The mistress is reborn, no one who bullies me can escape

This is not because of his illness, but because his end is approaching!

Looking back to the past, I once listened to what the national teacher said and blindly believed in such a ridiculous thing as exchanging fate. I swallowed the so-called elixir day after day for more than a few years.

Originally he was expecting to prolong his life through this, but he didn't expect that the national teacher was actually a man with ulterior motives. His real purpose was not to help him prolong his life, but to cultivate his own dragon blood!

Today, after going through so much ordeal, his body has long been unable to bear the burden and is exhausted.

"How can you make such a statement, father? The imperial physician has not yet made a definitive diagnosis, so how can you make a conclusion so easily?"

Ling Yan's face was as cold as ice. "Father, you'd better rest and recuperate. Leave all matters to the imperial physician. I still have many important matters to deal with, so I can't stay by your side for a long time." After saying that, he turned around and was about to leave.

"Don't go yet." The emperor reached out and grabbed his sleeve eagerly, "Yan'er, please stay for a moment. Your father has something to say." Seeing Ling Yan's frowning brows and an unhappy look on his face, the emperor hurriedly said, "I know you already knew your life experience. As for your biological mother... cough cough cough..." Before he finished speaking, the emperor suddenly coughed violently, as if he was going to cough out his heart and lungs.

After calming down a little, he continued, "I wonder if she is okay now?"

Ling Yan's face turned pale as paper in an instant, his eyes were filled with anger. His heart was beating violently, and an indescribable emotion was surging in his heart.

He couldn't figure it out. Since the emperor already knew what the queen had done, why did he keep this vicious woman by his side? Was there some hidden secret?

Ling Yan couldn't help but think of his biological mother who had a tragic and miserable life.

Back then, in order to completely overthrow the queen, she had exhausted all her energy and paid a price and effort that ordinary people could hardly imagine.

However, in the end, he still failed to change anything, and instead ended up dying unjustly.

Whenever he thought of this, the anger in Ling Yan's heart became uncontrollable like a volcanic eruption.

At this moment, when he stared at the emperor again, all the long-suppressed anger and resentment could no longer be suppressed.

His eyes were wide open, veins popped out on his forehead, and he asked in a voice that was almost a roar: "You clearly know her situation, but why do you pretend not to know? Why do you turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the crimes committed by the queen? Do you know how much pain her actions have brought to my mother?"

Faced with Ling Yan's fierce questioning, a trace of guilt and pain flashed across the emperor's face.

He slowly closed his eyes, and the night that had made his heart beat fast involuntarily emerged in his mind.

At that time, he could have rejected the queen's temptation without hesitation, but the quietly growing feelings tightly entangled his heart like vines, causing him to lose his reason unknowingly and fall into the abyss of desire, from which he could no longer stop.

After a moment of silence, the emperor slowly opened his eyes and said in a heavy tone: "Indeed, all this is my fault. If I had been able to stick to my original intention and not be moved by my own desires, perhaps what happened today would not have happened. Now, I just hope to know where she is now and whether she is okay..."

Ling Yan sat down slowly, feeling as heavy as if a huge rock weighing a thousand pounds was pressing on him.

He closed his eyes tightly, and the heartbreaking news that Master Tiandao brought him kept appearing in his mind: "After I successfully changed her fate, she silently endured the terrible backlash alone, and eventually left early..." Every word was like a sharp blade, mercilessly piercing his heart.

When the emperor, who was sitting next to him, heard this, his face turned pale instantly and his eyes widened with astonishment.

Then, as if all the strength in his body had been drained away, he closed his eyes weakly.

However, the next moment, a low and sad laugh came from the emperor's mouth: "Forget it, forget it. I know that my time is running out. After I tell her all these secrets that I have hidden for many years, I will personally apologize to her in the underworld."

Ling Yan's heart tightened. He keenly sensed that there was something behind the emperor's words, but he could not comprehend the deep meaning for a moment. He could not help but frown and asked, "Father, is there anything else you need to tell me?"

The emperor coughed violently several times, his body trembled uncontrollably, and even breathing seemed to have become extremely difficult.

After a long while, he calmed down a little and said in a hoarse voice: "Do you know why I knew your true life experience but chose to turn a blind eye and pretend to know nothing?"

