That Imperial Concubine is both wicked and cunning! Your Majesty, wake up!

She didn't even believe herself.

This thought churned in his mind, weighing heavily on him and making it hard to breathe.

Xiao Yan suddenly grabbed her slender wrist with a force so strong it was almost tyrannical, refusing to let go for a second.

"Ningning, believe me, it's not that I don't want you to get pregnant..."

The majestic authority of the emperor, once held by the emperor, now seemed like a ridiculous decoration.

He had never felt so powerless, nor had he ever felt so...afraid.

Song Shuangning struggled, but couldn't break free. Her voice trembled, and her eyes were terribly red, but she stubbornly held back her tears.

"How can I, your concubine, trust His Majesty?"

"You promised me that you would be with me on my birthday, but you broke your promise. I didn't sleep all night, not out of spite, but because of the pain...it really hurts..."

"But after the pain subsided, I forgave you, because I knew my place. As a concubine, I had no right to be angry with the Emperor, much less to be dissatisfied with his actions."

A bitter taste rose in Xiao Yan's throat.

So that's what she was thinking.

He never seemed to truly understand what she was thinking.

Song Shuangning suddenly laughed, tears still streaming down her face. The smile, though tinged with tears, was particularly bitter.

Later, rumors of "stand-ins" and "shadows" spread in the palace.

When she said the word "substitute," her voice trembled, and hot tears fell onto Xiao Yan's hand.

"I am truly heartbroken. Those words are like a knife, cutting into my heart piece by piece. But the pain is so intense that I have even entertained some absurd thoughts."

She continued, "Whether I'm a substitute or a shadow, as long as Your Majesty continues to favor me, I'm willing to live under someone else's name for the rest of my life."

"When people are in dire straits, they can even throw away their pride completely." She laughed self-deprecatingly.

Xiao Yan felt a sharp pain in his chest.

Song Shuangning looked up at him, her eyes filled with no hatred, only a deathly weariness.

"When I first entered the palace, all I wanted was to survive. Initially, my value was to bear the imperial heir for my elder sister. I was a pawn for the Song family to climb the imperial power. But I was fortunate enough to receive your favor. I foolishly thought that you really liked me."

She closed her eyes helplessly.

"I can endure the harshness and danger of the palace, but all these framing and schemes are no match for your deception. I am truly exhausted. What pains me most is never these conspiracies and tricks."

"But it's you."

Song Shuangning bit her lip, suppressing her sobs, her whole body trembling slightly.

"Ningning..."

These heart-wrenching accusations made it clear to Xiao Yan that she no longer trusted him.

Because Ningning is sensitive and insecure, because Ningning loves unconditionally.

She said, whether it's a stand-in or a shadow.

She said that when people are in dire straits, they can even abandon their pride.

She said that what hurt her the most was herself.

Xiao Yan felt a tightness in his throat and his breathing became labored.

She was shedding tears, and his heart was bleeding.

The heart-wrenching memories she spoke of were, to him, nothing less than torture.

"Your Majesty once said that as long as I am obedient, you will put me first in everything, and you will always cherish and protect me, never letting me suffer such heart-wrenching pain again. But why do I still feel this heartache? Can you tell me?"

She slowly shook her head, the sorrow in her eyes fading somewhat, replaced by a sense of detached relief.

This completely panicked Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan was burning with panic and pain, and all sense of imperial decorum was shattered.

Without thinking twice, Xiao Yan cupped her face and pressed his lips to hers.

Song Shuangning tried to dodge, but his strength was too great, and Song Shuangning was no match for him at all.

Song Shuangning's tears were still streaming down her face. She bit down hard, and the taste of blood spread between their teeth, both fishy and astringent.

Despite the pain, Xiao Yan continued to kiss her gently.

He wanted to use this kiss to let Ningning feel his affection and his sincerity.

a long time.

Xiao Yan released her lips.

Song Shuangning looked down at the wound on Xiao Yan's lower lip that she had bitten.

I feel great.

Just as Xiao Yan was about to speak, Li Fuquan's voice rang out from outside the hall:

"Your Majesty, Consort Su has passed away."

