The empress is both charming and seductive, rising through the ranks of palace intrigue.

Forty years is a short time; life feels both long and short.

Over the past forty years, Ning Shuyan has risen from a lowly concubine to Empress, and now to the Empress Dowager.

Having experienced the loss of her parents and Cheng Yin, and watching her three children get married and have children, she experienced both joy and sorrow.

But Xiao Yu and she never changed their feelings for each other.

Even in their twilight years, with white hair and wrinkled faces, when they turn around, they will still see each other beside them.

Since Xiao Yu abdicated, the two have traveled to many places.

Jiangnan, Guilin, Hangzhou, Jinling, Lushan—go hiking, worship Buddha, go boating and play in the water…

In recent years, the two have been in their sixties and seventies, and their legs and feet are not as good as before. So Xiao Yu found a feng shui treasure land that is warm in winter and cool in summer - Lingxi Mountain.

This place was only half a day away from the palace, and the environment was secluded and tranquil with picturesque scenery, so I decided to retire here.

Ning Shuyan has officially begun living the retirement life she has always dreamed of.

In spring, the two strolled hand in hand through the mountains and forests. They watched as peach blossoms turned crimson, willows drooped like golden threads, the mountains were covered in lush green grass, and flowers bloomed like a sea of ​​brocade.

In summer, one can sit in a pavilion in the afternoon, enjoying the breeze and sipping tea, listening to the stream and birdsong. At dusk, one can sit together in the mountains, feeling the evening breeze and watching the sunset, the rising moon, and the twinkling stars.

In autumn, I pick chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, leisurely gaze at the southern mountains, play chess and drink wine, feeling utterly content.

In winter, we sit by the charcoal fire, reading ancient poems, looking at short storybooks, admiring the plum blossoms and snow outside the window, a cup of hot tea warming our hearts.

Such idyllic days did not end there; the courtyard where the two lived was full of flowers and plants, all thanks to Ning Shuyan's hard work.

To be precise, it's also a hobby. Now that she's older, she enjoys planting and arranging flowers. In spring, butterflies flutter all over the courtyard, making people feel like they've stepped into a flower garden.

She also loved planting all kinds of fruit trees, and would pester Xiao Yu to join her in the fun. When the peach tree bore fruit for the first time, she was as happy as a child.

Xiao Yu, on the other hand, enjoys raising and fishing. Whenever he has free time, he goes fishing in the pond, and after catching fish, he personally makes soup for Ning Shuyan.

Now that he is the emperor, he has begun to study matters related to the kitchen. Whenever he sees Ning Shuyan eating the food he has prepared cleanly, he can't stop smiling and is very proud.

These wonderful days continued until Ning Shuyan was sixty-two and Xiao Yu was seventy-three.

On this cold winter day, Ning Shuyan suddenly fell ill.

Xiao Yu had always thought that he would leave before Ning Shuyan, after all, he was eleven years older than her, and many emperors died young.

But he couldn't bear to leave her alone, so after being poisoned when he was young, he took good care of his body every day, consuming a lot of tonics and longevity pills.

Under Yan Yan's careful supervision and the imperial physician's care, he actually lived for several decades.

Looking at the woman who had been with him for forty-six years on the bed, Xiao Yu was filled with grief, but he was not panicked.

Because all of this was within his expectations.

The scene of their trip to Qixia Mountain flashed through my mind...

That day, they were walking hand in hand down the street when an elderly man's voice suddenly came from behind them: "Madam, please wait a moment."

Ning Shuyan heard a voice behind her, turned around and saw a beggar standing in front of her.

The beggar clasped his hands together and bowed, saying, "Madam, as I predicted. You are fifty-nine years old this year. In three years, you will suffer from a terrible illness that will afflict you and be incurable..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Yu roared, "Nonsense! In broad daylight, a beggar like you dares to use this method to swindle money!"

The beggar was not intimidated by Xiao Yu's sharp and imposing gaze at all. Instead, he bowed deeply to Xiao Yu and said, "My lord! You are an auspicious sign of longevity!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu's expression remained extremely unpleasant, and he pulled Ning Shuyan to leave.

Ning Shuyan suddenly turned to the beggar and asked, "Is it an illness? Is there a cure?"

The beggar clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and said, "Amitabha Buddha, life has eight sufferings: birth, old age, sickness, death, separation from loved ones, enduring resentment, not getting what one wants, and being unable to let go. Everything is the will of Heaven and cannot be changed. We can only leave it to Heaven!"

Xiao Yu listened to the beggar's nonsense. If he weren't afraid of exposing his identity, he would have already had someone teach him a lesson.

Immediately, he pulled Ning Shuyan along and walked forward.

The beggar watched the two figures walk further and further away, then stretched out his thumb and tried to calculate, but he still couldn't predict whether Ning Shuyan would live or die in the end.

This time, he did some calculations and discovered that Ning Shuyan was connected to another person's destiny.

He frowned, feeling increasingly puzzled.

After a long pause, a glint flashed in his eyes, his fingers stopped, and he exclaimed in utter astonishment, "This..."

If the calculations are correct, the retired emperor and empress will be able to continue their relationship in their next life.

He'd calculated so many fates in his life, but this was the only one that truly surprised him.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yu held Ning Shuyan's hand tightly: "Yanyan, don't listen to that beggar. He's just a beggar, how could he know these things?"

Even though the two of them have reached the age of passing away, Xiao Yu feels that it is far from enough. They will stay with each other for much longer, not just three short years.

Ning Shuyan forced a smile: "Yulang, do you remember the beggar I told you about?"

Xiao Yu was slightly taken aback. He remembered that Yan Yan had said that a beggar had calculated that she was the most noble woman in the Yi Feng Dynasty.

Ning Shuyan nodded at him: "That's right, that beggar was him just now."

Xiao Yu understood that if the beggar were truly trying to scam money, he would have said there was a solution, requiring payment or good deeds to cure the illness. But this beggar said it was all up to fate.

Given that they were right last time and also correctly predicted their ages this time, one can actually believe a little of what the beggar says.

But Xiao Yu firmly said, "He himself said it depends on fate. I am the emperor. In my opinion, Yan Yan can stay with me for ten or even twenty years."

After saying that, he added, "Besides, if we really have to part ways, I should be the one to leave first."

Ning Shuyan quickly reached out and covered Xiao Yu's mouth, shaking her head and saying, "No! You can't leave me alone."