Ling Yan shook his head blankly, indicating that he was indeed confused about this.

Seeing this, the emperor sighed deeply and continued, "In fact, I am fully aware of the Queen's reckless and abusive behavior, but even so, I still choose to indulge her in every way. Do you want to know the reason?"

Ling Yan remained silent, just staring at the emperor's haggard face.

At this moment, the emperor was like a candle in the wind, and the fire of life could be extinguished at any time.

The emperor stretched out his hand tremblingly and took out a crystal white jade pendant from his arms.

This jade pendant emits a soft light, and you can tell at first glance that it is no ordinary item.

"My time is almost up, I am afraid I can't hold on for much longer. This jade pendant... after you return to the palace, you must immediately hand it over to Concubine Hui at Huangshan Temple. Then all the mysteries will be solved."

After the emperor said this with his last bit of strength, he collapsed on his chair as if relieved from a heavy burden, and his breathing became weaker and weaker.

Ling Yan widened his eyes, staring at the jade pendant, with a surge of shock in his heart.

He could never have imagined that the jade pendant in front of him was exactly the same as the jade pendant Xue Jinhua got from Xue Lao Er!

"Father, why do you have this jade pendant?"

Ling Yan couldn't help but question the emperor, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

However, just as the emperor was about to open his mouth to explain, a violent cough suddenly interrupted his words.

Ling Yan, who was beside him, could no longer suppress his anxiety. He shouted anxiously, "Father, what do you want to tell me?"

The emperor gasped with difficulty and finally squeezed out a few words: "Seven Evils are destined to be alone, you and I..." But before he could finish his words, he had another violent coughing fit and his body began to tremble continuously.

"Is...what is it?"

Ling Yan's face was filled with anxiety, and he couldn't wait to ask. But the emperor seemed to be unable to answer at this time, and could only open his mouth reluctantly, but couldn't utter a complete word.

At this moment, Ling Yan's heart tightened and an ominous premonition came to his mind.

He quickly turned his head and shouted to the outside of the door: "Someone come! Someone come quickly!"

The imperial doctors who were waiting outside heard the shouting and rushed in. They quickly surrounded the emperor and began to examine and treat him nervously.

After all the trouble, the emperor's eyes never closed again, and were forever frozen in that moment.

The imperial physician fell to his knees without hesitation, his face as pale as paper, and shouted in a trembling voice: "Your Highness, the Emperor... the Emperor has passed away..." The sudden bad news was like a bolt from the blue, shocking everyone present.

The young eunuch who had been guarding the door was so frightened when he heard the shocking news that his whole body trembled, his legs went weak, and he knelt heavily on the cold, hard ground.

Then, he started shouting at the top of his lungs in terror toward the outside of the door: "The emperor has passed away! The emperor has passed away!" His voice was so shrill that it seemed to pierce the sky and instantly spread throughout the inn.

In an instant, the originally noisy inn became silent, and everyone was stunned by this sudden change.

After a brief silence, people knelt down one after another as if waking up from a dream, with their heads lowered, not daring to make the slightest sound.

However, at this moment, Ling Yan, who was standing in the crowd, looked distraught.

He tightly grasped the warm and smooth jade pendant in his hand, feeling mixed emotions and unable to describe the feeling.

He was certainly heartbroken by his father's sudden death, but he was even more saddened by the words he didn't have time to finish - "There is a concubine in Huangshan Temple?"

Over the years, I have been struggling and surviving cautiously in this palace that is as deep as the sea.

But why had he never heard of the late emperor having other concubines? This question was like a huge mystery, weighing heavily on his mind, making him feel a little breathless for a moment.

The young eunuch standing by saw Ling Yan just standing there blankly without saying a word, and thought that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was too sad to speak.

So he hurriedly spoke to comfort him: "Your Highness, please accept my condolences! Now that the emperor has passed away, the country cannot be without a ruler for a day. The most urgent task now is for you to step forward and take charge of the overall situation!" Before the little eunuch finished speaking, Ling Yan's heart, which had long since sunk to the bottom of the valley, could not help but tremble again...

Ling Yan tightly grasped the jade pendant in his hand and carefully put it into his arms and kept it away properly.

