Parents are busy farming

The father-in-law standing by to serve kept his head lowered respectfully the whole time, not daring to make a sound, for fear that he would disturb everyone in the room if he was not careful.

The whole room was filled with a strong herbal aroma and was so quiet that one could even hear everyone's heartbeat clearly.

Ye Zifen did not go to the familiar Chengqian Palace as she did in the past, because the person she longed to visit was no longer there.

So she found a clever little eunuch to lead the way.

I saw the young eunuch leading the way in front, walking hurriedly, as if he had something important to do; Ye Zifen followed closely behind, walking lightly, her heart full of curiosity and anxiety.

As they walked along, they came to a place which was quite some distance away from Chengqian Palace.

This place is a bit remote, and the surrounding flowers and plants are no longer as lush as they used to be, but instead appear to be withered.

When Ye Zifen stepped in, she saw the retired emperor holding up the medicine bowl and pouring the bitter liquid into his throat with difficulty.

The emperor's complexion is not as rosy as before. From a distance, one can see that he is really old.

Those eyes that should have been bright and lively now revealed deep fatigue and relief.

Upon seeing this, Ye Zifen hurried forward and respectfully bowed and greeted the emperor.

Then, he stood aside quietly and said no more.

Her eyes were always on the retired emperor, full of concern, but she was also afraid that if she spoke rashly, she would disturb him.

When the emperor drank the last drop of medicine, he slowly put down the medicine bowl in his hand and said weakly to Ye Zifen: "Fuxia, come and help me lie down. I really can't do anything with my body."

Hearing this, Ye Zifen did not dare to be negligent in the slightest. She hurriedly stepped forward a few steps, stretched out her hands and carefully supported the emperor.

Her movements were extremely gentle, as if she was protecting a rare treasure, and she was afraid that she would hurt the distinguished old man in front of her if she was not careful.

With Ye Zifen's support, the emperor walked towards the bed step by step.

When they reached the bed, Ye Zifen carefully arranged the pillow for the emperor and gently covered him with a warm quilt, taking care of every detail.

After doing all this, Ye Zifen finally breathed a sigh of relief. She quietly stood beside the bed, continuing to silently pay attention to the condition of the retired emperor.

The emperor closed his eyes gently, his movements slow and weak, and he lay down slowly like a candle in the wind.

His originally majestic face was now shrouded in fatigue, with deep wrinkles crisscrossing like ravines.

Seeing this, Shangguan Ying hurried forward, her steps light yet steady.

After walking up to the retired emperor, she looked extremely focused, her beautiful eyes staring at him. She then stretched out her slender jade finger and carefully placed it on the retired emperor's pulse.

Ye Zifen, who was standing aside, seemed extremely nervous. Her originally fair and delicate hands were now tightly twisted together, and her fingertips had turned white from using too much force.

Her heart seemed to be grasped by an invisible big hand and raised to her throat, and even her breathing became rapid.

His eyes were filled with endless worry as he stared at the Emperor and Shangguan Ying without blinking, afraid of missing any subtle changes.

For a moment, the whole room was silent, so quiet that one could even hear everyone's heartbeats.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment, and every second seemed so long and torturous.

Shangguan Ying's brows were sometimes slightly furrowed, and sometimes slightly relaxed as his pulse changed.

After a long while, she finally finished taking the pulse.

She took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, as if she wanted to release all the pressure in her heart.

"If the emperor can maintain his current peaceful state of mind and is no longer disturbed by external factors, then I have the confidence to guarantee that he can live for at least another two years."

Although Shangguan Ying's words were soft, they were particularly clear and loud in the silent room.

When Ye Zifen heard this, her eyes suddenly lit up, as if she had suddenly seen a ray of hope in the dark night.

She almost subconsciously took a step forward and reached out to tightly grasp Shangguan Ying's arm. Her voice trembled slightly due to excessive excitement: "Master, are you serious?"

After asking, she quickly turned her head and looked at the emperor, her pretty face now full of surprise.

"That's great!"

Ye Zifen couldn't help but cheer out loud, but before she finished her words, she felt her throat tighten and an irrepressible emotion surged in her heart.

Tears began to well up in her eyes and slid down her cheeks like pearls from a broken string.

Her lips trembled slightly, and she was obviously trying hard to control her excitement.

"Your Majesty, did you hear that?" Ye Zifen choked up, tears pouring out like a dam bursting, sliding down her fair cheeks.

The emperor himself had never expected to hear such words. He could not help but sigh and said slowly: "I have worked hard for this vast land in my life. Now that I have given up the whole country, maybe I can really survive for two more years. Well, then let me use the remaining time to take a good look at what this Great Xia country will become in the hands of future generations!"

Ye Zifen quickly added: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, the Great Xia Kingdom will surely prosper in the future. But Your Majesty, you still have to focus more on how to make yourself happy in the future! As for the Great Xia Kingdom, naturally, the current emperor will shoulder this heavy responsibility!"

The retired emperor nodded slightly to show his agreement. His originally cloudy eyes suddenly became deep and distant, as if he saw through the scene before him the glorious days of war and iron cavalry in the past.

After a moment's silence, the Emperor turned to the eunuch who was serving beside him and ordered, "Go, fetch the imperial sword and give it to Princess Fuxia!"

Hearing this, Ye Zifen couldn't help but frown, her face full of doubt, thinking to herself: "What is the purpose of the emperor's action? Why did he give me such an important thing?"

For a moment, all kinds of thoughts flashed through her mind rapidly, but she could not guess the true thoughts of the emperor.

The emperor spoke slowly, his voice steady and powerful: "The reason why I give you this imperial sword is that I hope you can use it to protect the throne. If any of my princes dare to have evil intentions or have second thoughts, you can swing this sword and kill them."

When Ye Zifen heard this, her heart trembled violently, as if struck by lightning.