The Rebirth of an Orphan

It was already midsummer, and a separate courtyard in the garden of the Presidential Palace was surrounded by flowers. Outside the courtyard, the Queen Mother's personal soldiers were guarding the door. However, there were many people coming and going every day, most of them delivering gifts.

The Queen Mother Wang obviously knew her true identity, but they had not recognized each other for twenty years. She had done so many things that let Zhao Xihua down before, so the Queen Mother Wang was embarrassed to come and see Zhao Xihua, and Zhao Xihua was unwilling to greet the Queen Mother Wang.

However, the tables were filled with fresh fruits, rare offerings, and gifts every day.

The Queen Mother wanted to make amends to her granddaughter, but Zhao Xihua didn't appreciate it. She had only one intention, which was to let her go. But the Queen Mother also knew that if she let her granddaughter go, it would be difficult for them to meet again in this life.

Pingshui and Chunfeng were also brought here. The two girls never left Kyoto and stayed in the shops and houses that Zhao Xi had drawn. The two girls were surprised and happy to see Zhao Xi's drawings, but they felt that their mistress had changed a lot, so they didn't dare to ask or say anything.

It has been almost a month, and Mrs. Wang, who is by the Queen Mother's side, comes to visit the young lady every day, saying that the Queen Mother is ill and asks the young lady to come over to see her, but the young lady ignores her.

But it was also strange that the Queen Mother was not angry at all and still sent the gifts every day.

After dinner that day, Zhao Xihua stared at the fish in the pond in a daze. She had been away from Gu Lun for so long, and she didn't know how he was doing. He must have been in a mess, right? But she was trapped in this small space by the Queen Mother, but the treatment she received was as different as heaven and earth.

"Sister, sister," Pingshui hurriedly walked in front of Zhao Xi's painting and said, "Mother Wang just called me and asked me to pass on some news to you."

Zhao Xihua didn’t know what the Queen Mother wanted to do again. She didn’t want to get involved in the mess here. She just wanted to leave Kyoto with Gu Lun and go to the East China Sea. Hadn’t she made it clear yet?

Pingshui hurriedly whispered, "Mother Wang asked me to tell you that Ling Qian from the Ling family drank poisoned wine in prison. Madam Ling was sent to Ning'an Courtyard outside Yuncheng by Queen Mother Wang and was not allowed to come out for the rest of her life. The Ling family was confiscated and Ling Zhi was imprisoned in the prison in Southern Xinjiang. Miss Zi Ye grew up under the Queen Mother's watch and could not bear it, so she married her to the Ninth Prince."

"Ninth Prince?" The Queen Mother allowed the Ninth Prince to get married. Did that mean she had agreed to her suggestion that the Ninth Prince was the most suitable person to take the throne? If the Queen Mother agreed, would she no longer be imprisoned?

Pingshui said hurriedly: "The third prince has been placed under house arrest by the Queen Mother herself. The ninth prince entered the city yesterday and officially took office today. This was all tacitly approved by the Queen Mother."

"What about Gu Lun? Is there any news about our Gu Lun?" Zhao Xihua held Pingshui's hand tightly.

"I asked, but Mother Wang said she was waiting for you at the gate of the courtyard. She said Queen Mother Wang...is dying. Please go over and take a look. You'll know then."

Zhao Xihua knew that the Queen Mother was using Gu Lun as a bargaining chip, and it seemed that she could no longer avoid her.

She straightened her clothes and said, "In that case, let's go and take a look."

Zhao Xihua brought Pingshui and Chunfeng to the gate of the yard and saw Mother Wang standing there cautiously. She was finally relieved to see Zhao Xihua come out.

"Young lady, please follow me," Mother Wang was unable to utter the three words "Princess". The Queen Mother had been living a life worse than death these days. This girl was too powerful and almost took away half of her life.

Zhao Xihua followed Mother Wang and soon arrived at the Queen Mother's palace. No one in the palace had gone, and everywhere seemed dead silent.

Zhao Xihua came to the Queen Mother's bedroom and saw the person lying down completely, the woman who called herself her grandmother. She was really sick, and the room was full of the smell of medicine, which came to her nose in waves. Zhao Xihua smelled that it was purple ginseng, which was used to hang on to her last breath.

