aster still missing, he could only say: "There is silver at the counter. I will give you a hundred taels first. Please send the old man off first. As for the rest, we'll have to wait until our master...The prince rose, frowned, and asked, "What's the matter"

The little eunuch also wanted to show himself in front of the crown prince, so he whispered, "The emperor is in Kunning Palace."

Kunning Palace

The Crown Prince hesitated for a moment before remembering.

Kunning Palace was the Empress's residence, but because the Empress had been bedridden for a long time, she remained in seclusion. As time passed, it gradually faded from people's memory.

The Emperor and Empress were well-known in the palace for their discord. In such a time, the Emperor suddenly rushed over, could it be...

The Crown Prince strode out the door, Feng Gonggong and the little eunuch hurrying after him.

Disliking this, the little fox, perhaps unhappy about being left behind, actually hopped and skipped after him.

In the Kunning Palace, it was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop at this moment.

All the eunuchs and maidservants responsible for attending to the palace cowered in the corners, not daring to even breathe.

If one looks closely, one can see that they are all trembling, a clear indication of their extreme terror.

The emperor stood at the entrance of his bedroom, his expression complex, unable to discern whether it was regret, nostalgia, or relief.

Yi Zongguan bowed respectfully on the side, whispering softly, "Your Majesty...please grieve."

The emperor sighed and said nothing.

Even though there were many conflicts and frustrations in the past, they are still husband and wife after all. They also shared sweet moments and brought a child into the world together.

Now, this person just left without a word. He was taken aback for a moment and couldn't quite believe it.

The most important thing is...this timing is terrible.

At that very moment, the crown prince arrived.

"Father, has Mother's condition worsened"

The crown prince didn't show a look of anxiety or sadness. After all, he had only appeared in court once to pay his respects to the Empress. He wasn't particularly close or familiar with her.

But after this greeting, he spoke very naturally, behaving with the proper deference of a junior.

As expected, the Emperor was quite pleased. His expression softened, and he gestured to his side for the Crown Prince to take a look inside the room.

The house was bare, stripped of its colorful drapes and decorations.

On a rosewood bed intricately carved with peonies and phoenixes lay the withered Empress. She wore a phoenix robe, adorned with a magnificent phoenix crown. Her hands were clasped over her abdomen, as if she were asleep...

The prince's face turned pale, and he whispered, "Father, Mother..."

The Emperor nodded and replied, “Yes, the Empress has passed away. Your enthronement as Crown Prince is in three days. Her passing at this time is truly unfortunate.”

The prince also felt that the timing was not good, after all, to hold a funeral, it would take at least half a month of preparation.

Thus, the enthronement ceremony for the Crown Prince would be postponed, as well as the selection of a consort. He would also have to postpone taking over the reins of government...

But some things, can't be said from his mouth.

Thus, he remained silent, his expression a mixture of embarrassment and confusion.

As expected, the Emperor couldn't bear to see his son troubled and immediately said, "Matters have varying degrees of urgency. For now, everything must make way for your enthronement ceremony as Crown Prince."

"Just do as you please, here...keep this hidden for now. Wait until after the selection of a consort, then announce his passing."

The crown prince seemed a little surprised and asked, "Father Emperor, the weather is so hot...and for burial, how can you inconvenience the Empress for my sake..."

The emperor waved his hand and replied, "You needn't worry too much. Given the current situation, this is the only arrangement possible."

If you feel guilty in your heart, then take good care of the Third Princess in the future.

"As the Third Princess is the only bloodline of the Empress, I believe the Empress in heaven will feel more at ease now."

The prince quickly bowed his head, "Father, please rest assured, the Third Princess is my sister. Even without today's events, I would take good care of her."

"When I was out there, I was all alone and very lonely. What I envied most was the close and harmonious relationship between the Li family's siblings. Now that I have a sister, of course I will pamper her."

The Emperor listened with great satisfaction and said no more.

Both Yi Zongtang and Feng Gonggong were capable men. Having received the order, they almost finished arranging the Kunning Palace within an hour.

Although it cannot be made public, the Empress is after all a mother of a nation. And death is a major matter, one that should not be treated lightly.

Therefore, Kunning Palace was draped in white, and the Empress was placed in Shoucai.

A large amount of ice crammed most of the space, leaving only a flat spot for the queen to lie.

Even so, with most of the coffin lid shut, there were still plenty of ice cubes buried inside.

This is to keep the body at a low temperature so that it does not decompose.

All the eunuchs and maidservants originally thought they would be executed to accompany the emperor in death. Unexpectedly, the emperor, considering the selection of a crown princess for his son, decided not to kill them, and they were unexpectedly pardoned.

This is a huge surprise, going from death to life.

Everyone wished they had three heads and six arms, desperately looking for work and fearing that they would become useless and eventually be sent to their graves...

In Zilan Palace, the Third Princess had no appetite. She lay listlessly by the window, staring blankly at the flowers and plants in the courtyard.

Born a princess, she was naturally proud to the extreme.

She wouldn't want to spend her life with a man who didn't love her.

But after all, she had once loved him. If she told her father the truth, seeing the person she once cared for being punished would make her feel reluctant.

This is truly a difficult choice.

At this time, Caiyun rushed in from outside and opened her mouth to speak.

The third princess waved her hand impatiently, annoyance lacing her voice. “I said I don’t have an appetite and don’t want to eat! Please stop trying to persuade me, it’s annoying!”

Cai Yun quickly knelt down and said anxiously, "Princess, it's not this... It's that something is wrong in Kunning Palace! I went to deliver peaches to the Empress, but the gatekeeper eunuch wouldn't let me in. And, the Emperor and the Prince seem to be..."

"What" The third princess suddenly sat up, her voice filled with alarm. "You're saying you didn't see Mother And that Father and the Crown Prince are both here"

"Yes, Your Highness," Caiyun said with a forced smile. "I suspected something had happened, but I don't know the specifics."

The Third Princess's face turned pale, and she got up stumbling and ran outside.

My mother has been bedridden for years, and my father has never once deigned to visit her.

Now that the Emperor has passed away and the Crown Prince is also here, what else could possibly happen

I'm afraid mother is not well...

The eunuch guarding the entrance to Kunning Palace dared not stop Caiyun, but he didn't dare to stop Princess San.

Even as he went to step forward and pay his respects, the Third Princess shoved him aside.

"Get out of here!"

Inside the gate, all was white, and all was silent. The sight and sound struck the Third Princess deeply, causing her to burst into tears.

She ran and stumbled, her hair came undone, her clothes were disheveled. After much effort, she managed to crawl beside the coffin. Seeing her mother lying on the ice, she could no longer hold on and fainted...

The Emperor was on the porch, instructing the chief eunuch of Kunning Palace about some minor matters. Hearing the commotion, he happened to see his daughter fainting.

Fortunately, the prince wasn't far away and scooped up his sister in his arms.

The Emperor was flustered and stepped forward, rebuking her, "How did the Third Princess get here"

The Crown Prince sighed and replied, “Father, Mother after all is Princess Younger Sister’s biological mother. Perhaps they have a spiritual connection and that's why she discovered it.”

The Emperor was also unable, gesturing for Yi Tongguan and the others to come forward and attend.

Grandmaster Yi quickly fed the Third Princess a pill to revive her and pressed on her acupuncture point.

Soon, the third princess woke up. heard Liu Laozi speak first with envy and praise, her heart swelled with three points of pride. She smiled and replied: "Old Master, you flatter me. A small village like this is about the only place...