The war subsided and everything seemed to be back on track.

The next morning, at the court session, rewards should be given according to merit. Cheng Li was exempted from the crime of escaping exile and sending his own soldiers into the city because of his meritorious service in saving the emperor.

Moreover, because the case of Jin'an Prince's treason involves some old events, the Cheng family's loyalty is evident, and they may have been wrongly accused of treason, so we hereby pardon their crime of treason and give them another reward.

Of course...

"I have heard that the heroic spirit of heaven and earth will still exist for thousands of years, but it is more important to serve the country. My daughter was born and raised in the palace. She learned poetry and books and knew etiquette. She is my pride. However, there are unexpected changes in the world and people are subject to misfortunes and blessings at any time. Unfortunately, my daughter died a few days ago. I am deeply saddened." Cheng Li stood up. The pain of losing his daughter made him seem to have aged ten years.

Everyone looked over, but Cheng Li ignored them and just knelt down in the middle of the hall: "I have studied classics and history since I was young, and I know how to be loyal to my country and serve the people. However, although state affairs are important, family ties are stronger. I am heartbroken now, and I miss my daughter so much that I have no time to think about anything else. I am ashamed that I can no longer devote myself to state affairs without distraction."

"I now ask Your Majesty to take back my military power and official position. My daughter was not with me for a long time when she was alive, and now I hope to stay by her side and take care of her. Therefore, I beg Your Majesty to allow me to resign from my official position for the sake of my many years of loyalty and diligence."

Cheng Li's voice echoed for a long time, and everyone was surprised by Cheng Li's move. The Cheng family had made great contributions in this rebellion, so why did he ask to resign at this time?

"The incident with the rebel party has just been settled, and now is the time to employ people, so let's discuss this matter later." Ji Lingzhou looked at Cheng Li who was below him, and did not agree for a while.

But Cheng Li kowtowed again stubbornly: "I know that this move is to care about my own family and forget about the whole family. It is not my original intention. However, family ties are hard to violate, and it is a common human relationship. Although I am very reluctant, I have to make this choice for peace of mind. Please grant me your approval, Your Majesty!"

The entire court fell silent, and one could hear a pin drop.

Ji Lingzhou stared at him for a long time...

Ji Lingzhou finally compromised and said, "In that case, let's do as General Cheng wishes."

At this moment, Cheng Li's eyes instantly turned red. He had been a general for so many years, protecting the people for so long, but now he was finally only a father...

"Your humble servant... bows down to thank the Emperor for His Grace! Long live the Emperor!" This was the last time. After half a lifetime of military service, in the end he just wanted to spend his last days with his only daughter.

When Cheng Li left the palace, Cheng Mingran's coffin followed behind him. After all, Cheng Mingran had come to this end in order to save the emperor, so Ji Lingzhou originally planned to restore her position as a concubine and confer a higher title on her.

But the Queen Mother said: "Since Your Majesty has already demoted Ranran to a commoner, she is considered free. Now that she has finally escaped from this dire situation, why do you need to put her in shackles again?"

Free? Ji Lingzhou stood on the tower and watched Cheng Li and his group slowly disappear from his sight. He recalled what Cheng Mingran said yesterday...

She said: "Your Majesty, I have troubled you a lot in this life. If there is an afterlife, I wish to live and die with Your Majesty and never meet again..."

Will they never see each other again? He thought he wouldn't feel anything, but now that he thought about it, he felt like there was something empty in his heart.

He looked at the unfinished and blood-stained sachet in his hand. The sachet was indeed worn by the man, but there was a word "father" embroidered on it. How could he not know that the sachet was not originally for him? But if he knew, why did he keep it? Perhaps even he himself could not find the answer for the time being.

Missing someone without a reason, no one to disturb, no one to know...

A snowflake gently fell, Ji Lingzhou looked up at the sky, and then more and more snowflakes fluttered and covered the entire palace.

He raised his hand to catch a few stray snowflakes, but they melted in his palms in an instant. Ji Lingzhou's eyes suddenly became deep and confused. He always felt that he seemed to have lost something, but it seemed that he could never touch it.

The snow was getting heavier, and Ji Lingzhou just stood on the high tower, staring silently into the distance without knowing what he was thinking. The snowflakes gently fell, covering his dragon robe, and adding a bit of loneliness and solitude to his back.

"Your Majesty, look, it's snowing!" A cute female voice sounded, and Ji Lingzhou's heart was slightly moved. What caught his eye was Cheng Mingran, who was wearing a green long dress, smiling and turning gently in the world of snowflakes. Her smile was gentle but playful, as innocent as a little girl.

In this icy and snowy place, she was the most eye-catching figure in her green dress. Ji Lingzhou looked at her and suddenly wanted to get closer, but before he could move forward, the person in front of him had already disappeared.

His face was stunned, and this time he realized that what just happened was just an illusion. But how could he possibly think of Cheng Mingran?

"Your Majesty, the snow is heavy. Let me accompany you back to the palace." Li Sheng, who was following him, said.

"Did I... do anything wrong?" Ji Lingzhou suddenly asked.

This... Li Sheng was embarrassed, but he finally replied: "People always say cause and effect, find out the cause and you will get the result. Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, no matter what the reason is, the result will not be wrong."

Really? I hope so.

Jinghua Fourteen Years

The Empress Dowager passed away.

The next month, the former Zhenyuan General Cheng Li died in front of the tomb of his beloved daughter. The people of Dongmian spontaneously came out to see him off. The scene was so grand that all the people mourned together.

Thirty years later, in the forty-fourth year of Jinghua, Emperor Jinghua Ji Lingzhou died in the Zichen Palace.

Rumor has it that he often went to Lianyi Palace in the last year of his life. As for Lianyi Palace... it was said that it was the place where a favorite concubine of Emperor Jinghua lived, but she died too young.

When Emperor Jinghua was dying, he issued an edict to seal the palace and no one was allowed to move in from then on. Also, the cold palace... He also ordered the chopsticks tree in the cold palace, which had long been dead, to be chopped down, but no one knew what his majesty meant.

Only he... As he was fading away, he saw the woman whose appearance had never changed. She always smiled and called him Your Majesty, but in the blink of an eye, she was left alone, guarding under the withered locust tree with a lonely look, as if she had been waiting for something.

Finally one day, the only light in her eyes shattered and could never be put back together again. She was disappointed... no, should I say desperate...

Ji Lingzhou closed her eyes, carrying the unfinished embroidered sachet. The past was like a passing cloud, and only the most unlikely person became clearer and clearer in her heart.

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