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

It turns out that the Queen Mother really knew about this!

Ling Yan's deep eyes flickered with light, and he said softly: "When I came back, she had passed away..." His voice was low and slightly sad.

The Queen Mother obviously had not expected this to happen and could not help but sneer in her heart.

After all, such an ending was really beyond her expectations.

"After all, she still couldn't make it..."

Ling Yan's expression became more and more solemn, revealing an indescribable sense of solemnity.

He stared at the Queen Mother and asked, "Grandmother, what is going on? Why would someone from the royal family be poisoned?"

At this moment, the Empress Dowager's already old face was now filled with deep helplessness and sorrow.

However, even so, she still forced herself to cheer up, cast her eyes on Ling Yan in front of her, and slowly said: "Child, don't you blame me for what I did to your grandmother and mother?"

Ling Yan was silent for a moment before he raised his head and looked directly into the Queen Mother's eyes. He answered sincerely, "When my grandson first learned about these things, he naturally felt very uncomfortable and even had some resentment towards you."

"But later I found out that even my father knew about this matter, and he had been hiding this secret without taking any action. So I began to think that since my father knew the truth but did not take any action, there must be some unknown secrets."

"No matter what the hidden truth is, in short..."

"Grandson, I just want to know the truth of the matter. I will never be willing to be kept in the dark like this!" His eyes as bright as stars stared at the empress dowager, his face full of determination and persistence.

The Queen Mother stared at his serious, almost stubborn face, and knew in her heart that what he said was true and there was absolutely no falsehood in it.

So, she couldn't help but sigh deeply and said slowly: "Alas, this is really an evil fate!"

Ling Yan remained silent, just listening attentively to the Queen Mother telling the long-forgotten past.

The Queen Mother paused for a moment, then continued, "All of this can be blamed on your royal grandfather. Back then, he actually married a princess from southern Xinjiang."

Hearing this, Ling Yan couldn't help but frown slightly.

He was naturally aware that Southern Xinjiang was a barbarian land, and the people there were famous for their expertise in mysterious and strange witchcraft.

It is said that the princesses of the royal family in southern Xinjiang have been carrying poisonous insects since childhood, which makes people terrified.

For a long time, people have always adopted an attitude of keeping a distance from the southern barbarians.

Although they were able to suppress the Nanman with powerful military force and forced them to submit, they never considered intermarriage with the Nanman.

The reason is nothing more than the fear of witchcraft, and the fear that the royal family will be controlled and manipulated by it.

However, who could have expected that the grandfather of the emperor would marry the princess of southern Xinjiang despite everyone's opposition.

He was a stupid and incompetent man who was addicted to alcohol and sex all day long.

When he accidentally caught a glimpse of the princess from southern Xinjiang, he was obsessed with marrying her back to the palace.

When the Empress Dowager was still alive, she was strongly opposed to this matter! However, what was unexpected was that this incompetent emperor was willing to threaten death and even use the throne as a bargaining chip to force everyone to agree to this marriage.

The Empress Dowager sighed helplessly: "The Grand Empress Dowager was also in a dilemma at the time. For the sake of the country, she finally agreed to the marriage reluctantly."

"At that time, the Empress Dowager thought that people had only heard about the so-called witchcraft in southern Xinjiang, and no one had witnessed its true power. Maybe it was just some nonsense, so no one took it seriously."

"Unexpectedly, since the emperor married the Princess of Southern Xinjiang, his personality has changed drastically. Not only that, but what is even more worrying is that after several years, there has been no good news from the palace - the emperor and the queen have no children.

When the Empress Dowager spoke of this, she could not help but burst into tears: "It was not until this moment that we suddenly realized that the Emperor had already been under the spell of the Southern Border witchcraft without knowing it."

When Ling Yan heard this, his face turned pale instantly. He widened his eyes and asked in disbelief, "Then...what happened next? Didn't they find a way to break this technique?"

The Queen Mother shook her head slowly, a trace of helplessness and regret on her face: "How can there be any solution? After the Princess of Southern Xinjiang learned that the matter had been exposed, she chose to commit suicide without hesitation..."

"Your poor grandfather had been poisoned by a poisonous insect. When his life was in danger, he had no choice but to seek help from the Heavenly Master... This is what people call exchanging fate and changing one's destiny against the will of heaven."

"As for what happened later, I don't know what kind of magical method Master Tiandao used, but he succeeded in temporarily suppressing the poisonous insect in your royal grandfather's body."

"However, this matter concerns the reputation of the royal family. How can such a scandal be easily spread? Therefore, the royal family only announced to the outside world that it was due to your grandfather's bad fate. Fortunately, Master Tiandao later discovered that Concubine Hui was the one who could suppress the poisonous insect in your royal grandfather's body, so..."

The Queen Mother paused for a moment and looked at Ling Yan. She looked at him deeply and continued, "At first, everyone thought that Concubine Hui was the antidote. She even gave birth to your father. They thought the matter of the poison was over. But who could have expected that? All of this was just a superficial phenomenon. In fact, there is no real antidote for the poison. What's worse is that it is hereditary, just like your father and you now."

