Remarried to a top-tier playboy, her reborn ex-husband is filled with regret.

Lately, everyone in the government and the court has been on tenterhooks.

The old emperor was sometimes in a deep sleep and sometimes fully awake.

The Crown Prince almost never returned to the Eastern Palace.

He was either attending to the ailing emperor in front of him or governing in a side hall.

Sometimes, he would just sit down to proofread documents and then cough so hard he would collapse onto his desk.

The palace servants watching couldn't help but turn their faces away.

Once, after he finished coughing, he folded a plain handkerchief and held it tightly in his palm.

When he went out, he had changed to a calm and composed demeanor.

Only the Crown Princess knew that he changed that handkerchief several times a day.

Later, the Taoist priest from Qingfeng Temple came again.

When he entered the East Palace, his steps were quick, like a gust of wind.

The prince dismissed his attendants, leaving only the Taoist priest.

Nobody knows what they said.

About half an hour later, the Taoist priest left.

When the crown prince came out again, his complexion was much better.

The lips, which were originally pale, now had some color in them.

The palace servants all breathed a sigh of relief.

"The Taoist priest's medicine is still the most effective."

"The Crown Prince is finally showing signs of improvement."

"Your Highness has been working too hard these days."

"It is a blessing for the whole world if Your Highness can recover."

Only the Crown Princess stood under the corridor, looking at the Crown Prince's face, which was even more radiant than in the past few days, without stepping forward.

It felt like something was slowly clenching her heart.

Others thought it was an improvement.

Only she knew that there was no such thing as a good complexion that would come back for no reason.

Each time the Taoist priest came, her heart sank a little lower.

The old emperor seems to be dying.

The smell of medicine in the palace grew stronger day by day, as if it were pickling the entire sleeping quarters.

He was only in his early fifties, but his hair was already mostly white, and he was so thin that he was just skin and bones.

Every time I wake up, my eyes are very cloudy.

When he speaks, it sounds like he's working a bellows, and his words are broken and indistinct.

That night, it started snowing outside.

The fine snow fell on the palace eaves without making a sound.

The old emperor suddenly opened his eyes.

He was in better spirits than he had been a few days ago, and there was even an unusual glint in his eyes.

"Get out, everyone."

When he spoke, his voice was much clearer than it had been a few days ago.

"Only the Empress will remain."

The palace maids and eunuchs exchanged glances and then quietly withdrew.

The Empress sat on a soft couch not far from the dragon bed, her hands folded on her knees, as dignified and serene as ever.

She didn't move or respond.

"Empress."

The old emperor turned his head with difficulty.

"Sit closer... I have something to say to you."

The Empress rose and sat down beside the dragon bed.

His face was calm, like a deep pool of water that had been frozen for too long.

"I remember that when you first married me, you loved to laugh the most."

These days... I rarely see you smile anymore.

The Empress did not respond.

The old emperor looked at her, his eyes filled with a rare, murky tenderness.

"It is I who have wronged you."

When I was young, I was blinded by beauty.

Seeing that Zhao could cry and laugh, and knew how to act coquettishly and charmingly, they indulged her in everything.

Instead, they've left you... left you hanging.

The Empress remained silent, her expression unchanged.

"I know you feel wronged."

I even considered deposing you several times.

The old emperor gave a bitter smile.

"If it weren't for those old ministers from the previous dynasty stopping me, I might have really lost my mind."

He took a couple of breaths before continuing.

"The Crown Prince was poisoned, and I have also guessed who did it."

But I don't want to investigate, nor am I willing to investigate.

I favor my fourth son, and I always want to... always want to wait until he's older and able to take on responsibilities.

Even when the Crown Prince became so ill, I did not do my best to have someone treat him.

I thought at the time that if the eldest son were gone, the fourth son would be able to claim the title legitimately…”

The empress's eyes flickered, but she remained silent.

Her gaze fell on the dragon tent, as if looking through him into a distant place.

"These are things I have never dared to say to you."

Now that I am about to die, I realize... I owe you so much.

He reached out his hand tremblingly, wanting to touch the Empress's hand.

"Can you...can you forgive me?"

The empress withdrew her hand, preventing him from touching her.

She dodged very quickly, not even letting him touch the hem of her sleeve.

"It's pointless."

Her voice was very soft.

"Your Majesty, I only wish for your good health."

The old emperor was stunned.

He thought she would cry.

She would curse him, resent him, and watch him with tears in her eyes, just like she did in those years.

But there was nothing there.

She just sat there quietly.

There were no tears, no questions, not even the slightest ripple.

Like a jade statue whose edges have been smoothed out by time.

"You still refuse..."

The old emperor murmured, his eyes slightly red.

He looked at the Empress, his eyes filled with resentment.

"I have left the empire to the Crown Prince."

"Even on my deathbed, you wouldn't give me a single word?"

The empress finally looked at him.

"The country belongs to our ancestors, and the crown prince is the rightful heir apparent."

The Crown Prince deserves it; it cannot be considered a favor.

Her voice was very faint, devoid of any emotion.

The old emperor opened his mouth.

He wanted to say something more, but felt as if something was tightly blocking his throat.

He could only watch her.

He saw no trace of him in her eyes, not even a hint of hatred.

"I know... you no longer have me in your heart."

His voice grew softer and softer.

In the end, only his lips moved.

"In the next life... I will definitely..."

Before he could finish speaking, the breath that had been hanging in his throat for so long finally dissipated.

The old emperor's hand drooped down from the edge of the bed.

The queen sat there and watched him quietly for a moment.

She didn't cry.

They didn't call him either.

He slowly stood up and addressed the people outside the hall.

"Your Majesty has passed away."

Outside the palace, a deafening chorus of weeping erupted.

The concubines stumbled in, and the court officials knelt on the ground.

The crown prince entered dressed in plain clothes and walked all the way to the dragon bed.

He knelt down, pressing his forehead against the cold floor tiles.

After a long while, he finally got up.

The Crown Princess, dressed in plain clothes, supported him.

The crown prince's eyes were red, but he did not lose his composure.

He spoke softly to the eunuch beside him.

"Pass down the message: the emperor has passed away. The six palaces shall wear mourning clothes and all officials shall enter the palace to attend the funeral."

Everything should be done according to the ancestral rules.

The Crown Prince's feelings for his father, the Emperor, were very complex.

Although his father's love shifted to another son after his fourth brother was born.

But in the Crown Prince's eyes, being granted life was already an immense favor.

Day two.

The Crown Prince removed his Eastern Palace court robes, donned mourning clothes, and sat on the throne as regent.

The entire hall was dressed in white.

No one dared to utter a single dissent.

His expression was more solemn than usual.

But when he sat on the dragon throne, he straightened his back very much.

He knew that from this day forward, the Great Liang Dynasty was about to be transformed.

He was not only the pillar of Daliang, but also the pillar of Qing'er and their child.

Therefore, he would burn everything to light the way for the mother and child.