suspects... that they may be related to Guixu Palace."

Shen Cuo reported the news he had just received.

"The Sang family, who supported the late emperor, were from the Heavenly Punishment Hall, and the Zhao family was also a group of loyal supporters of the late emperor at that time."

"With the secret support of Guixu Palace, the former Crown Prince suffered a crushing defeat, was framed for poisoning his father and four princes, and was subsequently removed from the position of Crown Prince."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xiye recalled the scene she had just witnessed: her biological father was so weak and helpless. If he hadn't been sent away back then, his fate would probably have been the same as everyone else's.

Thinking about it this way, with Guixu Palace stirring things up, the late emperor was able to protect Crown Prince Tangxi Qingyuan, keeping him out of the storm.

The people of Guixu Palace had been urging Tangxi Lifeng to kill the deposed crown prince to eliminate future troubles, but he never did it. Instead, he used the Prince of Beichen to also eliminate the Sang family.

The venomous snakes kept in Guixu Palace also bit themselves.

"The Zhao family dares to extend their reach into the palace. I think they never learn their lesson."

A hint of coldness surfaced in Tang Xiye's eyes, a hidden murderous intent.

"Have Yan Ce investigate thoroughly. If they are truly connected to Guixu Palace, their entire family shall be exterminated."

He turned and strode away.

The hem of his dark robe with gold patterns fluttered in the wind, exuding a sharp and ruthless aura, and his imposing presence was natural.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Shen Cuo immediately agreed.

Consort Zhao packed her bags and boarded the carriage, about to leave the desolate palace garden that was specially used to house the childless concubines of the late emperor, before being sent to guard the imperial mausoleum.

She lifted the carriage curtain and saw Empress Dowager Bai Yining.

The Empress Dowager stood at the end of the palace path with a composed demeanor, dressed in an incomparably luxurious purple palace gown, her steps leisurely, as if she had come specifically to see her off.

"I never expected... that Her Majesty the Empress Dowager would actually come all the way to see me off?"

The words of Consort Zhao came to an abrupt halt.

Because she saw the Empress Dowager holding someone's hand.

Tangxi Qingyuan.

The person she longed for but could not have was now standing beside the Empress Dowager, having taken off his cassock and wearing a simple white robe, his demeanor as graceful as ever, his eyes gentle.

The Empress Dowager glanced at him sideways, her eyes full of tenderness, then turned back to smile at Consort Zhao, her brows and eyes brimming with smugness.

The smile was undisguised and frank, as if to say, "See, he's mine after all."

"Bu Ran, I'm tired from walking..."

The Empress Dowager suddenly softened her tone, turned slightly, and leaned into Tang Xi Qingyuan's arms.

The movements were natural and spontaneous, demonstrating extreme skill.

When Consort Zhao saw him gently embracing the Empress Dowager, she felt a surge in her chest, her whole body trembled, and her fingertips dug deeply into her palms.

"Susu is tired, let's go back and rest."

Tangxi Qingyuan lowered her eyes to look at the person in her arms, her voice as gentle as water, like the breeze that brushed the willow branches in May.

"Okay, then Bu Ran will stay with me."

The Empress Dowager looked up and met his eyes. Their fingers intertwined tightly.

"Um."

Tangxi Qingyuan's voice was clear and resolute, landing distinctly on the silent palace path.

"I will stay with Susu forever, for all eternity."

forever.

He waited decades to finally utter those two words.

Now, every word carries immense weight, every sentence a promise kept.

Consort Zhao stared intently at the intertwined hands and the sweet smiles between the two, feeling a metallic taste rise in her throat.

She pleaded for it her whole life, even avoiding the emperor's favor and remaining childless because of it.

In the end, Tangxi Qingyuan didn't even spare her a glance.

Bai Yining didn't have to do anything; he simply offered her his whole heart.

"you……"

Consort Zhao pointed at the Empress Dowager, her lips moving, but she couldn't utter a single word.

"Bu Ran, Yin'er looks just like you. Our family is finally reunited..."

The Empress Dowager's words were a decisive blow.

"Yin'er's personality is more like Susu's."

Tang Xi Qingyuan spoke up, saying that Beichen was now their domain, and they no longer needed to hide Tang Xi Ye's background.

"puff--"

Consort Zhao stared wide-eyed in disbelief. The person she loved so much had actually slept with Bai Yining long ago and even had a child, Tang Xiye.

Thinking of Tang Xiye's handsome face and refined demeanor, which were exactly the same as Tang Xiqingyuan's, it would be really hard to explain if they weren't father and son.

The late emperor actually turned a blind eye!

Driven mad with jealousy, she coughed up a mouthful of blood, which splattered onto the carriage curtain in a horrifying sight.

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

Her body went limp and she collapsed. The old woman beside her hurriedly caught her, but she had already fainted from anger and was unconscious.

"Oh."

The Empress Dowager glanced at it indifferently, but couldn't suppress the urge to smile.

"Let's not get dyed, let's go home."

She took Tang Xiqingyuan's hand, turned and left, her steps light and her skirt swaying.

Tang Xi Qingyuan looked at her and smiled indulgently.

"Okay, Susu, let's go home."

As the sun sets, its afterglow spills across the sky.

Two figures walked side by side, their shadows stretched long and overlapping, as if they would never be separated again.

At the same time, Yan Ci, blushing, returned to Tang Xixue and personally handed back the Seventh Generation Pavilion Master's token, while also bringing back an important message.

"Your Highness, we've found out. The Buddhist prayer beads and the begonia jade pendant were bought by the Prince of Beichen's men and are now in Beichen Ji's hands."