When the Empress Dowager spoke to this point, her voice became choked up, as if she could hardly control herself as she recalled the unpleasant past events.

"If I can find the destined person, maybe I can get rid of the poison, but... the so-called getting rid of the poison, but if I can't find it..."

The Queen Mother slowly closed her eyes, and the words she wanted to say were eventually swallowed back into her stomach.

However, even though these words were never actually spoken, how could Ling Yan not understand the deeper meaning behind them?

He couldn't help but think back to his past years. At that time, he was like a flower that bloomed too early, and it seemed destined that the blooming period of his life would not extend beyond his twenties.

And now, facing this cruel reality, his heart became even heavier.

As his thoughts drifted, the figures of the eldest prince, the third prince, and the fourth prince involuntarily emerged in Ling Yan's mind.

He asked anxiously, "Grandmother, am I the only one who has been poisoned by the Gu worm? What about the third and fourth princes? And my eldest brother, have they suffered the same fate?"

The Queen Mother sighed softly, with a hint of helplessness and sadness in her voice: "Child, those who are destined to become the emperor will be deeply harmed by the poison. Although they are both descendants of the royal family, the poison in their bodies is far less serious than yours. Therefore, this poison will not have a big impact on their lifespan. But... Alas! Although they have survived by chance, from now on, they will no longer have any connection with the throne."

Hearing this, Ling Yan's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.

He could never have imagined that his chance to inherit the throne would come to him in such a ridiculous way—simply because he was infected with a poisonous insect! All of this was so ridiculous and absurd that he could hardly accept this fact.

"But I heard from people in Southern Xinjiang that perhaps it was because of your mother that the poison was successfully removed. Because of this, the Third and Fourth Princes were spared and did not suffer from the poison."

"Speaking of your eldest brother, he has been extremely weak and ill since childhood, so he was sent to his fiefdom to recuperate very early..."

When the Queen Mother recalled these old events of the past, she couldn't help but feel pity and compassion in her heart.

"So what about the twins?" Ling Yan asked with a puzzled look on his face.

The Queen Mother gently moved the Buddhist beads in her hand and said slowly: "It is said that anyone who has the ability to remove the poisonous insect will be pregnant with twins. But when the twins are born, one of them will be quietly taken away."

"Who took the child away then?" Ling Yan couldn't wait to ask.

The Queen Mother shook her head helplessly and sighed, "I really don't know about this matter! Back then, when your mother gave birth to you, the Queen rushed over and took you into the palace to raise you. As for the other child, I know nothing about it either."

Hearing this, Ling Yan frowned and muttered to himself worriedly: "According to this, will Xue Jinhua also face the same tragic fate?"

The Queen Mother's face was tense. She stared at Ling Yan in front of her and said in a serious tone, "Good boy, if Xue Jinhua really gave birth to the child, someone would definitely pass the news back."

"But she shouldn't be dead, otherwise... you should just ignore these things. Now that your father has passed away, it's a good opportunity for you to ascend the throne. As for the queen, we can appoint someone else."

These words clearly intended for Ling Yan to follow in the footsteps of his royal grandfather and the previous emperor.

However, Ling Yan felt that it was ridiculous and couldn't help but sneer, "Oh! How could there be such a ridiculous thing in the world?"

His eyes were full of determination and firmness. He shook his head and refused without hesitation: "No! For the sake of the so-called country, you can easily accept this absurd arrangement, but I will never agree with it. Even if I have to give up the throne, I must get my paintings back."

Hearing this, the Queen Mother's face turned pale as paper in an instant, and she asked with trembling lips: "Why are you so stubborn? What's the point of persisting like this?"

Ling Yan straightened his body, stared at the Empress Dowager with sharp eyes, and refuted righteously: "You always blindly compromise and accept everything, causing the royal family to be manipulated by others generation after generation. Don't you ever feel aggrieved and helpless?"

The Queen Mother opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but in the end it turned into a helpless sigh.

Yes, didn't she feel helpless too?

But being in this palace, facing the complicated situation and the constraints of various forces, sometimes compromise seems to be the only option.

But what’s the use?

"Since you have made up your mind, it will be difficult for others to change your mind."

The Queen Mother looked at his unwavering determination and could not help but sigh, "Forget it, go as you please."

After the prince left, Nanny Gui hurried in. Seeing that the empress dowager was safe and sound, she felt relieved.

However, thinking of the Crown Prince, Nanny Gui couldn't help but ask, "Empress Dowager, why don't you persuade His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"

"I can't persuade him anymore. Maybe what he said is true. The royal family is in such a state now because of cowardice."

The Queen Mother closed her eyes tightly and said, "Let him go. Maybe he can really turn the tide of the royal family."

Aunt Gui bit her lips lightly and finally said nothing more.

The Queen Mother also began to mutter something, as if she was praying for something.