His face was solemn, and he said in a deep voice: "The death of the emperor is a great loss for the country. The whole country should mourn together. Quickly arrange for the fastest horses to convey this bad news to Kyoto tonight. The national funeral ceremony must be prepared and held as soon as possible. In addition, send a message to let everyone pack their bags and set off for Kyoto tomorrow morning."

"As you command, Your Highness!" The attendant beside him took the order respectfully and left.

After Ling Yan finished his instructions, he slowly turned around and once again looked deeply at the deceased emperor lying on the dragon bed.

This once supreme monarch still had words that he had never uttered until the last moment of his life.

Those unspoken things seemed to have turned into a boundless, dense net at this moment, tightly binding Ling Yan's heart, making him feel chest tightness and shortness of breath, almost unable to breathe smoothly.

Ling Yan took a deep breath, forced himself to calm the surging emotions in his heart, then gently put the jade pendant into his arms, turned around and walked out of the room.

Just a few steps out of the door, a young eunuch came up to him and asked, "Your Highness, do you want to go back to the palace to visit the Crown Princess first?"

Ling Yan shook his head slightly and asked, "Is the Queen okay?"

The young eunuch was stunned at first, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses. He quickly replied: "Your Highness, the Queen has lost too much blood due to the accident she encountered earlier, and is now resting in her room."

"Take me there to have a look." Ling Yan gave the order without hesitation.

However, just as he finished his words, a cold and biting wind suddenly blew over.

The gust of wind came so suddenly that it caught everyone off guard.

Immediately afterwards, under the bright moonlight, a black shadow flashed quickly like a ghost, and then leaped up and rushed towards where Ling Yan was.

"Oh no, there's an assassin!" someone was the first to exclaim.

In an instant, the entire courtyard fell into chaos and tension.

As the extremely shrill scream that seemed to pierce the sky suddenly exploded in his ears, Ling Yan felt his heart suddenly tightened and his face instantly became tense.

Almost as if reacting instinctively, he blurted out: "Quick! Protect the Crown Princess!"

At the same time, a sharp tearing sound rang through the ears, as if something was being torn apart.

Gradually, the noisy sound of swords clashing became clearly audible.

Ling Yan's face turned as pale as paper in an instant, and a strong sense of foreboding surged in his heart.

He didn't have time to think about it, and rushed towards the room where Xue Jinhua was as fast as the wind.

When he pushed open the door breathlessly, the scene that came into his eyes made his heart settle down a little - he saw Xue Jinhua still lying quietly on the large carved bed, her face as pale as paper, without any blood, but at least she seemed to be fine for the time being.

Ling Yan let out a long sigh and was secretly thankful.

However, before he could completely relax, the noisy shouting and fighting sounds outside the door gradually subsided.

Just as Ling Yan was filled with doubts, a panicked figure stumbled in, shouting, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened!"

Ling Yan frowned and looked at the newcomer with a serious expression. He said in a deep voice, "What happened? How can you be so flustered?"

The man trembled his lips and stammered, "The Empress...She...She passed away..."

"The queen hanged herself!" The young eunuch explained the situation with a horrified face, his voice trembling. "Just now, a group of mysterious assassins suddenly appeared. I was worried about the queen's safety, so I hurried to her bedroom to check the situation. As soon as I arrived at the door, I ran into an assassin in black who was about to attack the queen. When the assassin saw me, he looked panicked, obviously he didn't expect someone to come to disturb him. But before the assassin could make a move, we found that the queen had hanged herself! Seeing this, the assassin seemed to realize that the plan had failed, so he hurriedly fled the scene."

The Emperor had just passed away, and now the Empress had also ended her life in such a tragic way. These series of events really caught people off guard.

The place instantly fell into chaos and panic, and everyone was at a loss as to what to do.

But the meticulous Ling Yan keenly realized that the assassin's real target was actually the Queen.

From some strange words the emperor had said before, to the bizarre suicide of the queen, and all the unexplainable questions...

This information poured into his mind like a surging torrent, making him feel dizzy.

Although he was extremely upset at the moment, Ling Yan knew that the situation was urgent and could not afford any delay.

He suppressed his uneasiness, took a deep breath, and then stood up suddenly, and ordered decisively: "Come with me to the Queen's bedroom to check it out!"