She subconsciously took a few steps forward. Mother Wang on the side closed the door tightly and could no longer hold back her tears.

"Princess, please, please take another look at the Queen Mother. Just go and take a look. Please." Zhao Xihua paused and continued to walk forward. Then she stopped by the bed and looked at the old woman whose hair turned completely white overnight and whose face was haggard. She had finally shed the last bit of her disguise and became a real person.

Hearing Zhao Xihua's footsteps, she slowly opened her eyes, her eyes full of pleading and guilt, but she raised her hand with great difficulty and hooked Zhao Xihua's finger.

Zhao Xihua's whole body was stiff. She couldn't bend down, couldn't kneel down to tell the woman that her parents had forgiven her. She couldn't speak for her dead master. She could only stand there and let the Queen Mother hook her finger.

"Hua'er, after my grandmother died, she wanted to be buried with her face covered by a white silk. My grandmother doesn't have the face to see your father. She doesn't have the face to see... see him..."

Zhao Xihua closed her eyes, a hint of bitterness seeping from the corners of her lips.

"Hua'er, can you please call me grandma? Grandma promises you. Grandma... I have sent someone to tell Gu Lun to wait for you in the beautiful pharmacy he prepared for you... I just want to hear you call me grandma before I die, okay? Just once... Please, Hua'er..."

Tears rolled down Zhao Xihua's cheeks and hit the back of Queen Mother Wang's dry hand. She pulled her hand out of Queen Mother Wang's hand.

Mother Wang burst into tears. The eldest princess was still unwilling to forgive, but the Queen Mother could not live anymore. The Queen Mother had accidentally killed the son she had been looking for for twenty years. She was more painful and sad than anyone else.

But the eldest princess didn't even give her the final salvation.

Despair gradually spread in the Queen Mother's gray and turbid eyes, and the endless darkness almost swallowed her.

Zhao Xihua slowly turned around, stopped and said calmly: "Grandma, let it go. This is fate. In the next life, you and my father will continue our relationship as mother and son."

Mother Wang fell to the ground and burst into tears.

The Queen Mother on the bed may have heard the call of "Grandma". Her tense body instantly relaxed and her eyes slowly closed.

Zhao Xihua never looked back. She strode out of the palace. Outside, Queen Mother Wang’s trusted guards escorted Zhao Xihua out of the presidential palace.

Today is the day when the Ninth Prince ascends the throne, and the First Lady Ling Ziye is the Queen Mother's final gift to the girl, and also the final condition for the Ninth Prince to gain the Queen Mother's support.

Soon the car that was escorting Zhao Xihua arrived at the forest in the suburbs. At the entrance of the forest, Zhao Xihua asked Queen Mother Wang's men to go back.

She walked along the path in the woods. She had been to this forest several times. It was where Gu Lun's biological mother lived. Later, Gu Lun built a luxurious pharmacy for her here where it was like spring all year round.

She continued walking forward and saw a man standing in front of the pharmacy decorated with flowers. He was tall, with angular features that were slightly cold, a high nose and sword-like eyebrows, and a pair of deep eyes that were filled with worry, despair, and ecstasy after that.

"Gu...Gu Lun..." Zhao Xihua called out in a low voice. This moment made Zhao Xihua feel as if she had returned to the past years.

Gu Lun's eyes were fixed on the beautiful figure in front of him, but his heart was filled with sorrow and pain. He was also angry that she had put herself in danger without telling him about such a big thing. But at this moment, he didn't care about anything else.

"You bastard." Gu Lun cursed angrily, but his voice was trembling slightly. Unable to suppress the burning heat in his heart anymore, he rushed over and hugged Zhao Xihua into his arms.

He will never let go again. Even if the mountains collapse and the earth breaks apart, and the sea floods back, there will only be this person in his heart in the world.

"It hurts," Zhao Xihua's arm was really hurt.

"You remember the pain now? There's more pain to come." Gu Lun suddenly bent down and picked up Zhao Xihua horizontally, and walked towards the yard that was tightly wrapped with flowers.

A breeze blew, and the petals in the yard swirled, making the two figures look even more gorgeous.

Life is like a dream and dreams are like life. Everyone should live brightly and sunny in their best years.

(End of the article)