The news of Su Yunu's death was like a light feather, unable to stir any ripples in his heart.

Song Shuangning mocked herself, "One day, will I end up like Consort Su, discarded by the Emperor like worn-out shoes, used by the Emperor, and then abandoned when I am no longer of any value, and finally... die silently in a corner of the deep palace?"

"Of course not," Xiao Yan blurted out.

Song Shuangning chuckled softly, "Your Majesty and Consort Su shared a long-standing relationship, yet you could so easily abandon her. I have only been in the palace for a year, and you are already so heartless. How can I trust Your Majesty?"

Xiao Yan looked at her, feeling as if a wad of cotton was stuck in his throat.

He wanted to say: How can you compare to her?

But he knew that no matter how much he said now, Ningning would no longer believe him.

In Ningning's heart, he was a heartless and cold-blooded emperor.

The imperial physician said that Ningning was overly worried and her heart was filled with unresolved issues. If she were to be further agitated, her condition would worsen.

Ningning didn't want to see him, and Xiao Yan choked up, finally leaving Cangdong Pavilion with many backward glances.

Walking on the quiet palace path, I felt empty inside.

If, on that day, when Ningning asked him if she and Su Yunu were similar in appearance, he had been able to tell her his feelings more firmly and decisively, wouldn't the situation today be completely different?

This was the first time he had tasted the bitterness of regret, so intense that it almost suffocated him.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Lady Su passed away at 3:45 PM today. The imperial physician said that she had already damaged her health due to pent-up emotions, and then caught a cold. The cold entered her lungs, and under this double blow, she was on the verge of death.

Upon hearing the news, the Empress immediately went to the abandoned Cold Spring Palace.

Upon entering the hall, a musty, stale smell assaulted her senses. Su Yunu lay stiffly on the bed. Hearing the sound, she laboriously lifted her eyelids, her chapped lips moving slightly: "I never thought the last person I'd see would be you."

Su Yunu said weakly, "We've been fighting for half our lives, but in the end, you've still won."

"I once thought that with the Emperor's favor, I would one day surpass you and sit in the position of Empress, but in the end... I still lost."

She coughed a few times to suppress the metallic taste rising in her throat. "My defeat lies in forgetting that the most ruthless are those in the imperial family."

The Empress stood before the bed, looking down at her.

"Yes, emperors are the most ruthless. There's something you should know."

"The fertility-enhancing drugs you've been taking for so many years are actually contraceptives."

Su Yunu stared intently at the Empress, then raised her hand and pounded her chest, letting out a series of shrill and heart-wrenching screams, "Ah..."

"Your Majesty, how heartless you are!"

Looking at Su Yunu's current disheveled state, the Empress's hatred had faded considerably, leaving only a vague and inexplicable sense of melancholy.

"We've been fighting for so many years. I used to truly despise you, but seeing your appearance, I suddenly realize that you are also a pitiful person."

Su Yunu closed her eyes, a single, cloudy tear sliding down her cheek. Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

"Whether you pity me or hate me, it doesn't matter."

"I have two requests for Your Majesty," Su Yunu said, gathering her last bit of strength to sit up and then knelt before the Empress.

She pressed her forehead against the cold ground. "I beg Your Majesty, no matter what happens in the future, please do not harm Shu'er. The child is innocent."

"I also have a daughter." The Empress lowered her eyes, gazing at her thin figure lying on the ground. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke slowly, "I promise you."

"Secondly, my personal maid Xia Yun is the most loyal. I beg Your Majesty to let her leave the palace after I die."

"it is good."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Su Yunu used all her strength to say these six words.

At least at this moment, she was truly grateful to the Queen.

The weeds in the Cold Spring Palace courtyard grew to ankle height, and the crooked tree in the corner of the courtyard was left with only bare branches.

The candles in the hall had long since gone out, leaving only a dim lamp whose yellowish light shone on the person lying stiffly on the bed.

Crows circled on the branches, their cawing mingling with Xia Yun's cries.